African netball is on the rise

As Africa booms, the Caribbean dabbles with doom. African netball is on the rise - against significant odds - and Malawi is set to have their first representative in the ANZ Championship.

In contrast the port in the Caribbean appears to be fading, if the results in the recent world championships are any gauge. In Singapore, South Africa showed the benefits of a extensive preparation to finish fifth and surprised many with their battling performance against the Silver Ferns, where they held the lead after the first quarter.

Malawi, who only trained together for 10 days before the tournament, defied their less than ideal build-up to gain sixth place, highlighted by their quarter-final against Australia where they pushed the Diamonds all the way, before eventually going down 58-44. Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago - joint winners in 1979, third in 1983 and runners-up in 1987 back in their halcyon days - could do no better than seventh and Barbados (sixth in 1987 and seventh in 2003) came in 11th.

Malawi became crowd favourites in Singapore, mainly for their unconventional style. The 'Queens' still hold the unlikely world record of 69 passes before a shot was attempted.

"We love our style - we don't like to copy netball from other countries," says coach Kaliati Edith. There is just one suitable indoor facility in the south east African country, a court owned by the university of Malawi, which the national team are not always able to use. Otherwise they train outside, on hard concrete courts; below national level club teams play on sandy pitches littered with gravel.

"IFNA needs to visit some of these countries and see how they perform under these circumstances," says Edith. "We hope they can assist us with one international standard court, and provide more international games."

It is a sentiment echoed in South Africa: "We really need more competitive matches," says goal shooter Claudia Bisson. "We are far away from New Zealand, Australia, England and Jamaica but somehow a solution needs to be found."

Bisson particularly relishes clashes with the Silver Ferns, but they have only met twice in the last decade outside the world championships or Commonwealth Games. Her mother played alongside Irene van Dyk in 1995 and Bisson junior has the unlikely silver medal from that tournament in her drawer.

"My Mum always told me stories about Irene," recalls Bisson. " She is my role model. We don't really resent her leaving - I'm proud of her, the way she went to New Zealand and upped her game."

Malawi goal shoot Mwayi Kumwenda is the latest from the continent to seek fame in Australasia, and might be the first black African to play in the ANZ Championship. She was named the best player at the inaugural Fastnet competition in 2009, and starred at the world under-21 championships in 2009.

The 21-year-old Kumwenda played for the Peninsula Wolves in the Victorian State League over the past season, and is now believed to be on the fringes of the Vixens squad, especially after her head-turning performances in Singapore.

"They are all very strong in Australia," says Kumwenda, who is also studying business administration. "At home there are not a lot of gyms, so it is hard for us to compete."

Kumwenda tells stories of club players in Malawi using big stones, bags of sand or rocks to do weights and resistance training; of playing on hard courts, covered with sand.

The sport is on the rise in Malawi, on the back of top six finishes at the last two world championships and Commonwealth Games, as well as 5th place finishes at the two international Fastnet competitions.

"We have the potential to break into the top four, " says Kumwenda. "Hopefully we can get more international competition and the government delivers what they have promised [in funding]."