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Lephole invited for Spar Netball Challenge Series

 

Leemisa Thuseho

TOP netball umpire Chakatsa Lephole has been invited to officiate at the upcoming 2021 Spar Netball Challenge Series by the International Netball Federation (INF).

South Africa will host Uganda and Namibia in Cape Town from 25 to 31 March 2021.

Lephole, who is Lesotho’s most qualified umpire, confirmed his engagement to the Sunday Express and revealed that he will be working alongside three umpires from South Africa; Anson Kemp, Elizna Van den Berg and Theresa Prince.

He said he felt honoured by the invitation, which he described as an indication of the trust that the international netball community has in him. He said he was also happy to officiate in a tournament with top-ranked teams like South Africa and Uganda.

“I feel honoured to be invited for the tournament which features top African teams ranked among the top 10 in the world and also Namibia which is in the top 25 in the world,” Lephole said.

“The invitation shows that I have been performing well.”

Lephole was last in action in October 2019 during the African Netball Challenge in Cape Town. Last year he was invited for the Namibia Pent Series which was meant to be held in May and the Europe Netball Open which was to be hosted in Glasgow Scotland last July. However, he missed both because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said he spent most of his time preparing himself for the return of sporting activities during the lockdowns and is therefore confident that he will do well in the upcoming tournament.

“I kept fit although I did not have any matches to officiate in. I also watched lots of international matches and analysed them along with my mentor, Ian Fuller, who is based in England.

He said his target this year is to officiate in more regional, continental and international tournaments.

Lesotho Netball Association (LNA) public relation officer ‘Mamakebe Moshoeshoe congratulated Lephole for making Lesotho proud with his exploits.

“We are happy for him. We are also glad that all the skills that he will get from his experience will also benefit Lesotho. His exploits are a huge motivation for other upcoming umpires,” Moshoeshoe said.

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