Lephole to officiate at Netball Diamond Challenge

Leemisa Thuseho

TOP netball umpire, Chakatsa Lephole, has been named as one of the umpires to officiate the upcoming 2022 Spar Netball Diamond Challenge by World Netball.

The tournament will be held at the University of Pretoria’s Rembrandt Hall from 22 to 24 November.

This year’s tournament will see South Africa hosting Scotland, Zimbabwe and South Africa’s President’s XII team. South Africa’s President’s XII team was roped in after the withdrawal of Malawi from the tournament.

Lephole confirmed the call-up to the Lesotho Times this week. He will leave for South Africa on Saturday.

He said he was happy to get such an opportunity to officiate a tournament featuring top sides that have already qualified for next year’s World Cup.

“I feel honoured to have been considered for such a big event,” Lephole said.

“Looking at the level of the competing countries in that tournament, it gives me confident that I am on the right track and this will help me earn points to be selected for other high ranked competitions.

“This is a huge assignment because South Africa is ranked fifth in the world, Scotland is at 10^th and Zimbabwe is 13^th.”

This will be Lephole’s third international event this year after the Tri-Nations tournament in Malawi in June and the African Regional Netball World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in August.

Lephole has officiated several top continental and international tournaments. He has also officiated the junior’s World Cup events and Universities World Cups

While World Netball is yet to announce the officials for the next year’s World Cup, Lephole said it was his wish to be among the officials.