Maryka Holtzhausen calls curtain on her professional netball career

fter an illustrious career that has run for 12 years as a SPAR Proteas player, goal attacker Maryka Holtzhausen has called it quits on her international netball career. The lanky attacker has represented and played for South Africa 116 times. She has played at three Commonwealth Games tournament and three World Championships.

Maryka has been part of the SPAR Proteas national team for the past 12 years and captained the team between 2012 until 2014.

“When a player of Maryka’s calibre calls curtain on her international career, it is never an easy decision to accept and we believe that it wasn’t easy for her too. We are grateful that we have had such talent donning the green and gold and doing very well for herself and for the country too. We wish her all the best with her future endeavours and would like to thank her for her immense contribution to the sport,” Cecilia Molokwane, President of Netball South Africa.

Holtzhausen was the first player from her country to line up in the UK’s leading competition, the Netball Super league, joining Loughborough Lightning for the 2015 season. She has also played for Free State Crinums. In November 2018 Holtzhausen was the second player in South Africa national netball team history to receive her 100th cap.

“I have quite mixed feelings to be honest, although I have a real peace in my heart about my decision, it doesn’t make it easy to say goodbye to such a big part of my life. I think every athlete gets to a point in their career where it feels right to let go and move on. It just feels right to start focusing on other things in my life,” said Maryka Holtzhausen.

Maryka played her last game for the SPAR Proteas on the 21^st of July against England at the M&S Bank Arena where the team finished fourth.