But it happened on Monday.
The mighty, great, inspirational Mary Waya: No force of ill-will will erase her successful mark on the Malawian netball scene
The name of the battle of skills and height is the 2011 World Netball Championship.
The name of the battle-field is Singapore, the setting for that great novel called 'King Rat', by the equally great writer in the name James Clavel.
After the end of four quarters on Monday, the Malawi National Netball Team fell 'victims' to England by 65 baskets to 33.
The result is a shame to the Malawi nation; not the result, rather, but the margin.
This never happened during the sweet, good, old days of Mary Waya, Peace Chawinga, Silvia Mtetemera,and others.
That is why these netballers, and many others of their generation, will remain hidden in our hearts, to come alive through our smiles, when all this- like their impressive careers- comes to an end.
Waya, Mtetemera, Chawinga still have the legs to carry on on the netball court. But some stubborn, useless, rabbit-legged, up-coming netballers have put their feet down, saying they will never welcome these greats in their squad.
A few weeks ago, at the intervention of the Ministry of Sports, Waya- one of the veteran netballers- was recalled.
Like a lover of netball and patriotic citizen, Waya obliged and went into camp.
That was good news.
But these squirel netballers, small as the index finger in netball skills and competence, and more useless than the smelling waters of Mudi River in Blantyre, turned their backs on Waya.
They became rude- these useless, foul-smelling netballers- forcing Waya out of camp.
Waya is big. She has been there- both in life, and on the netball court.
She knows non-verbal clues, and knows what it means when a young netballer- of between 21 and 29 years- turns her over-sized, black nose to the right hand when a veteran netballer of repute and unmatched skills is passing by the left side of you.
The great, irreplaceable Mary Waya: let all her young netballer haters go hang on Mulanje Mountain
So, Waya went home.
Zachimalawi feels like she made the right, and wrong decision.
She should not have let these squirel netballers- useless as the waters of flue- push her out by action, or intent of such action.
She should have been there to show these useless netballers that they were not there when her and others were moulding the bricks of what we now call Malawi's orthodox netball game.
They were busy sucking milk from their mothers, mothers who were not allowed to eat eggs while pregnant then.
Waya was also right.
You don't leave where you are not wanted!
Especially when you are the only human being among squirels.
These under-aged, useless netballers behaved worse than squirels.
You will never see the squirel-young bite their mum.
Never.
All that remains is to dissolve this Malawi National Netball team, send all the small-legged players who behaved like squirels home, and dissolve the national team.
This team should not receive any more funding.
Let the useless, unappreciative players contribute funds and form their own national team.
The Wayas, Chawingas and Mtetemeras will then continue with the good netball game, to paste smiles on our lips with their wonderful display once again.
These people lost to England, yes; but they lost respectably.
That is the difference between a squirel-human-being, and a human being.
Mwawi Kumwenda is not among the useless, under-aged but visibly-old netball players, though- and we will be glad to have her in the Malawi National Netball Team of human beings.
As it is now, barter these misbehaving, self-over-rated players with squirels, and let the communal spirit that has sustained Malawi all along- that spirit powered by unity and obedience- visit us once more.
We also ask the mighty Mbona to punish these ill-mannered kids.
Let the team come home, also. It has failed miserably in both performance and discipline.
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