Tatenda Shunyai
MASVINGO – Scores of local handball players last week made their way to Masvingo to take part in the Zimbabwe Handball Federation (ZHF)’s Inaugural Open Season tournament at Masvingo Polytechnic College.
The association, led by Stewart Sanhewe decided to stage the Open Season tournament as a way of reviving the sport at senior level.
The tournament saw 27 teams take part with 12 of them being ladies teams while 15 were men.
Manyame Airbase dominated the tournament, scooping gold in both men and women’s categories.
Masvingo handball board vice chairperson, Erikana Mangwiro was happy with the success of the tournament.
“We managed to host a very successful tournament and I am happy that everything went well despite the rains that somehow interfered with the proceedings.
“I can also note that the standard of play has improved very much and we look forward to see those standards being maintained in Zimbabwe,” Mangwiro said.
Manyame Airbase ladies team beat MSU in the final to take the gold but the rains affected the match between Manyame and Mutare Polytechnic but Manyame won on average scores in the games they had played before.
In the past, handball was dominant mainly at junior levels with no proper structures in place for a senior national league for both men and women. The recent tournament was the first step towards the revival of the sport at senior level.
Some of the teams which took part in the tournament are Manyame falcons from Chitungwiza, Manyame Airbase, UZ, Midland State University (MSU) pythons, Great Zimbabwe University (GZU), Houghton Park Sharks, Mashrino among others.
Sanhewe and officials from the Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) attended as the invited guests.sport
