ZVA urges clubs to prepare for Region V champs

Sport
ZVA secretary-general Ringisai Mapondera says clubs should start preparing for the Region V Club Championships as early as January if they are to leave a mark in the tournament.

ZIMBABWE Volleyball Association (ZVA) secretary-general Ringisai Mapondera says clubs should start preparing for the Region V Club Championships as early as January if they are to leave a mark in the tournament.

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Six clubs, ZRP Raiders, University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and Support Unit in the women’s section and Stanbic Thunder, Black Rhinos and Support Unit represented the country in the men’s category at the tournament, which ended on Saturday in Botswana.

Clubs from Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe took part in the tournament which was eventually won by Mafolofolo of Botswana in the women’s category and Autoridade Tributaria of Mozambique in the men’s section.

Mapondera yesterday said as an association, they realised that clubs gathered at the last minute to prepare for the games and that worked against them in player combinations.

“Clubs need to adequately prepare for these games. They should start as early as January.

“Most of the clubs started calling up their players at the last minute and they had a major weakness in player-combinations.

“For UZ, they are an institution and managed to keep their players together that is why they reached the semi-finals.

“Clubs have to prepare adequately so that they fare better in the next competition. But as an association, being able to send six teams to the championships shows that we have the capacity,” Mapondera said.

UZ, making their maiden appearance at the games lost 0-3 in the semi-finals to silver-medalists Kutlwano of Botswana after having dismissed Namibian Defences Forces 3-1 in the quarter-finals.

Support Unit had fallen 0-3 to Kutlwano in the quarter-finals. ZRP Raiders were mauled 0-3 by gold medalists Mafolofolo in their first game before beating Botswana side Bob Cats 1-3 and Namibia Defence Forces 3-2.

The Bulawayo-based women’s side lost 1-3 to Botswana’s Kalavango in the quarter-finals.

Support Unit also made it to the quarter-finals in the men’s section but fell to Autoridade Tributaria 2-3 while Stanbic Thunder and Black Rhinos fell away in the preliminary stages.