CHEMHANZA HIGH SCHOOL coach Never Mhandu said his team’s Copa Coca-Cola triumph over the weekend was a result of hard work and a long-term strategy. HENRY MHARA SPORTS REPORTER
The Mashonaland East team beat Harare’s Oriel High School 2-0 in the final match played at Gwanzura Stadium to clinch the Under-16 title for the second year running with Kelvin Dube and Takudzwa Chiwerenga on the scoresheet.
Mhandu’s team initially struggled in the group stages, but as soon as they upped gear, particularly their star man Tatenda Tumba, it was never in doubt on who would win the tournament. Chemhanza drew 0-0 in their first match against Chipadze and were held to a one-all draw by Pamushana in the next match to finish the group as runners-up behind the Masvingo team.
In the quarter-finals, they beat Mutare Boys High 1-0 and dispatched Mzilikazi by the same scoreline in the semi-finals.
Though the scoreline would suggest close-fought contests in those later stages, make no mistake, Chemhanza were dominant and deservedly went through.
“This is not something that was done over a month or two, but this is a result of months of hard work and proper planning. These players are training all year round and sometimes come for training during the holidays, so we had been planning for this for a very long time.
“We also make sure that we have youngsters in the team so that when the senior players are no longer eligible for this competition, there are other players who can carry the team. We had those players who played last year, so they helped the youngsters to cope with the pressure of the tournament this year. The same thing will happen again next year,” Mhandu said.
He added: “But above all, this success is a product of good work by the team and the unity of purpose by everyone involved. The technical team and the players work well and the Under-20 coach Ranganai Machaka has also been very helpful. But crucially, the whole school has been supportive of this team and these are the results.”
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Tumba was by far the best player on show, and was deservedly voted the player and the midfielder-of-the-tournament. The diminutive midfielder, who won the hearts of the supporters throughout the tournament due to his slick skills, was part of the Dream Team that featured at the Copa Coca-Cola camp in South Africa and was voted the best player in the continent. His reward for his performance in South Africa was a trip to Brazil where he watched the 2014 World Cup opening match.
While Chemhanza won the tournament, perhaps the biggest story to come out of this latest edition of the Copa Coca-Cola was the performance of another Mashonaland East representative Mukondwa High who played the entire tournament with nine men after most of their players were vetted out for alleged age cheating.
But despite their numerical disadvantage, they went all the way to the semi-finals where there were stopped by Oriel High after a penalty shoot-out. They eventually settled for third place after beating Mzilikazi 2-1 in the third and fourth place play-off match. Their defender Takaedza Zhuwarara was voted the best defender of the tournament.
In the girls category, Chidyamakono School of Masvingo also managed to retain their title after beating St Francis 1-0 in the final match.
A dream team of 20 players each in both the boys and girls’ categories was selected at the end of the tourney.
The boys’ team will go for a camp in Kenya later in the year while the girls, team will represent the country at the Cossasa Games in Zambia next month.
