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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
SECOND placed Central Region Division One outfit, Border Strikers received a major boost when a local businessman and former players donated four sets of uniforms this week.The donations are expected to boost the morale in the already fired up Beitbridge based football outfit. The uniforms were handed over to the club patron, Loud Ramakgapola who is also Beitbridge Town secretary on Wednesday.

The donation comprised four sets of 16 uniforms and 500 T-shirts and caps which will be used for the team’s fundraising programmes.

“The gesture was made by Lanaheil Investments, Club Royale and Ephat Shoko and Mfundisi Roo Ncube both former Border Strikers FC players. Ncube is now based in Dubai. As a team we are impressed by the gesture from our business people.

“We hope the boys will be motivated to play well so that they get promotion into top flight football. We are also calling on other businesspeople and former players to emulate such a gesture. “On our part as the local authority we have started renovating Dulibadzimu stadium to make it user friendly and we want it to meet modern stadia standards. So far we have completed refurbishing the ablution facilities,” said Ramakgapola.

He added that the community should continue supporting the team to ensure that there was accelerated sports development in the town.

Speaking during the same ceremony, Vavheneki Board of Trustees chairperson, Maxwell Ngwenya said it was important for local business to support soccer as part of their social responsibility programmes.

Meanwhile, Border Strikers’ unbeaten run comes under scrutiny when they head to Zvishavane for a showdown with former Premiership outfit, Shabanie Mine at Maglas Stadium tomorrow. Border Strikers, popularly known as “Vavheneki” who lie second on the standings with 11 points is one of the only three teams in the league which are yet to taste defeat this season.

Pacesetters ZPC Munyati and MSU are the other two teams which are yet to lose.

What makes the encounter between Border Strikers and the Chinda Boys intriguing is that while the border town side will be looking to protect their unbeaten run, Shabanie Mine would want to maintain a perfect home record having won all their matches they have played at the venue so far.

The asbestos miners beat struggling Mvuma Stars one nil in the season opener before handing Chrome Stars their first defeat of the season handing them a four nil drubbing.

Long serving Shabanie Mine coach, Arnold “Dunga” Jani conceded that the match against Strikers would be tough but is confident that his charges will rise to the occasion and win the game.His Border Strikers counterpart, Never Malunga was equally confident of upstaging the Chinda Boys in their own backyard.

Fixtures

Today: MSU vs Vumbachikwe (MSU), ZETDC Southern Region vs Blanket Mine (Mkoba), Chrome Stars vs FC Platinum U19 (Chrome)

Tomorrow: Sable Chemicals vs ZRP Beitbridge (Amaveni), Mvuma Stars vs Silo United (Mvuma), Gweru United vs Ivan Hoe (Ascot), ZPC Munyati vs Tongogara (Munyati), Shabanie Mine vs Border Strikers (Maglas)