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Lovemore Zigara  Midlands Correspondent
MWENEZI based football outfit FC Maranda and Unicem won the right to represent Matabeleland South in the Zifa Central Soccer League after winning their respective Division Two Leagues.Cement manufacturers Unicem won the Pool A title with FC Maranda being victorious in Pool B which is made up of teams from Beitbridge District with the exception of the latter.

A 1-0 win over Gwanda United at the weekend ensured that Unicem pipped Farvic on goal difference. Farvic had clobbered Gwanda Town 3-0.

Both Unicem and Farvic going into the  respective matches were tied on 35 points  from 17 matches and with both sides winning their last matches, the season had to be decided on goal difference.

Unicem chairman, Patrick Phiri said the club was happy for achieving such a feat but were still waiting for communication from the company management if they would continue to bankroll the team in Division One.

“As a club we’re obviously happy with achieving such a feat. This was through sheer determination from the company management, executive, technical department, the players as well as our supporters.

“However, we’re still to hear from the management if they will continue to sponsor the team since we’ve been promoted to Division One,” he said.

Unlike Unicem who won the ticket through goal difference, FC Maranda were six-points clear of second placed Takezawa United who could only manage 26 points from the eight team league.

FC Maranda benefactor Ephert Shoko said he was happy that he has managed to take Division One Soccer League action to his rural area.

“We’re happy to win the league especially if you consider that we’re a team from a rural set-up. The players that we have are youngsters and we’re going to continue on this path as we venture into Division One. Our mission is to identify, nurture and give young talent a platform to shine and I’m confident that by playing in Division One, we will be able to expose these youngsters,” he said.

Zifa Matabeleland South Division 2A results:

Unicem 1 – 0 Gwanda
United, Gwanda Town Council 0 – 3 Farvic, ZRP Gwanda 1 – West United
ZIFA Mat South Division Two