Zimpapers Logo

Mutare Bureau
IT’S game on in the 13th edition of the Zimbabwe National Youth Games being held here after competitions in all the eight sporting disciplines started yesterday morning as scheduled.

By mid-day yesterday, competitions were going on well in the eight sporting disciplines which include netball, soccer, basketball, tennis, handball, athletics, volleyball and boxing.

In football for boys, Masvingo and Mashonaland are the only provinces that did not field participants.

The participating eight provinces were placed in two groups with Group A comprising hosts Manicaland, Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Mashonaland West while Matabeleland South, Harare, Midlands and Mashonaland Central are in Group B.

By midday hosts Manicaland had been held to a 2-2 stalemate by Bulawayo in a group stage match.

In girls’ soccer, Group A comprises Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Midlands and Manicaland while Group B has Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, Harare and Matabeleland South.

By midday, Mashonaland Central had dismissed Mashonaland West 3-0 in Group A while Matabeleland North were on the receiving end of a slender 1-0 defeat at the hands of Bulawayo.

However, one match in the boys’ soccer and one in girls’ soccer could not be played since Matabeleland South participants for both competitions had not yet been accredited by yesterday afternoon.

In netball, by yesterday afternoon, two netball first round matches had been played at Dangare Primary School situated in the sprawling suburb of Sakubva.

Only six provinces are battling it out in the round robin stage that will see five matches being played within the stipulated four days before the positional play-offs.

Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Bulawayo, Harare make up the list of provinces that are competing in netball.

The host province Team Manicaland was walloped 28–19 by Mashonaland West while Mashonaland Central clobbered Mashonaland East 32–9 in exciting encounters played before lunch time yesterday.

Harare Province was expected to lock horns with Bulawayo by yesterday afternoon

Netball competitions director Alex Masimba said the first round of matches went on smoothly.

“We’re happy with the proceedings so far. The games started on time. Only six teams are competing for the coveted prize.

“The finals pitting the number one and number two will be played on Saturday,” he said.

The general manager of the National Youth Games Local Organising Committee, Zakaria Chikwangwami, said turnout from all the provinces was impressive.

“For the National Youth Games usually we say if a sporting discipline fails to have more than half of the provinces fielding participants or teams, then that discipline is called off.

“But I’m glad that we’ve managed to get more than half representation for each discipline which means all the games will be played,” said Chikwangwani.