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Bukhosi Mangena Sports Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe Senior Schools’ Girls Hockey Association in conjunction with the Hockey Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) have organised Under-16 and Under-18 Test matches against Zambia. The Test matches started yesterday at Arundel Girls’ High School and will run up to August 30. The Tests are aimed at giving the schoolgirls a feel of international competition and selectors an opportunity to assess players that could be selected to the senior national women’s side for the Africa Olympic Qualifiers (AOQ) set for Johannesburg in October.

HAZ vice-president Humphrey Chigwedere said the Tests were a welcome development that would help them identify talented schoolgirls, who will be groomed for senior national duty.

“We have invited the Zambian schoolgirls to play our girls as our players lack international exposure at an early age.

“We have struggled on the international platform because our young players lack that big stage feel to succeed.

“We are also looking at selecting impressive players for the senior national team that is going to South Africa in October,” said Chigwedere.

The Zambians are very competitive and their hockey has grown steadily in the last five years and the country even represented Africa at the Youth Olympic Games in China in 2014.

Eight teams (four from each country) will take part in the five-day Test series.

Games Schedule

Today: 13:00 Girls Zimbabwe U16 A vs Zimbabwe U18 B, 14:30 Girls Zimbabwe U16 B vs Zimbabwe U18 A, 16:00 Girls Zambia U16 A vs Zambia U18 A,

Tomorrow: 13:00 Girls Zimbabwe U18 A vs Zimbabwe U18 B, 14:30 Girls Zimbabwe U16 B vs Zambia U16 A, 16:00 Girls Zimbabwe U16 A vs Zambia U18 A