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Collin Matiza, Harare Bureau
THE Zimbabwe Squash Academy will celebrate its eighth anniversary by hosting a one-day junior tournament at Belgravia Sports Club in Harare today.

Malvin Mubure, one of the academy’s directors, said yesterday that more than 30 junior players are expected to take part in today’s event which is designed for the Under-14 to Under-23 age-groups.

A number of schools from Harare and Bulawayo have already confirmed their participation in this tournament and they include Arundel, Harare’s Girls High School, Churchill, Hellenic, Falcon, CBC Bulawayo, Glen View, Arcturus Mine and Mabelreign.

“We are expecting some good matches at this tournament because a number of talented players from these schools will be in action.

“Clubs and individual players are also invited to this tournament and there will be prizes for the winners as we have managed to secure some sponsorship from FedEx, ZLG, CBZ Bank and Belgravia Sports Club,” Mubure said.

The Zimbabwe Squash Academy is the brainchild of one of the country’s top squash coaches Mashumba Mukumba and it caters for young, aspiring players from both the low and high-density areas.

Mukumba said he came up with the idea of setting up the academy after attending the 9th World Squash Coaching and Development Conference in Hong Kong in May 2009.

And since its formation, the academy has become a conveyor belt for a number of talented players from in and around Harare.

In fact, the academy, which is based at Belgravia Sports Club in Harare, is now the home of a number of underprivileged children from Harare’s high-density suburbs such as Glen View, Mufakose, Dzivarasekwa, Kuwadzana, Warren Park, Budiriro as well as some from Chitungwiza.

Some of these players have, over the past seven years, been competing in a number of tournaments both at home and in the Southern African region, honing their skills under the tutelage of Mukumba and Mubure.

The academy also receives a lot of support from one of its co-founder members, Ishmael Mubure, who is now a professional player based in the Netherlands.