Div One to revert to 18-team league

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA Southern Region Division One Soccer League will relegate two teams and revert to an 18-team competition next season.

Sixteen clubs battled it out at the 2018 championship which ended at the weekend, with NRZ Leopards and ZRP Bulawayo Province being the bottom two sides heading to Second Division.

Hwange won the title that gave them a Premiership ticket.

Mehluli Thebe, a Zifa Southern Region board member said they are keen to revert to a 2017 resolution passed by the assembly to have an 18-team league.

“As has been the tradition, we will promote four teams, two from the Bulawayo Privince and two from Matabeleland North Province. The board resolved to revert to the assembly resolution that of having an 18-team league. This therefore means that with Hwange going up to the PSL, we will welcome Bulawayo City from the topflight, we will then be relegating the bottom two teams so that we have an 18-team league. One thing to note is that for us to have an 18-team league, it depends on the ability by promoted sides to pay their affiliation fees,” said Thebe.

Ajax Hotspurs of Mpopoma top the Bulawayo Division Two provincial league with Arenel Movers second on the table. In Matabeleland North, Nengasha of Hwange lead the pack with Hwange Reserves occupying the other promotional slot.

ZRP Bulawayo had a horrific end to their First Division campaign, going down 6-0 to debutantes CIWU. NRZ Leopards were walked over by Makomo.

The development to relegate two teams means third from the bottom Toronto and Plumtree based Main Line will be part of the league next season.

Meanwhile, former Premiership side Tsholotsho beat ZPC Hwange to second spot finish following a 1-0 away win against Casmyn. Mcebisi Moyo scored the solitary goal for Tsholotsho which took their points tally to 58, three ahead of ZPC Hwange who were beaten 2-0 by champions Hwange.

Goals by veteran striker Gilbert Zulu and attacker Ernest Gwitima powered Hwange to a strong finish.

Talen Vision who had a slow start to the season had their best finish in the league, ending on position three behind champions Hwange and Tsholotsho.
Vision were tied on 55 points with perennial campaigners ZPC Hwange, but the former had a superior goal difference.

Results
Saturday: Makomo 3-0 NRZ Leopards (walkover), Indlovu Iyanyathela 0-0 Bosso 90, Toronto 0-0 Mosi Rovers, Hwange 2-0 ZPC Hwange, CIWU 6-0 ZRP Bulawayo Province, Casmyn 0-1 Tsholotsho, Zim Leopards 0-3 Talen Vision

Sunday: Main Line 4-1 Moto Moto

Table
P W D L F A GD Pts
Hwange 30 22 6 2 60 12 48 72

Tsholotsho 30 16 10 4 37 18 19 58

Talen Vision 30 15 10 5 45 19 26 55

ZPC Hwange 30 15 10 5 32 16 16 55

Makomo 30 14 10 6 43 31 12 52

I/Iyanyathela 30 12 11 7 36 25 11 47

CIWU 30 10 10 10 39 29 10 40

Bosso 90 30 9 12 9 26 25 1 39

Zim Leopards 30 10 7 13 32 45 -13 37

Casmyn 30 8 9 13 21 30 -15 33

Moto Moto 30 7 12 11 24 31 -7 33

Mosi Rovers 30 8 7 15 31 41 -10 31

Main Line 30 8 6 16 23 38 -15 30

Toronto 30 3 14 13 12 30 -18 23

ZRP Bulawayo 30 4 10 16 16 45 -29 22

NRZ Leopards 30 4 6 20 16 59 -43 18

— @ZililoR.

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