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Kusile Madlela Sports Reporter
FREESTARS and Ntabazinduna ZRP should provide a hard-fought game in a Southern Region Division 1 Netball League match at White City Stadium on Saturday.

Freestars coach, Lisa Mangena said desperation to keep their season alive should help them edge the policewomen.

Mangena said her team had a good unit of players and should come out on top if they play their cards right against the experienced police team.

“We’ll be out for victory against Ntabazinduna ZRP. The girls are fired up following their victory over Jumbo Queens last week. We won our previous match despite missing some key players. The league is now taking shape and no team wants to lose points at this stage,” said Mangena.

“Ntabazinduna ZRP pose a serious threat with their big and physical players while we have a much younger squad. Speed is the strongest aspect of our team and we’re looking to use that to our advantage,” she said.

Freestars’ oldest player, Mangena said, is Sanele Ncube, who is 19 years, and the youngest is 12-year-old Nicole Muzanenamo. She said the two combined very well and they could help unlock the police outfit.

The league’s fixtures secretary, Precious Mudenge said most teams comprised schoolgirls and this augurs well for the future of the sport, particularly if sponsorship is found.

“We’ve encouraged teams to include the youths in their squads. If we keep the children occupied, they don’t have time to engage in mischievous activities. We also have players in the league that have managed to secure employment through playing netball and that’s the power of sport,” said Mudenge.

She said the lack of sponsorship meant each team had to fend for itself.

“There’s no sponsor for the league but the teams are somehow managing to fund their travels and pay umpires. I think the corporate world has not grasped the potential that netball has in helping shape the life of the girl child.

“Considering that women constitute the majority in the country, there is potential for the sport to attract a mass following if it is well sponsored. We have three players in the league that were part of the team that won gold at the Region 5 Youth Games in Bulawayo last year and this shows you the potential this sport has if the corporate world is involved,” Mudenge said.

Fixtures

Mwachepa vs Zesa, Delta Ntutu Sparrows vs Imbizo, Mealie Brand vs Jumbo Queens, Freestars vs Ntabazinduna ZRP, ZPC vs Fairbridge, Lobengula Queens vs How Mine, Lupane State University vs Amhlophe, Lusumbami vs Sobukhazi.