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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Ireland national polocrosse squad is expected to land in Bulawayo tomorrow ahead of this weekend’s friendly match against Zimbabwe in the city.

The two nations are using the clash as part of preparations for the upcoming Polocrosse World Cup to be held in Adina, Queensland, Australia, in April.

“We expect our visitors to arrive in the city via South Africa on Thursday, with the games getting underway from Friday right through the weekend,” said Leann Macbean, the Zimbabwe team manager.

She said preparations for both the warm up games and World Cup have been smooth and expects the clash against Ireland, who are ranked two places lower than Zimbabwe, to provide a good opportunity for both nations to fine tune their squads.

“We have been in two groups, travelling up and down between Bulawayo and Harare in the last couple of weeks, practising very hard. We just stopped briefly due to hot weather, which is not good for the horse, but basically our training has been four times a week. The game against Ireland will be good for both teams to see how far they have gone in their preparations,” said Macbean.

At the World Cup finals, Zimbabwe will battle it out against Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Zambia and defending champions South Africa.

The Zimbabwe Polocrosse World Cup team is made up of Graham Keith, Sophie Sargeant, Suzanne Sargent, Kirsten Swan, Danie Swan, Paula Sparrow, Andrew Baker and Ross Shand.

Polocrosse is a team sport that is a combination of polo and lacrosse.

It is played outside on a field (the pitch), on horseback.

Each rider uses a cane or fibreglass stick to which is attached a racquet head with a loose, thread net, in which the ball is carried.

The ball is made of sponge rubber and is approximately four inches across.

The objective is to score goals by throwing the ball between the opposing team’s goal posts.