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Harare Bureau

ZIMBABWE’S national netball team Gems are expected to troop into camp early next week for a month-long camp in Harare as they begin preparations for the World Cup in July.

The Gems were last active in the Diamond Challenge at the end of last year in South Africa. 

Zimbabwe Netball Association president, Leticia Chipandu, confirmed the team is scheduled to go into camp on March 25 at Belvedere Technical Teachers College.

Chipandu said they were arranging some friendly matches in Uganda in April and and in South Africa and Zambia in May after the Pent Series in Namibia. 

“So, far we are still to  finalise on the itinerary but we have asked them (Uganda) to arrange as many games as they can for us, even if it means playing two games per day. 

“They wanted to invite Malawi, South Africa…those teams that are going to the World Cup.

“Then in May we have the Pent Series in Namibia, and in the same month we play Zambia and South Africa in friendly matches.

“We have the Africa Championships in South Africa again. They have not yet announced the dates but probably it’s in June. They were supposed to go to Burundi but now they are going to South Africa,” said Chipandu.

The World Cup will take place from July 12 to 21 in Liverpool, England and Zimbabwe are in Group A together with Australia, Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka.