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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

THE Glow Petroleum sponsored Rainbow Amateur Netball League (RANL)  will hold their second annual sports awards at a top Harare hotel on Friday where a number of individual and team prizes will be on offer.

According to RANL deputy secretary general Precious Mudenge, 17 awards will be up for grabs as the organisation asserts itself as the netball league of choice in Zimbabwe.

“Preparations are well on course for the second edition of our awards and as the leadership we are just excited about this,” said Mudenge.

According to Mudenge, the awards will see the 2019 league winners Correctional Services being awarded their prize money as well as medals. First runners up Platinum Queens and third placed Zimbabwe Defence Forces will also walk away with cash prizes and medals while the rest of the teams in the elite league will be given varying amounts of monetary prizes.

There will be prizes for the Most disciplined team, Most Improved team, regional winners from the four regions, Southern, Eastern, Midlands and Northern as well as the regions’ first and second runners up.

For the individual prizes, the awards will see the Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Golden Hand, Rookie of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and most consistent regional umpires walking away with various prizes.

The Coach of the Year is likely to be a contest between Correctional Queens’ Christopher Simeon, Glow Petroleum’s Perpetual Siyachitema and Joe Sibanda of Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

Platinum Queens’ Progress Moyo, Correctional’s Felistas Kwangwa and Mambas’ Pauline Jani are favourites for the Player of the Year as well as Players’ Player of the Year awards respectively.

Last year, league winners Correctional Queens walked away with a cash prize of $20 000 while runners up Glow Petroleum received $18 000 with Platinum Queens getting $14 000.

Simeon was named the Coach of the year and got $300 while Nothando Mathe was Umpire of the year and for her efforts she also got $300 with the same amount being given to the Player of the Year Progress Moyo of Platinum Queens.

Irene Mugabe of Flow Angels, Blessing Kahari of Beta Queens and Carolyn Matura of Zimbabwe Defence Forces were joint runners up for Player of the Year and each got $100.

Northern region A Division One champions Harare district got $1000, the same amount given to Eastern Region champions Tenax Queens as well as Piston Queens for being winners in the Northen Region B League. Platinum Angeles from Central region, Ntabazinduna Queens from Matabeleland North and Free Stars who are the Southern region champions also got $1000 each.

Expectations are high that sponsors will increase the cash prizes this year.