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Fungai Muderere
THE much-anticipated Carling Black Label National Pool Tournament is back, targeting twenty-six centres around Zimbabwe, with the finals in Harare.
The tournament has been running for over 10 years in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Pool Association (Zipa). This year, the players registered via WhatsApp prior to the regional tournaments that started on June 1. The provincial tournaments are being conducted across all ten provinces to increase the reach of the sponsorship.
“It is pleasing to note that the tournament is gaining traction, popularity and resonance amongst our loyal Carling Black Label consumers. The first prize will be US$2 500 and a pool table. The first runner up will receive US$1 500 and the third best player will go home with US$1 000. Player number four takes US$500 home,” said the organisers of the annual tournament.
Preparations for this year’s edition kicked off with a referee’s training seminar, which was held in conjunction with Zipa and saw more than 50 referees across the ten provinces attending. This basic induction seminar addressed the new and dynamic ways of delivering instructions. It also included an appraisal of competencies to equip the referees with knowledge and understanding of the application of rules in line with the world.
Winners from the provincial competitions will qualify for the national tournament. In the finals, over 100 men and women will be battling it out to win the desirable prizes that the sponsors are once again set to give away this year.
Delta Beverages is on record saying Carling Black Label is the beer that distinguishes the game of pool as a major passion point for its consumers and that is why the brand has sponsored the Carling Black Label National Pool Tournaments for many years now.
Records were broken at last year’s CBL national pool championships in Masvingo, in yet another testament to how the sport is fast gaining adhesion. For almost a decade, no male player from Bulawayo had won the CBL national title until last weekend, when Pelandaba-bred Lindani Gumpo — who plays at Palace Hotel — romped to victory at Flamboyant Hotel in Masvingo.
Bulawayo had failed to provide a male winner since 2014, as Harare and Chitungwiza-based players dominated the competition. Year 2022 winner, Pearson “Zozo” Nyasha, is from Chitungwiza, while the 2015, 2018 and 2019 winner, Tendai “Inspector” Mubaiwa, is from Hatfield, although born and bred in Chitungwiza.
Blessing Chatoma (Harare) and Obedience Nyaumwe (Chitungwiza), won the 2016 and 2017 finals, respectively. Interestingly, 53-year-old Patricia Ganya, who turns out for Tigers Pool Club in Chitungwiza, became the first woman from the province to win the national championship after recovering to beat Alice Chihota in an exhilarating final.
In fact, no woman from Harare and Chitungwiza had won the title since 2015. Someya Mlauzi of Kwekwe was the defending champion going into the 2023 finals, Ganya upset the applecart and took the gong back to Chitungwiza.
It took Ganya almost three decades to finally land the Carling Black Label title, having been inspired by her father, who played golf. Winners of last year’s finals walked away US$1 500 richer plus a pool table. The finals attracted 128 players, 64 men and 64 women, from across Zimbabwe.
Recent winners of the CBL national championships; 2023-Lindani Gumpo (Bulawayo), Patricia Ganya (Chitungwiza), 2022-Pearson Nyasha (Chitungwiza) ,Someya Mlauzi (Kwekwe), 2019-Tendai Mubaiwa (Harare), Flatta Moyo (Gwanda), 2018-Tendai Mubaiwa (Harare) Charity Ncube (Kadoma), 2017-Obedience Nyaumwe (Chitungwiza) , Priscilla Chisoro (Bulawayo), 2016-Blessing Chatoma (Harare), Charity Ncube (Kadoma).
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