adminAllen Khumalo, Sports Reporter
SEVEN girls from Bulawayo’s Free Stars Netball team have been named in the national squad to participate in the 2016 Africa Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region Five Under-20 Youth games in Angola next month.
Shallome Ncube and Nomagugu Makhalima from Mpopoma High School as well as Ntando Sibanda, Nobukhosi Ndlovu, Prudence Sibanda, Gladys Chavapo and Michelle Muzanenhamo of Sikhulile High will be part of the travelling party.
Free Stars’ manager Lisa Mangena said they were proud of their players’ achievement, which “shows that netball is developing in Bulawayo”.
“The girls have been working very hard and are a joy to work with. They are all passionate about the sport and that is why they have been called up to the national squad. Having seven players in the squad shows that netball in Bulawayo is developing and has the potential of producing netball stars. We are confident they will perform at their best and hopefully make the playing team,” said Mangena.
All the seven girls represented Bulawayo Province that scooped gold at the 2016 Zimbabwe Youth Games staged in Chinhoyi.
Muzanenhamo, Makhalima and Ncube also featured for the national Under-21 team that qualified for the Under-21 Netball World Cup after coming second to South Africa in the African qualifiers held in Botswana in July.
Free Stars is a developmental squad composed only of Under-20 players put together by the Bulawayo Netball Association.
The side is presently in third position in the Bulawayo Netball League with 12 points from seven matches.
Bulawayo netball developmental officer Menfree Tanyanyiwa hailed the club for helping develop the game in the city.
“The club has been playing a pivotal role in developing players and preparing them for youth games and the national team. The programme is now producing results because the same girls successfully represented the province in the National Youth Games,” Tanyanyiwa said
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