Busy sporting week for Bulawayo

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
SPORTS fanatics will not be short of entertainment as Bulawayo is set for a busy sporting weekend, which coincides with the end of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).

Here is a round-up of the weekend’s sports diary.

Football

Two explosive encounters are set for Barbourfields Stadium in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.

Bulawayo City and Bulawayo Chiefs face off this afternoon with the big clash pitting Highlanders and Chicken Inn tomorrow.

Derbies bring the best out of the players, who will be fighting for bragging rights.

The Chiefs and City game has already created much traction on social media, with Chiefs, who are also known as the Twitter Kings, using the platform to hype up the match, while Sunday’s tie is always a must watch.

Both sides have declared thier desire to win the title this season and this is a fixture that will test both side’s credentials in as far as the championship dream is concerned.

Basketball

Today marks the second day of the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe National Club championships being held at Khanyisile Sports Centre and Eveline High School.

The competition sees the best clubs in the country battling to be the best in the country and for a ticket to represent the country in regional competitions.

Defending champions Mercenaries, Foxes, JBC, Raiders, Southern Mavericks, Legend and UZ Stars will be competing in the men’s category, with defending champions Hornets, Vixens, Raiders, JBC and UZ Sparks playing in the women’s division.

The southern region has Southern Mavericks, Lakers and Mzansi Lakers in the ladies’ division.

Action begins in the morning at both venues.

The official opening of the games is set for Khanyisile Sports Centre this evening.

ZITF Four Minute Mile

All is set for the final of the Coca-Cola Four-Minute Mile at the ZITF main arena this morning.

The competition is a men’s competition with a pre-requisite time of four minutes 31 seconds for one to qualify for the final.

The final will see Collins Khanye, Wellington Vareni, Tapiwa Chineka, Nyasha Mutsetse, Levison Mapfuwa, Humpery Kunaka, Elija Mabhunu, Bornface Jeki, Nomore Wiriki, Godwin Katakura and Trust Hove battling for the winner’s prize of $112 000.

The first runner-up will get $56 000 while the second runner-up gets $49 000.

Tug-of-War

Also at the ZITF main arena will be the Ingwebu ZITF Tug of War National Championships, which have attracted various teams from around the country.