Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CHAPUNGU Queens left their mark at the just-ended Confederation of Southern Africa Netball Association Club Championships, taking bronze and bagging two major individual awards.
The Airforce of Zimbabwe side finished behind Zambian giants Green Buffaloes and NAPSA, but provided both the Shooter of the Tournament and Defender of the Tournament.
In a show of individual brilliance, Lisa Tanyanyiwa was named Shooter of the Tournament after a 94 percent shooting rate — 296 goals from 314 attempts.
Assah Zimusi was named Defender of the Tournament while other awards went to Cebile Sibandze of Eswatini club Royal Flames who was voted Best Midcourt and Green Buffaloes’ Memory Musonda claimed the Player of the Tournament.
Chapungu coach Tatenda Shinya said the awards validated the club’s rebuilding project.
“This is quite an impressive feat for us, especially looking at where we are coming from.
“We brought in new signings at the start of the season, and this was perhaps a huge test for us,” Shinya said.
“Locally, the team is doing well and coming to perform this way in a regional competition means that we are strong, considering that the competition is way above what we are accustomed to.”
Zimbabwe’s Premier Netball League fielded three teams — Chapungu, Makate, and Harare City.
Defending PNL champions ZDF Queens opted out of COSANA to attend the Find the Ball Tournament in Botswana, where they were crowned champions.
Their players also won individual honours with Tanaka Makusha as Defender of the Tournament and veteran Sharon Bwanali named the Shooter of the Tournament.
Hosts Zimbabwe Netball Association, also used COSANA to up-skill local officials.
ZINA oversaw 28 bench officials graduating in the COSANA Bench Officials Course.
Under the mentorship of a trainer from COSANA, they were trained in collecting netball stats during matches, inter-national standard score recording, time keeping, and how to interpret the international score-sheet. Resultantly, in this edition of the COSANA, individual accolade winners were selected based on statistics collected from the group stages up to the finals.
World Netball also had trainers visiting Zimbabwe to grade umpires for the first time in years, with the country having one of the match officials graded for Grade A, while others got grades in Grade B, B+, and C.
