Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
CRANRID Petroleum, which funded the J5 Bulawayo Cranrid ITF South Central Zim Legs Under-18 tournaments that ended on Saturday, has committed to continue supporting junior tennis development in the country.
Cranrid Petroleum was born out of the Government’s indigenisation policy, which ushered in indigenous players into the fuel sector, and has been operational since 2010.
Antone Mapingire, head of sales and marketing manager of Cranrid Petroleum, said his company’s aim was to help upcoming tennis players to reach their full potential.
“The reason we decided to sponsor tennis is because of our realisation that Zimbabwean sports have generally been haunted by lack of funding. We have skilled and very talented tennis players out there, but they lack that push into the limelight because of inadequate sponsorship. Hence, we have come in to help players from the grassroots level to develop their game all the way up,” said Mapangire.
“We took a deliberate step to fund the two-legged ITF Under-18s in Bulawayo after being approached by Tennis Zimbabwe because we understand that it’s critical to have such international tournaments, as they provide our emerging talent with the opportunity to accumulate ranking points without having to bear huge travel costs to other countries. Young players also become more competitive when playing in their own home country against top opposition from different countries.”
He also said hosting international tournaments such as the ITF ones they sponsored help boost sports tourism, as they attract players from all over the world.
The tournaments held in Bulawayo enticed players from Malaysia, the United States, South Africa, Egypt, Cameroon, Namibia and Great Britain.
“We want our Under-18s to grow in the game and reach levels whereby they can compete effectively with international players.” — @innocentskizoe
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