Online Reporter
Robson Sharuko
Metros Editor
WILL the domestic Premiership produce a maiden winner of the league championship, for the FOURTH season in a row, for the first time in its 63-year-old history, this season?
That could be the case if ambitious newboys Hardrock FC are rewarded for their massive investment into the game by winning the championship in their debut season in the top-flight league.
The Kwekwe side are shaking the Premiership with a flurry of investments, which started in their technical set-up when they lured Kelvin Kaindu into their fold, and was then extended into the players.
They have just signed defender Tinotenda Muringi, who played for Mozambican side UD Songo last year, and had appeared set to join a South African side.
He joins the Eswatini duo of Neliswa “Tiger” Dlamini, a midfielder, and Sambulo Simelani, a forward, who were on the books of Eswatini champions Nsingizini Hotspurs.
Kaindu has never won a league championship in this country and the closest he came to glory was when Highlanders finished with the same number of points as Dynamos (69) but lost out on goals difference in 2012.
That Bosso side is the only Zimbabwean team to lose one game, all season, but still fail to win the league championship.
If Kaindu breaks his duck, and leads Hardrock to the league championship this season, then it will mark the first time that the title has been won by a club, grabbing their maiden crown, for the fourth year in a row.
The last three league championships have been won by clubs grabbing their maiden titles – Ngezi Platinum Stars, Simba Bhora and Scottland.
Simba Bhora were in their second season in the Premiership when they won the title while Scottland were in their first season last year.
A triumph for Hardrock this season means a new name will be added to the trophy, for the first time, in four seasons in a row.
This has never happened in the history of the domestic Premiership since the first season was completed in 1962.
The closest was three new champions, in a row, and this happened between 1966 to 1968 when St Paul’s Musami, State House Tornados and Bulawayo Sables won the championship.
It happened again between 2008 and 2010 when Monomotapa, Gunners and Motor Action won the league championship.
That was also the case in the last three seasons with Ngezi, Simba and Scottland being crowned champions.
Hardrock have a chance to make history, for these new challengers who have shaken the domestic Premiership, and also to become the first club from Kwekwe to be crowned domestic league champions.
