adminSimba Dube Sports Reporter
MORE than 120 junior tennis players from the country’s 10 provinces will converge at Bata Sports Club in Gweru for the third edition of the Select Healthcare tournament which starts tomorrow. Bankrolled by the Select Healthcare Private Limited Company, the tournament will end on Friday with provincial players proceeding to Harare for the inter-provincial competition set for Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
Initially the tournament was set for Harare and was later on moved to Gweru in a bid to develop the sport countrywide.
Since the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2013, Harare’s Sports Club has been the venue for the competition.
Biggie Magarira, the managing director of Select Healthcare Private Limited Company said the main aim of the tournament was to develop and sustain the skills of the junior tennis players by keeping them in the game, adding that participation is open to everyone who fits in that age group.
“We have such tournaments so as to help develop talent from grassroots level and also to sharpen youngsters’ skills.
“Holding such a tournament is part of our social responsibility as an organisation and we have everything in place for the five-day tournament.
“Since it is for junior players, the tournament is free of charge. Our aim is to help groom the talent of the kids and to see them prosper without making any profit from them,” said Magarira.
Winners of the tournament will walk away with trophies, shields, certificates and medals.
Chairman of the Midlands Tennis Board, Stanley Rudhu said this year’s version of the tournament will be huge in terms of numbers, adding that teams from as far as Mutare have confirmed the participation of their players.
In the previous version of the tournament Ngoni Makambwa and Beverly Matsiwe won the tournament in the boys and girls category respectively.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter