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Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter
THE year 2015 will certainly go down as one characterised by mixed fortunes for different sports genres in the country.
While the nation celebrated some success stories in other sporting disciplines, there was grief and melancholy as some athletes failed to impress while representing the nation in international competitions.
Manicaland successfully hosts Youth Games
AGAINST all expectations, Manicaland successfully hosted the National Youth Games, thanks to the industrious Minister of State for Manicaland Affairs, Mandi Chimene and his Local Organising Committee.
At one point, preparations for the Games were almost derailed owing to lack of support from the corporate community, but after the intervention of Chimene, things started moving and the province did a sterling job to ensure that the Games were a resounding success.
Manicaland made history by winning the Zimbabwe National Youth Games for the first time in their history.
Mighty Warriors for Olympics
The Mighty Warriors beat Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon 1-0 in Harare to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Zimbabwe needed a goal to beat the West Africans and they did exactly that at Rufaro Stadium, cheered by an enthusiastic crowd of followers.
Mighty Warriors’ Rudo Neshamba scored the important goal to silence the Cameroonians, who tried to fight back only to be thwarted by the determined Zimbabweans.
The goal tied the encounter 2-2 and the Mighty Warriors qualified on the away goals rule. Neshamba is among the top CAF goal scorers.
Mighty Warriors are the second team since the golden hockey girls of 1980 to participate at the global sporting gathering. The hockey side won gold in the tournament.
The women’s soccer squad are the only team to qualify for the Olympic Games as the hockey side did not take part in the qualifiers, but went to Moscow by invitation after some countries boycotted the Games.
Cameroon are the 2015 World Cup finalists and 2015 Africa Games silver medal winners.
Manyuchi retains WBC title
Charles Manyuchi stung his Italian opponent, Gianculla Frezza, into submission in the sixth round to retain his WBC welterweight title in a bout fought in the Italian city of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
While admitting it was one his toughest fights ever, the Zimbabwe and international champion had to dig deep into his bag of tactics to wear out the well-supported Frezza and, in the process, reportedly even managed to convert a good part of the Italian support base to his favour.
Buoyed by a contingent of seven United Kingdom-based fellow countrymen who booked the two-hour flight to Italy for the fight and waved the Zimbabwean flag, shouting themselves hoarse from one corner of the venue, the WBC champion was steered into a trance.
Also in a gesture of patriotism, Spirit Embassy founder, Eubert Angel was also present to give support with flag in hand. He, however, reportedly gave the reigning champion a standing ovation and took to the ring to offer a few words, possibly of a congratulatory nature, to Manyuchi after the announcement of the victorious verdict was made by the ring announcer midway through the pegged 12 round distance.
Warriors banned
There was nothing spectacular from the senior men national team although they eventually managed to beat Lesotho 3-1 in a less important Africa Nations Championship qualifier at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo.
The country’s flagship football team has now qualified for the Africa Nations Championship tournament and are already in camp ahead of the start of the tournament next month.
However, it is the Fifa ban from the World Cup qualifiers that hurt most soccer loving Zimbabweans and spurred the revocation of Dube’s mandate as the Zifa president.
Out goes Dube, in comes Chiyangwa
The office of the Zifa president fell vacant after the unceremonious departure of disgraced former PSMAS boss, Cuthbert Dube and the debt-ridden association held its elections to replace the deposed leader on December 5.
Harare property mogul, Philip Chiyangwa emerged victorious against all odds, while Omega Sibanda won the vice-president’s post.
Former Eastern Region chairman, Piraishe Mabhena, former Warriors player, Edzai Kasinauyo, former Central Region chairman, Felton Kamambo and businessman, Philemon Machana came in as board members.
In his first month in office, Chiyangwa has not performed badly save for the monumental boob masterminded by vice-president Sibanda when he announced the decision to fire national team coach, Kalisto Pasuwa without any cogent reason.
The decision was later rescinded after public outcry and Government intervention.
City Rovers in PSL
Mutare City Rovers finally got it right and earned the Premiership promotional ticket. They will play in the country’s top-flight league in the 2016 season.Under the tutelage of little known Kenny ‘Bokande’ Kachara, Mutare City Rovers’ promotion could not have come at a better time given that Manicaland had been left without a team in the domestic top-flight league.
Buffaloes, Dongo relegated
Two of Manicaland’s teams in the top-flight league – Buffaloes and Dongo Sawmills – were relegated to the less fashionable world of Division One in a disappointing season for the province.
Nyanga outfit, Dongo, who adopted Rusape’s Vengere Stadium as their home ground were the Castle Lager Premiership’s punching bags from Day One as they remained rooted at the bottom of the 16-team league log.
Buffaloes tried to fight for dear life on the last day of the season, but the script was not the same for the Mutare soldiers who had perfected the art of surviving relegation on the last day off the season in recent years.
Antipas win second league title
Joey Antipas added another silverware in his cabinet when he helped Bulawayo side, Chicken Inn to win the 2015 Castle Lager Premiership title.
This was his second league title as a coach after winning the same award with Motor Action in 2010.
Chicken Inn’s triumph was celebrated not only in Bulawayo, but across the nation as many soccer followers sympathised with the project that the late legendary Warriors’ striker Adam Ndlovu started.
The return of Chatara
National team and Mountaineers’ fast bowler, Tendai Chatara is expected to make his return for his club in January after nine months out of action due to an injury.
Chatara fractured his left leg in April while playing social soccer in Dangamvura during the domestic cricket off-season period.
His return is expected to come in handy for his franchise, Mountaineers as well as the national team.
The young fast bowler lost out on a lot of crucial national tournaments this year since his injury in April where his input could have been of great influence.
His injury sadly came at a time when his career was at its peak. He had been chosen as the Chevrons highest wicket-taker with 10 scalps at an average of 34.20 during the ICC Cricket World Cup earlier this year.
MSC sings the blues
Northern Region Rugby League punching bags, Mutare Sports Club finished second from the basement of the six team league log.
Things have not been rosy for MSC given that they had already been relegated only to return to mainstream rugby competition after the formation of regional rugby league.
Irrespective of the massive support that they have been enjoying especially during their matches at home, MSC have failed to transform themselves into a feared outfit they could be.
Online Reporter