Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo-Zimpapers Sports Hub
MAKATE High-Fliers coach Tapiwa Chirenda said his girls are looking to throw huge punches at the second time of asking in the Confederation of Southern Africa Netball Association (COSANA) Netball club Championships, which begin in Harare this morning.
Eleven teams from across Southern Africa will battle it out for supremacy in the regional contest, with all the games expected to be staged at Sunrise Sports Club in Belvedere.
The ambitious side, which is one of the youngest amongst the lot to take part in this fiesta, made their debut in this competition in Namibia, where they managed to reach the second round last year.
They are hoping to have a better show this time around on home soil as one of the three Zimbabwean representatives alongside Chapungu and Harare City.
Makate High-Fliers are in Group B alongside Napsa, Lesotho Police Training College, Royal Flames, and Kit-we Rifles.
“We are one of the most competitive teams playing right now in the Premier Netball League.
“We are promising you that we are going to give you good results. We are going to give you our best, because we don’t know how the other teams play. They are the best in their countries.
“But we are going to fight. We will represent our country proudly.”
For captain Kelly Muyambo, Makate High-Fliers, the games “mean a lot to us as players. We want to make sure that we win the games. We want to win the COSANA Cup at the end of the day.”
Her Zambian teammate, Elizabeth Bwalya, said, “From me as an individual, I’m expected to push my team. I’m at an advantage because I know the teams that are coming from Zambia.
“There are players — some of them are my teammates from the national team.
“I think I’ll try to tell my girls what to expect from them. And then, yeah, we play as a team.”
Going into the tournament, Makate High-Fliers are a buoyant lot after receiving a major boost from Doves, who unveiled a sponsorship package for them yesterday to cover their tournament expenses.
Club owner Jack Makate said, “We are delighted to announce that today is a very exciting day for us. We are here at our training grounds to unveil our new partners for the COSANA tournament.
“We are proud to welcome Doves Funeral Assurance, who have come on board to make our journey easier by sponsoring this tournament.
“We are also looking forward to the rest of the season with great optimism.
“It is with great honour as a club that we express our excitement. Partnerships like this are not something you see every day’’.
