Manolios honoured

Middleton said the festival that had been held for over 40 years in Harare and will be renamed the Mark Manolios Inter-Zonal  Hockey Festival.
“Since Manolios was at Prince Edward School and played first team in 1955 his  total commitment to Zimbabwe hockey has spanned more than 60 years, reaching many notable milestones along the way, including attending nine Olympic Games as an official.

“The recent honour has been bestowed by the Zimbabwe Schoolboys’ Hockey Association in a letter from the Headmaster in charge,” said Middleton.
Manolios was Zimbabwe national men’s coach during the “golden era” of 1970-85 when legends like Alan Peake, Gerald Peckover and Marshall Page were in their prime.

That team twice beat European champions Spain in one week at an Eight Nations Tournament .
Manolios said he was delighted that his work can still be recognised by many.

“I am extremely honoured, schoolboy hockey is still of a very high standard and with the advent of more astro-turf fields, I’m sure we shall regain our rightful place in Africa. We are now ranked sixth after South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria but we can overtake all of them, give South Africa very strong competition and catch them as we did in the past,” Manolios said.