adminCollin Matiza : Sports Editor
A HANDBALL select side from Zimbabwe — Mashrhino — made their presence felt at the Young Masters Tournament in Cape Town, South Africa, where they won a gold medal in the boys section at the weekend. Picked by the Mashonaland West Handball Association, the Mashrhino select side had two teams at this tournament in which they fielded a boys Under-16 side as well as a girls team in the same age-group.And it was the Mashrhino boys Under-16 team who came out tops at this tournament, which was inaugurated last year, when they beat Frenchoek of Cape Town 12-5 in the final on Sunday to walk away with the gold medal and a floating trophy.
Ryan Munaki, the captain of the Mashrhino boys Under-16 team, also emerged as the tournament’s leading goalscorer with 16 goals and he was voted as the Player of the Tournament.
Tanatswa Dzotizeyi, Owen Mada, Last Rutsito and Godfrey Mawulana also impressed for the Mashrhino boys Under-16 team during the two-day tournament.
And captain Munaki could not hide his excitement after helping his side to a gold medal on Sunday.
“We managed to win the games due to team play and we greatly enjoyed ourselves and learnt a few things more of which I hope will help us in the future.
“Standing for the rest of the team, I would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible and our parents for allowing us to travel to Cape Town,” Munaki said upon their arrival in Harare from Cape Town yesterday morning.
The Mashrhino girls Under-16 team also reached the final of their section but they came short against Khayelitsha of Cape Town who narrowly beat them 6-5 for the gold medal.
And Olinda Muchenje, the Mashrhino girls team captain, was, however, not disappointed by the outcome of this match as she felt they did well throughout the tournament which featured eight teams in both boys and girls sections.
“Our team did well and our best scorer Anesu Bonomali had a good tournament as well as the rest of the team. Playing with other girls teams was an advantage for us as we learnt better skills of the game. Special thanks goes to the Mashonaland West Handball Association, schools (in the province) and our parents for their support. Also not forgetting the coaches for looking after us during this tournament,” Muchenje said.
Seasoned handball administrator and coach, Alfos Mhondiwa, was the leader of the Mashrhino teams and he said the tournament in Cape Town gave the young players the much-needed international exposure.
“In fact, handball in Mashonaland West is taking a new twist with the exposure of athletes to the international arena. We aim to produce elite, world-class athletes with an international appeal and exposing talent to higher standards has been one of Mashrhino Academy’s pillars to achieving that.
“Through our youth policy, we have had athletes trained under Swedish and German mentor-ship and results are now starting to show.
“We are grateful for the incessant support from our stakeholders, who include the parents, the Sports Commission, school heads and donors, who make us realise our goals,” Mhondiwa said.
Meanwhile, due to the immense skill display by the Mashrhino teams in Cape Town at the weekend, the GeBe Education and Sport Foundation of Germany have pledged to sponsor both sides’ stay in Lubeck, Germany, next year for a cultural exchange programme with German clubs and participation in the Lubeck junior handball tournament.
This opportunity will open various channels of entry into professional play and scholarships for the young Zimbabwean players in the big handball-playing European nation.
Online Reporter