Milton Rugby Festival begins

Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter

Hartsfield Rugby Grounds will play host to a two-day Milton High School Easter Rugby Festival which starts today and organisers said they are expecting a top-notch fiesta.

Local schools drawn from across the country will take part, with one foreign side, the Botswana Under-19 team also participating.

Sponsored by Pony Club Investments, this is the inaugural edition which promises to be an exciting festival. All teams confirmed their availability and some will be using the tournament as preparations for Second Term games.

“Everything is in place, the grass at Hartsfield has been cut and we are looking forward to a great tournament hence we invite sports fans to come in their numbers. The tournament will also be a huge contribution to the development of rugby in the city,” said festival director, Lovemore Mangwiro.

He said the event also presents a perfect preparation for Christian Brothers College (CBC) Hornets who are set to go on tour after the conclusion of the tournament. CBC are set to tour South Africa during the Easter break.

Mangwiro confirmed that Botswana Under-19 Vultures are among the teams partipating at the festival.
Milton Boys High School headmaster, Similo Ncube said such festivals are important in helping to keep learners off the streets where they end up abusing drugs and other substances.

“When we organise such tournaments, we are trying to keep the young people busy and also affording them an opportunity to interact as pupils from different schools. We are also using such meetings to discourage pupils from abusing drugs. The festival is also meant to promote rugby which in the past was viewed as an elite sport,” said Ncube.

The festival comes after the conclusion the Bulawayo Metropolitan Rugby Football Board (BMRFB) Under-20 League which was won by Hornets after their clinical performance throughout the five weeks.

They won all their games including a 40-5 thumping of Old Miltonians (OMs) in their last game.
Some of the fixtures to look forward to include the matches between Milton and Churchill and the clash between Petra College and Lomagundi. The highly spirited Milton Elephant have been in camp since last Wednesday.

A total of 22 matches will be played during the festival. — @brandon_malvin