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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
BLESSING Muhwati asserted his claim as the country’s top junior squash player when he recently won the Zimbabwe Junior Closed title in Harare.Muhwati beat Runyararo Kadyautumbe 3-0 at St John’s Sports Club in Harare last weekend in the boys’ Under-19 final of this year’s tournament which attracted over 180 players who played in the Under-9, 13, 14, 16 and 19 age-groups.
This was Muhwati’s second title of the year after he won the Mashonaland Junior Closed tournament at Highlands Sports Club in January.
In fact, Muhwati, who is the Zimbabwe Under-19 team captain, scored “a double” over Kadyautumbe as he is the same player he beat in the final of this year’s Mashonaland Junior Closed tournament.
Another promising young player Tafadzwa Mushunje claimed the bronze medal in the boys’ Under-19 section after beating his academy counterpart Innocent Mukumba 3-2 in the third place play-off.
Danielle Cunningham, the winner of the girls Under-16 title at the same tournament last year, was at it again, winning the Under-19 crown this time around after she locked horns with Stephanie Hobart in the final in which she won 3-2 and it was the same score last year against Hobart.
The third place play-off featured the Barton sisters, Carley and Shayle, and the former emerged triumphant after beating her elder sister 3-2.
In the boys’ Under-16 section, the winner was Callum Lawton who outplayed Luke Mannion in the final, winning 3-0, while Polite Mubure emerged triumphant in the girls’ Under-16 competition with a 3-0 win over Vivian O’Donovan.
This year’s Zimbabwe Junior Closed Squash tournament was played at four venues in Harare — Belgravia Sports Club, Old Georgians, St John’s and Highlands Sports Club.
Mashumba Mukumba, one of the tournament’s organisers, said this year’s event was “a huge success” as it attracted a good number (180) of both boys and girls, including some from Bulawayo, who battled it out for the top honours in all the age-groups.
“In fact, the sport is taking a gradual growth as compared to the previous years. We are trying our best to attract as many youngsters as we can to the sport, especially those who are still at school though there is a challenge on incentives due to lack of sponsorship.
“We are working flat out on training coaches who will get the sport to grow by sending them into schools or clubs to coach squash,” Mukumba said.
The children, who took part in this year’s tournament, were mainly drawn from private schools and some were from Government schools that play squash and they included Arundel, Convent, Christian Brothers College, Hellenic, Falcon College, Girls College, Glen View, Lomagundi, Mount Pleasant, Prince Edward, Petra, Peterhouse, Watershed, St George’s College, St John’s College and St Michaels.
The other kids were drawn from the Zimbabwe Squash Academy Trust which caters for players who do not have access to the squash courts.
“The tournament was in preparation and selection of our Zimbabwe junior teams who will represent us at the All-Africa Squash Championships to be held from April 23 to 28 in Alexandria, Egypt.
“Further to that, our team will (also) go for the South African Country Districts tournament to be held from May 1-4 and compete in the South African Inter-provincial Schools tournament from June 28 to July 2 at different age-groups — Under-11 in George, Under-13 in Port Elizabeth, Under-14 in Johannesburg, Under-16 in East London and Paarl in Cape Town — in preparation for the Junior Men’s World Championships that will be held in Windhoek, Namibia, from August 4 to 21.
“And we are appealing to the corporate world for sponsorship which will go towards our participation at all these competitions because we want to send our best teams there,” Mukumba said.
Online Reporter