Netball league players awarded for excellence

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
It was all fun and fanfare at the inaugural Rainbow Amateur Netball League End of Year awards ceremony held at a Harare hotel on Monday evening where national champions Correctional Queens walked away with $20 000 in prize money courtesy of sponsors Glow Petroleum.

For coming second Glow Petroleum Queens received $18 000 while third placed Platinum Queens got $14 000.

The national champions received an extra $500 for having the best defence in the league and the same amount was given to the Platinum Queens after they were adjudged as the most disciplined team.

“This is the brainchild of both the management committee and the sponsor who felt that if the sport was to be competitive, some incentives had to be put aside for rewarding excellence at the end of the season. This year it is our sponsors Pickglow who have bankrolled the event but many people we invited expressed willingness to partner us in future for the individual awards.

“Preparations are never enough, we expect that we learn as we grow but I am very optimistic that it’s the first step to a journey of a thousand miles,” RANL secretary general Moses Gukurume said.

Christopher Simeon of Correctional Services was named the Coach of the year and got $300 while Nothando Mathe was Umpire of the year and for her efforts she also got $300 with the same amount being given to the Player of the Year Progress Moyo of Platinum Queens.

Irene Mugabe of Flow Angels, Blessing Kahari of Beta Queens and Carolyn Matura of Zimbabwe Defence Forces were joint runners up for Player of the year and each got $100.

Northern region A Division One champions Harare district got $1000, the same amount given to Eastern Region champions Tenax Queens as well as Piston Queens for being winners in the Northen Region B League. Platinum Angeles from Central region, Ntabazinduna Queens from Matabeleland North and Free Stars who are the Southern region champions also got $1000 each.

RANL enjoys an annual sponsorship of $250 000 from Glow Petroleum which is owned by business mogul Aaron Chinhara.