tawandamusarurwa
Online Reporter
The Zimbabwe Pool fraternity will be hoping to put the Covid-19 pandemic behind them and start 2022 on a high note.
The country has already identified the All- Africa Blackball Championships and World Blackball Championships as top targets, taking the first steps when the Zimbabwe Pool Association announced the eight men and women expected to take part in the former event early next year.
The two-week process started off with provincial qualifiers being held in the registered provinces, namely Bulawayo, Harare and Chitungwiza, Manicaland, Mashonaland East, Matabeleland South and Midlands.
The tournaments held between December 4 and 5, produced 64 men and 32 women, which was then trimmed to eight each at this past weekend’s national qualifiers.
The 16 are now expected to grace the 2022 All-Africa Blackball Championships slated for March 4 to 6.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Zimbabwe Pool’s media manager, Francis Mukwekwe, said hopes are that the country will make a mark at the All-Africa Black Championships, and maybe finally make their debut appearance at the World Blackball Championships later in the year.
“The year 2021 was a tough one. The pandemic stopped a lot of pool activities and really affected our players,” said Mukwekwe.
“Luckily, things have started to get better and we are slowly getting back to normal.
“The pool community had been very overwhelmed by the pandemic, what we did was manage to get them playing again.
“We have had the NEPAZ (National Elite Players of Zimbabwe) in the past two months, and those were held in Kadoma and Mutare, respectively.
“In Harare, we have had weekly tournaments, all the while observing Covid-19 protocols and trying to stay safe,” he said.
Mukwekwe added that the qualifiers were amongst the highlights, with a huge turnout and a high level of competition the biggest takeaways.
“The team looks good due to having been chosen on merit, and l think it does have the zeal to win.
“Competition was high, with some of the big names in the game failing to make the grade.
“These include the likes of Tendai Mubaiwa, Steven Paswani and Elliot Chikwepa in the men’s competition, while Priscilla Chisoro was the biggest casualty in the women’s game,” he said.
The All-Africa Blackball Championships remain the biggest tournament, with previous editions having been held in countries like Malawi (2013), Tanzania (2014), Uganda (2016), and most recently South Africa (2019).
Zimbabwe hosted the competition back in 2017.
The World Blackball Championships, slated for France later next year, remain the country’s biggest hurdle.
Zimbabwe is yet to participate in the competition, which is regarded as the biggest contest on the calendar.
Online Reporter