adminCollin Matiza in HAMBURG, Germany
YOUNG Mitchel Ngunga of Conway College in Mount Hampden near Harare arrived here on Thursday morning to join the rest of the Mashrhino handball team who are currently on a 16-day training and cultural exchange programme in this European country.
The programme, which began last Saturday and will end on April 19, is being organised and co-ordinated by the Hamburger Handball Association. It has seen a number of young, aspiring handball players from Zimbabwe being assigned to train under several German teams dotted around Hamburg. And the pint-sized Ngunga (13), a Form Three pupil at Conway College, on Thursday morning flew into Hamburg to join four other girls — Anesu Bonomali, Anastancia Manuwere, Winnie Machipisa and Charmaine Gororo — for this training programme which also involves seven boys from Zimbabwe.
The 12 players are attending this training programme under Mashrhino, a select side picked by the Mashonaland West Handball Association in Zimbabwe.
This past week first saw the young Zimbabwean players taking part in the two-day Hanse Cup, an annual junior handball tournament designed for the Under-15 and 17 age-groups and it usually attracts players from Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the hosts Germany. And last Saturday and Sunday saw the Mashrhino side making history when they became the first team from outside Europe to take part in the Hanse Cup which has in the past years been restricted to teams from these four European countries. After taking part in the Hanse Cup, the Mashrhino team was then split into two teams of boys and girls who over this past week travelled around Hamburg for a special training programme with several junior handball sides under the Hamburger Handball Association. They also attended a German Handball Bundesliga match between HSV Handball and FA Goppingen at the famous 02 Arena in Hamburg where the latter side, led by the inspirational and famous Germany national team player Pascal Hens, won 30-29 in front of more than 10 000 fans. After watching this exciting game on Monday, the Mashrhino Under-15 boys team were then invited to train with the HSV Handball (Hamburger) Under-17 boys side on Wednesday at the 02 Arena where they also had the opportunity of watching the club’s senior side having their own training session. And this was a memorable experience for the seven boys in the Mashrhino side — Nathaniel Moyo, SiwellogynGwembere, MakhosiMugoba, TawedzerwaMada (all from Conway College), Ryan Munaki, TanatswaDzotizeyi and RunyararoTizora (all from KutamaCollege in Zvimba)—who mixed and mingled with the HSV Handball (Hamburger) senior players on Wednesday. A member of the Mashrhino team, Tizora, was just over the moon after meeting the HSV Handball (Hamburger) players on Wednesday and the young boy shed tears of joy as he asked the players to sign some autographs for him.
“It was always my dream to come to Europe to play handball and meeting these players from HSV Handball (Hamburger) today is just like a dream come true for me . . . I just can’t believe it and I’m now more determined to turn into a professional handball player and I would like to ply my trade here in Germany.
“My wish now is to return to Germany and play handball because the sport is really big in this beautiful country,” young Tizora said.
Online Reporter