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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
NOKEL Security has increased sponsorship of the Southern Region Division One League Top Goal Scorer award from $150 to $200.
Kenneth Mhlophe, Nokel Security director, said the winner of the May accolade, to be decided after all teams have played eight matches, will pocket $200.
Mhlophe believes that increasing the prize money will motivate players to score more goals.
“Seeing goals is what fans want and as a company we believe there should be an incentive for strikers to have hunger for goals.
“We hope increasing the prize money will motivate them to work harder. We have also decided to pay a bonus to a striker that will score more than 22 goals at the end of the season. The reason why we’ve set a bonus for the 22-goal mark is that even in the Premiership we’ve seen goals running out and we want these strikers to start chasing the target early,” said Mhlophe.
Last season’s top goal scorer Tashinga Mungadze of Black Boots won the award with 15 goals.
Former Monomotapa and Chicken Inn defender-turned striker Morgan Mungombe from Division One new boys Chiwororo won the April Nokel Security Top Goal Scorer’s award after banging in four goals.
Mungombe is the league’s leading scorer with six goals, one ahead of Zim Leopards’ Malvern Dube, who is in line to bag the May Top Goal Scorer’s award.
Dube scored all his five goals in Zim Leopards’ last four games.
Mungombe can beat Dube if he scores four goals in Chiwororo’s next two games.
Tomorrow Chiwororo are away to Highlanders’ development side Bosso 90 at Luveve Stadium.
With Premiership games suspended for the Warriors’ 2019 Afcon qualifier against Liberia, the clash between Bosso 90 and Chiwororo is likely to draw an appreciative crowd from Highlanders’ supporters eager to see their team’s future stars.
A victory for Bosso 90 will see them moving a place up to eighth position on the league table. Bosso 90 sit on seven points.
Chiwororo, who are in 11th place with just four points, are hard-pressed for maximum points to move away from the relegation zone.
Another epic encounter on the cards is at Fairbridge where championship contenders ZRP Bulawayo play host to Talen Vision.
ZRP Bulawayo are second on the table with 15 points, seven behind leaders Bulawayo Chiefs, while Talen Vision are in fourth place.
Victory for the police side will see them closing the gap on the table-toppers, who are home to Mosi Rovers on Sunday.
With third-placed Casmyn on a bye, Talen Vision, who have 13 points, can dislodge ZRP Bulawayo at second place if they win.
Perennial Southern Region Soccer League campaigners ZPC Hwange are at home to Amagagasi, with Victoria Falls Tigers and Black Boots clashing in a bottom of the table encounter.
Fixtures
Tomorrow: Victoria Falls Tigers v Black Boots (Victoria Falls), Indlovu Iyanyathela v Makomo (HQ One Brigade), Bosso 90 v Chiwororo (Luveve), ZPC Hwange v Amagagasi (Hwange), ZRP Bulawayo Province v Talen Vision (Fairbridge)
Sunday: Bulawayo Chiefs v Mosi Rovers (Hartsfield, 12PM)
*all matches kick-off at 3PM unless indicated
@ZililoR
Online Reporter