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Brandon Moyo. Sports Reporter
QUEENS Cricket Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC) will be looking to begin the new season of the 2023 National Premier League (NPL) on a high note when they get into action today in their opening matches.
The two sides are among the three teams from Bulawayo that will compete in the extend NPL edition. The other team from the City of Kings and Queens is Amakhosi.
The league began yesterday with two matches taking place in Harare and Masvingo.Queens will start their campaign at home against Mbizo Cricket Club at the city’s ceremonial home of cricket, Queens Sports Club. BAC, however, will have to make a trip to Kwekwe for a clash against Uprising Cricket Club at Kwekwe Sports Club.
The two Bulawayo teams would fancy their chances and want to begin their top flight club cricket competition on a high note.
This year’s tournament is the third edition of the NPL and today, three more matches will be played to make it five.
In other games, Mutare Sports Club will be up against Kadoma Cricket Club at Old Hararians Sports Club while Scorpions will face Golden Bulls at Masvingo Sports Club. The other match will be a Takashinga derby pitting Takashinga Patriots 1 and Takashinga Patriots 2 at Takashinga Cricket Club.
After today’s matches, the next round of games is on 9 and 10 August and all the three Bulawayo teams will be in action.At BAC, there would be a Bulawayo derby between Queens Cricket Club and BAC while Amakhosi Cricket Club, who were on a bye in the first round will make a trip to Kwekwe to face defending champions, Gladiators at Kwekwe Sports Club.
In other matches that will take place on 9 August, Mbizo Cricket Club will face Westside Cricket Club at Old Hararians Sports Club while Takashinga Patriots 2 will host Scorpions.
At Masvingo Sports Club, Golden Bulls will be up against Mutare Sports Club.
Only two matches will take place on 10 August to round up the second round of games. Kadoma Cricket Club will be up against
Uprising at Old Hararians while Takashinga Patriots 1 will host Rainbow at Takashinga Cricket Club.
This time around the NPL is a grand affair featuring 14 teams following a decision by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) to add four more sides in order to open up the top-flight club cricket competition to men’s teams from all the 10 provinces in the country.
The expansion saw nine teams qualify directly on sporting merit through their top provincial club championships, while the other five spots were filled up via play-offs.
Harare Metropolitan had Gladiators, Uprising, Takashinga Patriots 1 and Rainbow securing their places in the NPL directly, while Bulawayo Metropolitan’s guaranteed berths were taken up by Amakhosi and Queens Sports Club. Amakhosi and Queen made the top two in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Cricket Association (BMCA) First League.
Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands each had one spot, with Westside, Scorpions and Mbizo earning direct qualification from those provinces respectively.
Takashinga Patriots 2 (Harare Metropolitan), Mutare Sports Club (Manicaland), BAC (Bulawayo Metropolitan), Golden Bulls (Matabeleland South) and Kadoma Cricket Club (Mashonaland West) made it to the league via the play-offs.
The third round of games is scheduled for 12 and 13 August. — Follow on Twitter @brandon_malvin.
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