adminDescent Dube, Sports Reporter
SHANGANI Secondary School defended its National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) girls’ Under-17 handball national title in Marondera on Friday.
Shangani, an annex of Fort Rixon High School in Insiza district, beat Siyawokwe Secondary School from Chirumanzi district 4-2.
Aisha Chigwinhire and Onesimo Moyo were outstanding for Shangani and are members of the women’s national team.
Shangani won their first match 5-2 against Siabuwa High from Binga before losing 5-3 to Harare’s Girls High. They again met Harare high in the quarter-finals and this time prevailed 5-4.
Shangani then went on to dispatch Kazembe High of Mashonaland Central 10-7 in the semi-finals to set up a date with Siyawokwe Secondary.
Shangani coach Njabulo Nkomazana said his team’s win shows that sports requires passion and motivation.
“We are one of the small schools in the country, but we came out tops regardless,” said Nkomazana.
“Girls High gave us a fright in the group stages, but I think they were complacent when they met us in the quarter-finals. We had deliberately rested some of our players in our earlier match and that worked for us,” he said.
Nkomazana, who is also the school headmaster, said:
“These girls have been phenomenal in putting our school on the map. Sport is part of our marketing tool and that’s why as a school we have made it a priority to give them all they need to be able to compete on the national stage,” Nkomazana said. – @DecoDecent2
derick.khumalo