Vusumuzi Dube
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
HWANGE will today be a hive activity as the coal mining town hosts the Southern Region Handball league games at Ingagula Grounds.
The Southern Region comprise Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South provinces.
The games are meant to prepare players for national team selection as well as for the upcoming Zone 6 games to be held next month in Harare.
Ten teams, namely Ajax Handball Club, Cyrene, Bulawayo Handball Club, Nust Handball Club, Binga Handball Club, Siansundu, Ingagula, Handball Club and Filabusi Titans Club are expected to battle it out.
This is the first time Matabeleland North is hosting the league games as the Zimbabwe Handball Federation (ZHF) rolls out a rotational format where each province has an opportunity to host the games.
ZHF Matabeleland North chairman Taurai Muberekwa said the games are being used to promote the sport from grassroots.
“We are expecting 10 teams to take part in the competition and all is ready for the games to start. The games are for Southern Region League and is composed of teams from three provinces that is Bulawayo Metropolitan, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces.
“We rotate the hosting of such kind of games and for this edition it is the first of its kind to be hosted by Matabeleland North in Hwange,” said Muberekwa.
He said the next edition of the games will be hosted by Matabeleland South followed by Bulawayo.
The top two teams from each province will then proceed to the national league where they will face teams from the Central, Northern and Eastern regions league.
“The matches are used to promote handball development across the provinces and the nation at Large,” said Muberekwa.
Meanwhile, Muberekwa said the ZHF will between 17 and 23 October host Zone 6 handball competitions where nine countries will participate.
The games will be held at Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex and City Sports Centre in Harare.
Each participating country is expected to bring two teams-Under 20s and the Under 18 juniors.
Muberekwa said preparations are at an advanced stage.
This will also be followed by the beach handball games to be hosted in Binga, so far the powerhouse of beach handball in Zimbabwe.
The games are meant to develop players for national teams selection.
ZHF is appealing to the corporate world for partnerships to develop the sport.
-@ncubeleon
Online Reporter