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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THREE points separate the top team Whawha and sixth-placed TelOne in what appears to be a tight title race in the Central Soccer League.
The race for the sole Premiership ticket seems to be an interesting one in the 12-team league with Whawha on 25 points, second-placed ZPC Munyati (24), MSU (23) while the trio of FC Platinum Under-19, Tongogara and TelOne are tied on 22 points.
Fourteen rounds of games have been played and with eight rounds left before the season ends, it is hard to single out the title favourite.
Pacesetters Whawha, coached by former national team striker Luke Petros-Jukulile, dropped two valuable points at the weekend after being held 1-1 by seventh-placed Sheasham, who have 20 points from 14 games.
The Tendai Chikuni-coached ZPC Munyati, who are on 24 points, were dismissed 3-1 by army side Tongogara in a result that returned the latter right into the championship matrix.
MSU made sure they kept within touching distance of Whawha, running riot over FC Lasaffre, who they beat 4-0 to move within two points of the log leaders.
The weekend’s biggest winners were fourth-placed FC Platinum Under-19, who gave Black Eagles a 6-1 drubbing.
TelOne picked maximum points with a 2-1 win away at Vumbachikwe, a result they hope will inspire them when they face off against table toppers Whawha in their next fixture.
Central Soccer League chairman Stanley Chapeta is impressed with the level of competition shown by the clubs and believes the second half of the season will be more competitive.
“We had an exciting first half of the season and despite having 12 teams, the league is proving to be exciting and this is demonstrated by the number of sides in the title race.
“There is no clear favourite, meaning that we are likely to have a more competitive second half of the season with clubs believing they can get it,” Chapeta said.
Results
Saturday: Tongogara 3-1 ZPC Munyati, Vumbachikwe 1-2 TelOne, Whawha 1-1 Sheasham, FC Platinum Under-19 6-1 Black Eagles, FC Lasaffre 0-4 MSU, Blanket Mine 1-0 Ivan Hoe Mine
Table
P W D L F A GD Pts
Whawha 14 6 7 1 20 9 11 25
ZPC Munyati 14 7 3 4 20 12 8 24
MSU 14 6 5 3 13 6 7 23
FC Platinum 14 6 4 4 20 14 6 22
Tongogara 14 5 7 2 13 8 5 22
TelOne 14 5 7 2 15 11 4 22
Sheasham 14 5 5 4 15 10 5 20
Vumbachikwe 14 5 4 5 12 14 -2 19
Ivan Hoe Mine 14 5 2 7 16 18 -2 17
FC Lasaffre 14 4 1 9 14 28 -14 13
Black Eagles 14 2 4 8 8 21 -13 10
Blanket Mine 14 2 3 9 7 22 -15 9
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