Twist, turns in gripping Division 1 race

Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter

PACEMAKERS Herentals Under-20 hit a hump and allowed Simba Bhora to close in on them while Golden Eagles lost some ground as the intriguing Northern Region Division One Soccer League race witnessed twists and turns over the weekend. 

It’s now effectively a three-horse race between the Young Students, Simba Bhora and Golden Eagles after outsiders Commando Bullets and Chegutu Pirates dropped crucial points in their respective encounters to dent their marginal promotion chances. 

Herentals Under-20 had to battle from a goal down to equalise late in the game as they played a 1-1 stalemate with bogey side Harare City Cubs at Motor Action Sports Club in the weekend’s opening fixture. The Paul Benza side took their tally to 50 points.

That gave both Simba Bhora and Golden Eagles a chance to reduce the gap between them and Herentals Under-20 to just a point with both teams having relatively easy games away from home. 

It was only the Arthur Tutani charges Simba Bhora, though, who maximised on Herentals’ slip when Simbarashe Maramwidze’s goal helped them to a 1-0 win over a battling Come Again at Rimuka on Sunday to move to within a point of the leaders. 

Golden Eagles, on the other hand, failed to stand the Muriel Mine heat, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of PAM on the same day to remain third on the table with 46 points. 

Herentals Under-20 gaffer Benza was left a disappointed lot but maintains he is not panicking. 

“We are still at the top of the standings. We knew Harare City Cubs would come hard on us, it was a derby and I should say at the end of it all, it was actually a point gained rather than two lost,” said Benza. 

“We will keep on fighting hard to maintain our spot at the summit. As a team, we know setbacks do happen in this game but we will reorganise and fight again. We have our destiny in our own hands and it’s up to us to keep on fighting.” 

There was an embarrassing incident, though, at Trojan Mine where Chegutu Pirates had to apply mud to their shorts after the colours clashed with the home side Trojan Stars. 

Trojan won that match 1-0 but it was a bad advertisement of the beautiful game, more so in arguably the best organised football league in the country. 

It remains to be seen whether the NRSL will sanction the errant team. 

In the Eastern Region League, GreenFuel advanced closer to the objective as they maintained their nine-point advantage over second-placed Mutare City with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over JM Busha 54 at the GreenFuel Sports Arena on Saturday. 

Although Mutare City accounted for Surrey by an identical score-line, it appears the Lloyd “Samaita’’ Mutasa-coached side are marching all the way to the Premier Soccer League. 

Sheasham remain picketed at the uppermost of the Central Region standings despite dropping points in their goalless draw at ZPC Munyati. 

The Gweru team saw their advantage cut to just five points by second-placed TelOne who beat Filabusi 2-0 away from home. 

And there is another close contest in the Southern Region where Hwange retained their three-point cushion at the top with a 4-0 humbling of Zimbabwe Saints but the shoo-shoo club do not have it all their way with Arenel who beat Quality Foods 2-1 hot on their heels while ZPC Hwange who beat Emakhandeni Pirates 3-2 are also still in the race with just five points separating them from Hwange.

Results

Northern Region

Herentals U20 1-1 Harare City Cubs

PAM 2-1 Golden Eagles

Golden Valley 2-0 Banket Utd

Trojan Stars 1-0 Chegutu Pirates

Cam & Motor 0-0 Commando Bullets

Black Mambas 1-2 Ngezi Platinum U19

Chinhoyi Stars 1-0 Karoi Utd

Come Again 0-1 Simba Bhora 

Eastern Region

Renco MINE 0-1 Chiredzi Stars 

Manica Diamonds Jnrs 2-1  Pro Melfort 

GreenFuel 1-0 JM Busha 54 

Surrey 0-1  Mutare City Rovers 

FC Wangu Mazodze 1-0 Ruwa 

Masvingo United 2-0 Buffaloes 

Grayham 1-0 Zaka Academy 

Central Region

ZPC Munyati 0-0  Shesham 

Tongogara 1-1 Vubachikwe 

Loss Control 1-2 Dulibadzimu 

Filabusi 0-2  Telone 

Kwekwe United 0-3 FC Platinum Under 19 

Chapungu 3-1 Bishopstone 

MSU FC vs Paramount (to be played tomorrow)

Southern Region 

Arenel 2-1 Quality Foods

Ratanang 3-0 Indonsakusa

CIWU  1-1 Mainline  

Mountain Climbers 0-2 Ajax Hotspurs

Makhandeni 2-3 ZPC Hwange

Zim  Saints 0-4 Hwange

Mosi Rovers 2-1 Bosso 90

Binga Pirates 2-0 Casmyn    

Talen Vision 0-0 Indlovu Iyanyathela