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Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Under-20 handball team got down to business yesterday as they stepped up preparations for the International Handball Federation Challenge Trophy continental phase to be held in Brazzaville, Congo, next week.
The team trooped into camp on Sunday and will be staying at Prince Edward School.
They will be training at the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex until their departure scheduled for this coming weekend.
The continental show-piece is due to take place from January 16 to 20.
Assistant coach, Tafadzwa Madure, confirmed that all the 14 players selected for the upcoming assignment were in camp.
Madure took charge of the team in their first practice sessions yesterday at the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex in the absence of head coach Cephas Mushati, who is expected to join camp this morning.
“All of the boys have turned up because we are now working with the 14 that we are going to travel with to Congo since this is the last and final camp.
“We are already at the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex, we have just started our morning training. We were doing physical fitness tests so that we can see how far we are, because we had given them (players) training programmes during the holiday but being a festive holiday you never know if they were actually following the programme or if they were relaxed.
“So now we are having the physical fitness test then after that we start training, concentrating mainly on defence today, and attack later,” said Madure.
The technical team made only two changes to the team as they retained the bulk of players that won the regional tournament last October.
Nyasha Mafume is coming in for Tapiwa Maramwidze and Felix Manyani replaces Amon Chamuda.
“We just have two replacements that we made. One is Tapiwa Maramwidze, he was injured in October, so we have replaced him with another player and then another one is Amon, he is off to university in Zambia, so he is no longer going to join us,” said Madure.
Zimbabwe will be competing at the continental event for the first time and Mushati said the competition will be a learning curve.
“We want to give a good fight. I know morale is high after qualifying.
“We are not expecting to be on top or to win the tournament. We are going there as underdogs, we are going there to gain experience. If we win it will be a bonus,” said Mushati.
Other countries taking part in the Under-20 age-group are hosts Congo, Rwanda, Guinea, Nigeria and Madagascar.
Team
Masimba Chibonda, Darren Nyakudya, Gashirai Kamucha, Vaughan Matibiri, Tatenda Chinzou, Tonderai Foti, Ronald Magamura, Kundayi Muchapireyi, Tinashe Manyakara, Elvis Mbirinyu, Kudakwashe Soka, Irvine Ndlovu, Nyasha Mafume, Felix Manyani.
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