‘Waterpolo future bright’

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Water Polo Board of Control (ZWPBC) chairman, Craig Kesson, believes the future of the sport is bright following impressive performances by the junior teams at a regional tournament held in Namibia last week.

Zimbabwe sent four sides, Under-15s and 18s boys and girls’ teams, to the CANA Water Polo Championships held in Windhoek from February 18-20.

The Zimbabwe Under-18 girls’ team won gold after defeating the South African Under-16 team through a golden goal after the match had ended 7-7.

The match went to the dreaded penalty shootout, which was tied 4-4 before Zimbabwe scored the golden goal to win the title.

The victorious girls’ team, captained by Jo Goss, consisted of one of Bulawayo’s brightest prospects Wandile Banda.

Zimbabwe’s Under-18 boys’ team settled for silver after losing 12-5 to the South African Under-16s.

Sixteen-year-old Denilson Cyprianos, Zimbabwe’s 200m backstroke record holder, was part of the side that went down to South Africa.

The South Africans also took the boys and girls’ Under-15 titles after beating Zimbabwe in the final. The Zimbabwe girls’ side lost 9-1 in the final, while the boys’ team went down 12-3.

“The future is bright for our Water Polo. Tours and competitions like these always add value to our sport. The more games we play and compete, the better we will become regionally and internationally.

This was the first tournament of its kind to be played in Namibia, which shows how the sport is growing regionally. We look forward to hosting this tournament in Harare in 2020,” said Kesson.

“We are happy with the way the teams performed, especially our girls’ Under-18 side. Now we shift focus to preparing the Under-16 men’s team to compete in the African Under-16 Championships in Cairo, Egypt, from the 24-27 April 2019.”

– @ZililoR.