Chronicle Editor
Luckson Pasipanodya, Correspondent
ZIMBABWE Defence Forces leapt to the top of the Nedbank Zimbabwe Premier Netball League season, which commenced at various centres around the country at the weekend.
The Bulawayo bubble played at White City Stadium had four teams in action, namely Manyame Falcons, Tongogara Queens, Black Rhinos and Imbizo Queens.
Black Rhinos ended last season on second place while Falcons finished sixth.
Tongogara and Imbizo are new kids in the league.
The games started with Manyame Falcons versus Imbizo Queens. On the first quarter Manyame Falcons dominated but Imbizo Queens came back with a different strategy through the second and third quarters after half time.
When they were almost closer to levelling the score line at 31-33, Manyame Queens transformed the game to a one sided affair, which then took them to 42-31.
The second game was Tongogara against Black Rhinos. With its youthful team of fast players, Black Rhinos inflicted early pain on Tongogara Queens, which had old and young players. Besides being dominant last year in Division One, they found the going tough through the first, second and part of the third quarter before Rhinos hammered them 53-23.
Black Rhinos were not finished as they locked horns with Manyame Falcons in the last game of the bubble. Manyame thrashed Black Rhinos 61-30 in a match that appeared balanced until after half time.
Premier Netball League executive member and bubble co-ordinator, Tonderai Magaya said the games had a lot of pressure from other bubbles.
“The bubble’s competitive nature was not influenced by what was happening at White City Stadium but by the pressure that comes at the thought of other teams that were playing in Harare and Mutare, respectively.”
Magaya said that two teams namely Beitbridge and City Queens failed to attend the games due to different reasons.
New entrants into the league, Tongogara Queens from the Midlands and Bulawayo ‘s Imbizo Queens proved that they were not pushovers besides losing to veterans in their games.
However, Imbizo proved good over their fellow army side Tongogara Queens whom they hammered 56-30.
Imbizo Queens assistant coach, Sehliselo Ndlovu said they are taking each game as it comes.
“As a new team from Bulawayo, we were hoping to record wins against Black Rhinos and Manyame Falcons today, but they proved too strong. We are now taking each game as it comes so that we sail through in the competitive league.”
Ndlovu further said: “We want to also encourage the Bulawayo community to support us as the only team from Bulawayo that managed to get through to the Premier League.”
Tongogara Queens head coach, Sheila Muzambani said her team, Tongogara Queens, was affected by the unavailability of three of her best players and experience came to the fore.
“Our team was affected by the absence of three of our key players who had different social problems that affected their travelling, but we hope to do better next time. As a new team, we hope to maintain the speed and pace of the game in the league.”
Muzambani said that her team had gone unbeaten for 21 games run in Division One and would want to repeat the feat.
“We are looking forward to seeing our players becoming consistent in the games because we came to the league and would want to remain there and even become champions,” Muzambani said.
Barbra Nodi of Manyame Falcons was adjudged the Bulawayo bubble’s best player.
Top 10 teams
Log
P W D L F A GD Pts
ZDF Queens 3 3 0 0 304 41 263 6
Aspindale 3 3 0 0 189 85 104 6
Harare City 2 2 0 0 131 37 94 4
Makate 2 2 0 0 98 52 46 4
Manyame 2 2 0 0 103 61 42 4
Harare 2 2 0 0 106 68 38 4
Mutare City 3 2 0 1 146 118 28 4
Imbizo 2 1 0 1 87 72 15 2
B Rhinos 2 1 0 1 83 84 -1 2
BMinerals 3 1 0 2 107 175 -68 2
Online Reporter