Zim Under 18 and Under 20 storm into IHF tourney f...

Zim Under 18 and Under 20 storm into IHF tourney finals

Patience Muchemwa

Zim Now Reporter

Zimbabwe’s young handball squads are making waves on the court, after sweeping their rivals aside in the semi-finals of the ongoing International Handball Federation tournament.

The Under 18 team outlasted Mozambique 40-33 in a tense match, while the Under 20 team showed no mercy against Lesotho with a 39-12 win, securing comfortable victories that catapulted them into the finals with high hopes of capturing the championship.

In an interview with Zim Now, Tafadzwa Madure, the Under 20 coach said the team worked so hard to secure the positive results and he is very happy that his team managed to keep the fighting spirit to the end of the tournament.

“We have worked hard as a team, both players and coaches, for this tournament. “It wasn’t a long period of time, but the few days we had, we made sure we capitalised on them. I am happy with how the team managed to grasp things they learnt during training camps. Now that we are in the final, we want to work extra hard to win this tournament.

“We promise the nation that we are going to work flat out from the first whistle and it’s going to be an enjoyable game. I like the mood the players are in.”

Players from both Zimbabwe teams are confident of winning.

Under 20 captain, Felix Munashe Manyani, said although they made a lot of mistakes in the semis, they will make amends and haul themselves back on track.

“We were a little bit under pressure, but tomorrow, we are going to play hard, and right now, we are preparing for our finals against Zambia tomorrow.”

Under 18 centre back and captain, Tanatswa Mapolisa, said the match against Mozambique was very tense and they almost lost it, but they fought for the win.

He thanked everyone who is supporting the team and promised a good game against Zambia today at the Aquatic Complex in Chitungwiza.

Handball expert and Tigers coach, Innocent Kanosvova, reiterate the issue of poor defence and poor teamwork in both teams.

“My analysis on both of the games today is we managed to win but matching on to Zambians, we are not good enough in terms of our defence. We are not as strong as the Zambians when it comes to our defence. Also, we are not working as a team. So, I urge the team to pull up their socks and communicate more in terms of defence and try to be fast because Zambians are so fast when it comes to attack. We are too slow when going back to defend.”

Both the Under 18s and Under 20s face neighbours Zambia at the Aquatic Complex, in Chitungwiza in the finals of the tournament.