Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
THE fixtures secretary of the Harare Handball League, Percyledge Samugadza, has expressed satisfaction with the progress they have made since the competition started in March. The league is made up of eight senior men’s teams – Black Rhinos, Thunderbolts, Houghton Park Sharks, University of Zimbabwe, AM Academy, Manyame and Manyame Falcons, with both teams coming from Air Force of Zimbabwe’s Manyame Airbase.

The league also has the women’s section which has five teams — University of Zimbabwe, Houghton Park Sharks, AM Academy, Manyame and Big Elephants Club.

The committee heading the league is made up of chairperson Joan Takapfuma, vice-chairperson Ganizani Karanga and Samugadza.

Samugadza said the league matches are played at one venue after every two weeks to avoid financially straining the affiliated teams and this has seen the participating teams fulfilling all the fixtures so far.

“Actually, we started the Harare Handball League on March 5 and so far we have played three rounds of matches. We are getting into the fourth round of matches.

“As Harare Metropolitan Province, this is our first time to have a league. Two years back there was a national league, it was being coordinated by Zimbabwe Handball Federation. But the league was not held up to the end as planned because of economic challenges that the teams were facing.

“So as Harare Metropolitan Province we then decided to come up with our on provincial league, where teams meet at one venue after every two weeks. It is less costly than travelling to different venues.

“So for now since we started no team has not shown up for any fixture.

“All teams are coming for all their fixtures and all is well, all is flowing in good order,” said Samugadza.

The matches are played at One Commando Barrack, Houghton Park Primary School and University of Zimbabwe.

Samugadza said there has been stiff competition in the league and they are hopeful of an exciting season.

“Actually the quality of handball is changing in a positive way in the Harare Metropolitan Province. And talking about the level of competition within the league in terms of the log standings, it’s quite tough because the teams are playing high level handball.

“Currently we have about five teams that are on four points at the top of the log standings, then there are two teams with two points and one team that does not have any point.

“So as it stands the level of competition is very high in the sense that it’s not so obvious which team is going to win the league or which team is going to lead the league because they are just separated by goal difference. But in terms of the points, they are at par,” Samugadza said.

Samugadza said they are hoping to conclude the league by mid-November.

He also added that they were looking at approaching the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services so that they form their own men’s and women’s handball teams just like what their fellow uniformed forces in the army and Air Force of Zimbabwe have done.

A number of former handball players and officials are now involved in the revival of the sport in the Harare Metropolitan Province and they include Samugadza and seasoned umpire and coach Innocent Kanosvova.

Beauty Mtsambiwa, Harare’s Girls High School head, has also been giving a “big” helping hand in the running of the league from the women’s side.

The setting up of the Harare Handball League is a welcome development for the sport which had over the past couple of years been hit by some in-house fighting which culminated in the suspension of the Amon Madzvamuse-led ZHF executive board that was slapped with a two-year ban by the Sports Commission for non-compliance at the beginning of the year.

In fact, handball in this country has for the past couple of years been on its knees with the stakeholders alleging that the sport’s administrators are more focused on “making money from the game” rather than working for the good of it.

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