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Tadious Manyepo

Sports Reporter

FIREWORKS are expected as the sixth edition of the annual Mwalimu Kumbula football tournament concludes with potentially thrilling finals at Kubatana Primary School in Epworth today.

The tournament is held in honour of Mwalimu, who is the son of one of Epworth’s most illustrious sons, Musekiwa Kumbula.

And this year a total of 44 teams across three age-groups took part in a competition which has given the country some top-notch footballers including Simba Bhora midfielder Ronald “Rooney” Chitiyo, Munyaradzi Mawadza of Dynamos and Triangle’s Emmaculate Mawuna.

Fourteen Under-13 teams and as many Under-16 sides along with 16 teams in the seniors’ category participated in the fiesta this year.

In today’s matches, Pirates will face-off against Go Nation in the Under-13 final while Epworth Athletic and Pirates come against each other in the Under-16 final while Liverpool Stars and Pirates battle it out in the seniors.

Former Mighty Warriors star Danai Bhobho, who also hails from this peri-urban settlement, is the guest of honour and will present prizes at the end of the tournament.

One of the tournament’s organisers, Shepherd Mudzamiri, said all is set for the finals today.

“We are expecting fireworks as Epworth comes to a standstill with the finals of the Mwalimu Kumbula tournament unfolding at Kubatana Primary School in Overspill,” said Mudzamiri.

“This is the sixth edition of the annual tournament and a total of 44 teams across three age-groups took part this year.

“We are glad the tournament is helping fight drug abuse and other social vice in Epworth. All Pirates teams across age-groups have made it to the finals and we are eager to see what they have to offer when they come out against some of the best teams in Epworth in the finals.

“Danai Bhobho, who made her name playing for the Mighty Warriors, is the guest of honour.”

Mudzamiri said the tournament will, beginning from next year, incorporate female football teams.

Meanwhile, the Tinmac Foundation Wedza District Sports Festival has roared into life with zonal eliminators underway.

The sport festival is bankrolled by the Deputy Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Tino Machakaire.

And after concentrating on his Wedza South Constituency in the first two editions of the jamboree, Machakaire has now incorporated the rest of the district with several sport codes for different age-groups on offer.

All schools in the district are also participating, thanks to the lift of the ban on school sports owing to the Covid-19 pandemic in the last two years.

Several wards and zones have since played the eliminators with Goto Ward’s seniors tournament set for today at St Anne’s Goto.

St Thomas Aquinas Chisasike, Hanje A, Sango, Ganyau, Makwarimba, Ruzawi Rovers, Hanje B, Goto and Matsvai are expected to battle it out for the sole football ticket to the next round of the tournament’s qualifiers.

This is the ward which has provided winners of the grand prizes of motor bikes per each player in the past editions and high-intensity competition is expected with Chisasike the odds-on favourites to secure their passage.

They will be looking for inspiration from such players as brothers Freddy, Hatiwani, Blessing and Kelvin Mukwimba, Gibson Chipamaunga, Patson Gurira-Chifuzhe, Roy Nhindiri and Kudakwashe Chari.

Tournament spokesperson, Forster Kamanga, said this year’s tournament is bigger and better.

“We have decided to incorporate the rest of the district and that makes the tournament one of the biggest in the country.

“We have several sport codes being competed for, including football, netball, volleyball, cycling, darts, pool as well as some traditional games like pada, nhodo, raka-raka, mafurawu and bottle run among many others,” said Kamanga.