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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
SCORES of budding male and female handball players are set to descend on Jameson High School in Kadoma today for the fifth edition of the country’s biggest youth handball tournament – the Mashrhino Cup.

This year’s tournament is set to run from today to Sunday and more than 20 teams, drawn from across the country, are expected to take part in this three-day event.

Alfos Mhondiwa, one of the tournament’s organisers, told The Herald yesterday that by the end of Wednesday afternoon, 20 teams had registered and confirmed their participation at this weekend’s Mashrhino Cup and they were expecting more clubs to enter this event by the end of business yesterday.

“About 20 teams have so far entered to take part in this year’s Mashrhino Cup but we were expecting more than 70 to enter for this event. I think teams have dropped due to transport challenges but I’m optimistic that more will confirm their participation before the tournament starts on Friday morning (today) as we are accepting late entries,” Mhondiwa said.

He said this is the biggest youth handball tournament in Zimbabwe which helps in talent identification, social cohesion in sport and skill sharing.

And for the first time this year, the organisers of the Mashrhino Cup will be introducing a mini five-a-side handball tournament at the same event which will add more excitement to this competition.

This year’s Mashrhino Cup is open for the 11 years and under (born in 2008 or later), 13 years and under (born in 2006 or later), 16 years and under (born in 2003 or later) and 20 years and under (born in 1999 or later) age-groups for both boys and girls.

The Mashrhino Cup is the brainchild of Mhondiwa who mooted the idea of staging this event after having attended the Partille Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Partille Cup is the largest international handball event in the world and one of the top-events of all kinds of youth sports.