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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
EMERGING schools’ football giants, Waddilove High, have set their sights on winning the sole ticket to represent Mashonaland East Provincial in the Proton-Nash Under-20 boys’ tournament.

The Mashonaland East Provincial finals will be held at Marondera High School tomorrow with the national finals set for next week at the same venue.

The tournament was scheduled to take place last year but had to be cancelled at the last minute owing to the cholera outbreak which hit the country.

And, having outsmarted all before them in Marondera District, Waddilove High sports director, Jerry Marumure, believes his team has what it takes to nail first place tomorrow.

“We are looking forward to the provincial finals at Marondera High,’’ he said.

“It is a high-stakes tournament and we know that it is going to be very tough considering the calibre of teams we will meet from all districts in our province.

“But Waddilove High is a fast growing footballing institution. We have the players who can deliver. Our players are of high class.

“They do not easily get intimidated. So, in as much as we know that the tournament will be tough, we are very confident that we will win.

“Our ultimate aim is to win the national tournament so we can only do that if we manage to sail through in the provincials.

“But, for now, all our efforts are on seeing how best we can manage to see ourselves through the provincial finals.”

Waddilove beat Nyameni in the district finals and will face stiff competition from such teams as Rusununguko and Gumbonzvanda.

The latter are fresh from winning the Tinmac Foundation tournament in Wedza last month.

Gumbonzvanda beat Makanda 2-0 in the finals at St Anne’s Goto Mission.

Waddilove High have some players from Premiership side Harare City who are on scholarship at the Marondera-based school.

Midfielder Tinashe Goriyati, goalkeeper Blessed Mutonhori and Malvern Mbedzi are some of the players carrying Waddilove High’s hopes.

Proton chief sales officer, Daniel Chipato, said all was set for the provincial finals across the country.

“This tournament started a year before last year but at a small scale. We were supposed to hold the inaugural fully-fledged one last year but we couldn’t owing to the outbreak of cholera,” said Chipato.

“But this time around everything is flowing. The provincial finals are set for Friday (tomorrow) around the country.

“The national finals will be held at Marondera High School on October 4.

“So, basically, all is set. There will be lots of prizes to be won in all the 10 provinces.”