HARARE The Zimbabwe Volleyball Association (ZVA) has selected four teams to represent the country at this years edition of the Zone Six Club Championships in the South African port city of Durban later this month.ZVA last week named two men and two womens sides to take part in the week-long regional club championships scheduled for November 30 to December 6.
Jewel Sisters and Stars will take part in the womens section of the tournament while Harare league champions Hawks and Bulawayo side Railstars fly the Zimbabwean flag in the mens showpiece.
However the selection of the countrys four representatives has not gone down well with other teams from the capital who are accusing the national association of impartiality.
The ZVA had initially indicated they would use the national championships penciled in for this weekend to select the countrys representatives at the regional tournament in South Africa.
But the ZVA later cancelled the national championships after only two women and four mens teams had registered for the competition by the September 30 deadline.
ZVA secretary general Ringi Mapondera told The Zimbabwean on Sunday that the association had no choice but to deal with the four registered teams.
Only two teams, Jewels and Stars, registered for the tournament and it was automatic that they both qualify to take part in the tournament in Durban, explained Mapondera.
Four teams Hawks, KOBA (Harare), Cresta Churchill and Railstars (Bulawayo) registered for the mens competition and we had to look at how they performed in their leagues. Hawks did well in the Harare league and RailStars from Bulawayo were second best.
Two teams from each of the nine regional countries Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Malawi will fight for the honours.
Botswanas Kutlano will be out to defend their womens title while South Africas Liberate Volleyball Club are the defending champions in the mens competition.
Bulldogs who had become Zimbabwes regular representatives in the regional competition will miss this years edition of the prestigious club volleyball showcase after they failed to win the league.
Instead, Zimbabwes former champions faced an emotional relegation after an exodus of all their experienced players to Hawks left them grossly incapacitated.
Post published in: Zimbabwe Sports News