LONDON. — Serena Williams demonstrated that having a baby had not robbed her of any of her phenomenal tennis skills when she became the first mother in 38 years to reach the Wimbledon final, with a 6-2 6-4 demolition of Germany’s Julia Goerges yesterday.

Goerges had come into her first Grand Slam semi-final having belted more winners (199), more aces (44) and more unreturned serves (113) than anyone else in the women’s draw but those statistics counted for little when she came up against an opponent who is in hot pursuit of a record-equaling 24th major.

Remarkably, the 36-year-old was back in a Grand Slam final just 10 months after giving birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia.

“It’s crazy. I don’t even know how to feel because I literally didn’t think I’d do this well in my fourth tournament back in 16 months,” said the American, who won the 2017 Australian Open while in the early stages of her pregnancy.

“When I don’t have anything to lose, I can just play so free and that’s what I’m doing.

“This is not inevitable for me, I had a really tough delivery and multiple surgeries and almost didn’t make it to be honest. I couldn’t even walk to my mailbox, so it’s definitely not normal for me to be in a Wimbledon final.

“I’m enjoying every moment.”

That enjoyment was clear to see as she dashed Goerges’s hopes of setting up an all-German final with Angelique Kerber in 70 unforgiving minutes.

The 13th seed had never taken a set off Williams in three previous meetings and unfortunately for her, the American was once again at her dominant best on Thursday as she bludgeoned down five aces and 16 winners to finish off Goerges.

In both sets Goerges was broken in the sixth game, surrendering each with an error on break point.

She did fight back to break Williams when the American, seeded 25th despite her laughable ranking of 181st, was serving for the match at 5-3 up in the second. — Reuters.

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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
THE International Cricket Council have built a wall of protection around Zimbabwe Cricket with a declaration that they fully support those in charge of the domestic game despite the challenges from several fronts calling for them to step down.

The world cricket governing body, say they don’t see the need for any intervention in the affairs of Zimbabwe Cricket and, instead, they are going to empower those in charge of the domestic game to ensure they revive a sport that has massive potential.

The ICC say the Government, or any other parties, have no obligation to intervene in the affairs of Zimbabwe Cricket because the issues which are weighing down the sport right can be resolved through a master-plan they have structured.

Any such intervention, say the ICC, would result in them reviewing the membership of Zimbabwe Cricket in October.

The ZC leaders have come under significant pressure from many quarters, in recent weeks, with various parties calling for them to step down because they hold them responsible for Zimbabwe’s doomed campaign for a place at the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

They also blame them for the chaos which hit the Chevrons in the wake of the decision to fire coach Heath Streak, who remains popular in a lot of circles in domestic cricket, in the wake of the country’s failed World Cup campaign when the national team self-destructed in spectacular fashion by losing their final qualifier against the United Arab Emirates.

The Sports Commission have already started an inquiry into ZC and this week their team met the organisation’s chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani while they have also opened lines for a number of other stakeholders in the game to present them with their input.

However, the ICC, who confirmed that Zimbabwe’s membership was under threat when the world cricket governing body met in Dublin, Ireland, last month, before a deal was struck for the country to retain its full membership and receive both financial and technical support from the ICC, have said they don’t believe there is need for any intervention right now.

The case is a replica of the one in which FIFA also came in support of the ZIFA leadership, who have faced significant challenges from many parties in recent months, including some who have been questioning if they still have a mandate to continue running domestic football.

The Herald has exclusively obtained a letter which the ICC pronounced their position, in which they built a wall of protection around ZC and their leaders, which was written by the world cricket governing body’s chief executive David Richardson.

The letter was directed to Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister, Kazembe Kazembe, and was in response to one which the Government had asked if it could then be allowed to intervene in affairs of domestic cricket if it was being asked to provide certain guarantees to the debt which had been weighing down Zimbabwe Cricket.

“We thank you for your letter dated 25 June 2018 addressed to ICC Chairman, Mr Shashank Manohar, on the above subject (Government of Zimbabwe guarantee of a haircut on the USD14.3 million Zimbabwe Cricket debt),’’ Richardson wrote in his letter.

“In relation to the same matter, the ICC also recently received a copy of a letter dated 29 June 2018 from ZAMCO addressed to Mr Mukuhlani (the chairman of ZC) confirming that ZAMCO was prepared to offer a discount of 30% on the principal sum owed to it by ZC.

“As you would expect, the subject of ZC’s membership of the ICC (and the content of both letters) was considered during the recent set of ICC Board meetings. The ICC is fully committed to the task of enabling ZC to restructure its financial, cricketing and management affairs so that the sport can flourish once again in Zimbabwe.

“To this end, I have been asked by the ICC Chairman to provide you with an update on the following positive and decisive steps by the ICC Board in respect of ZC’s membership of the ICC:

The Board noted the formal conformation from ZAMCO that the 30% discount would be applied to the principal sums owed to it by ZC.

The Board was also reminded that ZAMCO had also earlier agreed to a back-ended bullet repayment schedule and a discounted rate of interest to be applied to the principal sum, both of which were reflected in earlier correspondence.

On the basis of the above proposal from ZAMCO, the Board agreed to withhold a portion of ZC’s anticipated distributions of surplus for the remaining portion of this rights cycle (i.e. until 2023) which would ultimately be used to cover the ZAMCO debt (as well as another debt owed by ZC to the ICC) plus the appropriate levels of interest.

The ICC management will work together with ZC in order to put together a detailed plan for how ZC ought to best manage its cricketing, management and financial structures moving forward, with such a plan to be considered by the ICC Board at its meeting in October.

ZC will continue as a Full member (and entitled to the balance of surplus otherwise due to it) subject to the following:

(i) ZC’s ongoing compliance with the agreed operational plan

(ii) ZC’s prompt submission to the ICC of the most recent set of audited accounts

(iii) Payments to ZC being made on a six monthly and “controlled funding” basis (i.e. with a process in place that enables the ICC to oversee and approve all payments made by ZC)

The above is without prejudice to the ICC’s ability to take further action against ZC where it considers necessary and/or to address new issues that may arise in respect of ZC’s continuing membership of the ICC.

“This package of measures will assist ZC to secure the ZAMCO debt and continue to secure ICC funding to fulfil its obligations to support, develop and grow the game of cricket in Zimbabwe, the latent potential of which was clearly visible for the world to see at the recent ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

“These steps and measures are being immediately implemented in concert with all relevant stakeholders although we do not believe that they require any further government intervention.’’

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The Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) has resolved to let the Sables coach Peter De Villiers run out his two-year contract out in the wake of a foiled 2019 World Cup bid in this year’s Gold Cup campaign.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

ZRU are ringing a number of changes to the rugby set-up as the Sables sit fourth in the Gold Cup and risk being relegated to the less fashionable Silver Cup next year.

Zimbabwe have failed to win a single match in three starts, playing a draw with Morocco before recording consecutive losses to Kenya and Tunisia in the past couple of weeks.

The Sables have two remaining matches against Namibia and Uganda.

Announcing a number of changes and appointments, ZRU president Aaron Jani expressed the desire to keep former Springboks coach.

“Our major objective was to qualify for the World Cup. De Villiers has a two-year contract with us. After the Gold Cup campaign, we are going to sit down with him and say this is where we are, how do we proceed from where we are?” he asked.

“It’s going to be an issue of dialogue. He has good skills that we require and it also depends on what his plans are.

We do not know how he feels after the Gold Cup campaign, so it’s a discussion we are going to have,” Jani added.

In his Press statement, Jani announced a number of changes to be effected with at ZRU in due course.

Vice-president (north) Losson Mtongwiza was redeployed to focus mainly on rugby development, his southern counterpart, Martin Shone will now focus on the Sables and also sit as a trustee in the Sables Trust

Board member and former Sables player Shingi Mpofu has been appointed as the player representative while the ZRU will immediately employ an administrator for the Gold Cup campaign to focus on Sables welfare

Assistant coach Brandon Dawson was reassigned to the Under-23 academy and will be based in Bulawayo at Hartsfield as De Villiers is expected to find a local coach to assist him in the Gold Cup remaining fixtures.

As a way to instil discipline in the players, the Sables will be required to sign a code of conduct as part of the eligibility processes for selection, while a selection panel will also be set up.

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THE Friday Fight Night, powered by Kwese Sport and Kalakoda Promotions returns tonight, bigger and better, with four African boxers battling against their Brits counterparts in what should be a compelling night at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC).

BY GARISH PHIRI

The bout card looks impressive and it promises some sparks.

South Africa’s Mapula Ngubane clash with Stacey Copeland of United Kingdom for the Commonwealth Ladies Super Welterweight title 10 rounds, headlines the line-up with four matches.

The co-main event is another title fight to look forward to when the hard-hitting Emmany Kalombo of the Democratic Republic of Congo squares off with Samuel Antwi from UK.

But it is the local favourite Wesley McDade, who is expected to bring the house down when he battles against Brit Mickey Ellison for an international super middleweight challenge over six rounds.

Shumba or Murehwa, as MacDade is affectionately known by his growing fan base, stole the show the last time Kalakoda Promotions was in town early this year, when he blasted fellow Zimbabwean Edmos “Pitbull” Takawira into submission in a super middleweight non-title fight.

“I am ever ready for this fight. It’s gonna be a very good fight and the opponent has come ready, so we are expecting a very good match up. The support is awesome, I enjoyed and I love my fans. I appreciate it and that is what motivates me to keep going,” Murehwa said.

He added: “This fight is going to be exciting and I want to put up a good show. Looking at my opponent, I think he will give me a good run for my money. It doesn’t come easy, but I am going to do what I know best. We did a research and we looked at his fights, we know his weaknesses and we are going to exploit them. We will see how he gets through the lions claw.”

Another local star, Tapiwa Tembo will be looking to impress once again when he faces Marc Leach in the international Bantamweight Challenge, eight rounds fight.

The Cape Town-based boxer captivated the audience when he smashed Tanzanian Swedi Mohamed for the vacant World Boxing Federation Africa Bantamweight title in January, but his dream was shattered when he did not land the belt after he failed to make the weight during the weigh-in.

The post Boxing extravaganza at HICC appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

Ellina Mhlanga in ZVISHAVANE
THE semi-final battle of the Copa Coca-Cola football tournament between Prince Edward and Pamushana was abandoned yesterday over a disputed goal towards the end of the match at Mandava.

Most of the schools in the boys section had their players vetted on Thursday and some were left with less than 11 players.

Prince Edward, who were left with 10 players after vetting, took the lead a few minutes after the break through Norest Mazemo.

However, Pamushana of Masvingo equalised a minute from full time when two Prince Edward players were lying injured, forcing the medical team to storm the pitch.

The assistant referee had raised his flag and this did not go down well with the Prince Edward technical staff who protested against the decision by the referee to award the goal.

The match had to be abandoned after it was stopped for over 30 minutes before the match officials walked off the pitch and were expected to submit their report by last night.

However, there were indications that Prince Edward are likely to be disqualified.

“From the word go, they refused to allow us to use the boys that went to Cossasa when they were primary school kids two years ago,’’ he said.

“They say they use physical vetting, but they travelled with the same boys to Lesotho. They travelled with the same boys to Botswana for Naph Cossasa Games. But here they were vetted using physical vetting and no-one even bothered to look at the documents, we had all the documents, we had everything. We played with 10 men.’’

His counterpart Bernard Matenga said they are will wait for the match officials’ decision.

“Both the referee and assistant confirmed the goal, so it was just the other team was trying to say the flag was up,’’ he said.

“I don’t know how they will deal with that one, but I think it’s clear under the laws of the game that even if the assistant raised his flag, the referee can override that and tell him to put it down looking at various considerations.’’

The other semi-final match saw Guinea Fowl of Midlands progressing to the final when they defeated Waddilove from Mashonaland East 3-0.

In the girls section, Nyamauru from Manicaland Province advanced to the final when they beat Mwami from Mashonaland West 2-1. They will take on Mpopoma from Bulawayo, who dismissed Chenhuta 3-1 on penalties after the match ended 0-0 in regulation time.

This year will see new champions being crowned in both the boys and girls section after Rusununguko, who were the defending champions, lost in the group stages against Pamushana and Pfupajena in Group D.

The group had to be decided on penalties after all the matches ended in draws.

They all drew 1-1 in their matches.

Chidyamakono’s dominance in the girls section came to an end when they were dismissed 1-0 in Group C by Gweshe.

They then drew 0-0 against Mwami, who went on to beat Gweshe 1-0 to book their place in the quarter-finals.

The post Prince Edward, Pamushana match abandoned appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
TRIANGLE coach Taurai Mangwiro says the suspension of his two key defenders is not an excuse for failure as they brace for an explosive top-of-the-table clash with Ngezi Platinum at Baobab this afternoon.

The Lowveld side are enjoying fine form and are looking to exert pressure on the leaders FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum Stars after powering into the top three in the championship race.

However, the Sugar Sugar Boys suffered a double blow ahead of the battle following the suspension of key defenders Arnold Chivheya and Donald Dzvinyai.

The pair is among the six players ineligible for selection this weekend, according to the PSL regulations, after amassing three yellow cards each.

Chivheya and Dzvinyai have been doing well for the Lowveld side, which has conceded only 12 times in 18 starts this year and their absence will come as a big blow to the technical team.

“Obviously, when one goes into a game, he would definitely want all his best players to be available.

“It’s unfortunate we have to do without these guys, but we would not want to take that as an excuse.

“Instead, we look at it as an opportunity for the other players that we have to make their contributions,” said Mangwiro.

The Triangle coach, however, could turn to veteran Guthrie Zhokinyi and Rodwell Mhlanga to stabilise his team’s rear-guard.

Mangwiro’s men are coming from their biggest win in the Premiership after thumping Shabanie Mine 5-0 at their Gibbo home ground last week.

However, six points still separate them with the platinum miners in the championship race.

They have 32 points, while Ngezi have 38 and FC Platinum leading the pack on 44 points.

“We are since done with the win against Shabanie Mine and we are also not reading much into what has been going on at Ngezi Platinum.

“We are quite conscious of what is ahead of us.

“They have lost their last four matches and they obviously don’t want such a record to stay. But if we win, it also means we will slash the gap between us and them to three points. So we aim to do well continuously and see where that takes us,” said Mangwiro.

Ngezi Platinum will also be without their striker Clive Augosto.

Also missing in action is Black Rhinos midfielder Wonder Kapinda and the Harare City duo of Moses Muchenje and Protasho Kabwe.

Ngezi Platinum led the table for the better part of the first half of the season, but they have lost their last four matches on the trot and gave away considerable ground in the championship race.

They fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat to newboys Herentals last week and they trail leaders FC Platinum by six points.

This week, the PSL have set lunchtime kick-off for all the fixtures in their efforts to fend off the powerful counter attraction provided by the World Cup matches.

Domestic top-flight matches normally start at 3pm, but this week kick-off has been moved to 1pm for all matches.

The FIFA World Cup third place play-off between England and Belgium starts at 4pm today, while the final between France and Croatia has been set for tomorrow at 5pm.

The move by the PSL has been welcomed by football fans.

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Chelsea finally confirmed the sacking of title-winning manager Antonio Conte, but the Blues opted for just 61 words in their statement as they failed to thank Italian.

Maurizio Sarri is now clear to take over from Conte with just 28 days until the start of the new English Premier League soccer season.

The statement on the club’s website read: “During Antonio’s time at the club, we won our sixth league title and eighth FA Cup.

“In the title winning season, the club set a then-record 30 wins in a 38-game Premier League season, as well as a club-record 13 consecutive league victories.

“We wish Antonio every success in his future career.”

Confusion dominated recent weeks as Conte, who was expected to leave the role after the FA Cup win, returned to take pre-season training at the start of the week.

But yesterday, Eddie Newton and former goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini took charge of the session as Sarri prepares to take the reins. Chelsea eventually agreed a compensation package which could be worth up to £9million with Conte, who had one year left on his contract.

Owner Roman Abramovich had hoped Conte would land another role in a bid to avoid paying his contract compensation but the fiery Italian held firm and rejected the advances of interested clubs to see out his current deal.

The Blues are in the process of clearing out his backroom staff so former Napoli boss Sarri can start ahead of the first pre-season fixture in Australia a week on Monday. Gianfranco Zola will return to Chelsea on Sarri’s staff.

Conte’s position has been under scrutiny since the middle of last season when relations with the board became strained amid a feeble title defence.

The 48-year-old ostracised a number of big players in the dressing room, including Diego Costa before he was eventually sold to Atletico Madrid, and the discontent has seen stars refuse to commit their futures.

The post Conte gone in 61 words appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

Mukudzei Chingwere Sports Reporter
NICHRUT coach John Nyikadzino says former Golden Boot winner Rodreck Mutuma could be back to his best after making a bright start at his new club.

Mutuma scored a brace in his first game to help the Midlands side to victory over Mutare City last week.

The former Dynamos, CAPS United and Highlanders forward has worked his way back into Premiership football this month.

He was given a lifeline by his former coach Nyikadzino, whom he worked with at Chegutu side Rangers, long before he made his name in the PSL.

Nichrut travel for a date away to Chicken Inn this afternoon and Nyikadzino was all praises for his striker whom he is tipping to get even better.

“I worked with him before and I always knew he is a very good player.

“That is why I recruited him for Nichrut.

“I am happy that he has not disappointed me. I can tell you that I am now seeing the original Mutuma.

“His performance at training is just good and even against Mutare I expected him to score more than two goals.

“We are playing against Chicken Inn next and I can assure you he will be at the top of his game, he is doing very well at training.

“Chicken Inn are a very good team, but we are ready for the challenge.

“All the players in camp are raring to go,” said Nyikadzino.

Chicken Inn were tipped for the league title before the start of the season, but they struggled to justify such high expectations.

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PREMIERSHIP giants CAPS United, Highlanders and Dynamos will be out to redeem themselves tomorrow after experiencing a false start to the second half of the league campaign.

The Green Machine host giant-killers Bulawayo Chiefs at the National Sports Stadium, with Bosso entertaining Herentals at Barbourfields.

DeMbare have a tricky date away to Shabanie Mine.

The country’s Big Three appear to have lost their clout of late as they have been playing second fiddle to well-resourced teams owned by companies.

When the season resumed last week, Highlanders lost 0-1 to Black Rhinos, while CAPS United and Dynamos were involved in draws.

Makepekepe face Chiefs tomorrow on the back of a 0-0 draw against Harare City.

They were held to a 2-2 draw in their first meeting this year by the newboys.

CAPS United currently sit in fifth place in the championship race with 30 points, 14 behind log leaders FC Platinum.

Dynamos have not won at Shabanie in 12 years, and coach Lloyd Mutasa wants to turn things around tomorrow.

“Shabanie Mine, just like any other team that plays Dynamos, raise their game,’’ said Mutasa.

“But I think everything has got a beginning and we should be able to break the jinx.

“As a coaches, we have always imparted knowledge to these youngsters, telling them that a game of football is not over until the final whistle.

“One goal is not enough. You need, at least, two or three goals to cushion yourselves and I am sure we have been working on that and we are seeing some positives.

“I am sure we should be able to score some goals at Maglas.’’

Shabanie have been struggling both on and off the pitch and have lost a host of players because of their poor financial standing.

But coach Alexio Sigion remains defiant ahead of the visit by the giants.

“That we have lost a number of players is a fact, but we have been in this situation before and we are ready to move on,’’ he said.

“Shabanie has always excelled in very difficult conditions and we are ready to do that as well.

“Dynamos are a very good team, but we are ready come Sunday to give something to our supporters – who have always supported us – to smile about.

“The only challenge is that we have lost many players in mid-season and it will be great if the authorities allow us to replace the huge number that has left.’’

Fixtures

Today: Chapungu v Mutare City (Ascot 1pm); Bulawayo City v Harare City (Barbourfields 1pm); Yadah v FC Platinum (NSS 1pm); Ngezi Platinum Stars v Triangle (Baobab 1pm); ZPC Kariba v Black Rhinos (Nyamhunga 1pm).

Tomorrow: CAPS United v Bulawayo Chiefs (NSS 1pm); Highlanders v Herentals (Barbourfields 1pm); Shabanie v Dynamos (Maglas 1pm).

The post Giants out to seek redemption appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
AFTER downing title aspirants Ngezi in their last match, Herentals coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva says his charges are fired up and ready to face Highlanders at Barbourfields tomorrow.

The ambitious Harare team defied odds to beat Ngezi last week with 17-year-old Tinotenda Benza scoring the priceless goal.

Mutiwekuziva believes his team can take the momentum to Bulawayo tomorrow.

“The win we posted last week over Ngezi is still on our minds just as a confidence booster, but we are not dwelling much into it going into the match against Highlanders,” said Mutiwekuziva.

“Highlanders are a very good team, one of the traditional local heavyweights and they should be treated as such.

“Besides, they are the only team who beat us after outplaying us in the first leg, so they deserve every inch of our respect.

“However, we have made some remarkable progress since.

“We are approaching the match with caution, but we will be gunning for an outright win.

“We have gathered enough experience in the top-flight and we are ready to face any opponent.

“My players are eager to go and I am happy they now show more hunger to prove they are worthy their salt.’’

Highlanders will be hoping they exorcise the ghost which has seen them drop nine points in their last three outings.

Their 0-1 defeat at the hands of Black Rhinos is still fresh in the Bulawayo side’s minds and stand-in captain, Charlton Siyamalonga says it’s high time the former champions start picking up points.

The central defender, who usually partners Peter Mudhuwa in the heart of Bosso defence, said they have the capacity to collect the maximum points against Herentals.

“We are a young team playing an attractive brand of football,’’ he said.

“We always remember that we are Highlanders and we ought to know what is expected to be done when you are playing for this big team.

“We have gone for too many games without picking up a victory. Three games in a row without winning is not a joke.

“I think we should remember we represent a very big big institution with a lot of followers and we cannot let them down.

“We have to pull up our socks. We face Herentals on Sunday (tomorrow), a good team in terms of current form.

“They shot down Ngezi Platinum Stars in their last match and that shows how dangerous they can be.

They have a lot of good youngsters just like us and it will be a tough game.’’

Meanwhile, ZPC Kariba are ready to unleash the league’s top scorer David Temwanjira in their match against Rhinos at Nyamhunga this afternoon.

The highly rated striker moved to Kariba this mid-season and is expected to add firepower at the team.

The army team could also give their new acquisition, Honey Chimutimunzeve, a run as they aim to extend their unbeaten run to 10 games.

The post Herentals fired up for Bosso appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

Kevin Anderson won the longest Centre Court match in history and earned a chance to try to collect his first Grand Slam championship, edging John Isner 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-4, 26-24 at Wimbledon in a marathon between two big servers that lasted more than 6½ hours yesterday.

The fifth set alone lasted nearly 3 hours as the semifinal became a test of endurance more than skill.

Anderson finally earned the must-have, go-ahead service break with the help of a point in which the right-hander tumbled to his backside, scrambled back to his feet and hit a shot lefty.

Only one match at the All England Club has been longer: Isner’s 2010 first-round victory over Nicolas Mahut, which went more than 11 hours over three days and finished 70-68 in the fifth. That was played over on Court 18, which now bears a plaque commemorating the record-setter.

Anderson, a 32-year-old from South Africa, eliminated eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer in a 13-11 fifth set in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

Between that and the energy-sapper against Isner, it’s hard to imagine how the No. 8 seed Anderson will have much left for Sunday’s final, his second at a major.

Anderson was the runner-up to Rafael Nadal at last year’s U.S. Open.

There could be a rematch now.

Because it was so late, and with rain forecast, the All-England Club shut the retractable roof above the main stadium before the second semi-final.

The expectation was that the first semifinal would be a tight contest filled with tiebreakers — and that’s precisely what it was.

The post Anderson reaches Wimbledon final appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

England manager Gareth Southgate admits the Soccer World Cup third-place play-off is a game that no team wants to play, but today’s match against Belgium offers the chance to finish the tournament on a winning note.

The match kicks-off at 4pm.

A gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to Croatia after extra-time denied England a shot at a second World Cup triumph, instead setting up a consolation game against familiar foes Belgium. Roberto Martinez’s side, who were beaten 1-0 by France in the last four, topped Group G ahead of England after an Adnan Januzaj goal settled a low-key encounter in Kaliningrad.

That game saw both coaches heavily rotate their teams, and a similar scenario is likely in Saint Petersburg, with several fringe players pushing for a start.

“The honest thing is, it’s not a game any team wants to play in,” said Southgate, whose side have drawn praise for the way they have briefly united a country bitterly divided over Brexit.

However, he insisted that will not alter England’s approach as they look to achieve their best finish since they won the competition in 1966.

“We’ll want to give a performance of huge pride, there’s no question about that,” said Southgate.

“Every time we wear the shirt of our national team we want to play with pride, we want to play well and we want to win.”

Reserve goalkeepers Jack Butland and Nick Pope are the only two members of England’s 23-man squad yet to feature in Russia, as Southgate stuck with the same line-up throughout the knockout phase.

For Belgium and their “golden generation”, many of the key players should return for the 2022 World Cup, even if Vincent Kompany and Jan Vertonghen will probably be gone by then.

Martinez, who signed an extension until after Euro 2020 in May, can guide Belgium to the nation’s best result at the World Cup. They finished fourth in 1986.

The post Dejected England, Belgium face-off appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

PAKISTAN romped to victory against Zimbabwe in the first ODI at Queen’s Sports Club, Bulawayo, pummelling the hosts by 201 runs yesterday.

It was their first win of the year, but on the evidence of the gulf in ability between these two sides, it appears inevitable they will add four more in the next ten days or so.

A career-best 128 from opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq helped Pakistan amass 308.

It was plenty against the Zimbabweans, who didn’t at any point look like either keeping in touch with the run rate or knitting together a partnership.t

While some of the weaknesses were papered over by Solomon Mire’s brilliance in the T20I tri-series, they stood well and truly exposed yesterday.

Debutant Ryan Murray was, if you were particularly determined in looking for a positive, unbeaten on 32 by the time the innings wrapped up for 107, but only one other batsman crossed 20.

It was a feeding frenzy for Pakistan’s bowlers, Usman Shinwari beginning the bloodbath with two early wickets, while Shadab walked away with career-best four for 32 to seal Pakistan’s fifth biggest win in ODI history.

It wouldn’t be remiss to give the Zimbabwean bowlers some credit for that, though.

The opening pair was excellent with the new ball, Blessing Muzarabani and Tendai Chatara maintaining a steady off stump line that repeatedly threatened to draw Imam’s outside edge.

When Fakhar Zaman and Imam did begin to accelerate slightly, Zimbabwe looked short on ideas as to how they would be contained.

They brought on 18-year old offspinner and captain of the Under-19 Zimbabwean team Liam Roche, a debutant with a pleasing high arm action and a mop of hair almost just as eye-catching.

And he struck the big blow in the 25th over, removing Fakhar with a sharp catch off his own bowling to claim his first international wicket.

Meanwhile, the legal representatives of former Zimbabwe coach Heath Streak, batting coach Lance Klusener and fitness trainer Sean Bell have said a settlement with Zimbabwe Cricket has not yet been reached.

Gerald Mlotshwa of Titan Law, who is representing the trio, said their offer for a settlement had not yet received a response from ZC bosses.

The three are challenging their dismissal as unlawful and the non-payment of their salaries and wages.

‘’For the record, the correspondence quoted in the article, dating back to 9th of June 2018, had not, as at date of article, been responded to by Zimbabwe Cricket’s Legal Practitioners,’’ Mlotshwa said in a letter.

‘’We have since, rather and ironically, conveniently been furnished with Zimbabwe Cricket’s response, through their lawyers, dated 9th July, 2018, and received by ourselves this 12th instant that . . .

’’we have forwarded letter (sic) dated 9th June 2018 to client. Therefore, once we receive feedback, we shall revert with a substantive response.’

‘’Additionally, we have received a Notification to Party to Attend Proceedings before Zhakata J on the 19th July, 2018, at 11am.’’ — Cricinfo/Sports Reporter

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Ecstatic Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic is confident tiredness will not be an issue for his side when they face France in the World Cup final despite once again coming through extra time to beat England on Wednesday.

Croatia came from behind to win 2-1 in the semi-final clash in Moscow, with Mario Mandzukic claiming the winner in the 109th minute after Ivan Perisic had earlier cancelled out Kieran Trippier’s free-kick opener.

Dalic’s side were clearly exhausted, but they managed to fight on to the end of two hours of gripping football to take the country of just over four million people into the final for the first time. However, the biggest concern looking ahead to tomorrow’s game is bound to be fatigue, with Croatia having also required extra time and penalties to come through ties against Denmark and hosts Russia in the past two weeks.

France will have had 24 hours longer to prepare for the game after edging out Belgium 1-0 in 90 minutes in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday.

“This is fantastic. Two players played with half a leg, but it didn’t show. In extra-time nobody wanted to be substituted. This shows character and is what makes me proud. Nobody gave up,” said Dalic, whose team have played the equivalent of one match more than the French.

“We prepared to get to the final and we want to play it. Going to extra-time might be a problem along with the fact France have had an extra day to recover but there will be no excuses,” he added.

“We have to play as if this were the first game in this tournament.”

No team has ever made it to the World Cup final after going to extra-time in all three prior knockout rounds – England twice won in extra-time in 1990 before losing on penalties to West Germany in the semifinals.

Dalic was only appointed as Croatia coach towards the end of their qualifying campaign, leading them to Russia via a playoff win against Greece.

He described France as a “top-drawer team with fantastic players”, but his own side have earned their place in the final, their victory over England coming after they earlier destroyed Lionel Messi and Argentina with a 3-0 win in the group stage. Luka Modric has been inspirational throughout their run, yet there were numerous outstanding performances at the Luzhniki Stadium as Croatia recovered from a shaky opening half hour.

Among the best was Marcelo Brozovic, the Inter Milan midfielder brought into the line-up to provide extra steel in front of the defence.

“We were the better team in all aspects of the game,” said Dalic. “We played better than we did against Argentina. I told the players before the game there was no pressure – we have reached the semifinals, enjoy your football and this was exactly what we did.”

Croatia now have the chance to take revenge on France after losing 2-1 in Paris when the sides met in the semi-finals back in 1998 – Dalic travelled to that World Cup as a fan.

With such a modest population, they are the smallest country to get to a World Cup final since Uruguay back in 1950, and in the modern game it is a staggering achievement

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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
SEASONED Runyararo Service Stations Northern Region Division One League campaigners Mushowani Stars coach Levison Selous believes their back-to-back wins over Golden Valley will boost his players confidence.

Mushowani have reduced the gap between them and pacesetters Beta X1 to a single point after they managed to beat the goldminers 3-1 at Rimuka on Saturday.

The Madziva side beat the goldminers for the second time in two weeks as the season returned from a mid-season break.

Mushowani got their goals from Sunny Saware, Davies Kamanga and Paul Chiramba.

“We are happy with the win and it has given us confidence ahead of our next game which will be at home.

‘’We are very happy with our rate of of conversion and it is good that we are working as a unit and everyone is scoring goals,” said Selous.

They have now gone seven games without a defeat and the win has taken them into second place with 34 points.

Golden Valley have since dropped into fifth position and remain stuck on 31 points.

Beta XI were restricted to a 1-1 draw by visiting Banket United and are still on top of the log by a single point.

Northern Region Results

Cranborne Bullets 1, Ngezi Platinum U-19 0; Chegutu Pirates 0, Herentals U-20 1; Blue Jets 1, Alburaak 1; ZRP FC 2, Chinhoyi Stars 0; Harare City Cubs 4, PAM United 0; Beta XI 1, Banket United 1; DZ Evangel 0, Trojan Stars 1; Karoi United 1, Blue Swallows 0; Golden Valley 1, Mushowani Stars 3.

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Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
IT  keeps getting better for Norman Matemera with the referee once again being handed a tough task by CAF to take charge of the Confederation Cup tie between Nigeria’s Enyimba and Williamsville of Cote d’Ivoire.

Former African champions Enyimba will be at home in the Group C clash at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Port Harcourt tomorrow.

For his latest international assignment, Matemera will have Brighton Nyika as his first assistant, Salani Ncube (second assistant) and Pilani Ncube, the fourth official.

It is the same crew that Matemera had when he showed his commitment to shunning corruption by turning down a $10 000 bribery attempt to fix a game in April and immediately reporting the case to his superiors at CAF.

CAF then wrote to Matemera saluting the Harare policeman for upholding the principles of Fair Play and integrity in the game.

The continental body’s letter to Matemera was written by Anthony Baffoe, the CAF Deputy Secretary-General for Football and Development.

“We would like to take this opportunity to appreciate your excellent attitude and honesty shown during the incident that took place on the occasion of the match Desportivo (Equatorial Guinea) and Williamsville Athletic Club (Cote d’Ivoire).

“We praise your positive attitude and your ethical abilities to ensure a fair play during your games. With determination and urge to always go an extra mile while refereeing, you have successfully brought a lot of fame to CAF.

“With your significant contribution, we are changing the mind sets to ensure Fair Play.

“Your devotion towards work is inspiring other referees which mitigates the reluctance in work and strengthen the motivation among your colleagues. We are pleased to have you on our team. You deserve high praise for the way you handled the matter.

“Thank you for giving CAF your best. May you enjoy all the success in your entire endeavours,” wrote Baffoe.

As the Champions League and the Confederation Cup matches, which had given way to the World Cup in the last month resume across the continent, CAF have once again rewarded Matemera for his integrity with a task to handle a West African derby.

Interestingly, Williamsville who eventually beat Desportivo in that play-off tie, are a factor again in the assignment that CAF have tasked Matemera with.

The Ivorians lead Group C with four points from two matches while a 3-0 defeat of Enyimba by Congolese outfit CARA Brazzaville meant the Nigerians slumped into third place with three points from as many matches.

Matemera, speaking from Port Harcourt, said he was humbled by the faith that CAF had invested in him.

“I just want to thank CAF for the continued trust and belief in Zimbabwean referees.

“Furthermore, I want to thank ZRP, especially the Commissioner-General (Godwin Matanga) for allowing me the opportunity to participate in non-police games.

“I also want to thank our local referees’ instructors and fellow referees . . . their support pushes us to the stars,” Matemera said.

ZIFA Referees Committee vice-chairman Gladmore Muzambi said he was also hopeful that the Zimbabwean crew would acquit themselves well.

“We are happy that CAF continues to recognise the performance of these referees.

“I am sure it (the appointment) is a continued recognition of their stance against match-fixing and match manipulation and we will hope they will serve both CAF and the country well.

“His performance should be a measure of the improving standards of our referees and surely we should be afforded another slot,’’ Muzambi said.

Muzambi also said the local match officials had during the Premiership mid-season break undergone a refresher course during which they were apprised of the amendments that FIFA have made to the laws to the game.

“These referees and other locals are coming from a refresher course which touched on various topics, including that of understanding football and the topical issue of handball . . . what constitutes a handball,” Muzambi   said.

“We are also very happy that the two rounds of games since the resumption of the league programme have gone on smoothly and we hope our officials will maintain that,” Muzambi  said.

The post Another CAF test for Matemera appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

Collin Matiza Sports Editor
THERE was no stopping for two of the country’s top junior motocross riders Emmanuel Bako and Daiyaan Manuel during Round Four of the 2018 Bogwheelers Club’s Club Championship series at Donnybrook in Harare on Sunday where they dominated the proceedings in the 65cc and 85cc classes.

Sunday’s event was used by some of the country’s top junior and senior male and female riders to fine-tune themselves ahead of the 2018 FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships ,which will be held in Kitwe, Zambia from August 17 to 19.

The Bogwheelers Club, who run the motorcycling sport of motocross in this country, recently picked a strong 42-member Team Zimbabwe for these championships and Bako (12) and Manuel (13) are part of this team; and the two talented young riders were once again in dominant form during Sunday’s club event at Donnybrook.

Bako emerged as the top dog in the 65cc Class, while Manuel took the first step on the podium in the 85cc Class after they both produced some brilliant riding skills in their respective classes.

Bako arrived at the track on Sunday fresh from topping the overall podium in the 65cc Class during Round Four of the 2018 South African National Championship series at Terra Topia in Johannesburg the previous weekend and he picked up from where he left off in the “City of Gold” by sweeping the board in the same division at Donnybrook.

A much revived Bako definitely showed his prowess in the 65cc Class where he won all his heats, but also had his work cut out for him in the 85cc Class in which he was beaten into second place by the overall winner Manuel.

In fact, the 85cc Class proved to be the race of the day, with a four-way battle for the top step on the podium between Manuel, Bako, Ricky Whyte and the country’s top female motocross rider Tanya Muzinda (13).

The day finally belonged to a fired-up Manuel, with Bako, Whyte and Muzinda settling for second, third and fourth place respectively in the 85cc Class.

And after securing two places on the podium at the end of business on Sunday, Bako thanked his manager Scot Sakupwanya for his “blessings and guidance” on the track.

Sakupwanya is, on Friday, scheduled to leave for the United States where he will meet some “potential sponsors” for his prodigy Bako.

Bako’s younger brother, Junior, also had a good day in the office on a chilly Sunday where he won all his heats in the PeeWee Class, which is designed for riders under the age of seven, while his cousin Munyaradzi did well to come fourth overall in the 65cc Class.

The post Bako, Manuel dominate at Donnybrook appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
NEWLY-ELECTED Zimbabwe Women Soccer League chairperson Barbara Chikosi will hit the ground running when she and her team convene their first meeting today.

Chikosi, famously known as “Mama Red Rose”, took over the women football leadership on Saturday when she beat Rosemary Kagonye.

The businesswoman managed 11 votes against Kagonye’s four.

The elections also saw Wilbert Rambanepasi becoming the vice chairperson while the quartet of Brenda Gorejena, Panganai Mahachi, Beulah Musara and Tafadzwa Mujuru were elected as committee members.

Chikosi said it is not going to be a one-person band.

“We are going to have our first meeting so that we map the way forward,” she said.

“It is good that we put to practice what we promised and that will be our starting point.

“We want to uplift the girl child and football and ensure that they get equal opportunities with their male counterparts.

“I want to see unity prevailing within all stakeholders for the good of the game.”

The chairperson of Premiership side Cyclone Stars, who has seen it all in football, said she is thankful for all those who voted for her.

“I would like to thank all those who had faith in me and I hope peace prevails as a lot happened during the build-up to the elections, but it’s now water under the bridge.

“I think results will speak for themselves and with the help of my board we are aiming to lure partners to the league which will benefit the clubs, especially the players,” she added.

The post Chikosi to hit ground running appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

Eddie Chikamhi in HARARE and Mukudzei Chingwere in GWERU
DYNAMOS are yet to make a decision on wayward midfielder Denver Mukamba after the player was handed back to them by rivals CAPS United after his loan deal went sour.

Mukamba, who was on a one-year loan at the Green Machine, has annoyed the Makepekepe family with his unrepentant bad boy antics after he went AWOL for almost two months.

Dynamos secretary-general Webster Marechera yesterday said they have since received a clearance letter from their rivals.

Mukamba still has a year on his contract with Dynamos, but had become a liability to the team because of his truancy and bad boy antics.

“I can confirm we received his clearance from CAPS United last week and what that means is that officially he reverts to being our player since he has a running contract with us.

“But whether we will register him for the remainder of the season, we don’t know yet. We have to sit down as a club, most importantly, with the technical team, to deliberate on the way forward,” said Marechera.

Mukamba was loaned out by Dynamos in March following a fallout with coach Lloyd Mutasa whose patience was stretched to the limit by the 25-year-old’s disciplinary problems.

Makepekepe had hoped to give the talented midfielder a chance for rehabilitation.

But they only got along well for the first two months of the proposed one-year union before Mukamba reverted to his old habits and disappeared from the radar without communicating with his superiors.

CAPS United chief executive Cuthbert Chitima conceded the marriage has not worked.

Also shown the exit is midfielder Oscar Machapa, who is currently hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons after he was dragged to the courts by a former girlfriend on assault charges.

“So far we have released three players — Munyaradzi (Diya), Oscar and Denver.

“It has not worked with Mukamba despite our best efforts to give him the best possible environment to get back to his best.

“He is talented, but there is nothing we can do. We haven’t located him ever since he was reported AWOL. Remember he was here on loan and his parent club is Dynamos, so we returned him to Dynamos,” said Chitima.

Meanwhile, Mutasa expects midfielder Brett Amidu to complete his return to the Harare giants this week from defending league champions FC Platinum.

Amidu has endured a frustrating stay in Zvishavane where he has been made a bit-part player by coach Norman Mapeza.

He arrived in Zvishavane with high expectations.

Mutasa refused to talk about Cameroonian forward Christian Ntouba, but said Amidu was on his way to the record Zimbabwean champions.

“I cannot say much about that one (Ntouba reunion), but probably, the Brett issue,” he said.

“I think as a coach you will always give proposals to the management and it so happened that he (Amidu) is the kind of boy we want to have in our team.

“We are eager to have that boy (Amidu) he is very much in our plans. I am sure the management is playing their part and it will not be a surprise if we have him before the end of the week.

“We have a very few places to get players, we might get one or two players just to add on, the majority of the players are under contract,” said Mutasa.

The coach said he will continue to try and ensure the Glamour Boys end the season as high as  possible.

“As a coach (and) as a team you have to always aim high, when such things (poor run of form) happen you have to go back and see where you are missing the point.

“The reality is that you would want to collect as many points as you can.

“Now we have to take each game as it comes, then we will see where the points get us at the end of the season,” said Mutasa.

The post DeMbare still to decide on Denver appeared first on Zimbabwe Today.

Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
former Tennis Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Olympic Committee president Paul Chingoka was laid to rest at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare yesterday, with dignitaries from the local sporting fraternity describing him as an astute sports administrator.

Chingoka, who passed away last Friday, was given a resounding send-off yesterday, with people from different walks of life braving the cold conditions to pay their last respects to the seasoned sports administrator.
Several speakers described his death as a huge loss for sport.

Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation Permanent Secretary Prince Mupazviriho said Chingoka’s death came at a time when they were trying to tap into the experience of such personalities in their efforts to revive sport in the country.

“It’s a great loss. We are currently working hard to revive our sport, and when I say revive our sport, we would want to get back to the old days when we used to be known as the country which performs very well in tennis.

“And you know the Black family did very well and that was the time when the late Paul Chingoka was the president of tennis.
‘’That just goes to show how versatile he was in terms of his leadership qualities.
“He did not just lead tennis, he also was part of Zimbabwe Olympic Committee.

‘’So the loss is quite huge because we were tapping onto his experience, and knowledge. It’s a great loss to us when we are actually in the process of looking at how best can we revive various sporting disciplines,” said Mupazviriho

Under Chingoka’s leadership, the Zimbabwean Davis Cup team scaled great heights as they were promoted into the World Group and played against some of the best teams in the world at the time.

He will be remembered for his developmental programmes that saw the rise of previously marginalised black players such as Genius Chidzikwe, Gwinyai Tongoona and Martin Dzuwa, who was among those that attended the burial.
The burial was also attended by Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa.

Tennis Zimbabwe convener of selectors Tanya Chinamo described the late Chingoka as a humble person.
“He was president of Tennis Zimbabwe at our most successful period, especially in the Davis Cup and during the period of Wayne and Byron.

‘’During that time, obviously, he was involved in a lot of development.
“I think that was a period when we saw a lot of coaches being deployed to various provinces and churning out quite a lot of talent during that time, especially in the 1990s.

‘’He will be remembered fondly by a lot of coaches and a lot of other administrators who have followed his footsteps.
“Paul was just a humble guy, nice guy. He was a gentleman,” said Chinamo.

Chingoka’s sister, Patricia Kambarami, was devastated by her brother’s death and said he was their pillar of strength.
“It is a huge loss to the family. He is somebody we relied on, somebody who was always there for us all. We shared many memories with Paul and . . . you feel lost without Paul.

‘’I cannot believe that we are going to miss that hearty laugh of Paul; that smile,” said Kambarami.
Former Sport and Recreation Commission director-general Charles Nhemachena, who worked closely with the late Chingoka during his tenure as ZOC president, said his contribution goes beyond tennis.

“It is deeply saddening because Paul’s contribution was really immense.
“He was an excellent sports administrator and he nurtured a lot of tennis players as well as sports administrators in general.
“So his contribution was not only in tennis, but in other sport disciplines as well when he ascended to the helm of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee.’’

Former Dynamos coach David Mandigora was among the mourners that attended yesterday’s burial and said he had lost a brother in Chingoka, having known each other from childhood.

Other dignitaries who attended the burial included Sports Commission chairman Edward Siwela and acting director-general Joseph Muchechetere as well as board member Titus Zvomuya.
Chingoka is survived by his wife Abigail, two children Patrick and Gwinyai.

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