NewsHawks 9 September 2022

NewsHawks Sport Page 51

Issue 97, 9 September 2022

President’s Cup Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South
urgently needs Africa is the only player from the
a Rest-of-the- continent in the Rest-of-the-World
World win, or team.
does that matter?

ROUNDING off golf ’s northern every two years and on paper count- watch, play and enjoy the game at It would not be practical, nor the-World.  The venue, with USA be-
summertime and heralding golf's au- er-balancing the rip-roaring Ryder top level simply for the sake of it will would it be effective, if the USA team ing at home on Quail Hollow's par 71
tumn at the end of September is the Cup, a more natural clash of golf's be more than content with what they is deliberately weakened in some way, in Florida close to Miami, beginning
President's Cup. continental giants, but with Europe get, that is to say 24 of the planet's one solution that has been debated. on 26 September.
excluded. However, despite all efforts best available players-personalities The President's Cup seems there-
In this case the president being towards improvements through the thrown into match-play battle with fore to be doomed to shuffle along The USA team (automatic):  Scot-
America's Joe Biden. Played every last 18 years, it remains very much the inbuilt drama and excitement. until it eventually relinquishes all se- tie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Xander
two years and positioned opposite the lesser event and because of the repeti- The President's Cup has thus cre- riously competitive meaning, maybe Shauffele, Sam Burns,  Justin Thom-
Ryder Cup, the selected teams are the tion of a lopsided record, in danger of ated the same aura as the Ryder Cup even allowed to fizzle out in the near as and Tony Finau (captain's picks) :
all-powerful USA versus the weaker continuing to be so. but without its vast and boisterous Jordan Speith, Collin Morikawa, Max
Rest-of-The-World, Europe being ex- crowds at one of the famed courses Homa, Billy Horschel, Cameron
cluded. Therefore it sorely needs a stimu- being used, all shouting, cheering Young, Kevin Kisner.
lating Rest-of-the-World victory or at and clapping their boisterous way to HawkZone
The format, featuring 12 of the least a draw to give it the status de- a famous triumph. The difference, Rest-of-the-World:  Hideki Mat-
best players available, is an established manded by much of the golfing fra- though, has not been a delicious un- suyama, Tom Kim, Sunjai Im, Mito
replica. But their relative strengths are ternity everywhere. Johncertainty of result. Pereira, Adam Scott, Corey Connors,
starkly different as the records show. The balance of Ryder Cup pow- South Africa's only member Chris-
Or does it? Kelleyer between the USA and Europe tiaan Bezuidenhaut, Taylor Pendrith,
The Americans have won the Pres- There will be much build-up Sebastian Munoz, Cameron Davis, Si
ident's Cup for the last eight years in razzmatazz with splendid blazers worn has created through recent decades Woo Kim, K. H. Lee.
succession and it really means nothing by big-name golfers and captains on a genuine "who will win?" debate
to suggest that several of those match- parade, fine speeches and widespread around the world. The President's Whatever your opinion of the
es have been close, nor that a "World" TV coverage. But there is extreme- Cup does not have this flavour. future – which indeed almost hap- President's Cup and apparently pre-
team in the distant past was victorious ly likely to be yet another "wrong" At present therefore it is all rath- pened to the Ryder Cup half a century carious place in international golf,
just the once. result. The last eight has been a se- er somnolent and fails to catch the ago in similar circumstances. There is the answer is simple: relax and enjoy
quence of USA victories in 16 years worldwide golf imagination. There always a sharp focus on the next Presi- some shouting for the underdog.
Instead of having Europeans as se- as the staple diet. And a number nine is the danger of repetition and the dent's Cup match. But need there be?
riously competitive opponents, as in USA victory without being seriously asking of questions such as how can Respective managers are Davis *Guest columnist, author and
the Ryder Cup, the Rest-of-the-World tested seems assured for 2022. the American team be seriously chal- Love III for the USA and Trevor Im- journalist John Kelley, is a keen golf-
is made up of an internationally scat- However, those other millions lenged? melman of South Africa for Rest-of- er who still plays the game at the age
tered and relatively weak team pulled of golf players and aficionados who of 91. He writes occasionally and ex-
together from various nations. clusively for The NewsHawks.

The President's Cup is a mixture

Something special unfolding across the bridge

From page 54 the three Chitungwiza clubs,” adds Zin- they can control. 2019 on top of being named St Charles’ George’s T20 tournament and a mem-
“Every kid in the streets and schools yama. From primary schools in Chitung- player-of-the-season. ber of Zimbabwe’s Under-19 World
in Chitungwiza now want to be the Cup squad in the Caribbean early this
next Wessly, the next Tony and the next “We are sharing facilities with Glad- wiza, the best talent and luckiest receive “Expect more gems to come out of year — has also made the Chitungwiza
Milton,” says the energetic Royal Crick- iators at St Aidan’s Primary School and bursaries, to smoothen the rough edges this,” asserts Zinyama. “The current club his home.
et Club player-coach Cromen Zinyama. we have no fixed home ground as there of their game at a critical stage of their St Charles beneficiaries are Newman
“Chi-town has moved miles in terms are no proper cricket facilities in Chi- development. Rockingham Colliery Nyamhuri and Brandon Sunguro, who Their coach and teammate at Royal,
of cricket development.” town. So sometimes we use Prince Ed- Cricket Club in the United Kingdom, we also rate very highly.” Zinyama, was once a capable opening
They however face some great diffi- ward School, Old Hararians or Sunrise who have a relationship with Gladia- bowler for Churchill School and at the
culties in the journey, including facilities Sports Club.” tors, provide scholarships for St Aid- They are definitely doing something age of 33, he is now focused on groom-
as well as lack of continuity for the larg- en’s cream to attend Prince Edward or right in Chitungwiza, and the news has ing players who will have greater career
er number of kids not fortunate enough For now it is okay because these are Churchill Boys High in Harare. reached as far as the leafier suburbs of opportunities than him. And he makes
to progress to cricket-playing senior wonderful cricket venues in Harare, nearby Harare. a vow on behalf of his hometown.
schools outside the town. but just visualise for a minute how it St Charles College, a South African
“The challenge we are having at the would be like for Chitungwiza folk to private boys’ school in Pietermaritzburg, National team rising star all-rounder “Chitungwiza will produce great
moment in Chitungwiza is that there be watching their local heroes strut- have also been incredibly charmed by Bradley Evans, son of former Zimba- players who are going to win many
is no cricket going on in high schools ting their stuff at a decent ground in the Chitungwiza story and they too bwe batsman Craig Evans, swapped the big games for our country,” he pauses,
since the concrete pitch was dug at Seke their own hometown, and marching to have designed a scholarship programme lush green fields of the capital’s estab- searching for the right emphasis. “...
1 High, which was the main feeder for the Premier League title as Gladiators to assist. lished clubs to play his league cricket for many games, trust me.”
did this season. In the meanwhile, in high-density outfit Royal. Exiting talent
Chitungwiza they are focusing on what Madhevere is a past beneficiary, cap- Matthew Schonken of Hellenic School You cannot be left in doubt when
taining the school in his final year in — best all-rounder at the recent St you see the purpose, passion and vision.

Sports President’s Cup
urgently needs a
Rest-of-the-World
win, or does that
matter?

Thursday 1 October 2020

Friday 9 September 2022 @NewsHawksLive TheNewsHawks www.thenewshawks.com

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that you have since left Harare and al-
most into “Chi-town”, as the residents
FROM where Harare comes to an end fondly call their town. But then the river
on the south of Zimbabwe’s capital city flows directly southwest of Harare into
— to the town of Chitungwiza — is a out to KhupeLake Chivero, the main water supply
recently upgraded highway sandwiched for the capital city.
between colourless landscapes. Of course, the river border is only
symbolic and geographical, it has no
The arid plains are dominated by restriction on the daily busy movement
light brown soil and dry grassland that that takes place between Harare and
turns pale yellow from the heat of the
Zimbabwean summer heat. Chitungwiza. Similarly, there has been
Some of Zimbabwe’s oldest rural Unofficial president calls for emergeno sporting boundary to suppress the
areas, which depend on subsistence new wave of cricket talent from across
farming to feed families, are nestled a the Manyame channel.
distance further down the highway. Football has ruled the roost in
The drab countryside scenery on the Chitungwiza for many decades, al-
road appears to take you to the periph- though there has been the odd half-de-
eries of the world, not exactly what you cent cricketer from the town over the
expect of a route to the hometown of years.
four young gifted cricket players form- A few personal favourites come to
ing part of a 15-man international team mind first, including Amos Maungwa
that has recently achieved the historic and I always wonder nostalgically how
feat of their country’s first away win over this little fellow — for a man of his size
global giants Australia. — was able to unsettle even some of the
This new breeding ground for Zim- country’s best international batsmen
babwe cricketers is at the 25km peg with his pace, bounce and reverse swing.
along the road, mostly lying on the right Then Nyasha Chari, a promising and
side. It is a cluster of sprawling town- naturally-gifted all-rounder who played
ships, collectively known as Chitung- in the same Prince Edward School team
wiza, which despite heavy economic with future internationals Mark Ver-
reliance on the nearby capital city, has meulen and David Mutendera, and
its own town council and mayor. possessed leadership traits that landed
Geographically and administratively, him the captaincy of a very good Old
it is like what Ekurhuleni is to Johan- Hararians club side in later years.
nesburg or what Centurion used to be Having national team players,
to Pretoria. First team of St Aiden's Primary School, a focal point of cricket development in Chitungwiza. though, is a new phenomenon for
The dull sights that lead to Chitung- Chitungwiza. All this from just three
wiza can be completely misleading, the amount of effort that will go into it into the national reckoning. Cricket Club of Chitungwiza. local clubs — Gladiators, Uprising and
because once you venture deep inside, if challenged to select four players from Merit and ability have been a huge Gladiators is the high-riding team Royal.
the strong urban culture and vibe is too Chitungwiza, all from one club, in the factor, as recent performances show. that has produced all four players that Primary schools are the nucleus of
conspicuous to ignore. same Zimbabwe team in any sport. Madhevere and Marumani caught were on Zimbabwe’s tour of Australia, Chitungwiza’s growing reputation as
It is a crowded municipality of con- Batsmen Wessly Madhevere, Tadi- the eye after building on their batting a gritty little high-density club with sur- an important centre for cricket devel-
trasts, where poverty meets hard work, wanashe Marumani, Tony Munyon- credentials in the Australia series — plus talent to be crowned champions of opment in Zimbabwe. An encouraging
as well as big dreams and aspirations. ga and Clive Madande are all local while Munyonga played a significant the country’s National Premier League number of junior schools play compet-
Chitungwiza is probably not unique. Chitungwiza boys included in Zimba- cameo role against Bangladesh in Au- (NPL) this season, grinding out results itively, enthusiastically guided by ded-
A lot of people around the world will bwe’s squad for the recent ODI tour of gust, alongside the heroic Sikandar without players on national duty for icated grassroots coaches who are sup-
know of such a special place which, Australia. There could have been a fifth, Raza, in a series-clinching ODI win. most of the term. ported by local clubs with the backing
despite its myriad challenges, produc- but Milton Shumba had been injured Chitungwiza has been quietly creat- “Chitungwiza is the new home of of kind benefactors from abroad.
es some of the country’s finest citizens, before the trip Down Under. ing its own identity as a Zimbabwean cricket in the country,” a proud Mareya Only one of these coaches, Malcom
quite a number of them being among Zimbabwe lost the series 2-1 in cricket powerhouse, through the tireless boldly remarks to The NewsHawks this Chikuhwa, is on the payroll of Zimba-
the best at what they do. Townsville, but made headlines across ALwSoOrk aInNdSpIeDrsEonal saFcriinfiacenocfeaMgrienatistywweekip. es out $3.2 Billion depositobrwse fCurnickdest (ZC), oZveimrsee'sinlgattheesetntliarend c
Sport, it goes without saying, forms the world with a famous three-wicket deal of locals. “As you can clearly see, the balance development structure of Chitungwiza.
a big part of Chitungwiza’s social fabric, win over a full-strength Australia side in Prior, Highfield, the popular town- of power is shifting from Highfield. St Aidan’s Primary School is the focal
and football still remains the favourite the last match, the first time the African ship in Harare, had been the single Something special is happening across point of all activity and it is not surpris-
pastime in this settlement of about 340 side has defeated the global cricketing biggest hotbed of black cricket talent in the bridge.” ing that former pupil Madhevere, the
000 people. giants on their own turf. Zimbabwe. Manyame River cuts across the high- brightest young prospect in Zimbabwe’s
Which, come to think of it, gives you It is only fair to acknowledge that But a new dawn is upon us, if you way, within sight of Chitungwiza, loca- national team right now, was first taught
some perspective of the in-roads that the young prodigies from Chitungwiza’s believe Andrew Mareya, the industrious tion of the bridge that Mareya refers to.  the game there.
cricket has made over there: Imagine conveyor belt have not had an easy ride and resourceful manager of Gladiators The bridge is like the boundary, a sign To page 53

ALSO INSIDE Something special is happening across the bridge