Shelly Guni, Sports Reporter
Rainbow Amateur Netball League (RANL) new comers Green Fuel Angels coach Farai Mlambo believes the few games his team played were enough to give them a wake up call of how life in the elite league feels like.
The Chisumbanje-based side were promoted into the 2020 season after they emerged champions in the Eastern region.
“Covid-19 has really affected us. We were starting to gather momentum and being confident after we faced two big teams.
“I had planned well for our game against Ngezi the week that followed. Then the league was suspended.
“Anyway, we will take this season as a learning curve,” Mlambo said.
Before the suspension of the league, Green Fuels had played three matches to which they only won one.
Their first match was against giants ZDF who crushed them 33-66 at their backyard in Chisumbanje.
They then went on to play Black Rhinos in their second match at Stodart where they won 38-42.
They went on to host former netball champions Glow Petroleum who thrashed them 22-66 in front of their fans.
The RANL league was suspended just after three rounds of action following the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus.
All sporting activities and public gatherings were then banned.
Although some sport codes deemed to be less risky have been given the greenlight to resume, most sporting activities including netball are still banned.
“I learned something from our sports administration, current players and the league – just the three games we played I managed to grasp some things which I am sure If I have another chance next season the team will be unstoppable.”
Green Fuel has become the first ever team from Chipinge district to participate in a Netball elite league.
This comes after the coming in of an independent netball league which saw the decentralisation of power and revival of netball countrywide.
To show that the team was well prepared for the season, they built a very standard netball court which most teams in the league are failing to build.
Indications are that the club might need to beef up their squad with a few more experienced players so as to cope with the level of competition in the league
– HMETRO
