Mosah Mokganedi
10 November 2009
BDF VI men and Kutlwano women will represent the country at the Zone VI volleyball club championships in Durban, South Africa next month following their triumph in the Capital Motors tournament over the weekend.
Kutlwano walloped their hoodoo side Mafolofolo 3-2 in the final to book a place in the regional event while BDF had an easy day against Kutlwano white-washing them 3-0.
The coaches of the two clubs remain hopeful that their charges will do well though they complained of insufficient time to prepare for the Zone championship. They believe the qualifiers for the event could have been held earlier so that they have enough time to prepare.
Kutlwano coach Isaac Samuel said they are likely to face hiccups in preparing for the regional tournament though he has hope that they will defend the title they won last year.
He feared that it might not be possible to bring players together for a training camp since most of them are employed and it is not always easy to have them released from work.
He said judging by the way the team played in the last tournament, there is hope that they will bring the cup home. He said he is not afraid of opponents because he knows exactly what to expect in the competition. Samuel added that they would have to beef up the squad before going to Durban.
BDF VI coach, Selebatso Mabutho blamed the Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF) for hosting the qualifiers for the regional tournament late.
He said some of the teams that they are going to play have long qualified and started training. He stated that a team needs sufficient training in order to compete in such a competition. Despite the little time for preparations, Mabutho said they will do their best. "We are going there to compete not to make the numbers," he said.
He added that judging by the way his team has been playing, he is sure to get something from the regional tournament. BDF VI finished second position in the last club championships.
Meanwhile, the BVF spokesperson Godfrey Mudongo dismissed the duo's complaints as a mere excuse. He said the teams were informed well in time that Capital Motors was going to be used as qualifiers for the championship and they never objected. He also observed that the tournament itself has helped the teams prepare for the club championships. Mudongo added that there is still enough time for the teams to prepare.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Mmegi/The Reporter. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
