OG Netball League finale this weekend
The K2million OG Issa Southern Region Netball League (SRNL) season winds up this Saturday at the Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC) with a clash between rivals Diamonds and Complex Tigresses, former Bingu Tigresses.
However, taking into account the aggregate score of each side, it is unlikely that defending champions Diamonds will manage to overcome Tigresses’ predictable advantage on the day.
Diamonds have to win the match by at least a scoreline of a difference 200 to defend the crown; otherwise, Tigresses will definitely take home the K350 000 (US$860) winners’ purse and add onto their mantelpiece their first league title in five years.
MTL Queens are unshaken on the third slot and are assured of the K120 000 (US$95)2 third prize after amassing 60 points from 24 games.
However, Woget Stars and Young Girls have to win their respective matches against ZombaAirwing Sisters and Gerald Tasaukadala Sisters on the day if they are to secure a fourth position that comes along with a K90 000 (US$221) prize. The Woget versus Airwing game will precede the Diamonds/Tigresses encounter at 1:30pm.
Prison Sisters will face bottom-placed Aquaid Queens at 10:30am before Chilomoni Sisters and Chitakale Sisters sort each other out at noon.
According to SRNL general secretary Annie Hanjahanja-Billie, no outfit in the 13 team league will go empty-handed. She said even the log-table anchors will go away with K20 000 (US$49).
Four nominated for World Chess qualifiers
Chess Association of Malawi (Chessam) has nominated four players to take part in the first national qualifier for 2014 World Chess Olympiad at the Baptist Theological College in Lilongwe this weekend.
According to Chessam publicist Gilton Mkumbwa, the body’s president, Kezzie Msukwa, has nominated Peter Jailosi and Misheck Nyirenda as we as female athletes Wezzie Mzia and Upile Pulaizi because of their improvements displayed in recent competitions.
At the national qualifiers, the four will join 31 players that made it through the regional qualifiers and the five stars, Chiletso Chipanga, Paul Kuphwatheya, Joseph Mwale, Joseph Nyambalo and Richard Mbedza, who were seeded for being the country’s representatives at the 2012 World Olympiad in Turkey.
“The president has a prerogative to nominate some players for such qualifiers. He consulted Chessam regional affiliates to give him the names of the most improving and active players and the four topped the list,” said Mkumbwa.
He said the initial three-day national qualifiers, which start on Friday in Lilongwe and will be played on nine-round Swiss format, will see 10 players from each of the men and ladies’ categories making it into the final qualifiers on April 18.
“It is from the final qualifiers where we will identify the best five players from each category to represent the country at the World Chess Olympiad in Norway in August,” said Mkumbwa.
