Walalawalala wore the Southern Region pool crown at Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC) on Sunday after beating Jeden 3-0 in the regional finals of the K1 million (about $4 000) Under-23 Presidential Pool Championships.
Walalawalala and Jeden sailed through to the finals with 3-0 wins against Tigers and Afro Motel, respectively.
The side that could win three of its five games in the regional finals could qualify for national finals in Mzuzu on June 30 and Walalawalala did it with straight victories through Isaac John, Kelvin Banda and Stewart Somanje who humbled Jeden’s Ananiya Silanga, Justin Limbe and Mwayi Kamtanda, respectively.
But the most exciting game was the one between Banda and Limbe. With only the black ball remaining to be tossed into the hole, the fans cheered and jeered as the two sweated while taking turns to make a finish, but lady luck smiled at Banda.
While Jeden’s coach Patrick ‘Drogba’ Machemba blamed bad luck for their defeat, Walalawalala director and owner Saulos Thindwa brimmed with uncontrollable joy.
“I am happy that my team has made it into the national finals for the first time. I invested in these youths for three years and now these are the fruits. This is a history worth celebrating!” said Thindwa.
Southern Region Pool League (SRPL) chairperson Sam Phiri and tournaments director Ken Tembo, said they disqualified last year’s regional champions Formula One in the group stages of the 12-team encounters for using overage players.
In the five-player Ladies Singles category, Lucy Vinkhumbo clinched the title after winning all her four games. She will represent the region at the national finals alongside her runner-up Thandie Chirwa and third-placed Thoko Nkula.Â
