Young Buffaloes retain Airtel Money trophy

Young Buffaloes Sisters on Sunday retained Airtel Money Netball Trophy when they beat Cobbe Barracks Sisters 24-19 in Zomba District final at Chancellor College Court.

It was a sweet moment for Buffaloes as they continue dominating netball honours at district level in all competitions for three consecutive years now.

Led by their captain Elpha Mwanje and the tournament’s sharp shooter Maggie Chirwa, Buffaloes made their intentions clear by winning almost all quarters during the match.

However, the champions were not presented with the trophy since they never returned the one they won last year.

But owner of the team, Christopher Jana, cried foul to the district netball committee for not giving them another floating trophy.

In response, Zomba District Netball Committee (ZDNC) chairperson Margret Maluwa said her committee returned with the symbolic trophy in order to teach Young Buffaloes Sisters a lesson.

“It was a deliberate move and they [Young Buffaloes Sisters] should not make noise about it. They knew the procedures and could not follow them. So we borrowed the trophy from Cobbe Barracks for symbolic purposes and we could not allow the winners to take photos with it,” said Maluwa.

For being champions, Young Buffaloes Sisters went away with K250 000 (about $375) whereas Cobbe Barracks Sisters received K125 000 (about $187). This means that the two teams have automatically qualified for the regional phase of the competition. n