Kirit stars in
Zantel Rally
By Burton Brown, Zanzibar
Tanganyika Motor Sports Club driver Kirit Pandya took top position in the
inaugural Zantel Challenge Rally; by many seen as the trickiest rally of the
year.
Held last Sunday in Zanzibar the rally attracted nine cars from Dar es Salaam
and Tanga, out of which only seven managed to reach the finishing line.
Under the navigation of Asit Thanki, Pandya cruised his Subaru Impreza to the
fastest time at two hours, 1 minute and 28 seconds.
“The absence of many top drivers in the event made me win easily. However if all
of them were present, I could have finished in under 2 hours time. Still it was
a tough and challenging rally,” he said.
Driving an ultra modern Mitsubishi Evolution 7, Salim Haji and Rahim Suleiman
took runner up position in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 03 seconds.
Putting on a great performance was young Dharam Pandya, who took second runner
up position in an old 1972 model, Nissan PA 10. Under the new navigator, Fayaz
Chandoo, Dharam Pandya has proved himself a new force to reckon with on
Tanzania’s motor sports scene.
Dharam Pandya/Chandoo clocked 2 hours, 23 minutes and 00 seconds.
The Kenya-based Pandya brother finished fourth overall to win his first points
on Tanzanian soil. Navigated by experienced driver, Sanjay Pandya, Anwar took
fourth position spending 2 hours, 25 minutes and 43 seconds to cover the four
leg rally.
Also in the winners’ gallery was Pano Calavria of Stado Rally team who ended
fifth overall after spending 2 hours, 30 minutes and 07 seconds. Pano and his
son Terry could have ended with better results had it not been for a series of
punctures in the first two legs.
Finishing sixth was veteran driver Frank Taylor, who was navigated by his son,
Isaac. Hit with many engine problems, Taylor managed to finish in 2 hours, 46
minutes and 42 seconds.
The Tanga-based drivers Issa Mohamed and Awadh Bafadhil did not finish the rally
after the car faced engine problems in the second leg. Kinje Ngombale Mwiru who
seemed to have ended second overall was disqualified on allegations of
misbehaviour when protesting after being declared sixth overall.
“We hope to see the Zanzibaris in next year’s rally after the inaugural event
won the hearts of local residents. Many of them said they would not miss the
next year’s rally to be held in the Isles,” said Mussa Tharia, Chairman of
Zanzibar Motor Sports Club and the chief organizer of the event.
Easter Sports
Festival ends on a happy note
By Burton Brown
The 2005 edition of the Easter Sports Festival took place in Zanzibar and ended
successfully on Monday.
A number of teams from Tanzania Mainland had paid a visit to the Isles for
friendly matches against the hosts.
Teams from the government departments, institutions and parastatal organisations
took part in the event that lasted from Friday over Monday until the end of the
public holiday.
One of the most spectacular matches took place on Saturday when Sayari Women’s
Soccer team from Dar es Salaam met Women Fighters from the Isles to hammer them
4-0 in a football match held at Maisara Grounds.
Mwaka Kaveva scored a hat trick in the first half of the match to give Sayari a
3-0 lead before halftime.
The second half saw the Zanzibar ladies in much improved form, only allowing one
more goal behind their goalkeeper.
Semeni Ibrahim scored the fourth goal in the 67th minute, following a defensive
blunder in front of Women Fighters’ goal.
Netball and basketball matches were also included in the Festival.
Good Start for
Young Africans
By Express Reporter
The 2005 edition of the Vodacom Premier League kicked off last
Saturday in different venues; the 2-1 victory Dar Young Africans recorded over
Moro United topped the news.
According to a survey by The Express, the win of the Dar club was a relief;
added delight came with an opposite result of their archrivals, Simba who were
forced to a draw against AFC of Arusha at Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium.
The runners up of last year’s league Mtibwa Sugar and Moro United have good
players which should make them perform well this year.
Mtibwa thrashed Bandari 3-2 while Maji Maji also trounced Prisons of Mbeya 1-0.
Ashanti’s debut in the league is yet to come, but soccer pundits bank on the
team’s moderate performance.
Yesterday Young Africans faced Police Dodoma at Jamhuri stadium, while Simba
were in Tanga to face Twiga at Mkwakwani Stadium.
Men enter
netball league
By Shaaban Omary
Men’s netball teams will for the first time take part in the
Mainland first division league this year.
The league (the first tournament in this year’s netball calendar) will run from
April 16-30.
Winners will later compete in the Mainland Union league, which is held on a
rotational basis between the Mainland and Zanzibar. The Union league takes place
in May.
The Assistant Secretary General of the Tanzanian Amateur Netball Association,
Chaneta Damian Chonya, said earlier this week that his association has called
for the formation of more men’s teams to make the event more competitive and
exciting.
Netball, a sport traditionally played by women, saw men competing two years ago
in the East African tournament, hosted at the National Indoor Stadium in Dar es
Salaam.
“We are doing enough to persuade men to play the sport, as has been the case for
other sporting events, like basketball, handball and volleyball, which have an
influence in a gender balance,” Chonya said.
He named the men’s teams expected to take part in the event as Jeshi Stars,
Police Mara and JKT.
The trio also took part in the recently ended East African tournament held in
Zanzibar.
Chonya named the women’s teams lined up for the event as Jeshi Stars, JKT
Mbweni, Mapinduzi Dodoma, Police Tanga, Police Mara, Police Kilimanjaro, Police
Mbeya, Magereza Tabora, TP Africa, JKT Makutupora, Veta Mgulani and JKT Mgulani.
Others, which were promoted to this year’s league following a good performance
in the second division league are Police Arusha, Ilala Municipal, Police Dar es
Salaam and Magereza.
Old Guard clinch Easter
basketball title
By Express reporter
Old Guard 11 emerged the winners of the Easter basketball tourney held at Dar es
Salaam Gymkhana Club courts over the weekend, involving six teams.
The team won the title before veteran teams like Savio, Vijana and Pazi were
also who in the chase for the title.
The winners beat Eagles 24-9, before trouncing Old Guard I 62-27, Vijana 23-12.
However the team lost to Savio veterans 12-14.
Savio took runner up position followed by Pazi and Vijana.
The event picked Siri Malai as the most valuable player of the tournament. Chief
Guest, Heke Mwaipopo, former basketball player for Vijana and Pazi, awarded
Malai Tsh. 500,000 cash.
Siri, one of the youngest players in the tournament, stunned spectators with his
incredible skills.
The tournament was organised to revive the basketball spirit among the veteran
players and enable them display their past glories to the upcoming players.
TCA
League’s opening bats on Saturday
By Shaaban Omary
Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) league starts on Saturday at the
Annadil Burhan grounds in Dar es Salaam.
TCA Chairman, Zully Rehemtullah, named the teams taking part as Union, Ekta,
Burhan, Aga Khan and TCA .They will all compete in division A.
Division B teams consist of Union, Union veterans, TCA Development of Dar es
Salaam, TCA Development of Morogoro, Annadil and Ekta.
The league follows the recently ended Mwalimu Nyerere memorial league, which
took place at the Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club and Annadil Burhan grounds.
Rehemtullah said the Saturday’s event is aimed at promoting the sport in the
country as well as fostering relationships among participating teams.
Union
basketball league shelved
By Shaaban Omary
The Union basketball league, which was earlier planned to be held on
Saturday at the Tanzania Cigarette Company (TCC) ground in Dar es Salaam, has
been postponed. No date has yet been set.
Secretary General of the Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF), Ahmed Simba, said
officials of the federation and clubs will meet soon to fix new dates for the
event.
He said TBF was forced to postpone the event due to unavoidable circumstances,
which he did not reveal.
Mainland teams, which will take part in the annual league, are the former East
and Central African champions, Vijana City Bulls and Savio.
Others are the Army Basketball Club (ABC) and JKT. They will compete in the
men’s disciplines. Women teams are Jeshi Stars, Police Tanga, Magereza and JKT.
According to Simba, the teams from Zanzibar include Stone Town, Uloso, Chake
Stars and Tornado.
The event is held on a rotational basis between Mainland and Zanzibar. JKT and
Jeshi Stars are the defending champions of the previous edition. Winning teams
will secure tickets for the African clubs’ championship.
Taifa
carries off the prize
By Burton Brown, Zanzibar
In what could be described as a classic soccer encounter in the
Premier League, Taifa Jang’ombe beat Miembeni 1-0 in a thrilling match held this
weekend at Mao Tse Tung stadium, Zanzibar.
It was Suleiman Abdullah of Taifa who was the hero of the match, after scoring
the lone goal that gave his team three vital points.
Abdullah scored from a one-two move between Risasi Issa and Mohamed Hassan
before Issa passed the ball to Abdullah in the 6th minute.
Taifa looked confident although they missed many other chances throughout the
match, whilst Miembeni was pressing for an equalizer throughout the second half.
In the 35th minute, Awadh Juma beat the entire Miembeni right flank defence, but
his cross missed the target.
So the match ended as a one-goal victory after a tough struggle.
Kinje
threatens to quit
By Burton Brown
Tanzania’s upcoming rally driver, Kinje Ngombare Mwiru has announced
that he will quit the scene unless justice is done to reverse the
disqualification of his results in the just ended Zantel Challenge Rally.
Kinje said he deserved the runner up position in the inaugural rally, but a
decision by officials of Tanganyika Motor Sports Club and Dar es Salaam Motor
Sports Club (DMSC) pushed him into the sixth position.
“It seems the officials of the two clubs want their sons, nephews and relatives
to win all the top positions, that is a clear message was that the competition
is a sheer family affair. Unless they change this attitude, the two Dar clubs
will never see me and my team mates in any of their competitions they organise,”
he said.
Explaining further, Kinje said the officials were supposed to have notifed him
about the change of the position during the bunching so that he could know what
to do and how to compete in the remaining two sections.
“Chairman of Tanganyika Motor Sports Club, Satinder Birdi announced they had
made all the calculations and found me still in the number two spot behind the
leader, Kirit Pandya when we started the third section. I kept close behind
Pandya until the rally finished. At the end I was told I was sixth,” he said.
Kinje said if Dar es Salaam clubs do not want to hear his case, he would race in
all other races outside Dar es Salaam, which do not involve officials from the
two clubs.
Chairman of Zanzibar Motor Sports Club (ZMSC ), Mussa Tharia said he would work
on the issue when with top officials of the Automobile Association of Motor
Sports Club (AAMSC) to ensure justice is done and save the sport from further
disputes and chaos.