4-Nations
Rugby ready for lift-off 6th Aug
By Kazzi Ally, Arusha
After a week of preparations,Tanzania’s national rugby team begin
their final intensive training for the Four Nation Rugby Championship, scheduled
from August 6 to 13 at Friedkin Complex in Arusha.
The team’s coach and manager, Tinus Aucamp, said the team had already performed
phase one in Arusha three weeks ago, before doing the second phase in Dar es
Salaam and then back for a week in Arusha.
The host Tanzania will play against Rwanda, Burundi and Mauritius in a weeklong
tournament, which will pick the winner to play in the Super 16 Bowl in South
Africa later this month.
Aucamp said besides Celtel, Cooper Pricewater House and Precision Air continue
with their co-sponsorship roles that they introduced during the tri-nation rugby
tournament last year.
“I thank all the companies for their timely backing, at this time when Tanzania
is planning to stage one of the biggest events in Africa,” said Aucamp.
The list of players already in training camp include veteran player, Tom
Lithgow, other players from Rhinos include Jeremy Stephenson, Ake Lindstrom,
John Lloyd, Daniel Moore, Paul Olivier, Quantin Beukes and Chris Parker. Others
are ‘Tight Head Prop’ Juma, Mark Baker, Mike Beckner, Dominyk Lever, Emanuel
Motta, Tom Halloran and Wes Gold.
From Dar Leopards come Jay Njwelige, Dimitri Fiorentinos, Alpha Maduhu, Jason
Bergman, Anton Gufler, Robert Njedje, Matt Febrey and Andrew Edmondson and Ben
Wiggens from Moshi Kilicats.
Simba
enter Tusker Cup sans top strikers
By Express Reporter
The absence of Simba’s top marksmen has worried fans in the run-up to the Tusker
Cup which kicks off today at Moi Kasarani stadium in Nairobi.
Simba left for Kenya on Monday, leaving behind their deadly finishers, Athumani
Machupa and Shaaban Kisiga. Officials of the club said Shaaban Kisiga had family
problems while Machupa was reported to be injured.
According to the list released by the Secretary General of Tanzania Football
Federation (TFF), Asheri Gasabile, 23 players left by bus from Arusha via
Namanga border post.
The players include Juma Kaseja, Kelvin Mhagama, Salum Mpakala, Nurdin Bakari,
Soud Abdi, Said Sued, Boniface Pawasa, Amri Said, Christopher Alex, Shaaban
Nditi and Victor Costa.
Others are Seleman Matola, Primus Kasonso, Nicodemus Nyagawa, Mussa Mgosi,
Sunday Frank, Ulimboka Mwakingwe, Nurdin Msiga, Haruna Moshi, Yahaya Akilimali,
Ekely Bandombele and Emmanuel Gabriel.
Officials of the team are head coach Patrick Phiri, Jamhuri Kihwelu (assistant
coach) and Mashaka Mkumba (physician).
According to Gasabile, Titus Bandawe and Omar Abdulkadir will represent TFF in
the tournament. Simba officials who will make the trip are Ayoub Semvua, Mohamed
Nassoro and Innocent Njovu.
Simba got the chance of competing in the Nairobi event after winning the Tusker
Challenge Cup tourney in Mwanza last month.
Dar lags behind in athletics
By Kazzi Ally, Arusha
The just-ended National Athletics Championship in Arusha confirmed Dar es
Salaam’s drop in athletics standards, as the region was far behind Arusha and
Zanzibar in general performance.
The region finished third overall with 117 points, behind Arusha who emerged the
overall winners with 264 points and Zanzibar with 250 points.
“Most of the key runners did not turn up for training at Dar es Salaam
University ground, and those who came were individuals yet prepared to combat
well drilled athletes from Arusha. We fought hard in every meet but we could not
beat Arusha and Zanzibar,” said Lucas Nkungu, the Secretary General of Dar es
Salaam Amateur Athletics Association.
This year’s edition saw international runners such as Commonwealth medallist
John Yuda, Restituta Joseph, Lwiza John and Fabiano Joseph winning impressively
in their long and middle distance races.
Fabiano had the best time ever in the 5,000m, and 13 minutes was enough to give
him a ticket for the Commonwealth games next year.
There was one record broken in the field event. A Zanzibari broke the
three-decade record of Thomas Gibure in discus. The new record is 47m, two
meters longer than the old record.
Dodoma Region came fourth with 30 points, Tabora fifth with 21 while
Kilimanjaro, once an athletics giant, finished sixth with only 19 points.
Other regions and their positions and points in brackets are Manyara (7th, 17),
Morogoro (8th, 15), Singida (9th, 12), Mwanza (10th, 7), Mara (11th, 2) and
Coast Region (12th, 2).
The most unfortunate regions were Tanga and Ruvuma whose players failed to win a
single medal hence they finished last without a point.
However, some consolation came for Dar es Salaam in the men’s category,
finishing second overall behind the category’s winners, Arusha. Zanzibar’s women
emerged top with 118 points while Arusha and Dar es Salaam finished second and
third respectively.
Sayore
takes ALAF title
By Joyce Macha
A par level total net 140 strokes was enough to win the 2005 edition of the ALAF
Golf tournament that climaxed at Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club course over the
weekend.
It was a young golfer, Lengai Sayore, who led the net chase with the double 70
net he fired in the first 18 holes on Saturday and the second 18 on Sunday.
“It was not difficult to score 70 net in the first day, but the second day I had
to fight fiercely to get another 70 because I was playing in the pressure
group,” said Sayore.
The event’s overall runner-up was Chi Koo Kang, who finished the 36 holes on one
over par total net 141 strokes. He fired a par level 70 net in the first day
before ending the final day with one over par net 71.
The overall gross winner was Stanley Sanga, who posted seven over par total 147
strokes.
Georgies Nikita from Morogoro emerged the winner of the A Division, with three
over par total 143, while the runner-up position went to Kausar Jeraj, who got
146 total net.
Dharampal Gupta retained his past winning form when he won the B Division with
six over par total net 146 strokes. However, Gupta could have done better if he
had not wasted many strokes on the second day. He carded 69 net the first day
and 77 net on the second day.
Gautam Ahuja also performed well, taking the runner-up position in the B
Division with 147 net, while South Korean H.M. Choi won the C Division with two
under par 68 net.
Joyce Osumo starred in the chase for the top title supremacy when her score of
142 total net earned her the title. The runner-up was Betty Malaba who managed
149 net.
Also in the winning list were Manraj Bharya and Aisha Patel, who won the longest
drive awards while Stanley Sanga and Nikki Gupta took nearest to pin titles.
TZ basketball could do wonders,
but…
By Burton Brown
The US based basketball international coach, Nelson Isley said
Tanzania has great basketball potential, but lack of government support has
halted the sport’s progress.
Isley, who was in the country conducting an 11-day coaching seminar, said the
absence of good strategies to develop the talents makes both players and coaches
tactically redundant.
While in the country Isley conducted a seminar for basketball coaches from
Tanzania Mainland and the Isles. Tanzania Olympic Committee organized the
seminar and invited the coach.
“Out of 50 countries I have visited in Europe, Asia and Africa, I have found
that the country has a good number of basketball talents, but they need
government assistance in order to meet training costs,” he said.
He said if the government was engaged fully in the strategies to develop the
sport, they would gain an open ticket for the country to participate in the big
international events by the year 2012.
“Mozambique is one of the youngest nations in the world, but it is now among the
most popular nations for the Olympics,” he said.
Dar vows to sparkle in Cargo
Stars Golf
By Joyce Macha
Dar es Salaam Gymkhana’s top players have vowed to end the solo run of Morogoro
players, in this year’s edition of Cargo Stars Morogoro Open, scheduled to tee
off at Morogoro Gymkhana course from August 6 to 8.
One of the players, Stanley Sanga said he was well-drilled for this year’s
championship, and promised to beat the reigning champion, Adam Mohamed of
Morogoro.
“I have advanced my golf to plus zero handicaps,” he said.
This year’s event, according to the organizers, has already attracted a number
of players from other countries of East Africa.
Dar es Salaam players expressed their firm intention of carrying-off top awards
and challenging other top golfers. In response to the tournament, the majority
of players from Dar Gymkhana club have already confirmed their participation
with high hopes of success.
Other entries are also expected from Arusha, Iringa, Zanzibar and the host
Morogoro.
New route picked for Nane Nane
rally
By Kazzi Ally, Arusha
Arusha Motor Sports Club has released the new route for drivers in
the sixth edition of the National Rally Championship to be held in the region
August 6 and 7.
Previously, the club used the routes on the eastern parts of the region, which
meant cars cruising in the dense dusts of Kilimanjaro International Airport,
King’ori, Usa River and Nkoanekoli.
An official of the club’s organizing committee, Gamdust Haji, said this year’s
sections would take much of the western side of Arusha town, with Meserani area
at Monduli-Babati junction staging the service park (Parc Ferme) of all
sections.
Popularly known as the Nane Nane Rally, it is a leading event in Tanzania, which
attracts a big number of spectators for all its sections.
Gamdust said they had decided to change the routes so as to make the rally
faster and more challenging. “The last year’s sections were too stony and caused
damages to the cars. This time we have decided to have smoother roads which are
short-cut proof,” he said.
In another development, Kenyan top drivers have confirmed their participation in
this year’s rally as they did last year. Azar Anwar who was third last year,
Yogesh Patel, Asad Khan Kalulu are among the Kenyans expected to lock horns with
Tanzanian top drivers in Arusha.
Likewise, all members of Stado Rally team are reported to have completed
preparations for the Nane Nane rally.
Drivers Pano Calavria, Ahmed Huwel, Omar Bakhressa, Shanto Nahdi and Saleh
Balhabou told The Express that they want the Nane Nane rally to heal the wounds
of KCB FIA Rally, where all their cars retired due to mysterious engine
problems.
St. Anthony, Tegeta get SBL
League going
By Peter Kiswaga
Tegeta and St. Anthony Secondary schools were the most impressive teams in the
spectacular debut of the 2005 edition of the Secondary School Basketball League,
which began over the weekend at the National Indoor Stadium, Dar es Salaam.
William Okinda of St Anthony and Abdulkadir Mtambo from St Mary shone brightly
in the weekend show score sheet, bagging all the vital points for their teams.
Okinda fired home 23 points that helped his team’s 62-12 win over Kigamboni
Secondary school in one of the opening matches.
St. Anthony maintained their victory record on Sunday when they beat Tambaza on
a walkover after Tambaza failed to appear on the court for the encounter.
Abdulkadir Mtambo of St. Mary’s scored 24 points out of the 40 points but that
was not enough to stop Tegeta Boys from winning the most thrilling encounter,
when they posted 43 baskets. However in Sunday’s matches, Abdulkadir Mtambo was
on the starring side again when he banged in 16 points out of the 41 his team
scored in their spectacular 41-30 victory over Loyola.
Poor results for Loyola against St. Mary’s also marred the girls’ performance as
they were defeated 38-11 by St. Mary’s.
Makongo secondary managed to thrash Chang’ombe 47-27; David Lumeleki scored 17
points for the winners.
TABA
gets ready for AGM in August
By Burton Brown
Tanzania Amateur Boxing Association is in its final preparations for
the Annual General meeting. The association’s constitutional amendments will be
the major agenda of the meeting.
The meeting will be held in Dar es Salaam at Amana Vijana Hall, August 31.
According to the association’s Chairman, Narcis Tarimo, the meeting will dwell
on three main issues, dominated by the constitutional reforms within the aging
boxing body.
“In general we are going to concentrate on ills that have hampered the progress
of boxing in the country, and will try to rectify major faults in our
constitution and make effective modifications in it,” he said.
He said other items of discussion would dwell with the income and the budget of
the TABA, and the general operation of the association over the past ten years.
However, according to the directives of the national sports council, after the
general meeting, the association is required to stage a general election to pick
new leaders who will lead it in the 2005/06 season.