The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
AS it has been the story every year, Zimbabwean squash players once again found the going tough at the Safeguard Zimbabwe Open Squash Championship at Suburbs Squash Club last weekend with all the top prizes going to foreigners.
Since the country’s premier squash event was revived by the Matabeleland Squash Association in 2004 and held in Bulawayo, foreigners have taken turns to walk away with the men’s title.
Last Sunday saw South Africa’s Christo Potgieter defeat Zambian Kundanji Kalengo 3-0 in a one-sided final to walk away with the $1 000 top prize.
For the 31-year-old Potgieter, it was the second time that he was crowned champion at the Zimbabwe Open, with the first time having been in 2016. Last year, Potgieter did not come to defend his title.
Nigerian Yemisi Olatunji defeated her younger sister Busayo 3-1 in the women’s final. Paul Chanda of Zambia won 3-1 over his compatriot Felix Chilufya in the veterans while Potgieter teamed up with his countryman Jimmy Schebusch to overpower the local pairing of Neil Nesbitt and Mike Burns in the doubles.
The best placed Zimbabwean man was Faisal Hassan of Harare who was sixth out of 23. Youngster, Ryan Gwidzima, playing against way older opponents settled for 13th position. For the women,
Polite Mubure was fourth while Jeffrey Fenwick also achieved the same position in the veterans.
Chairman of the Squash Rackets Association of Zimbabwe, Lucky Mlilo attributed the poor showing by the locals to the fact that foreigners get more support in their own countries which allows them to flourish in the sport.
“The foreigners have always dominated the Zim Open except for the doubles where Neil Nesbitt and Mike Burns won for 12 consecutive years but as for the singles for men, women and veterans those have been dominated by foreigners and I can say it’s all about the support that the foreigners get from their countries, from their governments and from their corporate world,’’ Mlilo said.
Players from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Nigeria and Kingdom of Eswatini took part in the Zimbabwe Open.
Mlilo said some locals could not participate because they had just started new jobs while some were preparing for competitions outside the country.
“Some of our players did not turn up, some just got employed in Harare. Again, the other reason is that there are other players that were preparing to go out of the country as well, that’s why the turnout was a bit low,’’ he said.
The 2018 edition of the Safeguard Zimbabwe Open Squash Championship might be done and dusted but it will be remembered as yet another event where local players found the going tough against foreigners.
It is yet to be seen if there will be any change in fortune for the locals come next year’s tournament.
