The Sunday News
AFTER several moves as a football player, it was bound to happen that when he calls time on his career, he would settle away from the town of his birth. This is the story of once fierce some striker, King Jones.
With a brother who played for Highlanders in 1981-83, Henry, it did not come as a surprise that his starring role as a tough tackling no nonsense defender, King, would follow in his footsteps. And he did but became the opposite, a fast-paced forward, who went about his business with a mean attitude, terrorising defenders with his pace and physical presence and giving goalminders a torrid time with goals from either foot and head.
He was your typical man at work, kind of a striker, who even after a brace or hat-trick, he would not show it off that he was the day’s hero. His career took him to Stud Stars, TK United, Zimbabwe Saints, Shushine, Kismet, AmaZulu and botched up registration in Botswana, where he eventually settled and married Rymke Annecina De Groot. Born King Dia-Wyn Jones on 10 October 1968, King attended Mckeurtain Primary School in Bulawayo up to 1980 and went through Founders and Northlea High Schools.
“I was captain at Mckeurtain. I captained the boys’ first team,” said King from Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.
Jones with his wife and child
He played for Queens Sports Club’s juniors, who in 1982 were Under-14s national champions. King graduated into more competitive football, turning out for Stud United in Division Three in his early teens. He would naturally move to TK United where most of his friends and childhood inspirational heroes were. Some of the players he had played with or against, at both primary and secondary school level and he felt at home.
He scored for fun in the lower divisions and attracted the attention of several Division One clubs and the two big city sides of the era, Highlanders and Zimbabwe Saints. He landed at Zimbabwe Saints where after a trial he earned himself a deal at the 1988 champions in 1989 at the age of 20.
“I played for Stud Stars in Division Three, TK United in Division Two. I finally got my break in 1989 after a trial at Zimbabwe Saints. I played alongside John Sibanda, Misheck Sibanda, Melusi Nkiwane and I was striking partners with Goodwin Mangayi, Joseph Machingura, Rabson Muchichwa and Agent Sawu,” said King.
He made his debut against a strong Caps United, which was adding younger players to replace the 1979-1985 Cup Kings with the likes of Gift Mudangwe.
“I made my debut at Barbourfields vs Caps united, we lost 2-1,” said King.
With competition tight, King opted to join Shushine United in Zvishavane the following year in Division One, an ambitious project that paid players their worth.
“I then moved on loan to Shushine United, where I played alongside Isaac Riyano, Willard Khumalo, Martin Ncube, Timile Ncube, Isaac Malunga and Tavaka Gumbo. I was then loaned to Kismet United of Masvingo in 1995, where I married my amazing wife Rymke Annechina De Groot, born in Botswana, but grew up and schooled in Zimbabwe,” said the former bullish striker.
The father of Dia wyn Jacobus Jones, played alongside Micheck Makota, Jerry Sibanda and Joe Kwangwari at Kismet, an ambitious project that came close to bringing Premiership football between 1995 and 1996. It had some good players, most of whom were student teachers at Masvingo Teacher’s Training College and Bondolfi, among them Dumaza Dube, Max Chambarara, Lloyd Hlahla and Kwangwari. After two seasons of scoring for fun in the Zifa Southern Region Division One League, King joined another team that had big dreams in the Premiership while they were in Division One, AmaZulu.
“I moved to AmaZulu while they were in Division One and we won promotion to the Premier League with the likes of Isaac Riyano, Goodwin Mangayi and Nqobizita Maenzanise,” said King.
Like a rolling stone that does not gather any moss, King was soon on the way after two seasons with Usuthu, this time to Arcadia.
“At Arcadia United, I played with Abdul Karim, Brian Abrahams and Shepherd Muradzikwa, after which I then moved to Botswana in search of better work opportunities, my football life didn’t take off, though I had pre-season stints with Notwane FC, Township Rollers and Gaborone United. I never got to play any league games due to paperwork being not submitted in time for registration,” he said.
In 2001 it was all over for him on the pitch as he called time on his career as a professional footballer and opted instead for social soccer for a team called Swift.
“I met my great friend and teammate Moitseki ‘Chex’ Lekalake, I played for a few years, had some great times, until a back and knee injury forced me to leave the game I love so much. But I still get to enjoy watching Botswana Premier League games, and I am a staunch West Ham United supporter. Now I have a small family business called Home Improvements, run by my wife, son and myself,” said King.
His company, Home Improvements BW, does house maintenance and construction. He reckons his best season in Bulawayo was 1997 ,when he scored 14 goals for AmaZulu having played half of the season. But his Masvingo sojourn, he believes saw the best of his boots and head as he for a number of seasons averaged 20 goals plus in a deadly partnership with Kwangwari.
He contends that:” My best partnership was with Goodwin Mangayi and Rabson Muchichwa at Zimbabwe Saints in 1991 season, where I scored seven goals in the Super League.”
His best game was a 2-1 win over Highlanders, a local derby with the usual ingredients of great rivalry.
“My best game has to be against our bitter rivals Bosso, at Barbourfields Stadium, we won that game 2-1, I remember everyone saying the girls in town are ours, we had bragging rights,” King said.
His strength was heading, endurance, speed, stamina and aggression.
“I never feared a challenge or tussle. Some opposition defenders used to say that I was on drugs.”
He said the toughest teams he faced were Black Mambas and DeMbare. King never believed in “juju”, but acknowledges that at one of the clubs, he wore pants with stuff inside but still went on to lose the match. He regards Philemon Dangarembwa as the best coach he worked under.
