WITH a limited time to prepare for the inaugural edition of the Baseball Five Regional World Cup qualifiers, the Zimbabwe Baseball Five Under -18 team travelled to South Africa just to participate in the inaugural games.
And with little pressure to perform at the games, which comprised four countries, with the two of the four participating countries proceeding to the Africa World Cup qualifiers set for December later this year, the Under-18 Baseball Five national team performed beyond expectations.
The team booked a place at the Africa World Cup qualifiers after finishing second behind hosts South Africa bagging a silver-medal at the games.
It was an exciting moment for the Baseball Five Commission chairperson, Kudzionera Madhodha.
“This is really an exciting time for us, the team brought us joy,” Madhodha said.
“Being our first time participating at the qualifiers, all we wanted was to learn the terrain, we never anticipated much but the team had other ideas.”
Bagging the silver-medal at the games was a result of team effort, said the team’s assistant coach Vincent Chaima.
“It was not an easy road for us.To start with, we had limited time to practice, as we had limited knowledge of Baseball Five in these players as most of them had softball and baseball backgrounds,” Chaima said.
“Having a new sport was a challenge for them as they had to learn the rules in a short space of time but they defied odds and went on to bag the silver medal.”
From a short notice, Mother Touch Group of Schools, came to the rescue of the Under -18 team by providing camping facilities for the team while parents played a pivotal role to ensure that the team travelled for the games
It's a development which was described as a timeous shot in the arm by Madhodha.
“We are really indebted to Mother Touch Group of Schools for accommodating us at short notice and availing us with training facilities for our camp and accommodation for those that live outside Harare,” Madhodha said.
“The support we got from the parents was great, we really appreciate the efforts of them and we looking forward to the unconditional support that they showed us.”
Zimbabwe Under -18 captain Keane Mutamangira, a student at Mother Touch Group of Schools revealed that qualifying for the Africa World Cup qualifiers was the only thing they could do to appreciate the sacrifices that were made.
“As a team we understood the sacrifices that were made by our parents and also by the school to ensure that we participated at the regional games,” Mutamangira said.
“And as way of giving and appreciating their efforts we had no option but to work hard and win something.
“I am glad that we managed to win a silver-medal and we are looking forward to the next challenge and with their continued support I believe we will qualify for the World Cup.”
