Zanzibar and Tanzania Mainland teams shared the spoils in the just-ended Black Energy drink National Beach Volleyball Championship after winning the men and women’s titles respectively.
Zanzibar’s Karafuu emerged the men’s champions after thrashing Jeshi Stars 2-0 in a thrilling final of the first ever national beach volleyball championship played at the Mbalamwezi Beach Hotel in Dar es Salaam over the weekend.
Islanders looked more experienced in beach volleyball than their opponents and they partnered Falhan Abubakar and Mohamed Ismail, who took control of the game from the start to beat Jeshi Starts duo of David Everist and Ford Edward. In the women’s final, Prisons caused another disappointed to Jeshi Starts with a 2-0 victory.
Helen Richard and her partner Evelyn Albert outplayed Jeshi Stars’ pair of Zuhura Ally and Lizzy John to take the first set 21-18 and sealed the victory with a 21-16 second set win.
About 21 men and 10 women’s teams took part in the two-day event organised by the Tanzania Amateur Volleyball Association (TAVA) with the aim to select players who will form the national team.
According to TAVA Chairman Agustino Agapa, the men’s champions Abubakar and Ismail and runners-up Everist and Edward have automatically qualified for the national team.
The women team will be formed by Helen, Evelyn and Zuhura, while Lizzy will not join them as she is not a Tanzanian citizen. “We will sit with Zuhura to decide which player can partner her, said Agapa.
“Beach volleyball is a bit difficult, two players have to know each other and get along well to make a perfect partnership. Our technical bench and the player will decide Zuhura’s partner,” he added.
Agapa added that the technical bench will also select other two men and women players who will join the champions in the national team camp to prepare for the Zone Five Championship scheduled for February 15-19 at the same venue.
The Zone Five Championship that serves as a zonal qualifier for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next year will bring together seven countries. They are Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Rwanda and hosts Tanzania.
Agapa urged the players to maintain their good form and discipline while at the camp, which is expected to start soon, to give the team adequate training that will enable them to represent the country well and qualify for Brazil.
The national team’s camp will be sponsored by Black Energy drink whose director Amar Shanghavi has promised to continue supporting TAVA.
“First, I want to congratulate all the teams that took part in the championship as they did very well. What I can promise is that we will continue supporting volleyball in Tanzania,” he said.
TAVA Beach Volleyball Commission chairman Kakono Mabula thanked the sponsor for coming forward to support the event that has opened the way for more events to be staged in future. The tournament’s co-sponsor was Mbalamwezi Beach Hotel.
By MBONILE BURTON, Tanzania Daily News