Balaka sets the pace in Airtel Money netball
There was plenty of netball action at the weekend in Balaka as the K360 million Airtel Money District Netball League started on a high note.
Six teams from Balaka Boma Zone fought for honours on Saturday and Sunday.
The league was initially supposed to be played on knockout basis but this was changed to round-robin format.
This means two teams from each zone are expected to meet in the round of six where they will play on knockout basis to determine the district champion.
During the weekend games, one exciting and highly contested game was between perennial rivals DHB Sisters and Zembani Queens.
The two sides were neck-to-neck in the first quarter, but DHB Sisters, formerly known as Balaka Medicals, took advantage of their experience to whip their rivals 20-7.
DHB Sisters top the table at zonal level with nine points while Zembani Queens are second on six points.
Balaka Secondary School and Nkhalango Private Secondary School are tied on two points whereas Tisewere Sisters and Flavour have no point. All teams have played four games each.
Balaka District netball chairperson Patricia Mwachongo said the league has started on a high note.
“We never expected to have such a huge turnout; this is impressive. We have seen stiff competition in the matches played so far and it is our hope that this continues in other zones,” she said.
District champions will get K200 000 while runners-up will walk away with K100 000. Semi-finalists will get K50 000 each. The competition is open to any team in the country as long as it pays K1 000 registration fee.
Mobile phone service providers Airtel Malawi unveiled a landmark K360 million (about $900 000) sponsorship in October this year to run for three years.
