Freddy knocks sports events
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ropical Storm Freddy affected sporting events in Blantyre at the weekend, leading to the cancellation and postponement of most activities.
At Blantyre Sports Club (BSC), Blantyre Closed Golf Championship, sponsored by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa and BSC, was postponed with the club’s golf captain Honest Chirwa yesterday, saying they “wanted to protect lives”.
He said: “As you know, our golf course is along the Mudi River, which is always over-flooded whenever rains fall. Therefore, we have to prioritise the safety of the golfers.
“We are hoping that things will improve by Wednesday so we can have the championship next weekend.”
At Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe Township, a Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Women’s Championship match between Ntopwa and Evirom was postponed to this afternoon after the pitch turned into a “dam” following incessant rains.
National Women’s Football Association general secretary Lina Mtegha said the pitch was unplayable as the artificial turf was immersed in water.
“Football is about entertaining the fans and that could not be achieved with the pitch in a bad condition. We hope the weather will be better on Tuesday [today],” she said.
Southern Zone Basketball League (Sozobal) also postponed all their last weekend’s matches, which were meant to conclude their league matches to pave the way for play-offs.
Sozobal chairperson Raymond Chioko said: “We have been heavily affected by the storm because our plan was to have the play-offs next weekend. But with the latest development, everything will change.”
Despite that, the cyclone had not caused significant damages to the main sporting facilities in the region as of yesterday.
Kamuzu Stadium manager Irene Mkoko said: “Except the pitch being water-logged, the stadium did not experience any damage.
“The artificial turf has a drainage system, which makes it playable minutes after rains. The trees are also far from the pitch, making the pitch safe for athletes.”
Nevertheless, some activities went on as planned last weekend.
The FAM Women’s Championship fixture at Mpira Stadium on Saturday was fulfilled as defending champions FCB Nyasa Bullets Women started the title defence campaign with a 2-0 win over Destiny Academy, courtesy of goals from Vanessa Chikupira and Tendai Sani.
In the North, Central Region champions Ascent Academy beat hosts Moyale Barracks Women 2-1 at Mzuzu Stadium. Rose Kabzere and Catherine Gausi scored for the visitors before Ida Kanthenga provided a consolation for the hosts.
On Sunday, hosts Silver Strikers Queens, formerly called DD Sunshine, thrashed Mzuzu-based Topik Queens 4-0 at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe. Ireen Khumalo was the toast of the afternoon after claiming a hat-trick while Gladys Banda scored the other goal.
The tropical storm, which started on Friday, is accompanied by incessant rains, flooding and heavy wind, which could put lives in danger
