GEMS COACH HAPPY WITH TEAM SPIRIT

Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter

GEMS coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki feels his team has been together for long enough to understand each other both on and off the netball courts.

The veteran gaffer has stuck to the tried-and-tested gurus in coming up with his final 15 to do duty for the country in the Celtic Cup International Series set for Scotland and Wales next month.

The tour is divided into two segments starting with a tri-nations world ranking contest running in Glasgow and Cardiff from November 1-6.

Zimbabwe, Scotland and Wales will battle it out in this meet while the second segment of the competition will see the Gems, Welsh Feathers, Scottish Thistles and Northern Ireland Warriors race up for the Celtic Cup in Glasgow from November 7-10. While only 12 players can be used in the Celtic Cup, Zimbabwe will carry 15 players with all of them expected to play a part in either the world ranking meet or the latter.

Seven of the players in the team, who were part of the World Cup squad in South Africa, have been included in the team.

They include captain Felistas Kwangwa, Elizabeth Mushore, Ursla Ndlovu, Nicole Muzanenhamo, Sharon Bwanali, Tafadzwa Mawango and the most in-form player in the Premier Netball League Takadanaishe Assah Zimusi.

Former Zimbabwe Under-20 captain Faith Mutero, veteran Blessing Kahari and sharp-shooter Thandazile Ndlovu have also been included.

The vastly-improved Upenyu Muyambo, Nobukhosi Ndlovu, Thandiwe Mashore, Anifa Luya and Chipo Shoko have been rewarded for putting in some good shift for their respective teams.

“We have finalised the team now and we are busy working on coordination and combinations.

“The good thing is we have retained the bulk of the players we have worked with before. Generally they understand what is needed in the team and what our methods are.

“They have played together for a long time now and they are in a position to know what is expected of them.

“We are busy fine-tuning ourselves as a team. The hope is that we will be able to go out there and be able to compete.

“These are all nations ranked better than us and it gives us a lot of advantages to play against them. “As the coach, I am really delighted with this opportunity.”

He added:

“I have so much confidence in the girls and if you look at them, they are well motivated and keen to travel to the UK and put in the work.

“The defence is working flat out and the mid-court players are also doing wonders, the same applies to the attackers.

“The spirit on display here is marvelous and I just wish to see the same kind of drive in competition.”

Gems vice-captain Claris Kwaramba is not in the team due to some family commitments and Mutsauki is still evaluating his girls and he is expected to name the replacement this week.

The post GEMS COACH HAPPY WITH TEAM SPIRIT appeared first on H-Metro.