The ManicaPost
Fungayi Munyoro Sports Correspondent
HE possesses a unique brand of showmanship, athleticism and unshakeable confidence that enables him to keep his first team place at Hauna Sweepers.
A lot of people who watch him play talks glowingly about his striking capabilities.
His name is Tendai Pagaravanhu. He is well known by his smooth flowing dribbling skills.
Despite being 23, Pagaravanhu has been a regular with the Honde Valley-based side, Hauna Sweepers. He has a close control of the ball and is calm when in possession.
These qualities might see him playing in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League in the near future.
Pagaravanhu’s talent first came to light during his primary school days at St Columbus’ Primary School. It was where his career began to flourish as he helped his school win many junior tournaments.
Having illustrated his talent, he then enrolled at St Columbus’ High where he continued to shine.
The Weekender caught up with the shy player in Hauna recently.
“I am Tendai Pagaravanhu and I am aged 23. I started my career at St Columbus’ Primary School while I was doing Grade Five. When I went for high school I continued with soccer. One person who inspired me is Chipo Chirimandiri. He is from our village.
He would come regularly and train at our school ground. He groomed and gave me the confidence to play soccer,” he said.
The roving striker said lack of exposure in their area had killed a lot of talent.
“I joined Hauna Sweepers in 2010. I went for trials at various clubs. I once had a stint with Eastern Highlands before coming back home and joined Hauna Sweepers. The challenge that we are facing here in the rural area is lack of exposure. There is a lot of raw talent, but we do not have anywhere to showcase it (talent). We only remain local champions which is very painful. My dream is to play for a better club where I can be exposed to better football. We also lack sponsorship.
“We really need people with passion for soccer to come and invest in our area. We have some tournaments here and there but there are not enough. If only we can be funded to join Division 1 we will be grateful. We have talent that we want to showcase.
We have a very organized league in Honde Valley but it’s only for the local teams,” he said.
He is gifted with speed and dribbling skills. In almost every tournament he walks out a winner. In 2012, he was voted best player at the Jeranyama Tournament and was given football boots and a certificate.
In 2014, he won the golden boot award in their league. He was given a medal and monetary prize.
In 2015, he emerged the top goal scorer during the first edition of the Gazzaman Tournament. He got a medal and a trophy. Last year he won the league’s golden boot award after netting 25 goals. The striker has been a key figure for his team where he scored several important goals. In big tournaments, the youngster has been the crowd’s favourite.
