The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
INDOMITABLE Manicaland and Mashonaland East provinces’ cricket franchise – The Mountaineers – fondly referred to as the Mountain Goats, have agreed a naming rights deal with fast-moving consumer goods distributor, Mega Market (Private) Limited.
The agreement means the side — which represents the Manicaland and Mashonaland East provinces in local top-flight competitions — will now officially be known as Mega Market Mountaineers for the remainder of the 2022/23 domestic season.
The Pro50 reigning champions’ general manager, Terry Nyakurimwa said the latest development should see them being able to mould more world class players in the calibre of Tendai Chatara who came from the dusty streets of Dangamvura to conquer the world.
“We would like to plough back into the development of the sport by improving our facilities which are open for use to our various stakeholders, schools, academies and tertiary institutions.
“We want to keep the momentum going as we aim to produce the next Tendai Chatara who can compete at the world stage. We have already bagged the Pro50 Championship Trophy. We finished second last season in the Logan Cup and this will be a boost for us as we aim to improve and claim the title this season,” he said.
The team has also engaged the Willowton Group in another sponsorship deal that will see one of the edible oil and soaps producer’s brands featuring on the playing shirts.
Commenting on the partnerships, Nyakurimwa said: “We are delighted to announce that Mega Market and Willowton Group have come on board to sponsor Mountaineers for the 2022-2023 season.
“This is a massive shot in the arm for us that we believe will help us, not only to challenge for all the major titles, but will also boost our efforts to grow cricket in our provinces,” he said.
Willowton Group spokesperson, Suleman Darsot said: “The Willowton Group is excited to be part of the Mountaineers setup. We look forward to a long and successful partnership.”
Earlier this month, Mountaineers retained the Pro50 Championship Trophy after defeating Rhinos by a single run in a thrilling final played at Kwekwe Sports Club.
Mountaineers are now looking ahead to forthcoming competitions, buoyed, not only by the latest sponsorship deals, but also as they welcome the return of Ben Compton back from England as well as Chatara and Wellington Masakadza who are back from the T20 World Cup held in Australia recently.
Meanwhile, Eagles have not renewed their naming rights contract with health insurance company, Alliance Health.
This means the team, which represents the Harare Metropolitan and Mashonaland Central provinces in first-class cricket, is now known simply as Eagles again.
