The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MULTITUDES of players are expected to converge in Dangamvura’s Area 16 tomorrow (Saturday) for a one-day one-man tournament to be hosted by Galaxy in collaboration with The Base.
The potentially exciting tournament comes at a time when the game of pool, just like the English Premiership Football League, is earning more attention than most local sporting activities in the country.
All matches for tomorrow’s tournament will be played on a race to three format.
Matches start at 11am, while contestants’ names will be going into the hat for a draw 30 minutes before kickoff.
Tournament organiser and Galaxy proprietor, Arnold Gombakoma, confirmed that a register will be collected from the clubs’ secretaries where at least six players from each club will be eligible to compete.
“Time is an important factor. We really want to be punctual since this is a one-day competition. A register will be collected from the clubs’ secretaries where at least six players from each club will be eligible to compete.
“We are expecting a highly competitive tournament judging by what has been happening in the Mutare Pool League. It is an open competition where the best players of the day will walk away with different monetary prizes,” he said.
The winner of the tournament will walk away US$200 richer, while the bridesmaid position will have a US$150 prize money.
The third placed contestant will get US$100.
The player who finishes on fourth position gets US$70, while the ones who settle for fifth position to eighth position will all get US$25 each.
Such are the relatively better financial rewards coming from the game of pool compared to other sporting genres on the local scene where players walk away empty handed after a day’s effort on the field.
No wonder the unmatched interest the game of pool has generated to different age groups from the young adults to the elderly in the province.
Acid Pool Club proprietor, Charlton Muchisi, whose club is lying on seventh position on the Mutare Pool League table, said: “It is true that the game of pool is now the in-thing. It now has many followers across different age groups. We now have youngsters who spent the whole day practicing shots on the table and they enjoy it.
“Naturally this also transcends to betting. We now have people who survive through betting pool matches. This is the reality. Some of the players are getting much more than what a football player is getting after 90 minutes of hard running on the pitch.”
Ends
