By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
THE year 2013 has left some sweet memories for Zambia Pool Union (ZPU) as Zambia for the first time emerged African champions.
ZPU secretary Victor Musonda said in Lusaka yesterday that 2013 was a memorable year for the sport and that the union was now looking to an even better 2014 because the executive had bigger plans.
However, ZPU bemoaned the little recognition pool got despite the sport’s rare achievement.
Pool was among the only three sports disciplines in the country that brought continental honour.
Boxing, through Catherine Phiri, won the African Boxing Union women bantamweight title and Jassy Singh from motorsport took the Africa Rally Championship (ARC).
ZPU feels boxing and motor sport got more recognition for the successes scored last year compared to pool.
The Women Under-17 football team though with no trophy, have a World Cup berth to show and were recently feted by Government.
“2013 has been a great year for pool and with one year in office, the new executive has had enormous achievements both locally and internationally. This has all happened because of good planning.
“We emerged as African Blackball Champions and we are the African champions which makes usreally proud. Though it was great, we also had some challenges,” Musonda said.
He was happy that ZPU managed for the first time to host a sponsored Charity Shield tournament with the funders being MultiChoice Zambia with a DStv and a GOtv decoder prizes for the top two finishers.
Musonda said the union also hosted the President’s Cup which attracted more than 70 players countrywide and was won by Moses Mofya from UTH Club.
He also boasted that for the first time, the national league finished on time and hailed the technical committee for planning well.
The ZPU secretary also praised UTH Club for emerging as champions and Boree as runners up.
“On International level, Zambia pool national team won the Africa Blackball Championship which was held in Malawi Blantyre. Zambia is the current African champion. The next championship will be held in Tanzania in 2014 and we are ready to go and defend it,” he said.
As he was toasting the successful 2013, Musonda bemoaned some challenges faced in the year and the lack of corporate sponsors which came as a major obstacle.
Musonda regretted that only two companies came on board to help them send the hugely successful national team to Malawi.
“We could not find any sponsor for the league and a National Championship. We hope and trust that being African champions, the co-operate world will this time around, come on board,” he said.
