3 SHISELWENI PLAYERS IN MANZI TOURNEY

MHLUME – The Manzi Drilling Tennis tournament attracted three players from Shiselweni.

The three players from Shiselweni were twin sisters Charline and Charmaine Simelane from Kontshingila Primary and Sivesimile Mkhaliphi from Evelyn Baring Primary School.
The tournament was played at Mhlume Tennis Court and Tingwenyeni Tennis Court on Saturday. Usually these kinds of tournaments attract tennis players from Mhlume or Lobamba as well as Mbabane, but this time around, children from as far as Shiselweni came and took part in the one-day tournament. In Shiselweni, there is a scarcity of hard courts, so it was their time to shine in these courts. They normally use clay courts (ground courts).

losing

Charline only reached the second round of the preliminary round after losing 4-3 to Khayelihle Ndzimandze, while Charmaine lost 4-2 to Sabusiswa Tsabedze in the first round. Sivesimile lost 9-2 in the semi-finals to Phiwokuhle Sibandze. The Simelane twin sisters said they were happy to play in hard courts. They also pointed out that they enjoyed the whole experience of using hard courts. Eswatini National Tennis Association (ENTA) Secretary Ncaba Mkhaliphi said it was really encouraging to see players from Shiselweni.
“We are aware that facilities are expensive, so it’s really heartwarming to see children from Shiselweni. Like a court is over E250 000 to build, the best way is to introduce clay courts which can work for places in Shiselweni,” said the secretary.

He said since it was not easy to build hard courts, schools should provide the sport grounds as an association they can help them with the nets. “This can work for some schools, you put white wash then they play. Government doesn’t own tennis courts, so companies come in handy in helping grow the sport by providing these hard courts,” he said. He also encouraged schools to engage the association to see how they can help them in as far as the sport was concerned. Meanwhile, Selby Simelane said it was important for children to partake in sports.
“Sports can elevate children such that they can get sponsors and play in major tournaments,” he said. He also said the hard courts gave the Shiselweni players a good experience since they use clay courts. There were 24 players who participated in the one-day tournament. The tournament was sponsored to a tune of E10 000 by Manzi Drilling.

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