The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Thursday, September 21, 1967 — Pilate Ndhlovu, of the Alpha Club, Bulawayo, heads the Rhodesian team to run against South Africa in Saturday’s international cross country event in Bulawayo.

A team of nine has been chosen to run the 7-anda-half mile event against the South African team over the Hillside Dams course. The event starts at 3.30PM. Missing from the Rhodesian team are two top cross country men, Salisbury’s Bernard Dzoma and Umtali’s Lorenzo Nadalet.

They were not considered for selection because they did not compete at the recent Rhodesian cross country championships in Bulawayo. The Rhodesian team is; P Ndhlovu (Alpha Mat), W Mangwende (Mangula), J Shaba (Rio Tinto), P Mhlanga (Alpha), R Mrombe (Wankie), M Kanda (Alpha), J Mchiweni (Alpha), Elijah (Alpha), L Pfumajena (Mangula). Reserves: B Sitole (Alpha) and C Mafika (Wankie).

South Africa’s team is particularly a strong one and contains several runners already familiar with this very demanding course. Captain is Willie Olivier, from Western Province, who missed last year’s race, but has been seen here before, and recently finished fourth in the South African championship.

Louis van Wijk, of western Transvaal, was fifth last year, and was second man home in the South African championship behind Des Tor, who cannot make the trip this year. Last year there was a tussle for first place between local runner Washington Mangwende and Geoff Bacon, with the Rhodesian winning the race by seconds?