Mutare bowling sensation in Zim squad
GIFTED Hillside Mutare Bowling Club player — Tinei Muchenje — is part of the Zimbabwe squad to partake in a teams’ competition — The George Fours competition — set for the City of George, Eastern Cape in South Africa.
The contest is slated for November 26 to December 3.
The George Fours competition is a four-players’ contest for participating countries and they play with two balls.
Muchenje, a former Nyachuru Primary School and Gweshe Secondary School learner, both in rural Chiweshe under Mazowe District, for years did not try to play the game of bowling as he was just concentrating on green maintenance while watching others play.
Apparently, his journey in the game of bowling started as an employee for Hillside Mutare Bowling Club. He was employed as a green keeper for eight years and never played a single game.
Muchenje said: “I was inspired by Allan Lang, the former chairman, to start training and as well as Theo Rodopolous. This my first time to be selected in the Zimbabwe squad.
“I am more than happy and feel honoured because I never harboured such thoughts. I want to thank Hillside Mutare Bowling Club members because they also played a big part for me to achieve this through their unwavering support, helping with what they can for me go forward as well as giving me time to practice and play free of charge. I really appreciate that.”
Muchenje is only two years old as a bowling player after starting in 2019 before stopping due to Covid-19 and only resumed in 2022 when the pandemic lockdown regulations measures were relaxed.
At club level, Muchenje won club championship twice, men’s singles twice and club pairs.
At national level, Hillside Bowling
Club won the 2022 three-person competition held in Bulawayo where Muchenje was the lead, Lang second, while Rodopolous captained the team.
The same year, he qualified to play in the Champion of Champions held in Chegutu and won it.
As is that was enough, given the short period he has been active as a player in the game, during the 2023 national competition held in Harare at Highlands Sports Club, Muchenje won bronze in the men’s singles.
He managed to defend the title of Champion of Champions held in Bulawayo recently.
Former Hillside Mutare Bowling Club chairperson, Allan Lang, who has since relocated to Bulawayo, albeit remaining a member of the club, praised Muchenje for the great effort that has seen him scale dizzy heights in the game.
“We have not had a national team player in three decades.
“This is very significant for Mutare and Manicaland. For him to have come through, it is really fantastic,” said Lang.
The bowling club at Hillside Mutare started in the 1950s with both males and females partaking in the sport.
Meanwhile, Hillside Mutare Bowling Club will play host to the annual Goldberg Trophy on November 18 and 19.
The Goldberg Trophy event started in the 1960s with the sponsorship that came through the Goldberg family who were the owners of Mutare Bottling Company.
They donated a very magnificent silver trophy for the event.
The Goldberg Trophy is a three-person competition, three members to each team.
It is open to any club, but over the last 10 years due to travelling constraints, it has been confined to Hillside Mutare Bowling Club, but this year there is likely going to be a team from Harare.