G. Alliance Squash revives rivalry
Debate on which is the stronghold of domestic squash between Blantyre and Lilongwe should certainly be settled from tomorrow when the sport’s cream from the two cities compete for honours.
All the questions will be answered at the College of Medicine Sports Complex in Blantyre where a three-day General Alliance Squash Tournament gets in motion.
In a press statement released on Tuesday, Squash Malawi official, Gordon Benbow, said most squash followers have, despite that Lilongwe usually hosts the Malawi Open, regarded Blantyre as the hub of the sport.
“In recent years, the squash fraternity there [Lilongwe] has grown substantially. They have an active league underway and two of the best squash players Malawi has produced are now playing there; Aubrey Taulo and Chiku Mkutumula,” Benbow explained.
Aubrey Taulo, Mkutumula and other top players drawn from Kamuzu Academy will make up a 12-member squad to challenge their Blantyre counterparts during the General Alliance championship.
“The core of the Blantyre challenge revolves around James Matewere, Julius Taulo and new whizz-kid, Chisomo Taulo, who is at the centre of the 2018 Commonwealth Games development squad,” Benbow added.
“Matewere is the country’s number one player, having won the last two three-day tournaments, and with Aubrey and Julius Taulo they have been the top three players in Malawi for the last 10 years. However, the younger players are now making their mark, and alongside Chisomo Taulo, Chembe Matewere and James Chapukira are playing excellent squash.”
The tournament starts at 4 pm tomorrow with the final set to get underway from 1 pm on Sunday 10th.
Facts about squash
-Squash is a racket sport played by two (singles) or four players (doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. The players must alternate in striking the ball with their racket and hit the ball onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court.
-Squash is played in 175 countries by over 20 million people. France, Germany, Egypt and Columbia are among top squash playing countries.
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