13 Oct 2014

Serowe-based volleyball team, Tanian, forfeited points to Ramotswa club Spiking Stars after failing to honor the fixture at Botswana Railways courts in Mahalapye on October 11.

As a result of their failure to pitch up for the game, Tanian consequently lost the game 0-3 and lost all the three sets by a 25-0 score line.

Initially the games were slated for Serowe College of Education gallery but were rescheduled to BR courts on October 9 after it was discovered that the same venue will be used by the students of the school in question.

The games organising commission vice chairperson, Bapoga Nshakazogwe said upon learning that the hall would be out of bounds for them, he alerted all the teams and informed them of change of venue, including Tanian. 

However, Tanian did not advance any reasons for not showing up and did not express any objections towards change of venue, Nshakazogwe said. According to the rules of the game, if a team misses three games in a season such a team is liable to suspension for a season and a P500 fine. 

Meanwhile, Francistown based and marauding Diphatsa who are the newly crowned Capital Motors independence cup champions cruised to victory against Spiking Stars and Prisons VI.  First on their firing line was Spiking Stars whom they downed 25-21, 25-22 and 25-15 to run away 3-0 winners. 

Diphatsa, whose block was superb bolstered by towering giants in the mould of Mpapho Nlebesi, Nelson Ngwinya and Pastor Rababonye amongst others, lost only one set to Prisons VI by 23-25 in game characterized by sublime volleying skills.

In their first set Diphatsa gave the warders a rude awakening by hammering them 25-10 before losing the second set by 23-25.  In the third set Diphatsa escaped the hawkeyed warders to a 25-21 before completing the warders woos by 25-20.

In a post-match interview Diphatsa Coach Johnson Makgoba was an impressed custodian arguing that his boys’ performance was a proof that their independence cup victory was not a fluke. 

However, Makgoba ruled out chances of clinching the league honors but promised to fight hard for the second spot which is not far from their reach. 

This is because, according to Makgoba, his team did not perform well in the first round due to, inter alia, BDF sponsorship issue which he said had immensely affected his team. 

Not only that, there was a mass exodus of youngsters to other teams. Ends