Rollers and Orapa in mean form ahead of encounter
Township Rollers continued their assault on the beMobile Premiership championship with a 6 ÔÇô 1 thrashing of league debutants Green Lovers. Playing without livewire attacking midfielder Segolame Boy who is out with an injury, Rollers were not short of scorers, with six different players netting for ‘The Blues.’ In a ruthless display of intent, ‘Popa’ netted four times in the first half before adding two more goals in the second half against the hapless Serowe outfit. The win saw Mark Harrison’s charges, who are yet to lose a game this season, continue their stranglehold at the top of the league log, ahead of their weekend encounter with second placed Orapa United. Meanwhile, Orapa United continued to stake their claim as title contenders with another great display, beating Gilport Lions 3 ÔÇô 1 away from home. With Madinda Ndlovu at the helm, ‘The Ostriches’ are proving that their second place finish this past season was no fluke. The win by both teams makes for a salivating prospect as the two teams prepare to face off this coming weekend at Itekeng Stadium in Orapa. The game is expected to be a test of character for the mining team, who are yet to lose at home this season. A win or draw for ‘The Ostriches’ will further cement their claim as league contenders.
Has Gunners turned the corner?
After a torrid start to Daniel Chico Nare’s reign that saw Extension Gunners losing four consecutive games, the Lobatse outfit returned to winning ways with an emphatic 5 ÔÇô 0 demolition job of BR Highlanders. The win ended Gunners’ seven successive games losing streak which stretched back as far as to the 19th of September last month. Given the turbulence that has engulfed Gunners which resulted in the resignation of club chairperson Kitso Dlamini, the win will come as a morale booster for Gunners. It will also come as a relief for Chico and his players as they were now starting to feel the pressure.
Police XI bounce back
After a mini turmoil that saw the once dark horses of the league championship losing five consecutive games, Police XI bounced back with a 1 ÔÇô 0 win over fellow force team BDF XI. The win, which came courtesy of Kawashu Makayi’s penalty kick, ensured “the Jungle Kings,’ got their season campaign back on track after it was derailed by off field disturbances. With Head Coach Maxwell and his second in command Maitumelo Letlamoreng seemingly having smoked a peace pipe, the results will go a long way to heal the rifts in ‘The Jungle Kings’ camp. For BDF XI the 1 ÔÇô 0 loss means they have now gone three consecutive games without a win, something which has now pegged back their title challenge.
GU versus Motlakase tie postponed
One of the eye sores for this past weekend’s fixtures was the cancellation of the Gaborone United and Motlakase Power Dynamos encounter. While the cancellation highlighted the glaring shortage of facilities in the league, it also showed how far the league leadership is yet to go to ensure the smooth running of the league. After the league games were pushed back to allow the Botswana Women U17 team to have access to the National Stadium for their World Cup qualifiers against Namibia, someone at the BPL should have notified the powers that be of the rescheduling of the games and ensure the National Stadium is available. Unfortunately, this was not to be and both teams were told that the Stadium was not available to use when they were already at the venue. While this was a rare slip by the BPL this season, it will be costly for either of the teams or whoever has to pay for the teams’ game to be played at Serowe Sports Complex today (Wednesday).
