With the MTC Premiership having reached the halfway stage, the league is still wide open with only five points separating the top nine clubs.
With the winner set to receive a massive N$1 million, the league has seen some intense battles and upsets with no one managing to pull away from the pack. Ramblers, the surprise early leaders, held a three-point lead at a stage but the chasing pack closed the gap in a weekend of upsets on December 10 and 11. Ramblers lost to Pirates, while the other front runners also lost with SKW going down to Eleven Arrows and Black Africa losing to Blue Waters.
With Civics and African Stars also winning, the title race is now as tight as ever and at this stage no one has an idea who will walk away with the million bucks. The second round which kicks off this month promises to bring some more exciting contests as Namibia’s elite clubs battle it out for the record purse.
Namibia’s cricketers did their country proud by winning the ICC Intercontinental Shield in Dubai in December when they beat the hosts, UAE, by six wickets. In an amazing match of fluctuating fortunes, captain Craig Williams finally secured their victory with his second century of the match.
It was the first ever international trophy won by Namibia’s cricket team and besides winning US$40 000 for their efforts, the victory will also strengthen Namibia’s bid to rejoin the ICC Intercontinental Cup competition next season.
In boxing, two former world champions, Paulus “The Hitman” Moses and Harry Simon made victorious returns to the ring with Moses beating Sergio Omar Priotti of Argentina on a fifth round technical knockout while Simon took a mere 1 minute 43 seconds to knock out Rashid Mutumla of Tanzania.
Moses still has the talent and desire to reach the top while Simon might be past his prime at the age of 38 but he still packs a mean punch.
In the January issue we also report on women’s cricket, the Total Tara Rally and the Victory Races winners, while we profile Civics’ inspirational captain Heini Isaacks in our ‘Spotlight On’ column.
With a new year upon us we bring you a review of 2010 - a significant year for Namibian sport, as well as for Africa, with the first ever hosting of the FIFA World Cup. What a tournament that was! Take a look at our review and photo page which will bring back special memories of this fantastic tournament.
2010 was also a momentous year for us at Namibia Sport as we celebrated our 100th issue in May. And now, as we enter our tenth year of existence, I would just like to thank our loyal advertisers and readers for their unwavering support, which has made this possible.
As usual we have our regular columns on Sport Science, Local Shorts and the MTC Player of the Month competition, so make sure you enter to vote for your favourite Premier League player.
So till next time enjoy the mag!
Helge Schutz
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