IT’S ‘BULL’ VS ‘WESLIANS’

MBABANE – The breaking of the Eswatini Telecom Charity Cup one day spectacular’s glass draw box prior to the main event was no recipe for disaster after all.

The draw went ahead without the fancy glass box that was blown to the ground by sudden wind through the windows at Eswatini Post and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC) Boardroom yesterday afternoon. This was before the clubs arrived.

The four draw balls were then put in the tournament’s trophy, with PLS COO and MC Secretary Pat Vilakati and the tournament’s PRO Lington Gule taking charge of it. As everyone watched in curiosity, ‘super buddies’ Mbabane Highlanders and Manzini Wanderers were drawn against the other for the first semi-final set for 9am. It then became obvious that bitter rivals and currently the country’s most dangerous teams, Mbabane Swallows and Young Buffaloes were pitted against the other for the second semi at 11am.

These are the games to set the Somhlolo National Stadium alight with a capacity crowd set to be joined by royalty on the day. The final is set for 4pm but at 1pm it will be Swallows and Highlanders in their second consecutive Charity Cup Under-20 final, the former are defending champions and gates open at 7am for fans and 6am for vendors. “We know the format you expected but this is another way to do a draw and we chose it. There are many ways of killing a cat and this is one of them,” was all Gule could say in response to grumbles about the draw format.

Most had expected, after Highlanders was drawn first for the first semi-final that, the next team to be drawn would play in the second semi before both had their rivals drawn but that was not to be. Instead, the first two teams to be drawn play against the other. Grumbles or not, in the end, the general feeling was that it was a fair draw, especially because it guarantees at least one crowd puller in the final between Highlanders and Wanderers who already stand a chance for a podium finish – either as champions or runners-up to take home E500 000.

The winner of the clash will play either Swallows or Buffaloes but the former has dominated the army side over the years both in league and knockout tournaments. At least three of the teams had their players available for the draw while Swallows were the only absentees and sent a representative in Kukhanya Nyamane.

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