Pool club signs top player

Fungai Muderere

NEWLY established Palace Pool Club now boasts of the services of Adriel Shamu who joins the club from Harare Province Pool Association (HPPA) side named Under One Room.

The player’s move came into fruition after the city’s pool custodians, Bulawayo Province Pool Association (BPPA), paid a US$30 clearance fee to HPPA and the player’s parent district.

The highly rated Shamu is a former national team player who once represented the country at the 2016 All-Africa Blackball Pool Championships held in Uganda and those that were held in Zambia last year.

In Uganda, Shamu was the country’s best performer.
He reportedly got a lucrative deal from his new paymasters who are sponsored by Palace Hotel proprietor Tapiwa Gandiwa.
The player’s clearance letter dated 7 March addressed to Bulawayo Province Pool Association (BPPA) secretary-general by his HPPA counterpart Rodwell Mashatise read:

“This letter serves to confirm that Adriel Shamu has been cleared from Harare Provincial Pool Association to Bulawayo Provincial Pool Association with immediate effect. Bulawayo Provincial Pool Association has paid US$30 thus US$15 to HPPA and US$15 to the parent district. For reference Palace Pool Club request and Harare Professional Pool League clearance have been attached.”

Palace Pool Club coach Dumisa “Di Maria” Marira said they were happy to have secured the signature of a seasoned billiards player.
“Adrian is a good senior pool player. He is a well-known white ball master in the pool circles. I spotted him while he was turning out for Entumbane in 2016.

“He also returned from Harare last year and we managed to further assess him. He came to join our team from Under One Room at a time he was yet to do duty for Under One Room. He is a great addition to our 2023 squad,” said Maria.

Palace Pool Club will be among the eight Bulawayo representatives at the National Champions League contest set for Mutare on Saturday and Sunday.
Other City of Kings and Queens representatives would be Bulawayo Elders, Queens Academy, Entumbane, Expendables, UBH, Nkulumane PC and Exchange.

The tournament winner is set to take home prize money of US$1 300 while second place will pocket US$700. Third place will be awarded US$400 followed by US$200 in fourth while numbers five to eight will get US$50 each.

There will be eight groups of clubs in the event and each set shall consist of three teams or more if the number of participants exceeds 24. A round-robin playing format will be applied and the two teams topping each group will proceed to the next round.

The national champions league event will come hard on the heels of a 16-team Bulawayo province champions league challenge that saw newly established Palace Pool Club emerge as winners.