First Lady to grace opening netball tie

President`s wife Salma Kikwete.

The President’s wife Salma Kikwete is expected to be the chief guest at the international netball championship opener between hosts Tanzania and Lesotho to be played at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam this afternoon.

After nerve-wrecking preparations, the netball association of Tanzania’s (CHANETA) chairperson, Anna Bayi, said the event gets underway with ten teams competing divided into two groups.

Group A has teams from Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Lesotho. Teams for Group B are Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Swaziland.

Another match to conclude today’s itinerary is between Malawi and Kenya which will follow shortly after the much awaited opener.

The fixtures show that three matches will be played tomorrow, two in the morning and the other later in the afternoon.

Match referees for the tourney are Jonathan Bredin (New Zealand), England duo of Chris Wilson-Smith, and Haether Gleadall and South Africans Marie- Lou- Van de Merwe, Theresa Prince and Hannette Brewer.

Bayi made a call to the public to turn up in huge numbers and cheer the home side that spent more than two-month training stint to gear up for the tourney.

She said the host side players remain upbeat to overwhelm their visitors in the week-long tourney. The event also counts as a qualifier for the 2011 World championships.