Sunday 16th, 2023 marked the beginning of this season’s Central Region Football Association (CRFA) Chipiku Premier Division League when the newly promoted Santhe Admarc succumbed to a 1-0 home defeat to last season’s third placed Luanar Football Club.
The games which were scheduled to proceed the following week were postponed due to unpaid affiliation fees by other clubs until the first week of May when all teams started tasseling for points.
Team were divided into three groups comprising of 8 teams each. After facing each other in League basis, the top four teams will qualify to the last round where 12 teams will battle it out to produce 2023 champions.
Since the week one there have been lots of excitement, stiff competition and upsets in the league, so The Atlas takes you through the past five weeks of the League.
Young Bangers
There have been goals galore from Silver Strikers Reserves since the season started.
The Young Bankers have already banged in 19 goals without conceding in three matches they have played and they lead the standings in group B with nine points.
The last season runners up started the campaign with a 9-0 win over Mchinji Strikers before 5-0 demolitions to heavyweights Luanar Football Club and newcomers Mangoni Warriors in their second and third matches.
It gets stiffer
As we enter the week 6 of the Chipiku Premier Division League, log tables have started showing shapes and the competition is slowly becoming stiff.
In group A, the battle has already imaged between leaders Support Battalion and second placed Leyman Panthers who are tied up on 7 point but only a single goal separates them. The third and fourth positions are occupied by Mbabzi United and St. Gabriel Zitha who are tied on six points while Dedza Young Soccer and Dwangwa United comes fifth and sixth both with three points. Ekas Freight Wanderers have just accumulated a single point on seventh while Play Football Malawi who remains winless stays at the bottom.
Silver Strikers Reserves are on the driving seat of Group B with nine points from three games and their closest top position contenders are Kamuzu Barracks Reserve who have seven points.
A win for Luanar over Mkanda Youth on Saturday sends them third with six points while newly promoted Mangoni Warriors lays fourth on the log table. On fifth and sixth there are Mkanda Youth and Mchinji Strikers both with three points and the bottom two of the group B table compromises of teams with single point each, Santhe Admarc and Kamba FC.
The group C is ruled by Kawinga FC who have so far accumulated nine points. Ngolowindo FC comes second with seven points followed by Airborne Rangers who have five points. Carotyte FC have three points on fourth with three points and behind them there are three teams with two points each namely Simbi FC, Wimbe United and TN Stars while the bottom place is occupied by Villa FC.
Kaduya’s show
With only three games played by all teams from all groups, the top goal Scorer has already hit seven goals.
Silver Strikers forward Adiel Kaduya has taken an early lead on top scorers chat after scoring hatrick against Mchinji Strikers in their opening match before he scored two brace’s against Luanar FC and Mangoni Warriors.
His closest contender is Support Battalion’s Lumbani Mkandawire who took his tally to 5 goals over the weekend when he scored a goal against Play Football Malawi.
Mkandawire is the only player who have scored more goals in a single match this season as he put a haul past St. Gabriel Zitha in the second week of Chipiku Premier Division League.
Debutant Innocent Thomas comes third on the chart with four goals. Thomas who plays for Ntcheu based Mangoni FC opened his account in their first game when he scored against Kamuzu Barracks Reserve before registering his first hatrick in the third week against Mkanda Youth.
Thomas was the last seasons Ntcheu District League top scorers when playing for Chimvano Soccer City. He was roped in by the District champions Mangoni FC at the beginning of this season.
