Hupenyu Hutsva primary school from Highfield, Harare and St Eden’s primary from Chitungwiza recently received cricket kits and also had the privilege of being coached by Raymond Price, a former Zimbabwean cricketer.
Price was at one time ranked as the second best bowler in the world, according to the Reliance International Cricket Council (ICC) Player Rankings for One-Day Internationals (ODIs) released in 2011.
Speaking at the launch of the presentation of the cricket kits and coaching clinic at Harare Sports Club in Harare on behalf of the deputy minister of sport, Andrew Langa, the permanent secretary in the sports ministry, Thokozile Chitepo, said the participation of under- privileged children in all sporting disciplines was important towards building a strong national team.
“Cricket is not a cheap sport,” said Chitepo. “This donation is therefore an investment because there is no way that we can develop sport among a few elite people. Sports development should be inclusive of marginalised communities.
“Competent people, like Price should plough back into the young people and groom them to be future gurus in the sport. I urge all those that are more experienced to adopt, mentor and groom young people so that they can become better players who have the capacity to fly the Zimbabwean flag high,” she said.
Anton Luttig, MoneyGram International Regional Director for South and East Africa, said the donation was part of the organisation’s grassroots cricket development agenda.
“Our objective is to leave a lasting impact in under-privileged communities towards the development of the game. We trust that the initiative will not only spur the young lads but will achieve multiplier effects among their friends and colleagues,” he said. Shope Nyoni, the headmistress of Hupenyu Hutsva primary school, said the donation would go a long way towards the development of the sport.
“The children love cricket and they have in the past shown so much enthusiasm but because they did not have the equipment, they could not train and come up with a competitive team at district and provincial levels,” said Nyoni. “For now, we need to work on our grounds because they are small but we are going to improvise and ensure that we build a strong team which we hope will be able to participate nationally before the end of the year,” she said.
Godfrey Nhemachena, the Director General in the Sports and Recreational Commission urged the private sector to partner government in sports development.
“Most sponsors want to donate and make their interventions at national level, forgetting that the most important intervention is at the grassroots level,” he said. “Schools are the bedrock of talent and it is important to identify the talent and nurture it so that when they reach the national level, we would have a fine team which is ready to compete internationally.”
Post published in: Cricket