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ORGANISERS of the Baines Junior Dumisani Mankunzini Winter Cricket Festival have identified 12 primary schools from Bulawayo that will compete at the tournament next month. The competition is in its third year and seems to be growing bigger with each passing edition. The first edition won by Milton had four schools – Baines, Milton, Tennyson and McKeurtan and last year they added four more teams.
In an interview yesterday, the competition’s chairperson Purity Takavengwa said all is set for the tournament and the schools that will be participating for the first time in the competition are Magwegwe, Tennyson, Induba and Mtshingwe.
They will battle it out with Baines, Milton, Imbizo, McKeurtan, Khumalo, Nkulumane, Gampu and Mpumelelo.
Takavengwa said as part of the build-up to the finals they have been sending their coaches to schools so that all the teams are at least on the same level on the day of the tournament.
“This year’s event will be bigger and better. Our coaches have done well to conduct clinics at all the schools and they will continue doing so until maybe the last week of the tournament. The final will be on July 25. We are working flat-out to make sure that we reward teams with memorable prizes such as cricket equipment and prize money,” she said.
The day of the final will see an exhibition game featuring Tuskers players and sports personalities who include Ezra “Tshisa” Sibanda, Christopher Mpofu, Thabo Mboyi, Matabeleland Tuskers Cricket Franchise area manager Vumi Moyo, Titus Chipare and Mankunzini.
derick.khumalo