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Sports Reporter
TWENTY Bulawayo primary schools and four invitational sides will participate in the fourth edition of the Baines Junior Dumisani Mankunzini Winter Cricket Festival from July 24-26. The four guest teams are Harare-based Takashinga Cricket Academy, Botswana’s Cubs Cricket Academy, Alberton Cricket Club of South Africa and Future Stars Academy, which is made up of players from Petra, Whitestone and Masiyephambili schools.
This is the first time organisers would be hosting the tournament during a weekend.
Ndaba Moyo, spokesperson for the tournament organisers, said all was set for the festival.
He said a team of scouts would identify 15 players from the 20 schools who would play against either Botswana Cubs or Alberton Cricket Club on the last day of the tournament.
“As part of our efforts to make sure that we draw the support of parents and other cricket development enthusiasts that might be engaged during the week, the tournament will now run over the weekend. Everything is set for the competition and we shall be conducting the draw on Wednesday, July 22. Fifteen excelling players will form a team that will compete against one of the visiting teams on July 26,” said Moyo.
The winners of the festival will lift the Musa Mankunzini Memorial Shield and pocket $500 prize money.
Former national Under-19 cricket leg-spinner Dumisani Mankunzini is the brains behind the tournament, which has become a major event on the primary schools’ calendar over the years.
The competition started with four schools in 2012, followed by eight schools in 2013 and 12 schools last year.
Inaugural tournament winners Baines Junior, 2013 victors Milton Junior and defending champions Mtshingwe Primary of Emakhandeni would be among this year’s competing schools.
The others include Newmansford, Gampu, Greenfield, Nsukamini, Trenance, Josiah Chinamano, Thomas Rudland, Fairbridge, Mpumelelo, Cement, Mafakela, Zulukandaba, Lozikeyi, Hillside Junior, Hugh Beadle, Godlwayo and Henry Low.
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