adminRicky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THE Baines Junior School-based Dumisani Mankunzini Cricket Initiative (DMCI) is happy with the exposure its Under-13 squad got from a trip to Botswana where the team won four out of six games.
The 13-member squad, which returned from Botswana at the weekend, beat Gaborone-based Cubs Cricket Academy at a three-day invitational tournament that ended last Thursday.
Coached by DMCI founder and former Zimbabwe Under-19 and Matabeleland Tuskers Cricket Franchise cricketer Dumisani Mankunzini, the team beat the hosts by 54 runs in their opening game.
DMCI batted first and scored 122 runs off 19.3 overs and then restricted the hosts to 68 runs.
Cubs batted first in the second game and set a target of 126 runs in 20 overs. DMCI won the game by a wicket with three balls to spare.
Led by Lungile Nyathi of Mtshingwe who took 15 wickets at last month’s Baines Junior tournament where he also won the best bowler accolade, DMCI won their third match by seven runs.
Mankunzini said his charges paid dearly for bowling lots of extras in their fourth match, which they lost by 46 runs after being bowled out for 110 in pursuit of Cubs’ total of 156.
DMCI recovered from that defeat to win the fifth match by six wickets after reaching the set target of 136 runs for the loss of four wickets off 16 overs.
DMCI then lost the last game by eight wickets.
“As an academy, we are happy with how the boys played and a big thank you to parents that made this trip a success. Our young cricketers learnt a lot during the tour and we hope to receive more support from parents and schools in future. I also want to thank my friend Trymore Taruvinga, who is now with Cubs Academy, for inviting us to the tournament that helps develop cricketers at a young age,” said Mankunzini. – @ZililoR
Online Reporter