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Tawanda Mangoma in Chiredzi
CHIREDZI Cricket Club has called for the return of the Masvingo Cricket League as a way of reviving the sport in the province.
They believe the return of the league will boost the player base and ensure that home grown talent makes it to the Masvingo Select.Masvingo have been dealt a severe blow with the withdrawal of Southern Rocks from franchise cricket.
There has been some unhappiness over the dominance of players in Southern Rocks by outsiders at the expense of locals which has not done justice to the development of the sport in Masvingo.
Former South African international cricketer Mark Boucher, last month visited Chiredzi to witness a two-day Malilangwe Trust-sponsored tournament pitting five Chiredzi teams.
He questioned why the players were not being nurtured for first class cricket. He was impressed with their standard of play.
Chiredzi Cricket Club scooped the trophy for the second time in a row after convincingly beating Triangle, Malilangwe, Save Valley Conservancy and Rhodocs from Harare.
Save Valley and Rhodocs teams had former Zimbabwe cricket team players Guy Whittal and Gavin Rennie respectively.
Kings Cricket Club collapsed in Chiredzi in 2003, but 2011 ushered a new era as Nomatter Mhangara and Mark Burbridge formed Chiredzi Cricket Club, a schools cricket developmental project targeting young talent.
The duo’s dream is to develop talent that will rise through the ranks representing Zimbabwe at national level.
This project has so far managed to groom a number of players like Jeremy Richards, Matt Boothway, Elton Gwanzura, Timoty Mapinde and Liberty Macharaga who are good enough to make it to the Zimbabwe national teams some day.
The Chiredzi team will participate in a tournament to be held in Kwekwe on May 24 and 25.
derick.khumalo