Next week Monday kicks off the start of the Under 13 girls’ cricket tournament, which will be held at the Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) grounds. The Under 13 girls’ tournament was only introduced to the BCA in 2008 through the developmental programme that is aimed at introducing and improving cricket in government schools.
There are no predictions as to which school will walk away with the championship this year but last year’s winner of the Under 13 girls’ tournament, Ramogotsi Primary, a school based in Mochudi, will be a tough one to beat.
Rasesa Primary, which had also made it to the finals last year, is also a team to watch out for, as they will be trying to attain a title that slipped from them at the last minute.
In 2009, there were about six schools contesting in the league; this year the Chief Executive Officer of Botswana Cricket, Girish Ramakrishna, revealed that the number has doubled to 12 participating schools.
To motivate and encourage the players, Ramakrishna said that as it’s the norm of the BCA, for the finals there will be prizes awarded for Best Player in every match, Player of the Tournament and team with the Best Spirit.
The BCA will also be giving out awards at the semi-finals for Best Player of the Game, Best Fielder and for the Best Bowler. Ramakrishna said that there will also be a trophy for the winning and losing finalists.
Meanwhile, the BCA is also keeping an eye on the 20 handpicked girls that are being trained to join the Botswana national Under 13 squad.
However, the BCA revealed that the already handpicked 20 will not all necessarily make the team; the BCA will be watching everyone’s performance at the league.
