Botswana’s first ever under 11 cricket teams’ training is underway as the teams prepare to compete against one another at their first ever under 11s league.
The Botswana cricket association (BCA) has currently enrolled more than twelve schools into their newest initiative within the growing developmental Programme that is aimed at introducing and improving the standards of the game in government aided primary schools.
The programme, which was initially formed to teach children cricket from grassroots level, has currently seen more primary schools from Gaborone and the outskirts developing an interest in making the sport one for their sports syllabuses.
At the beginning of the year, Sunday Standard carried an article where a letter from the International Cricket Council (ICC) was sent to member countries requesting them to go all out in terms of coming up with better methods and strategies to better the standards of cricket in their respective countries. The letter was inspired by the fact that the international sport was celebrating a 100 years of worldly existence.
Girish Ramakrishna, head of the developmental team, and treasurer of the club, had promised that the BCA would do its utmost best to come up with a number of initiatives to mark the depth of the celebrations. They had promised to introduce cricket to places across Botswana, which they did when they went to Maun earlier this year and kept accepting more and more schools into their programme.
Of late, the cricket club had the under 13s as the youngest team in their field, the under 11s is expected to attract more and more children who will hopefully grasp the cricket knowledge and acquire special skills at a younger age.
“It’s easier for children to get acquainted with their particular field of sport at a younger age because they get to grow with the profession; it becomes part of them, moreso that one day they could become good experienced players, therefore, I have confidence in the progress that the under 11s team will make,” said Girish.
The primary schools that have joined the programme are Oodi, Ramogotsi, Itumeleng, Tsogang, Mojadife, Bophirima, Rasesa, Mmusi, Ben Thema, Ikageng, Boikhutso and Botsalano.
