05 Nov 2015

The Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) in conjunction with a United Kingdom (UK) based charity organisation, Cricket Without Boundaries, recently held a cricket coaching day to increase awareness of the sport in Botswana. 

The training day, held at Francistown Vocational and Technical College (FCTVE), attracted many cricket enthusiasts. 

In an interview on the sidelines of the training, the BCA northern region development officer, Clement Chipanga, noted that this cricket training sessions were part of BCA’s grass roots development meant to grow the sport. 

He said the association targeted three objectives when carrying out these training sessions with the participants, being coach education, which he said fell under their empowerment programmes, mass participation to indulge more people in the sport and market cricket and lastly, identifying and nurturing talent that would eventually play in schools mini league tourneys and eventually major club tournaments.

“This coaching clinics have really received a good response from all Batswana and they form a major part of BNSC grass roots development program of ‘Re ba bona ha.” He noted. 

Chipanga said they had been to Masunga, Tshesebe and Sowa and they were looking forward to expanding to the North West and Chobe. 

He said the association appreciated the support they were getting from schools and were hoping that more organisations could jump on board to popularise the sport.

One of the coaches from Cricket Without Borders, Greig Vardy, explained that his organisation supported growth of cricket in Botswana as they visited the country twice a year. 

“We have visited schools and orphanages around the country delivering cricket education to teachers, students and parents on the beauty of cricket sport and also sharing with them the knowledge on HIV and AIDS, which is part of our organiszation’s main responsibility.” He added.

Apart from Botswana, he said they had been on coaching clinics in Kenya, Rwanda and Cameroon. Ends