15 Feb 2016

Al Haq Primary School boys have won the Molepolole Super 10 cricket tournament after beating Bonewamang boys with 18 runs to scoop the title.
To qualify for the finals, Al Haq had played a closely contested game in the semi-finals with Suping boys. 

Al Haq managed to score 59 runs in 10 overs.  However, they made it difficult for Suping boys to chase the 59 runs.  At seven overs, Suping lost 10 wickets with only 41 runs to qualify the Al Haq boys for the finals. 
In all the games Al Haq played, their strategy was simple. 

If they win the toss, they bat first and set a big score so that it will be difficult for the opponents to chase, something which they did well. They capitalised on their strength to bat to win most of the games. 
In the finals, the boys however had a fair share of mistakes, as they dropped some catches, and they could have picked more wickets to put pressure on their opponents.
On the other hand, succumbing to pressure cost Bonewamang boys the game as they  made unnecessary mistakes. 

Their fielding was not up to scratch as they dropped many balls because their catching techniques were poor. They gave their opponents an opportunity to hit the boundaries increasing their score in the process.
Commenting on the game, Al Haq coach, Logan Msemburi said the boys were committed to the game and displayed confidence despite the fact that they came out of a tough semi-final.  He however mentioned that cricket in Molepolole was growing and that a lot of children were enthusiastic to play the sport. 

Unavailability of equipment he said was a challenge for the sport to thrive.  “The more equipment we have, the more children will play,” he stressed. He also stated that if more tournaments such as the Super 10 could be frequent, it would aid the sport to develop.
For her part, Bonewamang coach, Natefo Tirelo said they were going to rope in children from lower standards to practice with the side that was playing so that they build a strong team for the future.


On the girls side, Canon Gordon school won the tournament with five runs against Bakwena National School in the finals. 
After the tournament, the young cricketers were awarded trophies.  The tournament award in the girls’s side went to Aisha Motorola of Bakwena National School while on the boys side the award went to Prince Keikothae from Bonewamang Primary School.


The tournament organiser, Reginald Nehonde said after the tournament, they were going to choose 20 boys and girls of which 14 would be chosen to represent Molepolole at the regional competions in Gaborone. 

He highlighted that lack of proper facilities was a hindrance to the sport since it was an expensive sport.  Nevertheless, with prevailing challenges, he said since 2012 they have managed to introduce cricket in all government schools in Molepolole.
The two-day tournament had attracted about 210 children from various primary schools around Molepolole.

The purpose of tge tournament was to identify talented players to represent Molepolole in the upcoming regional under 13 tournament next month. Ends