19 Aug 2013

Nyangabgwe and Young Guns Cricket clubs have won their first round games of the annual T20 Security Services tournament played at the Francistown cricket club grounds on August 18.

Nyangabgwe cricket club (NCC) set the target high for BD Express with 172 runs from 18 overs in the second game of the tournament after winning the toss to bat.

Poor fielding on the part of BD Express gave NCC an upper hand in the game to score runs from balls of their opponent’s bowlers. And chasing 173 runs from 18 overs became a tough task for BD Express batsman and they only managed to settle for 100 runs at the end of their 18th over while they lost all their wickets.

In another game Young Guns, a club made up of youngsters, were on their best form when they humiliated their seniors, Francistown Sport Recreation (FSR) club by 125 runs against 124 runs and a loss of four wickets of FSR. The Young Guns wrapped the game on the 16th over after they had lost only two wickets.

The coordinator of the tournament Sanjay Bhargava explained in an interview after the games that they have organised the annual tournament as way of grooming young players into the cricket and as way of spreading the sport in the region.

He added that as a former cricket player and also former Botswana Cricket team assistant manager, they would like to pass on their experience to the young generation so that Botswana can have a competitive team which can go out there to represent the country at international level.

“Cricket has not been a popular sport in the northern region and through such tournaments we want to bring the sport to the young people in the north and pass on the skill to them,” said Bhargana.

He further said through the annual tournament, they have also managed to have players in the national under 19 team.

In addition, he noted that through such developments they were also working on the International Cricket Council (ICC) mandate that countries should aim at development of young players.

Currently, he said they have primary and junior schools development training sessions where students from schools come for training at the Francistown cricket club.

The tournament sponsor, Altaf Parekh,who is the  group chairman of Amsons Group of Companies said they sponsored the tournament to the tune of P20 000.00 with the aim of giving and encouraging young players to join cricket.

He has promised to continue sponsoring the tourney for purposes of development and growth of cricket in the northern region.

The second round of the tournament will be played at the Francistown cricket club on September 8 and Young Guns will come up against NCC. Ends