Sierra Leone earned promotion to World Cricket League (WCL) Africa Division 2 following their narrow two-wicket win over Rwanda on Wednesday.

It will be a case of the new and the old as the young Sierra Leoneans join the mature and primarily expatriate Malawians for the tournament to be held in Benoni in April.

Sierra Leone won promotion as runners-up in the WCL Division 3 tournament, following their victory over Rwanda. Gambia won the battle to avoid the wooden spoon, beating a young Lesotho team by two wickets.

Tony Munro

Malawi remained unbeaten to ensure their promotion to Africa Division Two following their four-wicket win against Sierra Leone in Blantyre, Malawi on Tuesday. Sierra Leone must beat Rwanda on Wednesday to ensure they join Malawi in Benoni next March.

Sierra Leone won the toss and batted. However, the top order failed to fire and the innings was precariously poised at 142 for 5 in the 29th over. Allrounder Lasana Lamin smashed 78 off 86 balls, helping his side set a target of 176 for victory.

In response, the Malawi top-order managed meaningful partnerships in the run chase and reached 79-3 after 24 overs at one stage. Shailandra Jeena smashed an unbeaten 35 to help his team to achieve the target in 42 overs with four wickets to spare

Rwanda beat Lesotho in the second match by 218 runs.


Scores:

Sierra Leone 176 (41.4 overs) (Lansana Lamin 78, Ibrahim Kamara 45; Zaffar Sukhera 3-28, Arjun Kalaria 3-46, Shailendra Jeena 2-22) Malawi 177 for 6 (41.4 overs) (Shailendra Jeena 35 not out, Danish Jakhura 31, Mushahid Quraishy 22, Naeem Chaudry 21, Ishtiyaz Khan 20; Ibrahim Kabia 2-23, Lamin 2-39)

Rwanda def. Lesotho No scorecard available at this stage

The World Cricket League (WCL) Africa Division Three tournament in Malawi has been reduced to five teams following the late withdrawal of Morocco.

According to the ICC website, the Moroccan team was enroute to Blantyre, Malawi, when Qatari officials ordered them from the plane.

The tournament organising committee decided to allocate teams drawn to play Morocco with a bye. Two matches went ahead as scheduled with the hosts, Malawi, defeating Lesotho by 64 runs, and Rwanda beating Gambia by seven wickets with 23 overs to spare.

Tony Munro

Apartheid decreed Hoosain Ayob, the first ICC Africa development officer, cape coloured and reputedly a bowler of some talent in his day, would never play for his native South Africa at international level because of the colour of his skin.

In a tournament in Blantyre, Malawi, starting on Saturday, four of the five teams playing will be fielding mainly African XIs, thanks chiefly to the work of Ayob, who retired from his role about three years ago.

Lesotho and Sierra Leone (both fully indigenous), Gambia (12 locals), Rwanda (8 born there) will be joined by hosts Malawi (mainly Asian) in the World Cricket League Division Three tournament.

Perhaps none of these countries will make a proper World Cup (Sierra Leone did qualify for the recent Under 19 qualifying tournament before Canadian immigration officials turned them back). It shows, though, how far these countries have come in their development.

Continue reading "WCL Division Three begins in Malawi"

Tony Munro

Rwanda captain Denis Mukama reckons a second-placed finish in the World Cricket League Division 3 tournament, starting tomorrow in Malawi, just won't do if the team is to realise its potential. "The truth of matter is coming second isn't an option for us," said the Ugandan-born 30-year-old. "Yes we would like to win this event because it is our gateway to the next level, and with the hardwork the boys have put in and the morale in the camp, the trophy is destined for Rwanda."

Eight members of the Rwandan squad for the tournament were born in the country, a fact which Mukama sees as an indication of what lies in store for a country, where the game is so new. "With the youngsters coming up through the development program, Rwanda will be a force to reckon with in future," Mukama said.

There are six teenagers in the squad, with three - Audifax Byiringiro, Bob Bashir Songa and Derrick Bayingana - just 13 years old. And there's likely to be more coming through if the popularity of the sport at the youth level in Rwanda is any indication.

"Cricket is gaining popularity among the youth in our country, particularly in schools," Mukama said. "There is a significant increase in participation of young kids in cricket tournaments like the schools cricket week and other under-age group tournaments."

One schools tournament, important to the game's development, is the Coca-Cola tournament in Uganda, for which Rwanda send a combined team. It's another sign of the close cricket links Uganda, the birthplace of Rwandan coach William Kamanyi, Mukama and Emmanuel Byiringiro, has with its small western neighbour.

They add some experience to the squad along with several Indian-born players, including former national captain, Srinath Vardhineni.

A problem though, in the growth in popularity of schools cricket in Rwanda, is the lack of sufficient facilities and equipment. There is only one ground in Rwanda, which Mukama cited as an obvious impediment to meeting the surge in demand.

"Currently we have one ground with Flickx matting which is used for league games meaning that we can only operate a limited number of games at a time," he said.

The other countries taking part in the tournament are Gambia, Lesotho, Morocco, Sierra Leone and the hosts Malawi.

Rwanda's failure to show up - for whatever reason - and some poor weather put a dampener on the first two days of the Africa Cricket Association (ACA) East Africa Under-13 boys' competition in Nakuru, Kenya.

Rwanda were flagged as one of the successes of the African development programme / Cricket Without Borders enterprise, so their absence, if only to gauge the team's progress, was a disappointment.

Matches were being played at Rift Valley Sports Club and Greensteds School, south of Nakuru.

Results
Day One - Kenya 108 for 3 beat Tanzania 96 for 7; Kenya 93 lost to Uganda 94 for 7
Day Two - Tanzania 92 lost to Uganda 93 for 6; Tanzania v Kenya (rained off)

Colin Macbeth

Uganda retained their East African Women's Championship title with a ten-run win over hosts Kenya in the final, but it was a tournament that raised major questions regarding the standard of those competing.

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Uganda and Kenya, as expected, emerged as the favourites after convincing wins in the first two rounds of the Africa Cricket Association women’s tournament in Nairobi.

Kenya recorded the most comprehensive victory, thrashing Rwanda by 330 runs. Kenya rattled up 397 for 3 with Sara Batika smashing an 187 not out and sharing an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 260 with Emily Ruto (74*). In reply, Rwanda managed 67 as Margret Banja took 4 for 17.

Uganda beat Tanzania by seven-wickets at Ngara Sports Club Oval in Nairobi, bowling their neighbours out for 61, and earlier added to Rwanda’s gloom by beating them by 276 runs.

Rwanda may historically be a French-speaking nation, but their increasingly close ties with England has resulted in an upsurge in cricket being played. Murad Ahmed has a fascinating article in today’s Times on Rwanda’s decreasing relations with France and how cricket is just one symbol of the country’s growing affinity with Britain.

Cricket is also a powerful symbol of Rwanda’s shift towards all things English. On a day off, the Conservative volunteers take on Rwandans at the game. Francis Maude, the Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, and opener for the British team, describes Rwanda as “a success story, from a country hollowed out, to a proper functioning state.”

Mr Maude top scores in the match with 20, but his wicket leads to a batting collapse, finishing with yet another English defeat at African hands.

Cricket is taking off here. In April Rwanda made the semi-finals of an International Cricket Council tournament in South Africa, beating Lesotho and Mozambique before falling to Ghana, in its best performance yet.

“With Rwanda being a Francophone country, it used to be hard to get the Ministry of Sport to be interested in the game,” says Julius Mbaraga from the Rwandan Cricket Board. “Now, it’s not a problem.”

Emmanuel Nakaana’s 58 guided Uganda to a ten-wicket win over Rwanda in the opening round of the ICC East Africa Under-17 tournament. In the day’s other game, Kenya thrashed defending champions Tanzania by 100 runs.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Continue reading "Future bright beyond the Test world"

Rwanda’s Under-17 manager Emma Byiringiro has expressed frustration about the team’s preparations ahead of next month’s ICC/ACA U-17 tournament. The New Times quoted Byiringiro as saying: “It’s very difficult to have the boys during the course of the week because they are busy doing their exams. So this has limited us to weekends, which is not enough time for them to perfect their game.”

Despite facing Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, Byiringiro was upbeat. “Kenya and Uganda are favorites but we shall give them a good run for their money. But more certainly, we shall target to beat Tanzania. They are ICC Associate members but we humiliated them during last year’s ICC U-15 regional tournament and we are looking to do it again with the U-17s this year,”

The tournament is being held from July 1 to 5 in Kampala.

Ghana will play Swaziland in the final of the ICC World Cricket League Africa Region Division Three.

Ghana had the easiest match, thrashing Rwanda by eight wickets with more than 39 overs in hand. Rwanda were bowled out for 23 in 11.1 overs, but that represented a recovery after they found themselves 13 for 8. Abdul-Karim Sumaila (4 for 11) and Isaac Aboagye (6 for 9) bowled unchanged throughout, while extras (9) contributed more than any individual batsman. Ghana lost both their openers in easing home.

Swaziland had to work harder, and survived a mini collapse within sight of the finishing line, before overcoming Sierra Leone by four wickets with 20 overs to spare in the battle of the group winners. Sierra Leone managed 116 thanks to an eighth-wicket stand of 50 which bailed them out from 50 for 7. Joseph Wright (5 for 17) was the man who blew away the top order. Swaziland were wobbling on 27 for 3 but Wright (48) and Abdulazis Patel (35*) put on 73 for the fourth wicket, and strikes from Lansana Lamin (4 for 19) came too late.

Lesotho lost to a South African Invitation XI by seven wickets in the fifth-place play-off.

Click here for the tournament scorecards.

Rwanda's cricketers have been boosted by two new sponsors ahead of next week’s ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in Johannesburg.

MTN offered Frw1.5m and v added Frw 0.4m to join sponsors which include the ministry of sports and culture, Rwandair Express and Rwanda Development Bank.

A Ugandan side will play two matches against Rwanda – one Twenty20 and one 50-over contest – this week. Srinath Vardhineni, Rwanda’s captain, said that the team were looking forward to a good performance. "How well we perform against the Ugandans will have a huge bearing on how we shall play in South Africa,” he said.

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

Click here for the full story.

Rwanda's cricket is coming along leaps and bounds, which is unusual for a country which not so long ago was a French colony where no English was spoken. But now, reports Scotland's Sunday Herald, the national championship has five clubs, while women's and junior teams are set to head to Nairobi for the East African championships.

Jonathan Clayton provides a fascinating piece in today’s Times on cricket in Rwanda and how important the sport has been in their joining the Commonwealth. Despite Rwanda’s French connection, they applied to join in December 2006 and Britain has donated £46m a year. Clayton tells us that Tony Blair, on hearing of Rwanda’s proposed membership, said: “Well, they do play cricket don’t they?”

“I think you can say we have batted our way into the Commonwealth,” said Charles Haba, president of the Rwanda Cricket Association, who has persuaded six schools to start playing and has gained affiliate status with the International Cricket Board.

The new-found enthusiasm for cricket chimes with Mr Kagame’s desire that Rwanda, a former Belgian colony that became a close ally of France at independence, should adopt English as the language of choice. Language is an emotive issue because of its association with the genocide. Those responsible for the killings of some one million moderate Hutus and Tutsis were largely French speakers.

Mr Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front rebel movement, which ended the genocide and now forms the bulk of the Government, was primarily English-speaking. It largely consisted of Tutsi refugees, whose parents had fled previous Hutu-led pogroms in the 1950s and 60s and settled in neighbouring English-speaking countries, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

Many of the Tutsi “boys” who grew up in exile learnt to play cricket. When they finally returned home, they brought the game – and the English language – with them.The game is now helping to overcome some of the divisions left by the genocide. The country’s five teams contain Hutus, Tutsis and several Rwandan Asians.

“Good batting, good batting,” comes the cry from the corrugated-iron roof pavilion at Kicukiro. “Tank you bowler, tank you bowler,” yells Bob Bashir, 15, enthusiastically clapping gloved hands as a lanky bowler races in and pitches the next ball wide.

Rwanda will take part in the East Africa regional Under-15 Championship which will be held in Nairobi from December 8.

Tom Tikolo, Cricket Kenya's CEO who is also the Africa Cricket Association tournament director, said Rwanda will join Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in a competition that will be used to pick two teams - women’s and Under-15 boys’ - to represent the region in South Africa next year.

Tikolo, however, said Rwanda will not have a women’s squad like the other three countries.

AllAfrica.com has a revealing article on Rwandan cricket and the problems they are facing. They may not have sufficient equipment, butt their ambitions remain undimmed:

Under the school program, the Association wants to introduce cricket in at least one new school every year; make available some sets of equipment to every school in the program every year; encourage schools to provide playing fields for cricket; conduct coaching clinics in all schools involved every year by using both local and foreign coaches; to provide overseas training in coaching for a school master or senior player every year so that local expertise to help develop the game; and encourage inter-school visits.

If the French had any remaining doubts that Rwanda, the tiny country in the heart of Central Africa, was a lost colonial cause they must have been banished by the sight of the heavy home-made rollers - oil barrels filled with concrete - smoothing the cricket pitch of the Kicukiro Oval just outside the capital Kigali.

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