The inaugural U-15 Cricket Tournament will get underway on Wednesday and conclude on Friday at Gahanga Oval and Kicukiro Cricket Stadium, Times Sport has learnt. The three-day tournament – which is only for boys – has attracted seven teams. “This tournament is vitally important, we are holding its first edition but the intention is to have it every year,” said Joshua Mwanja, the Development Manager of Rwanda Cricket Association. “It will help in identifying and keeping track of young talents as part of our high-performance development agenda,” he added, noting that the existence of different age group competitions affords Rwanda cricket a chance to identify its most talented youngsters with the aim of bringing them through the youth ranks up to the senior national team. The U-15 competition joins the already existing U17, U19 and U19 tournaments. Mwanja, a former Kenya international, added that: “The most exceptional 24 boys from this tournament will be put in a camp in January, and this will form the basis of our team for the Under-19 ICC Africa Division 2 Tournament in 2020.” The seven teams in the contest include; Ndera Scorpions, Power Rangers, Gahanga Leopards, Kinihira Lions, Effotec Tigers, Huye Doves, and Eastern Dragons. “The games will be fast-paced and action-packed for the boys to work and embrace the competition mood at a young age.” Participating teams will face each other in a round-robin format, with the team collecting the most points being declared the tournament’s winners. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
