KCA league stillborn

Claims by the Kenya Cricket Association that it is representative of grass-roots cricket in Kenya appear to be in tatters after its much-hypedofficial national league failed to get off the ground.

The KCA has been in dispute with the two established leagues, run by the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) and the Coast Cricket Association, for some time. The NPCA was expelled in 2003 and a new Nairobi province set up by the board.

At that time a new national competition was also announced. But almost all the member clubs opted to remain with the thriving NPCA league, with the result that last year's KCA version was virtually stillborn. The board maintained that this year would be different, but clearly that has not been the case.

Earlier in the year, the KCA claimed its league was due to start in August, but since then information has been patchy verging on non-existent. Even the KCA's own website, which has not been updated since July and still leads with news that a decision on Maurice Odumbe's match-fixing trial is "likely soon", has no details other than fixtures for the 2003 competition.

A sources close to the board admitted that only three clubs - Simba Union, Ruraraka and Impala - submitted entry forms. And there was confusion surrounding the application made by Impala, as a club official said that they were unaware that an entry had been made on their behalf. The two other clubs withdrew from the NPCA league at the start of the domestic season as they were unable to field first-team standard sides.

The KCA website claims that the Kenyatta Cup, a domestic one-day tournament, should be taking place now, and that a Twenty20 competition is scheduled to start on December 4. Doubts must be raised whether either will actually happen.

The KCA was asked to comment but it did not reply to any of our enquiries.