Zimbabwe U14 Report

The Zimbabwe U14 Cricket Team was selected at the Stragglers age-group trials held at St George's College, Harare, on 21 and 22 October 2000. The selectors involved in the selection process were Messrs BW Lake, A Ferreira, TL Mkosana, M Nash and W Randell. The trials involved Mashonaland, Matabeleland, Mashonaland Country Districts and Selectors' XI teams. The Selectors team was made up of players from Midlands/ Masvingo and three boys from each of the above three provinces. The following players were selected to represent their country at the South African Standard Bank U13 inter-provincial tournament in East London at the end of the year:

MARCO MARABINI - ST GEORGE'S COLLEGE
ROLAND BENADE - LOMAGUNDI COLLEGE
STEVEN CALDECOTT - ST JOHN'S COLLEGE
MARC-ANTONY EYSELE - ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL
LESLIE GAYLARD - HILLCREST COLLEGE
RYAN GIBBONS - EAGLESVALE SENIOR SCHOOL
DAVID HEATH - ST JOHN'S COLLEGE
RUSSELL KAMBARAMI - FALCON COLLEGE
ANDREW LOUBSER - RUZAWI PREP SCHOOL
NICHOLAS MWAYENGA - VAINONA HIGH SCHOOL
SHANE PHILLIPS - ST JOHN'S COLLEGE
KUDAKWASHE SAMUNDERU - CHURCHILL HIGH SCHOOL

COACH: SHANE CLOETE MANAGER: TEMBA MKOSANA

The team will have a very busy schedule ahead of them. Below is a summary of this schedule:

Fri 17 Nov - Fitness Test

Sat 18 Nov - Match versus St John's U15A

Wed 22 Nov - Practice session Fri 24 Nov - Practice session Tue 28 Nov - Practice session Thur 30 Nov - Practice session Fri 1 Dec - Practice session

Sat 2 Dec - Match versus Zimbabwe U15 Select - St John's College

Sun 3 Dec - Match versus Zimbabwe U15 Select - St John's College

Mon 4 Dec - Fitness Test & Practice

Tue 5 Dec - Leave Hre: 1315hrs (Flight # SAA23) Arrive Johannesburg: 1500hrs Leave Johannesburg: 1645hrs (Flight # SAA479) Arrive East London: 1810hrs Check into Hotel Osner on arrival.

Wed 6 Dec - Match versus Border

Thur 7 Dec - Practice & teambuilding

Fri 8 Dec - Match versus Natal

Sat 9 Dec - Match versus North West

Sun 10 Dec - Match versus Northerns

Mon 11 Dec - Match versus Griquas

Tues 12 Dec - Match versus Gauteng

Wed 13 Dec - Leave East London: 1040hrs Flight # SAA 1406 Arrive Johannesburg: 1205hrs Leave Johannesburg: 1700hrs Flight # SAA 24 Arrive Harare: 1830hrs.

Hopefully the busy schedule of practice sessions and warm-up matches will prepare the boys adequately for the tough week in South Africa. All matches played will be 50 overs per side. The boys have already undergone one fitness test and played the warm-up match against St John's U15. This St John's side had two Zimbabwe U16 players in it so the juniors were tested to the full. The bowlers did not bowl a good line and this is perhaps understandable when one considers that they had not played limited-overs cricket at all throughout the year. Our leg-spinner, R Kambarami, had been unable to travel up from Bulawayo due to the Air Zimbabwe strike. The opposition made 300 for the loss of 4 wickets in their 50 overs. A Loubser (one for 17 off eight overs) and M Marabini (two for 20 off seven overs) were the best bowlers.

When it came to their turn to bat, the Under-14 players started well with an opening stand of 48 against arguably the fastest Under-16 bowler in the country. However, when M Eysele (18) and L Gaylard (10) went out the other batsman did not manage to keep up the run chase and gave their wickets away cheaply. We were eventually bowled out for a mere 106. The batting had been weakened further by the absence of R Benade who could not bat because of a recurrence of Osgood-Shclatters disease (aggravated by the demanding fitness test the day before). Although we lost quite badly the boys leant a good lesson from the match and hopefully this will show in their next warm-up matches against a team that has seven of last year's Zimbabwe Under-14 players as well as one who was a member of Zimbabwe's Under-15 World Cup squad.

The tour to South Africa has been well supported by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, boys' parents and a number of sponsors. Our main sponsors include Coca Cola Central Africa, First Mutual Life, Garth Davis, The Holiday Club and Southampton Life Assurance. On behalf of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union and the tour party I would like to thank these companies for their much appreciated sponsorship. We are also grateful to Standard Bank, South Africa, for all the money, time and effort they put into this tournament every year. In conclusion I would like to thank CricInfo for giving us the opportunity to avail this brief report to their readers and for the support they give to junior cricket in this country.