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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
MOSI-OA-TUNYA High School in Victoria Falls will host a three-day cricket training course for Matabeleland North teachers from today up to Friday.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) Matabeleland North administrator Victor Mhlanga said their provincial coach Aaron Phiri will conduct the three-day cricket beginners’ course aimed at producing coaches that will spearhead development of the sport at grassroots level.

Mhlanga said for cricket to develop, they had to train teachers, who are at the grassroots level, so that they impart the correct basics of the game to aspiring cricketers.

“This coaching course is part of our development thrust. We need qualified personnel to spearhead these developmental programmes, hence this course so that schools can have knowledgeable people in charge. These people we train will give proper technical expertise to the players and help produce complete players with a better understanding of the game,” Mhlanga said.

He said their aim is to monitor progress of these coaches through observing their works and continuously taking them through refresher courses.

Mhlanga said they were happy with the progress made by some schools, which are taking the sport seriously.

He said last week five schools, Mosi-oa-Tunya, Chilisa, Gebhuza, Kalope and Hwange High, took part in a boys’ Under-19 tournament held at Hwange Sports Club. Mosi-oa-Tunya won the competition.

“ZC wants to spread cricket to every part of the country and some of schools have shown keen interest in having their pupils participating in competitions we organise. Teachers from these schools are really doing a good job in terms of training kids and we applaud their efforts. Hopefully after attending the coaching course, the level of competition among schools will increase as their teachers will now be having a better understanding of the sport,” said Mhlanga.

@ZililoR