Kwata targets cricketing gems
Kwata targets cricketing gems

Kwata targets cricketing gems

Jesse Kauraisa
FNB Kwata Cricket coordinator Jona Ambuga says the programme is on track with its efforts to unearth talented young cricket players who can one day play for the national senior team.

Cricket Namibia, with the support of First National Bank (FNB) Namibia, has embarked on a journey to promote the game at grassroots level. In the past, cricket was mostly played in the central region of the country, but today the sport has expanded its horizons in an attempt to reach those in other regions.

Ambuga and his team have so far held five Kwata events and are planning to host four more before the end of the year.

“Yes, this is a great initiative and I can say we are well within our targets for 2019.

“We hold these fun days in order to reach out to people from all communities in the country and to promote cricket at grassroots level,” Ambuga said.

Cricket Namibia recently held a FNB Kwata Cricket Festival at the Etosha Port Stadium at Outjo in the Kunene Region.

More than 200 Kwata cricket players from Outjo Primary, Jack Francis Primary, Maarssen Primary, Outjo Secondary and Etosha Junior Secondary participated in the festival. It started with hardball coaching on 4 October and ended with an exciting FNB Kwata Cricket fun day on 5 October.

The festival was attended by children from all corners of the region.

Ambuga said he is proud that there is an interest in the game.

The programme aims to unearth future national players.

Cricket Namibia development officer Justice Hangula from Walvis Bay and Wilhelm Tuhafeni from Outjo were joined by 20 young coaches, who assisted in making the FNB Kwata Cricket Festival a success.

Tuhafeni said he was impressed by the number of participants that took part in the cricket festival.

“The number of participants keep increasing when we host events in Outjo and this means that cricket is growing in the Kunene Region,” Tuhafeni said.

The festival aims to promote and bring the game closer to smaller communities and expose the Namibian child to one of the most elite sports in the country.

It was made possible by FNB, as the main sponsor, and Erongo Foods, which sponsored refreshments for the participants.

The organisers will target coastal towns for the next festival, before moving on to Ondangwa.

The last festival of the year is slated for Nkurenkuru in the Kavango West Region and will take place by 2 November.

Cricket Namibia marketing manager Natalia Nauyoma said: “We want to expose the game to children as at grassroots level. Cricket Namibia's vision is to govern and grow the game of cricket in Namibia, in order to support successful performances on an international stage.

“The aim is to have cricket as one of the desired professions in Namibia.”

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Jesse Jackson Kauraisa

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-22

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