Mbachi Mutukula-Maregere Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Cricket Under-14 squad has intensified their training in preparation for the Easterns Junior Cricket Club Association festival to be held in South Africa. The festival, which has attracted young cricketers from Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland,

Easterns and KwaZulu-Natal, is scheduled to run from July 4-8 at Benoni.
Under-14 coach, David Mutendera, believes that this year’s squad is one of the strongest and encouraging to up coming cricketers.
“I am happy with the squad, we have three players who came from our development programmes. This year’s squad is very encouraging to up coming cricketers as it has players from the high-density areas.

“Our taking part at the EJCCA festival makes our players to get exposed to other playing techniques.
“We have started training yesterday ahead of the festival and I am sure the boys will be able to get to the level that we want. From next week be training on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Harare Sport Club,” said Mutendera.  
Manson Chikowero, Alvin Chiradza and Tinashe Nenhunzi have been picked from the five centres of excellence.

This is the first batch of cricketers to emerge from the training centres and represent the national team on foreign soil.
Titus Zvomuya, the ZC head of development and training, said they were satisfied with how the centres were operating.
“ZC is happy that the exercise to select age group national teams is now almost complete following two very successful events - the inter-franchise tournaments as well

as ZimPups tournament, which was held in Harare recently.

“A look at the teams clearly shows that the future of cricket in Zimbabwe is very good and encouraging.
“We have a number of prospective players who will now be going through our squads of excellence programme with their respective national age-group coaches.
“We have selected the Under-14 squad and we are yet to finalise the Under-16 and 18s,” Zvomuya said.
Under-14 Team

Manson Chikowero, Robert Chiminya, Alvin Chiradza, Graham Curtis, Alistair Frost, Ton Harrison, Munyaradzi Kasvaurere, Munyaradzi Madhombiro, Richard Matewa, Tinashe Nenhunzi, Liam Roche, Rahul Vaghmaria, Damiain White.