Girls’ U19 cricket contest starts in Bay on Sunday

THIS year’s edition of the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Inter-Provincial Schools Week U19 Girls’ tournament starts on Sunday in various venues in Port Elizabeth and will go on throughout the month, featuring the best junior school talent in the country.

The CSA’s Hubs and Regional Performance Centre programme, which is dedicated to unearthing cricket talent from previously disadvantaged areas, has done a fine job in upskilling girls through coaching and playing.

A total of 256 girls from 16 unions all over the country will be displaying their skills for an opportunity to be part of the SA U19 squad that will be selected on the last day of the tournament.

The selected squad will also play against the SA Fillies (B) team on December 15 at the Nelson Mandela University.

The tournament will feature three 50-over matches, as well as four T20 games that will start on day three of the tournament.

With the Momentum friendly games between Hubs and RPC teams and traditional cricket schools helping speed up the process, the week’s competition will be a culmination of the programmes.

The best 13 girls come to the tournament after having played in trials and going through these programmes.

The four-week tournament sponsored by Momentum will be held in Oudtshoorn (CSA U13 Week), Bloemfontein (CSA U15 Week), Port Elizabeth (CSA Girls U19 Week), and East London (CSA U17 Week).

All matches are scheduled to start at 9am at venues around the Bay.

Sunday Fixtures:

KZN Coastal v Free State (VP A) Gauteng v SWD (NMU) Eastern Province v Western Province (NMU A)

Northerns v North West ( NMU B) Border v Boland (Old Grey) Titans Easterns v Northerna Cape (VP B) Kei v KZN Inland (Gelvandale) Titans v Limpopo (Framesby)