Tembisa’s KFC Mini-Cricket Festival Event held

KFC Mini Cricket and the Eastern Cricket Union hosted a cricket festival at Winnie Mandela Primary School in Thembisa on March 16.

Ten schools participated in the mini-cricket festival.

KFC Mini Cricket is a programme that is introduced to aspiring boy and girl cricket players.

Through the programme, children learn the fundamentals of the game, such as batting, bowling and fielding, while also enjoying the fun that comes with playing a team sport.

It is a fundamental component of teaching children cricket and fostering a lifelong passion for the game, particularly for children up to the age of 13 and the educators who volunteer as coaches.

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Thembisa’s Mini Cricket regional coordinator, Kwena Amos Komape, said schools are invited to join if they wish to participate in this programme.

“Each school needs to make sure they have at least six teams to be able to participate in KFC Mini-Cricket. The teams must range from Grade R to Grade Seven, which is from the age of five to 13 and have both girls and boys.

“The teams also need to have teachers who will be taken through various stages of coaching. No one will be allowed to coach the children without knowing the basics of cricket,” said Komape.

Mini-Cricket is required by the mother body to host four regional festivals annually. However, as a region, they can host more.

Currently, 17 schools in Thembisa are taking part in the initiative.

Komape said the goal of this programme is to improve the children’s lifestyle and he invites all Thembisa schools to take part.

Thuthuka Primary School was one of the schools that participated in the programme.

The school’s U10 coach, Thabiso Nkanini, said he was pleased with his team’s performance on the day and he was grateful to be part of the initiative.

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“My team performed well. Our children showed that they love and enjoy mini-cricket. As the school, we are very grateful for Mini-Cricket’s support. This programme is very useful. The children showed dedication and had fun playing cricket.

“It saves the children from doing bad things around the community because their interest is in playing cricket. They focus and dedicate themselves to playing sport,” Nkanini said.

The KFC Mini-Cricket programme helps children learn that playing sports can be enjoyable it also teaches discipline and teamwork.

Most importantly it teaches children hand-eye coordination from a young age.

Seotloana Primary School also showed up and took part in this programme.

Conny Sibuyi, Seotloana Primary School’s U9 coach, said her team enjoyed themselves and made significant progress.

“This programme is helpful because most learners are not all gifted academically; some are more gifted in outside activities, like sports, so this programme comes in very handy, especially for them. We are teaching them holistically,” she said.

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The programme’s objectives help the children grow and provide a basic love of cricket while having fun on the field.

Through Mini Cricket, it is also hoped that children will learn that cricket can be played in townships and by everyone, both girls and boys.

Isekelo Primary School also participated in the festival. Coach for the girls’ U10 team, Nthabiseng Nkuna, said the programme offers learners an opportunity that was never offered to them when they were young.

“Mini-Cricket benefits the learners. They have the opportunity to learn more sports, unlike us back in school. These days, we make school more enjoyable, and we have more fun.

“The children learn more from other schools and they can notice their mistakes and rectify them. This programme is perfect for the children,” said Nkuna.