TZANEEN – The Nkowankowa Hub u/19 girls’ cricket team is celebrating a hard-fought victory after being crowned Northern Eastern region winners at the SA20 regional finals held at Willow Moore Park in Benoni on Sunday, February 2.

Coached by Blessing Mabunda, the team represented the Limpopo Impalas and secured the title with a five-wicket win over Kwa Thema.

The final, shortened to 15 overs due to poor weather conditions, saw Kwa Thema post a total of 60/7.

Despite a shaky start and early wicket losses, Nkowankowa maintained composure, reaching 61 runs with two overs to spare.

This victory has earned the team a spot in the schools SA20 finals week, which will take place from March 12 to 15 at the University of Pretoria.

Looking ahead to the tournament, Mabunda expressed pride in his team’s performance and excitement for the opportunity to face Saints Christian, the team that defeated them in last year’s Noordvaal tournament final.

“It was my birthday on Saturday, and the girls told me they had a surprise for me. That surprise turned out to be the trophy,” said Mabunda. “I’m overjoyed, and now we are training hard to dominate the upcoming schools’ SA20 finals week in March against the other regional winners.”