IT was a moment to savour for Durban North resident Sam Minietti who was part of the Italian U19 cricket team that emerged victorious at the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Europe Division Two Qualifier last month.

The tournament in Guernsey featured Belgium, France, Germany, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Sweden and Switzerland.

The Italian team beat Sweden in the final of the 50-over tournament which earned them promotion to the Europe Division One Qualifier, where they will join other teams including Scotland and the Netherlands, in the next qualification phase.

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This was also the second time the Northwood School Grade 11 learner had been selected for the Azzurri (‘the blues’- the nickname for Italy’s national sports teams) cricket team.

Earlier this year, the 16-year-old played on a tour against Switzerland in Padua, Italy.

Apart from an opening game loss to Switzerland, the Italian side went unbeaten throughout the tournament with Sam claiming seven wickets in five games.

His best performance came in his team’s semi-final win against Germany where he took 4/40 in his 10 overs.

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“Personally I bowled more than I batted through the qualifiers because our top order was so solid. I batted at number six but I was really happy with my bowling performances as I didn’t go wicketless in the games I bowled. I was quite economical which was pleasing. The biggest thing for me was representing Italy again which is an absolute honour. I feel in gaining international experience I’ve grown and matured as a player.”

Sam was also complimentary of his teammates.

“We definitely got closer as a team and we began to gel better the more time we spent together. The team is in a really good place and we’ve taken a lot of confidence from winning this Qualifier. We are now looking forward to competing in Division One next year and my goal is to be selected for those games too,” he said.

The Division One Qualifier takes place in the Netherlands next year where the Italian team stand a chance of booking their place for the U19 ICC Cricket World Cup in 2028.

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