Aso Cricket moves to schools

The novel grassroots cricket development programme tagged,'Aso Cricket',would now be taken to the doorstep of cricket-friendly schools sequel to the successful launch of the Nigeria Cricket Association[NCA]-initiated project

   

 

   More than 800 kids from 25 Primary Schools in Lagos and environ converged on the Tafawa Balewa Square cricket oval on Saturday, to demonstrate their basic knowledge of the game, at the launch of the programme bankrolled by Mobile Telecommunications Network[MTN].

  The NCA had, weeks before the launch, seconded coaches to the respective schools, with the aim of teaching the kids the rudiments in cricket and also guide the teachers or Games Masters in these schools on ways to impart knowledge about thye game in their students.

  Speaking with nigeriaspors.com shortly after the launch, the NCA Chairman Dr. John Abebe said association was very delighted at the huge turnout of budding talents, adding that the next step is to ensure continuity.

  Said him:"The schools involved will be the next bus-stop.These same children you are seeing today will now have equipment given to them and coaches also attached to them.

  "I'm quite optimistic that in twelve months from now,these same students will come back here and you'd see that they'll be doing by far what they're doing today."

  Ten coaches supervised by the Project Co-ordinator Olisa Egwuatu,took charge of training activities by dividing the kids into groups and taught them the art of playing cricket.

  The lessons learnt by the kids include fielding positions,bowling and batting and other important basics of the game.The training was complimented with the use of bat shapes,light balls and stumps.

  Prodded on the commitment of MTN to the future of the Aso Cricket programme, Dr.Abebe disclosed that the project is certainly not going to be a one-off thing as efforts are being geared toward luring more sponsors.

  "We are always looking for sponsors.So the more we can get the happier we're going to be.And I think what MTN has started today would probably act as a catalyst to allow others to come in easily.We'll gladly welcome more sponsors," he emphasized

Remarkably, the MTN Aso Cricket programme is fashioned after the  Bakers' mini-cricket festival in South Africa and Kanga Cricket in Australia,two laudable grassroots development projects that have contributed in no small measure to the growth of cricket in these countries.

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