Cricket Kenya and Supersport have agreed terms for the broadcaster to televise the East African Premier League and East Africa Cup for the next two years.

The continuation of the partnership will see Supersport broadcast coverage of the Twenty20 and 50-over competitions in 2012 and 2013. Supersport will show comprehensive live coverage of both the competitions and look to build on their additional coverage which included a weekly magazine show featuring highlights, features and player profiles in the inaugural season.

“The extension of our broadcast agreement with Supersport is testimony to how successful the first year of the East African Cricket Competitions has been,” explained Tom Sears, Cricket Kenya’s CEO. “The Supersport coverage has generated enormous interest all over Africa and the feedback we have had is incredibly encouraging. To have East African domestic cricket broadcast all over the continent gives the game wonderful exposure and presents fantastic opportunities to commercial partners.

“We are delighted with how the first year has gone, weather interfering with the finals aside, and we are currently reviewing ways we can further improve the competitions for 2012. The East African Cricket Competitions are a key part of our strategy for the future development of cricket at all levels in the region and Supersport’s endorsement of what we are striving to achieve is enormously encouraging.”

Namibia, Tanzania or hosts Uganda will go into the final day of the inaugural International Cricket Council Africa Women’s Twenty20 Championship with a chance of the title. But hosts Uganda are the favourites after their easy win over neighbours Kenya.

Opening bowlers Franklyn Najjumba (3 for 6) and Mackenzie Ayato almost settled the match in the eary overs as Kenya slid to 4 for 5, and in the evnt they did well to manage to crawl to 42. Uganda cruised to victory by seven wickets with seven overs to spare.

Uganda’s Net Run Rate is markedly better than second-placed Namibia. Uganda need a commanding win over Nigeria in the last fixture of the tournament to claim the title. If they fail then Namibia could still take the title if they thrash Kenya.

Cricket Kenya has been forced to further postpone the finals of the East Africa Premier League and East African Cup due to the prolonged rains in Nairobi.

Rwenzori Warriors were due take on the Nile Knights in the final of the EAPL on December 3 while the Knights were scheduled to meet Kongonis in the EAC final a day later. Both games were set to be played at Nairobi Gymkhana Club. Torrential rain led to the initial postponement of both matches in October and now an extended period of exceptionally wet weather has resulted in a further delay to the finals.

Cricket Kenya carried out a ground inspection over the weekend and found the Nairobi Gymkhana ground completely waterlogged. Alternative venues were discussed but with more wet weather expected this week, the decision to postpone once more was taken.

Cricket Kenya Chief Executive Tom Sears said: "Obviously we are extremely disappointed that we are going to have a further delay but there was no chance the finals could have been played next weekend. We have had around six weeks of exceptionally wet weather and that has taken its toll.

"We have consulted with key stakeholders and agreed to look at re-scheduling the finals early in the New Year. As we said previously it is very important we do play the finals and bring to a conclusion what has been a very successful inaugural year of the East African Cricket competitions."

The 2011 Uganda Schools Cricket Week ran from August 13 to 17, 2011 in Kampala. 11 teams participated in the tournament with Kololo Senior Secondary School having the best of Busoga College Mwiri in the final held at Lugogo Oval. The tournament was played on a T20 basis following the excitement created by the ICC Africa T20 Championship hosted by Uganda in July. 5 grounds were used for the tournament namely Lugogo, Kyambogo, Makerere University, Budo A and Budo G Grounds. Uganda Cricket Association also organised review sessions between the players and National Team players after each game for players to realise their mistakes.

Cricket Kenya’s latest initiative to help develop the strength of the country’s domestic game gets underway later this week with the start of the new regional Twenty20 and 50-over franchise competitions.

For a long time there has been a huge gap between standards of the country’s premier league run by the NPCA and the national team. A previous attempt to organise a competition for the leading players failed because of funding and a lack of interest among participants.

But following Kenya’s wretched performance at the World Cup, the board has made sweeping changes, backed by the government and stakeholders, and the East Africa Premier League and East African Cup are perhaps the boldest. Furthermore, the decision to include teams from neighbours Uganda will not only give an edge to matches, but will also help development in one of the most promising up-and-coming Associates.

Four teams from Kenya will participate - the Nairobi Buffaloes, Kongonis both based in the capital, the Rift Valley Rhinos from Nakuru and Coast Pekee in Mombasa - while Rwenzori Warriors and Nile Knights will represent Uganda. Teams will be comprised of international players, senior club players and age group cricketers aiming to make the national squads of both countries. The top two teams in each competition will compete in live televised finals at the end of October.

Cricket Kenya has agreed a broadcast deal with Supersport who will televise a number of live matches throughout Africa as well as a regular highlights and magazine programme.

“This is a hugely exciting development for cricket in the region, one which we hope will improve playing standards and ignite a real interest and passion for the game throughout the region,” CK’s chief executive Tom Sears said. “We hope by concentrating the pool of talent we have into a smaller number of teams playing highly competitive cricket, the fortunes of our national teams will improve over time and lower down, in domestic and age group cricket, standards will improve as players strive to make one of the franchise teams.

“There has already been significant interest in the East Africa Premier League and East African Cup from both the cricket and corporate worlds and we believe once the competition commences this will grow and continue to grow in future years.”

Sixty years ago, Uganda played their first cricket match. The details of that game have not been archived and records are unclear on whether their opponents were Kenya or Tanganyika. How the country has performed in international cricket since then is also not well documented.

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Cricket Kenya has announced new 20 and 50-over domestic competitions aimed at bolstering the standard of cricket in the country. The inclusion of two Ugandan sides in the six-team set-up will also provide a valuable boost to their up-and-coming neighbours.

The gulf between the NPCA league, Kenya's premier competition, and the national side has been a worry for a long time. In 2009 an attempt was made to establish a four-team elite event in both three-day and limited-over formats, but it foundered because of a lack of finance and poor support from players.

The latest initiative will feature four Kenyan sides - two from Nairobi, one each from Coast and Rift Valley - as well as two Ugandan teams. Each side will play ten games over weekends, with a Twenty20 match on a Saturday followed a day later by a 50-over contest. The leading four teams in each event would then progress to play-offs and a final.

Nationally contracted players will be split between sides to ensure a fair balance between the competitors, and Tom Sears, Cricket Kenya's chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo there were also plans to bring in overseas players from the subcontinent. "I believe by bringing in players from abroad we have the best chance of our players improving their game," he said.

Original plans had been for all six sides to come from within Kenya, but Sears admitted that "the level of competition was such that we could offer not enough strength in depth to provide strong enough cricket". He added that as Africa's leading Associate, it was Kenya's responsibility to help the progress of Uganda. "They have good players," he said. "That's why we opted to give them a chance to take part."

It was also revealed that a media deal had been agreed with Supersport for them to cover the semi-finals and finals of each competition.

Ugandan cricket enjoyed a mixed year in 2010. Off the pitch, there was significant progress, particularly in the establishment of administrative structures that will improve the running of the game.

The Monitor reviews Ugandan cricket in 2010

Uganda coach Mohammed Ebrahim Barney has re-called former Under-19 captain Hamza Almuzahim and batsman Nandikishore Patel in the hope of boosting the national side’s fragile batting line-up as Uganda begin preparations for their ICC Intercontinental Shield four-day game against Namibia, which starts on September 18.

Almuzahim has returned to Uganda from England and has recovered from the injury problems that curtailed his semi-professional stint at Bourton Vale CC in North London.

Uganda are currently at the top of the points table in the competition with 29, but Namibia are only three points behind them and recently crushed Bermuda by an innings and 185 runs at Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek.

“It’s nice to have Hamza back in the squad,” said Barney. “He is rated highly. I saw him bat and he is the sort of guy who can drive the ball well down the ground. Nandi also has a proven record and his inclusion will be key. But these two have to prove themselves.”

The provisional squad of 20 is currently training at Lugogo. Uganda will also play Namibia in a series of Twenty20 and limited-overs games after their Intercontinental Shield encounter.

Ugandan women continue to assert their presence in their country’s cricketing circuit. On May 8, six of them took the field with the Abagurusi (elders or veterans) and made such an impression in a close contest that more will feature in a second game at Kyambogo Oval in Kampala on June 5. Mackenzie Ayato, Christine Aryemo, Maureen Asaba, Trudi Namuloondo, Consy Aweko and Gloria Adubu will don the whites in a repeat of the extravaganza.

The Ugandan women’s cricket league is set to begin on June 12 and the teams are undergoing a rigorous routine, also preparing for the regional Under-19s in September and the World Cup Qualifiers in Nairobi in December.

It is also understood that magazine African Woman has commissioned a special feature about the women for its November issue.

Colin Macbeth

Jinja Senior Secondary School seized the day and ran out winners by the slenderest of margins in this year's Ugandan girls' schools cricket week.

In front of a crowd of some 400 and dozens of marabou storks, the holders, making hard work of defending their title - last played for in 2008 - faced defeat at 43 for 9 in a bid to reach their 54 target. But panic with a string of wides from Sharon Athoula and makeshift last-over bowler Rachael Timbalian set in amongst their opponents, Kampala-based Kalolo Senior Secondary School, and the champions crept to victory by one wicket.

Kololo were themselves fortunate to be the opponents after winning a thrilling semi-final tie against far-flung Soroti Light Secondary School. The doughty north-easterners, having already disposed of former champions King's College Budo, Kampala's City High School and Ndejje Senior Secondary School, raised their game again to post 69 for 9 (20 overs). Kololo, in a rain-affected reply, lost two fewer wickets in reaching the same total.

For Soroti, Esther Ngavirrie scored a sparkling 23; for Kololo, Kevin Apio a solid 27 to bring her total for the tournament to 152.

"There was some great cricket out there," said Ronald Ssemanda, a Uganda men's squad member who was standing as umpire. His comments were echoed by organisers, coaches and spectators as they cheered their teams to the drop during the afternoon final at Lugogo oval.

Jinja, led by Hellen Naudo, one of a cricketing dynasty whose brother, Charles Waiswa, opens the bowling for Uganda, were lucky to retain their crown and Kololo lucky to meet them.
Other semi-finalists were Gayaza High School, and 10 teams in all, from the breadth of Uganda, took part in the tournament.

"It was a highly successful tournament," said Diana Musiime, the Uganda women's team manager, who organised the event with an inspired team of assistants. "We can only hope for even better things next year."

Now Uganda's women have the regional Under-19's championships in September to look forward to, followed in December by key qualifiers in Nairobi for the next women's world cup, which they aim to reach.

What will be of interest to the observer was that this competitions was run, staffed, officiated, organised and played by locals - not an expat in sight - and that they played sparkling cricket in sparkling whites.

In what must be one of the most enjoyable developments in cricket outside the top flight, a fortnight ago an exhibition match took place between the Uganda Cricket Association chairman Dr Kato Sebbaale's XI and a touring Cricket Without Boundaries side, the Nomads, in which the principal seam bowler in both innings was a woman.

"Look, McKenzie's bowling," went the cry, and my thoughts turned to memories of Neil McKenzie of Australia coming in and giving it real bite. But no, this McKenzie is a she and she had the new ball in her hand. She bowled four-off and, quite unfazed, bagged the first wicket.
Another young colleague, a lively fielder, was playing on the same side, and when the Nomads came in to bat they too had a female quickie to cope with.

So far it is next door in Kenya that women's cricket has taken a sharp stride forwards with the bringing in of a ladies' team into the men's league structure, albeit with their [male] coach turning out for them. They struggle a bit, but it is doing them oodles of good.

In Uganda, that stage has not yet been reached, but it is being thought about. After several years of lording it over their East African neighbours, the Ugandan ladies caught a cold in December when they lost to the Kenyans in a women's tournament in Nairobi.

But expect this lot to bounce back. They have a busy programme including a girls' school cricket week, an East African women's contest in Kenya and a girls' Under-19 Africa regional tournament at home before they plan to seize the moment in the Women's World Cup Qualifiers in Kenya in December.

Exhausted after doing several laps of the Lugogo Oval before heading off for a net, middle-order batsman Olivia Nalwanga, 23, said: "We train really hard, almost every day. I didn't play in the Nomads game but it was thrilling to see how well McKenzie and the others got on. Despite last December's setback, we're on a roll and we'll soon be back on top in the region. Ebony [Rainsford-Brent], I read your blog on the BBC. Watch out, we're after you!"

Her sentiments sum up the determined attitude of the whole side, which is coached by veteran player Frank Nsubuga. She adds: "Look out, we've got a team worth playing for."

And so, one may ask, who'll be putting a bet on the ladies of Uganda when the next Women's World Cup comes round? I know of at least one person who has done so already.
Colin Macbeth

Colin Macbeth

The thrashing of Warriors by Premier in Uganda's Luswata Cup last weekend provides the perfect ammunition for the introduction of a testing, high-level three or four-day provincial competition in East Africa.

Arthur Kyobe and Lawrence Ssematimba, both making easy centuries, greatly enjoyed themselves and it was a wonderful warm-up 'net' for them at the beginning of the season; but they should not be allowed to have such free licence on a regular basis, instead they must be able to play their cricket at a higher level - as must quick bowlers Asadu and Tabby, who both bagged easy wickets for few runs.

Cup competitions always provide mismatches; and there is nothing wrong with that, as long as it is not a regular occurrence. Uganda are in the world's top 20 and the games their international players take part in need to reflect that.

Two weeks ago I advocated in a Cricinfo piece the creation of an East African provincial league, similar to Zimbabwe's Logan Cup, to allow the skilful players the region has recently thrown up to capitalise on these skills.

After the game at Kiambogo, Dennis Tabby asked: "How was my game?" He had just taken four for 18, but my reply was: "There wasn't any opposition"; and I was right.

The Uganda squad appear in cracking good form at the moment and they need all the leverage they can get. When it comes to the long game, the success of this year's Logan Cup is a sufficient blueprint; at local international level rugby's keenly contested Kenya v Uganda Elgon Cup should act as a catalyst.

For Kenya, they need to slough off the pall of mediocrity and get playing as much proper cricket as they can, and it will take leadership from Cricket Kenya and the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association to allow them to do this.

Sunday's Twenty20 washout in Nairobi - and there had been no advance notice to the public of these games taking place - crams up the final weeks of their season, which ends on April 11, before they go to Holland to meet Netherlands in Amsterdam on July 1.

For Uganda, the main season has only just started, and their talented players, both men and women, must build up the momentum for their key International Shield fixture with Namibia in September.

The future is there to be seized, so - "carpe diem" - let the players be provided with the stage on which to seize it.

Colin Macbeth

A tremendous six into the pavilion from veteran Richard Davies summed up the success of Cricket Without Boundaries' dynamic coaching tour of Uganda earlier this month.

The tour took in landslide-struck Mbale, and Mbarara, Kasese and Fort Portal in the west - from where raw talent is reported - before gravitating to the capital, Kampala, where the Uganda Cricket Association chairman's boys - and girls - took on the tourists and their local assistants in a lively 25-over exhibition match.

Eventually Davies' six did it, and a graceful couple of singles sealed the visitors' victory.

Cricket Without Boundaries has certainly set out its marker in Uganda, where the game is being played with growing enthusiasm among the youth - and, indeed, among some of the old.

The exhibition match at a good-looking Lugogo stadium - and, incidentally, attended by far more people than saw Kenya and Netherlands in the Intercontinental Cup in Nairobi last month - dovetailed nicely with the start of the Ugandan cricket season, which the next day witnessed star-studded Premier trounce newcomers Warriors and Wanderers beat KICC in the keenly contested Luswata Cup.

Richard, who has visited East Africa with Cricket Without Boundaries seven times and will be coaching in Kenya's Rift Valley region next week, is optimistic. "It is excellent how the cricket is coming on here," he said.

In Nakuru and beyond, Cricket Without Boundaries, part of whose brief is to deliver an anti-HIV message, will have a role in helping heal some of the wounds still apparent in the area following post-election ethnic bloodletting in 2008.

The tour also coincides with the Rift Valley Festival at Lake Naivasha, which purports to be part of the healing process.

For cricket, as all know, is a great 'healer and bonder'; and Cricket Without Boundaries' brave, voluntary approach - "those who come are people who want to do it," says Richard - is paying off in more ways than six in many places outside cricket's regular reference points.

Scorecard

The Kenyan spinners made light work of a young Uganda line-up in the opening fixture of the Kenya tri-series Twenty20 tournament at the Gymkhana Club Ground in Nairobi. The event, which also features Scotland is an important warm-up for the Twenty20 Qualifier, staged in Dubai and Abu Dubai, which starts next month.

Kenya were once one of the strongest Associate countries but have struggled in recent years and were beaten at home by Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup on January 28. Today they were comfortable winners as disciplined bowling by experienced offspinner James Kamande (2 for 18) and left-arm spinner Kiren Varaiya (2 for 9) choked the Ugandan middle order and restricted the total to123 for 9 from the twenty overs.

Roger Mukasa, the opening batsman, and captain Akbar Baig were the only batsmen to threaten some resistance, as Musaka stroked four boundaries from his 14 deliveries, before he fizzled out, trapped in front by Kamande for 23. Baig tried to steady things with a more patient 23 before he fell in the same way to the same bowler.

A glut of early wickets would have been the only way for Uganda to get themselves back into the game but it wasn't to be as veteran opener Steve Tikilo and David Obuya put on 66 for the first wicket. After Obuya fell for 23, Tikilo completed his 23rd one-day international fifty before falling for 63 from 44 deliveries.

Alex Obanda (31 not out) and captain Maurice Ouma (2 not out) saw the Kenyan's home and they will no doubt face a sterner challenge when they meet Scotland on February 1.

Tony Munro

Uganda were agonisingly close to scoring their first win of their four-match tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) but lost the second Twenty20 match to the home side by two runs in Dubai on Wednesday.

In the team for his slow left-armers, tailender Henry Ssenyondo faced the last ball from Qasim Zubair needing three to win, attempted to pull off good length delivery but missed and was bowled to hand UAE victory.

A win for Uganda had seemed likely when Frank Nsubuga (3 for 9) and Ronald Ssemanda (2 for 18) limited UAE to 112 for nine. Opener Arfan Haider (20) was his team's top scorer, as the hosts never got going.

In their reply, Uganda lost wickets at regular intervals but even when skipper Akbar Baig was run out for 12, leaving Uganda at 65 for five, they still only needed 48 balls from 54 balls. Benjamin Musoke (32) was driving the surge towards the target, but when he was bowled by Ahmed Raza, the last of the recognised batsmen was gone and Uganda were 96 for seven.

UAE 112 (Arfan Haider 20; Frank Nsubuga 3 for 9, Ronald Ssemanda 2 for 18)beat Uganda 110 (Benjamin Musoke 31) by two runs

Tony Munro

It was a new format, but the outcome was the same with United Arab Emirates (UAE) maintaining their superiority over Uganda, winning the first Twenty20 in Dubai on Tuesday by eight wickets.

Uganda rebounded from the early loss of captain Akbar Baig (3) thanks to experienced pair Roger Mukasa and Frank Nsubuga who put on 55 in eight overs before Mukasa (29 from 29 balls) was bowled by Fayyaz Ahmed leaving Uganda at 58 for 2.

Ahmed, the Gujarat-born slow left-armer, took the key top-order wickets of Mukasa, Arthur Kyobe and Frank Nsubuga to return 3 for 18 from his four overs. Veteran allrounder Benjamin Musoke chipped in with a breezy 22 from 16 balls which included two fours but received little support as Uganda finished on 119 for seven.

There was a brief hiccup in the UAE reply when young Ugandan fast bowler, Dennis Tabby, removed openers, Mohammad Iqbal and Arfan Haider (both for 11), reducing UAE to 24 for 2.

Haider's innings set the tone for the rest of his team; he hit a six and a four before he was dismissed. Saqib Ali and Khurram Khan continued in kind, smashing 96 runs in 12.1 overs to ease UAE home with 4.1 overs to spare. Along the way, Saqib struck three fours and a six while Khurram hit five fours.

The final game between the teams is a Twenty20 on Wednesday.

Uganda 119 for 7 (RG Mukasa 29, AS Kyobe 31, B Musoke 22; Fayyaz Ahmed 3 for 18, Qadir 2 for 29) lost to UAE 120 for 2 (Saqib 44*, Khurram 46*, D Tabby 2 for 10.

Uganda held off a spirited bowling display from United Arab Emirates to ensure their match ended in a draw on the fourth day at Abu Dhabi. Arshad Ali's hundred, with able support from Saqib Ali's fluent 77, had allowed UAE to declare at 282 for 9 to set Uganda an unlikely target of 271 to chase in their second innings.

Amjad Javed, Qasim Zubair and Shoaib Sarwar then combined to reduce Uganda to 36 for 5 less than 20 overs into the innings, but Ronald Ssemanda and Frank Nsubuga's impregnable defences salvaged a draw.

Click here for the full report.

Tony Munro

UAE 50 for 1 (Arfan 29*, Iqbal 12) beat Uganda 49 (Ben Musoke 12, Nawaz 4-16, Amjad 2-23, Ahmed Raza 2-2) by nine wickets

United Arab Emirates (UAE) thrashed Uganda by nine wickets and with 44 overs to spare, in the first one-day match at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on Monday. Being put in, Uganda crumbled to 49 all out in 29.4 overs with allrounder Benjamin Musoke (12) the only batsman to reach double figures. Dubai-born bowler Amjad Javed caused early inroads removing experienced opener Roger Mukasa and captain Asad Baig to reduce Uganda to 10 for 2. Fellow opening bowler Qadar Nawaz, making his one-day debut, then capitalised to take 4 for 16 from 10 overs.

When UAE batted, another debutant made an impact as Arfan Haider belted 29 from 18 balls including thee fours and two sixes to propel UAE past Uganda's total in just six overs. Deusdedit Muhumza, in his first match for Uganda, took the consolation wicket of Mohammad Iqbal.

The two teams play the second match of the series in Dubai on Tuesday, with the last game scheduled the following day.

Kenya's miserable 2009 continued with humiliating defeats in both Twenty20 internationals against Uganda in Nairobi. The matches, which were intended to help prepare the Kenyans for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers early next year, have instead raised even more questions about the quality of the national side.

Even though Uganda are widely touted as one of the up-and-coming Associates, they should not have troubled their better equipped and professional neighbours. But in both games Kenya, who batted first, failed to score nearly enough runs. In the first match they were bowled out for 88 and were beaten by four wickets; in the second, they did little better, making 104 for 7 before going down by two wickets with two balls in hand.

The top-order batting looked weak and folded under the first sign of pressure. That gave their bowlers almost nothing to play with and, in the circumstances, they did well to keep their side in the contest for as long as they did.

The beleagured Kenyan selectors will point to missing names, but that will cut little ice with an increasingly frustrated cricket fraternity. However, Uganda will be rightly buoyed by the results.

A one-day series follows. Anything other than a comprehensive success for the Kenyans could lead to quiet mutterings becoming altogether more hostile criticism.

Cricket Kenya is planning to run a four-team Twenty20 competition involving two teams from neighbours Uganda early in the New Year as part of the preparations for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers in March.

Negotiations between the boards are “at an advanced stage” according to a source close to the Kenyan board, and high-profile sponsors are being courted to fund the event.

The intention is to field two Kenya teams – in effect an A and B XI – alongside similar sides from Uganda, a country considered to be one of the up-and-coming Associates.

If successful, the concept could be expanded into a 50-over competitions and ultimately a three-day tournament. It replaces the one-off Super League which was run in June 2008 and featured four teams made up of the leading Kenyan cricketers.

The ICC has announced the remaining fixtures in the inaugural Intercontinental Shield, the second tier first-class competition for Associates.

The one remaining match this year sees Namibia host UAE from December 8, and then UAE have a home tie against Uganda starting on January 20. In April Namibia take on Bermuda, in June Bermuda host UAE and next September Uganda are at home to Namibia in the final round-robin match. The final will be played in Dubai between November 25 and 28, 2010.

However, there is little at stake as the ICC has decided that there will be no promotion between the Intercontinental Shield and the senior Intercontinental Cup.

Mpeke Muhumuza has been sacked as Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) chief executive just three months into his tenure following what was described as “a failure to meet expectations”.

Given Uganda’s rising profile – many tout them as the rising force in African cricket – the news will be a blow to the standing of the board and questions have to be asked about the appointment in the first place. Muhumuza was picked after a long selection process which involved the UCA and the ICC.

“The first thing we expected him to do was to set targets for the employees and give them job references,” said board chairman Kato Sebbaale. “He’d spent over two months in the office and he had not done anything about this. If he failed in the start, how could he professionalise the entire game?”

Sebbaale and administrative officer Martin Ondeko will fill in while the red-faced UCA start the whole recruitment process again.

Uganda will travel to Dubai in February to play the United Arab Emirates and later host Namibia in August in their ICC Intercontinental Shield campaign. Uganda started well with a win in Bermuda, and are early favourites to reach the final.

And Uganda have hired a South African coach, Fayyaaz Mohiudeen, as a temporary replacement for Ebrahim Mohammed who is back home attending a course.

Uganda’s coach at the recent ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers has said the ICC needs to look at where events are staged if players are to be discouraged from jumping ship and seeking political asylum.

Sam Walusimbi was speaking following the disappearance of six of the Uganda squad who remained behind in Toronto when the remainder of the team flew back home. There whereabouts remains unknown, as does that of five of the Afghanistan squad who also went into hiding.

“The ICC may have to re-think where such qualifiers are hosted,” Walusimbi told Uganda’s Observer newspaper. “When we went to Sri-Lanka, no players disappeared. I guess qualifiers should be in less developed countries.”

Earlier this week an ICC spokesman told Cricinfo: "[It] is the responsibility of each of those members. It is also the responsibility of those members to have knowledge of each of their players and their likely behaviour."

Walusimbi also said the onus was on the board to pick players who were less likely to use a tournament as an excuse to seek political asylum. “If you are to assess the players that didn’t return with us as planned, they’ve all dropped out of school if I’m not mistaken. They looked at Canada as a lifetime opportunity to improve their lives, which I think they didn’t envision here. They had nothing to lose if they stayed abroad but all to gain. That’s my feeling but I guess the players are in better position to explain their move.

“One lesson we’ve learned is the kind of players we have to pick in the future teams; the kind we are sure have a stake here at home to protect and so can’t run away.”

He admitted the loss of the six was a major blow to future plans. “The sudden loss of players is never good. It affects your plans and as far as I am concerned, I thought some of these lads were going to graduate to the senior team. It’s difficult to develop a player in cricket. Nevertheless, although it’s a big blow, we’ll build other players, I guarantee.”

An ICC spokesman has criticised players from Afghanistan and Uganda who absconded at the end of the recent ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers in Toronto, and who are believed to be looking to claim asylum in Canada.

Reacting to concerns that the players' action will have a detrimental effect on future tournaments, a spokesman told Cricinfo: "The ICC does not condone the act of players absconding during or after playing in an overseas tournament. Such an action does not benefit anyone: it affects the member from whom the players come as it means it is weaker for subsequent events.

"It affects the country where they come from as it damages its reputation and, potentially at least, makes it harder for nationals and players without intentions to remain in a country illegally to obtain travel documents in the future; and it damages the reputation of cricket. Even those that abscond are potentially worse off as they become illegal within that country."

There has been growing concern that the recent defections will make it harder for players from some countries to obtain visas for future events. "The ICC does not play a role in obtaining visas for member boards," the spokesman said. "That is the responsibility of each of those members. It is also the responsibility of those members to have knowledge of each of their players and their likely behaviour."

Asked if the ICC might take a more hands-on role in such matters, the spokesman said it was not for the ICC to interfere in the way that teams are selected. "The ICC does not seek to vet, to approve or disapprove of any selections of players for any teams and that has to be correct; each member is free to select whoever it sees fit."

Things go from bad to worse for Ugandan cricket and, by association, for the dreams of many young cricketers across Africa, with an admission that seven players, and not six as first reported, went missing at the end of the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier in Toronto.

Reaction back at home has not been good. Former Uganda board chairman Abbey Lutaya said it was “a great setback for Ugandan sport”. He continued: “It is indeed a big step backwards to the many achievements cricket had attained. Uganda have worked hard on the cricket front and with the hard work almost bearing fruit, these little boys decide to spoil everything now,”

“They are so talented and it is catastrophic that not one but seven of them decide to vanish.”
Cassim Suliman, chief executive of the Africa Cricket Association, said he was “not happy”, adding: "It sets a bad precedent and basically we need to somehow look at countering this by getting other measures in place."

The Uganda Cricket Assocation has asked the Canadian authorities to repatriate the missing players as and when they are found.

While this has been linked with a similar incident in 2007 when two Ugandan players absconded after an ICC tournament in Australia and subsequently claimed asylum, there is confusion over the status of the seven.

They have no documentation - the management appear to have been holding their passports to try to avoid such an incident – but Canadian police said no laws had been broken as the seven were all legally in the country on six-month visas. However, it is believed the country’s immigration department are not taking quite such a relaxed view.

Speaking to Canada’s National Post, Dr. Joanna Quinn, an assistant professor at the University of Western Ontario who has extensive knowledge of Ugandan politics, said it was easier for Ugandans to get visas to Canada than to the USA or UK and played down suggestions they were seeking political asylum.

“It doesn't seem to make sense,” she said. “The only thing I can think of is [that they are seeking] economic improvements.”

Uganda’s sporting authorities have confirmed rumours that six of the Under-19 side which participated in the World Cup Qualifier in Toronto are unaccounted for. The players were due to return home with the rest of the squad on Tuesday but it has emerged they have been missing for more than 72 hours.

Latimer Mukasa, speaking on behalf of the Ugandan board, said the six - Ahmed Yakub, the captain, Emmanuel Nakaana, Geoffrey Nyero, Moses Okwera, Andrew Ochan and Ahmad Sangau - were reported missing by the team’s manager on Saturday.

“We were informed that these players had run away,” Mukasa told Uganda’s New Vision newspaper. “[The manager] said the last he had seen them was on Friday night, around 11.30pm. When he woke up the following morning, the players were gone. At this moment, we don’t want to speculate about why they left. It could be all sorts of things - it is possible they (players) were up to some mischief and they’ll be found.”

However, despite Mukasa stating they “could turn up at any minute”, the revelation will draw parallels with the situation two years ago when two members of the Uganda side which had been competing in the World Cricket League in Australia absconded and subsequently claimed asylum. The pair have never returned home.

The Canadian authorities were criticised in some quarters after Sierra Leone were unable to participate in the Qualifers as a result of their team’s visa applications not being able to be processed in time. With hindsight, their caution appears to have been justified.

If it does turn out the six Uganda players have disappeared with the aim of avoiding returning home, they will have dealt a major blow to the dream of many young cricketers from developing countries to play abroad. Their actions can only increase the difficulties facing players from Associate and Affiliate countries in obtaining the necessary visas to enable them to participate in ICC events.

Africa needs to look hard at itself and ask this question: why are there only two teams from the continent going to New Zealand for the Under-19s World Cup in January? And of the two, no-one can ever be too sure about Zimbabwe.

No non-Test nation (apart, now, from Zimbabwe) has made it through from Africa; whereas Asia will have six representatives (two non-Test sides), the Americas and Caribbean three (two non-Test nations), the Antipodes three (Australia, New Zealand and non-Test Papua New Guinea), and Europe two (one non-Test).

Uganda nearly made it through, but in the end they came out also-rans and, like Vanuatu, hom they beat, were not really up to scratch. Sierra Leone did not appear for the Toronto qualifiers - might they have been a surprise package or, more likely, mere fodder for the better teams? And Kenya were a no-shower for other reasons, compounded in part by their own foolishness amid premature assumptions that they would host the tournament.

So, the second question is this - and it's one that's been asked before: whither Africa?

South Africa will always hold its own; Zimbabwe seems possibly to be coming back; Uganda (where 38,000 people play the game) still appears promising; and Kenya has a lot to do. Backstage, Tanzania also hold promise, but Botswana recently took a biffing at the World Cricket League Division 6 event in Singapore.

Nigeria may be an untapped talent; Ghana are making efforts to climb; Malawi, on the other hand, and Zambia too, have faded away. Namibia are somewhere in-between, blowing hot and cold. One day Morocco may come through, but it will be a long time before Mali does.
In the wings, and whether they can fly or not nobody really knows, are Mozambique, Rwanda, Lesotho, Swaziland, Cameroon and the Gambia, while way offshore there lies little St Helena.

As yet, no Egypt. Why not?

It's not a particularly rosy picture; nor is it one of total despair. What it does illustrate, though, is that more resources need to be ploughed into the continent and proper development programmes carried through.

We could start with no less than adequate press coverage of cricket, so desperately lacking across most of the continent. So let's start there; the oxygen of publicity may be the saving of cricket in Africa.

What do others say?

Colin MacBeth

The most talented young players in Associate and Affiliate cricket gather in Toronto this week in an attempt to qualify for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, staged in New Zealand.

While the opportunity of competing against the best young squads from larger nations, such as Australia and India, is at the forefront of the players' ambitions, the tournament gives them a chance to impress and perhaps even press for a place in the senior team. Ireland's Paul Stirling, a highly regarded left-hander, turns 19 September 3 and displayed his potential during his senior side's three-run defeat to England on Thursday, cracking 30 from 26.

Click here for the full story.

Uganda opener Roger Mukasa's maiden century gave the visitors their second successive win over Bermuda in Hamilton.

A hurricane threat over the weekend forced the home board to cancel the two scheduled 50-over games and convert the Twenty20 to be played on Monday into a 50-over affair - the last national fixture for coach Gus Logie, whose contract with Bermuda will run out shortly.

Click here for the full report.

The summer season of Associate cricket continues to take shape with various announcements about games being arranged.

Afghanistan's first foray into mainstream competition starts in the rather unlikely setting of Mutare where they take on Zimbabwe in a four-day Intercontinental Cup tie starting on August 16. From there the Afghans head to Europe where they meet Netherlands in the same competition starting on August 24 and follow that with their first two stand-alone ODIs on August 30 and September 1.

Kenya, meanwhile, head to Toronto where their Intercontinental Cup tie against Canada starts on August 7 and is followed by three ODIs on August 12, 14 and 16.

On August 17 Scotland's game with Ireland starts, and that is followed by an ODI weekend as two matches are held on August 22 and 23 ahead of Ireland's ODI against England on August 27 and Scotland's against Australia on August 28.

In the new Intercontinental Shield, Bermuda host Uganda in a four-day match starting on August 17 and the two then play a brace of one-day games on August 22 and 23 with a one-off Twenty20 clash on August 24

A new cricket ground has been built in Mbarara, the south west of Uganda, which was opened by Brian Lara. The former West Indies batsman later gave training tips to cricketers from Ntare School, Uganda Martyrs Primary School and the Asian Community in Mbarara.

“Talent accounts for only ten percent, the rest you have to have love for the game and practice [sic]," Lara told the Daily Monitor. "I begun at an early age and by eighteen years I was already [a] star."

Ntare school’s deputy headmaster, Eliab Tumushabe, took the opportunity to remind the world that cricket remains quite out of reach for many in Uganda.

"The cricket equipment is very expensive and the game has many technicalities," he told the newspaper. "The old boys who played the game in the good days should come back and revive that glory."

Rwanda's failure to show up - for whatever reason - and some poor weather put a dampener on the first two days of the Africa Cricket Association (ACA) East Africa Under-13 boys' competition in Nakuru, Kenya.

Rwanda were flagged as one of the successes of the African development programme / Cricket Without Borders enterprise, so their absence, if only to gauge the team's progress, was a disappointment.

Matches were being played at Rift Valley Sports Club and Greensteds School, south of Nakuru.

Results
Day One - Kenya 108 for 3 beat Tanzania 96 for 7; Kenya 93 lost to Uganda 94 for 7
Day Two - Tanzania 92 lost to Uganda 93 for 6; Tanzania v Kenya (rained off)

Colin Macbeth

Uganda and Sierra Leone booked their places in the Under-19 World Cup qualifying tournament later this year after finishing first and second in the Africa Under-19 Championship in Zambia. They will join Afghanistan, Hong Kong and the top two teams from the Americas, East Asia-Pacific and Europe regions in a play-off, from which the top five teams from that tournament will join the ten ICC Full Members and hosts Kenya in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup.

Uganda and Sierra Leone met in the final round of matches, and it was Uganda who won a rain-affected game despite being bowled out for 91. Chasing a revised target of 83 in 20 overs, Sierra Leone lost too many wickets too quickly and only managed 35 for 8, Geofrey Nyero returning remarkable figures of 6 for 7.

That result meant that Namibia could have overtaken Sierra Leone with an emphatic win over the hugely disappointing Kenyans, but after they had posted 158 for 7, the match was abandoned six overs into Kenya's reply. The one point Namibia earned was not enough.

Hosts Zambia finished fourth thanks to a 63-run win over Tanzania, but again the weather meant the game was decided by Duckworth-Lewis calculations. Zambia made 133 and Tanzania struggled to 42 for 7 before the rain returned.

Nigeria showed why they finished bottom without a win as they were dismissed for 68 by Botswana, who went on to amble to a six-wicket win.

               P   W  NR   L   Pts      NRR 

Uganda         7   6   0   1    12     -0.31

Sierra Leone   7   5   0   2    10      1.18

Namibia        7   4   1   2     9      0.83

Zambia         7   4   0   3     8      0.10

Kenya          7   3   1   3     7     -0.22

Botswana       7   3   0   4     6     -0.44

Tanzania       7   2   0   5     4     -0.43

Nigeria        7   0   0   7     0     -1.36

Sierra Leone continue to surprise opponents and followers of the Africa Under-19 Championship in topping the table. After the fifth day they are joint-first with Namibia on eight points, but with a superior net run-rate, thanks to another win over Zambia by 85 runs. Chasing 177 Zambia were skittled for 91 with Ibrahim Kabia picking up 3 for 8. Elsewhere, Namibia thrashed Nigeria by ten wickets while Kenya – who are in a disappointing fourth position – beat Tanzania by 19 runs. Uganda pulled off a thrilling one-wicket win over Botswana when they rather underestimated their target of 114, losing nine wickets – three of them to Waseem Tajbhai. Their last pair saw them across the line, however, with overs (if not nerves) to spare.

---- Points table ----
1. Sierra Leone (8 points, NRR: 1.03)
2. Namibia (8, 0.87)
3. Uganda (6, -0.56)
4. Kenya (6, 0.10)
5. Zambia (4, -0.12)
6. Botswana (4, -0.44)
7. Tanzania (2, -0.39)
8. Nigeria (0, -2.02)

As the dust settles on the ICC World Cup Qualifiers – aside from Sunday’s rather pointless play-offs – we highlight what each team comes away from South Africa with.

Qualification for the 2011 World Cup
Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands

ODI status for four years
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland

Intercontinental Cup 2009-10
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE

ICC World Cricket League Division 1
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland

ICC World Cricket League Division 2
Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda, UAE

ICC World Cricket League Division 3
Denmark, Oman

ICC High Performance Programme grant funding 2009 and 2010
Afghanistan, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE, Uganda

Brian Lara is expected to visit Uganda in June, according to the Daily Monitor. He has been invited by the Trinidad & Tobago High Commission and the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) to visit between June 2 and 10.

"The provisional schedule includes a meeting with the sports minister, cricket sponsors and also hold two training sessions with the national team," a source told the newspaper.

Lara will be visiting the nation's main cricket venue - Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese - as well as a number of schools. He is also expected to feature in a friendly game at Lugogo Oval and attend a dinner hosted by the UCA.

Uganda recently finished 10th among 12 teams at the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, losing to Bermuda by eight wickets in the 9th place playoff.

Uganda's principle aim in the forthcoming World Cup Qualifiers is to earn themselves ODI status (read the full piece with their captain, Junior Kwebiha, here.) However, they've gone one step further in their quest by bringing on board a professional motivational speaker, Kader Amien:

"He is a sports motivator and motivational speaker," Mohammed made a brief introduction of the man who's been enlisted to buildup Uganda's fortitude.

"He'll be working with the boys for the first two or three games and has even expressed interest in continuing with the team if it qualifies for the World Cup."

The bit about qualifying for the World Cup is still a long way away but Mohammed is confident Amien's presence will serve to get Uganda closer to it.

"He used to come up and motivate the boys when I was still coach of Western Province (in South Africa) and he did a great job there so he'll help," added Mohammed.

New Vision has the full piece.

Uganda's impressive performances at the ICC World Cricket League in Argentina could help Dr. Kato Sebbaale re-claim his seat as President of the Uganda Cricket Association.

Click here for more.

Tony Munro

The Ugandan allrounder and player of the tournament at the recent World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in Argentina, Kenneth Kamyuka, is likely to continue batting in the lower order for the World Cup Qualifiers (WCQs) in South Africa in April. Ebrahim Mohamed, coach of Uganda, rejected assertions that the 27-year-old would be of more use batting higher in the order.

"Kenny batted in the correct place in Argentina - we needed him to come in and hit boundaries, during the batting Powerplay as well, so as the coach I will make the decisions as required. Kenny will bat at seven and will go higher when required," Mohamed said.

Uganda would stay home to focus on areas of concern regarding the batting, which Mohamed said needed improving. "I will look to the batters putting in a lot of one-day skill work such as keeping momentum after good starts, rotating the strike, hitting boundaries and the like," he said. "We need to improve in the middle order and get at least 250 to be competitive."

Mohamed, a South African, said he had identified what technical adjustments would be needed to adjust to conditions likely to be encountered during the WCQ. "We know the wickets there are hard and dry with good bounce, and we need to work more on our backfoot shots."

Uganda is in Group A, arguably the stronger of the two groups, alongside Canada, Ireland, Namibia, Oman and Scotland. They play their first match against Nambia on April 1.

Uganda opened their tour of Kenya with a 73-run win against a makeshift Kenya Select XI at the Nairobi Simba Union on Friday. Arthur Kyombe, Uganda’s opening batsman, spearheaded the winners’ batting line up with a brilliant performance with the bat.

Uganda won the toss and elected to bat. Kyombe top scored with 83 and put on handy stands with Akbar Baig (12) and Kwebiha Junior (39). But Kyombe was dropped twice, at 28 and 42, by Tony Suji and Benjamin Oluoga respectively. He was eventually dismissed by Suji, hitting out to deep mid-off. Uganda set the opposition a target of 195. James Ngoche, an offspinner, finished with 4 for 25.

In reply, Kenya got off to a horrid start, losing opener Kennedy Obuya cheaply. He edged Charles Waiswa to Lawrence Sematimba for 1 and it all went downhill from there.

The next match is at the Nairobi Gymkhana.

Innocent Ndawula, a sports writer with Uganda's Daily Monitor, looks back at the country's fortunes in 2008

And the cricket oscars go to...
2008 was undoubtedly better for Ugandan cricket, but again, it was only good and not great. The decisive time is going to be in January 2009 when the senior team takes on the world for a berth at the 2011 World Cup. These are the awards.

Grandest entrance
Mohammed Barney Ebrahim! He arrived on a Sunday evening July 13, was chauffered to Hotel Africana and later unveiled on Monday morning at the home of cricket in Lugogo. The game was changing, quicker than anyone imagined. 48-year-old Barney, a former South Africa National Cricket Academy and South Africa ‘A’ coach was being unveiled as new head coach, taking over from Kenyan Franco Otieno. Surrounded by the big wigs of the game, albeit keeping the financial details away from the menu, Barney’s terms of contract were spelt out with qualification in Argentina ranking highest on the list. UCA went the extra mile to court the big man but the team will have to ‘dig deep’ like Barney likes to say.

Highest point
There were wins over Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from England, Afripals and Kenya ‘A’ but the scenes of delirium in Nairobi when Uganda bloodied the noses of the Zimbabweans by 17 runs (D/L Method) in their pre-tournament warm-up on the Kenya tour in October will live in the memories of many for a long time.

And it was no fluke. Zimbabwe came out charging with the captain of the day Hamilton Masakadza setting the tone for a big total but Uganda outplayed them in every department.
The African giants grew increasingly flustered in the final overs but the batsmen Arthur Kyobe (51), Joel Olweny (31) and Roger Mukasa Galiwango (18) kept their heads and when the heavens came down, Uganda was 17 runs past the required target. One swallow doesn’t make a year great but it sure makes you feel better.

Oldie of the season
When he lost his job as UCA chairman during the polls, William Kibuuka-Musoke looked like he had finally packed up his cricket gear and set for a quieter life on the sidelines. But then, cricket is life to him.

His brainchild Tornado ‘B’ suffered notable absentees including Kenneth Kamyuka who earned a contract with Toronto-based Brampton Masters CC, national team call-ups to a couple of his players and they came calling for the veteran’s wit. Kabuki’s life changed. He was instrumental in Tornado B’s Champions Trophy success, forming an impressive new ball-partnership with Moses Otiti. Wickets didn’t come in hatfuls but the season will be memorable as apart from financing the club, spending a fortune on the professionals, he was instrumental in helping them scoop their maiden title since the club’s inauguration in 2005.

Unlikely hero
Africa Cricket Club’s Daniel Strachan never thought he would play any cricket when he got employment in Uganda. But like any cricket lover, he packed his kit bag and the rest is history. The Aussie joined fading giants ACC, coming along with him the big fighting Aussie heart. He instilled belief into the misfiring former champions and became the most-dreaded opening bowler in the league. His batting was up there too. He helped ACC stave off relegation and his award as ‘ACC Player of the Season’ was worthwhile.

Lowest point
The total no-show against province and academy sides in South Africa during the one-month build up tour for the Division III World Cricket League scheduled for Argentina in January left many doubting whether our team could compete. But the time spent at the High Performance Center (HPC) in Pretoria was dedicated to training and many will want to look at it as water under the bridge.

But the lowest point of the season has got to be the untimely departure of the cheeky Henry ‘Santos’ Ssebulime (RIP). A jolly-good fellow with charisma like no one else. A former national team player, who opted for cricket ahead of soccer, Santos had risen to the rank of national team manager for the ladies team and his death left a bitter taste in many’s mouths.
The Devil of Death clawed in form a drunken driver that Sunday morning of January 6, taking amiable Santos away from this materialistic world to possibly a better place where honey and milk flow for eternity.

Desperate signing
Not that it’s any necessary to labour the point, but Tornado ‘B’s signing of the Kenyan duo of Josephat Ababu and Francis Obuya was a very depressing moment. It was the most desperate of solutions to the club’s problems and bid to stay on course for the coveted National League title. And was only going to end one way!

In their only match for the club, the pair managed no more than 28 runs and 1 wicket. Tornado B lost that game to Wanderers and forthwith its grip on the title. Big spending Tornado B’ were made to believe the hard way; that money, clearly, isn’t the answer to everything.

Top performer
In the end, Tornado B had a forgettable season but for a long time they were frontrunners in all competitions. That was partly due to Ronald Ssemanda, and his stand-out performances. The 20-year-old all-rounder didn’t feature for the national team on its travels because of academic obligations at Aga Khan but his record at the local level stood tall. He piled an excess of 160 runs in his two innings during the Castle Champions Trophy to prove his prowess.

In the league, Ssemanda raked up 315 runs at 52.5 and snared 12 wickets. The adjudicators duly crowned him as Man of Series and Yosia Matovu Young

Player of the Year.
The selectors further rewarded the youngster by naming him on the 14-man team that will represent Uganda in the Buenos Airies tournament.

New kids on the block
Dr. Kato Sebbaale always had strong views on how cricket should be run and it was deserved that ‘persuasion talk’ from the elders within the fraternity saw him stand and assume power.
This year provided the new Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) boss a chance to “get cricket right”, after a forgettable year in 2007. Sebbaale is an eloquent talker and his decision and actions, too, have been of big impact. There is still a lot of food on his plate, though, but Sebbaale might just be the man. Junior Kwebiiha and Richard Mwami were the other new men assuming responsibility roles as senior team captain and manager respectively, although for them it a second reign to those posts.

Best quote
“This group of guys reminds me of the West Indies team. They are very talented, full of life and bubbling with a lot of enthusiasm. I only have to work on their technique and mental preparedness. I’m focused on making them the best team in the continent after South Africa.”

Coach Mohammed Barney Ebrahim, never one to mince his words, gives his forthright view on the Uganda cricket team after his first week in charge.

Uganda retained their East African Women's Championship title with a ten-run win over hosts Kenya in the final, but it was a tournament that raised major questions regarding the standard of those competing.

Click here for more

Uganda and Kenya, as expected, emerged as the favourites after convincing wins in the first two rounds of the Africa Cricket Association women’s tournament in Nairobi.

Kenya recorded the most comprehensive victory, thrashing Rwanda by 330 runs. Kenya rattled up 397 for 3 with Sara Batika smashing an 187 not out and sharing an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 260 with Emily Ruto (74*). In reply, Rwanda managed 67 as Margret Banja took 4 for 17.

Uganda beat Tanzania by seven-wickets at Ngara Sports Club Oval in Nairobi, bowling their neighbours out for 61, and earlier added to Rwanda’s gloom by beating them by 276 runs.

The schedule for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 which takes place in Argentina next month has been announced. The two finalists will progress to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in April.

Click here for the complete schedule

Tony Munro

Uganda have appointed Junior Kwebiha as captain for the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Argentina next month.

The 27-year-old Kwebiha replaces 20-year-old Davis Arinaitwe who skippered Uganda on their arduous 30-day tour of South Africa last month. Uganda returned home with a one win out of 11 matches facing (by Associate standards) formidable opposition including some provincial teams.

It's Kwebiha's second stint as captain. During his first, which started in March, 2004, he lead Uganda to a shock five-wicket win against Namibia in the Intercontinental Cup in Windhoek.

The other teams in the WCL Division Three tournament are Afghanistan, Argentina, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea.

Emmanuel Nakaana’s 58 guided Uganda to a ten-wicket win over Rwanda in the opening round of the ICC East Africa Under-17 tournament. In the day’s other game, Kenya thrashed defending champions Tanzania by 100 runs.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Although the ICC draws considerable flak on many fronts, it is quietly committed to promoting the game in as many countries as possible, and it does that by means of a myriad of competitions and initiatives. Most do not warrant much media attention, but they are there and they work.

Until now, the gripe of the smaller countries, and especially those bubbling just underneath the top flight, has been about the inequality of the way in which the game is financed. That was never more apparent than when it came to earnings from last year's World Cup.

Ireland got a flat fee of US$125,000 a year for four years for taking part, and on top of that they received another $50,000 for reaching the Super Eights. However, because of the extra costs involved in their progression, not least because their players are not professional cricketers and their absences from their full-time jobs had to be underwritten, Ireland's success actually left the board out of pocket.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, turned up, tied with Ireland and never threatened to progress after being thumped by Pakistan and West Indies. For those three matches, Zimbabwe Cricket received US$11 million, their share of the pot as a Full Member.

The top six Associates receive no more than US$500,000 a year - some substantially less - to fund their entire operations. Out of that they have to pay all their cricketing and administration costs. Only those with a low cost of living, such as Kenya, can hope to maintain a professional squad on that kind of money.

The gulf between the haves and have-nots is further widened by the limited sums Associates can earn from sponsorship and media contracts. Zimbabwe can exploit home series against, say, India to carve out lucrative TV deals worth millions, and on the back of that, attract shirt- and other corporate sponsorship. As highlighted by Scotland's failure to secure any TV deal for their forthcoming ODI against England, the Associates struggle to get such income streams.

The new deals will provide a substantial increase for Associates, especially for the countries who are pressing for space at the top table. Until now the share has been roughly equal, rewarding Netherlands and Kenya on par with Thailand and Fiji. The new system will see more demarcation between the top Associates and the rest.

The leading ten could earn as much as US$1.5 million a year from 2009. There will then be an onus on them to professionalise their administrations, but several of them are already well down that route. They will also be more accountable - the ICC does not want a repeat of the mess that came following a spike in Kenya's funding earlier in the decade.

The second-string Associates will also get more - around US$160,000 as a base figure - but then again the demands on them are less. Even Affiliates will receive US$15,000, with the opportunity for more should they make a good enough case. There will also be more cash in the pot for participating and hosting competitions.

There have never been more opportunities for development outside the Full Member countries, but there remain some nagging worries.

The main one is how to bridge the gap between semi and full-blown professionalism. Almost all the Associates rely on dedicated amateurs, both on and off the field. As the number of ICC competitions has increased - and they have to be welcomed - the pressure has begun to tell. Scotland and Ireland particularly have already found players cannot meet all their commitments, and even the increased income will not allow them to employ a full-time squad.

"So much of putting players on full-time retainers depends on how many fixtures we can command," Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland's chief executive, said. "At the moment, all we can promise the squad in 2009 is a World Cup qualifying campaign, eight FP Trophy matches, an England game, and probably some Intercontinental Cup matches. Of course, we hope to have more, but can't be sure at the moment.

"Our top players are already plying their trade in county cricket, while others have full-time jobs which they may not wish to give up. The actual number of players that the coach will want to put on a full-time contract, or else the number that even want to have one, may not be that many."

The other quandary is how to get them fixtures. Kenya, widely regarded as the leading Associate, have found it almost impossible to get Full Member countries to visit or host them. As a result they invariably play other Associates. Good for the win-loss ratio, not so clever in providing the kind of experience that no amount of money can buy.

These issues will need to be addressed, but for now the future has never looked so promising beyond the Test world.

Uganda allrounder Kenneth Kamyuka has been signed by the Toronto District Cricket Association champions Brampton Masters. Kamyuka, 26, left for Canada last week.

“I last played professional cricket a couple of years ago and this is definitely going to be a whole new challenge for me. I’m enjoying good form and I’m ready for the challenge as a professional."

Click here for more from Uganda's Monitor newspaper.

South Africa have agreed to host Uganda for a month to enable them to prepare for their participation in the World Cricket League Division Three competition which is being staged in Argentina in January.

The top two sides in the event will go through to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, and Uganda are one of the favourites. They will be based in South Africa for approximately a month before the start of the tournament.

Rwanda's cricketers have been boosted by two new sponsors ahead of next week’s ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in Johannesburg.

MTN offered Frw1.5m and v added Frw 0.4m to join sponsors which include the ministry of sports and culture, Rwandair Express and Rwanda Development Bank.

A Ugandan side will play two matches against Rwanda – one Twenty20 and one 50-over contest – this week. Srinath Vardhineni, Rwanda’s captain, said that the team were looking forward to a good performance. "How well we perform against the Ugandans will have a huge bearing on how we shall play in South Africa,” he said.

The Uganda Cricket Association hosted a touring side from The Marylebone Cricket Club form 13th February through to 1st March 2008. The MCC engaged in a number of activities that included among others coaching sessions for U15 secondary school pupils and the people with disabilities’ team of Uganda. They also played a number of games against the Uganda and Kenya under 19 teams, the Uganda “A” team and the Uganda National team.

The tour party that consisted of 13 players and three officials was hosted to a welcome cocktail and closing dinner by the Uganda Cricket Association, during which they pledged to support the Association in its quest for the development of the game of cricket. At these two functions the visitors got to meet some of the most celebrated persons in Ugandan cricket such as John Nagenda, A K Lutaaya and Sam Walusimbi among others.

Cricket Clinics

Apart from the games played, the tour party from MCC run cricket clinics for young people in the cricket playing school of Kings’ College Budo and for the Disabled National Team. During these sessions, tips and drills on how to better play the game of cricket were passed on to the participants. Over 70 young upcoming cricketers benefited from these coaching clinics.

The after match sessions that the MCC coaches had with the U19 sides and the senior sides also went a long way in enriching the knowledge of cricket among the players as they got to share experiences and challenges with their English counterparts that had played the game at another level. Due to the politically triggered violence in Kenya, for safely reasons, the MCC tour team was not able to travel to Kenya as originally planned. The Kenya U19 National Team was invited to play against the MCC tour team in Kampala. Two games were played between the two teams as shown earlier.

The MCC tour side was quick to commend the Uganda Cricket Association for the tremendous steps that were being made towards ensuring the development and success of the game of cricket within the country. The association was particularly lauded for its vibrant youth development that targeted the development of cricket from the grass roots and has been able to attract support from local companies.

The MCC tour party promised to identify talented youngsters who would be attached to selected county teams to enable them develop their game and consequently bolster the quality of the Ugandan game. The tour party was hosted to a farewell dinner at the Lugogo Cricket Oval on the 28th of February, before their departure of the 1st March 2008.

This article appeared in a recent ICC Development newsletter

Uganda Cricket Association hosted the AfriPals Cricket team from Kenya over the Easter Weekend, 21st – 25th March 2008. The AfriPals were scheduled to play a total of three games against Uganda A and UCA select sides. The AfriPal’s delegation which was headed by Coach Martin Suji consisted of several big names from the Kenyan National side such as Peter Ongondo, Jimmy Kamade, David Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Alfred Lusano, Elijah Otieno and Tony Suji among others. Of the scheduled three games, only one was played as the other two were washed away by the heave Easter Sunday downpour. A very closely contested Pro20 game at the start of the series turned out to be the decider of the series.

AFRIPALS VS UGANDA XI (Saturday 22nd March 2008)
TOSS: UGANDA
SKIPPERS: UGANDA XI - JOEL OLWENY
AFRIPALS - JIMMY KAMANDE
RESULT: UGANDA XI WON BY 1 RUN

The performances of both sides were much appreciated by the funs and Uganda Cricketing fraternity, this tickled a personal offer of a cash token to both teams by Mr. John Nagenda a Senior Presidential Advisor and a senior citizen in the cricket fraternity.

The Uganda Cricket Association executive meet to discuss their calendar and other programmes. The new executive of Dr Kato Ssebbaale shelved all local programmes during the two-week tour of Uganda by the MCC. "Now that visitors have left, we want to concentrate on our local programmes," said Davis Turinawe, the local association’s organising secretary. The meeting discussed tournaments like Luswata Cup and the national league.

The MCC ended their Uganda tour with two emphatic wins over Kenya's Under-19 side. The games were originally scheduled to have been played in Nairobi but were rearranged at Kampala's Kyambogo Oval as a result of Kenya's political unrest following December's presidential elections.

Click here for the full report

MCC drew their three-day match against the Ugandan national XI, but it was a heartening performance from the home side. Uganda made 220 in their first innings with last season’s Middlesex spin pairing of Jamie Dalrymple and Chris Peploe sharing eight wickets. A strong MCC side was expected to take a lead, but in the end it took an unbeaten 68 from Bilal Shafyat to steer them to 193. Uganda reached 195 for 7 before declaring and setting MCC a target of 223 in 47 overs. They lost quick early wickets and settled on playing out time.

Audio interview with Uganda's Davis Arinaitwe (courtesy MCC)

Uganda 220 (Otim 54, Peploe 4-35, Dalrymple 4-62) and 195 for 7 (Dalrymple 4-66) drew with MCC 193 (Shafayat 68) and 114 for 5

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

Click here for the full story.

As revealed by Cricinfo last month, the 2011 World Cup will be shortened and the main victims of the change will be the Associate countries who will have their numbers cut from six to four.

"It is a move we both feared and expected and it's not great news for the Associates," Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of the Irish Cricket Union, told Cricinfo. "Neither is it a great vote of confidence in the ICC's own High Performance Programme.

Click here to tell us what you think of this? Is it the start of the gradual elimination of smaller countries from the World Cup or a necessary and welcome move?

Dr Kato Sebbaale, the new chairman of the Ugandan Cricket Association, has spoken about his plans for the future after ousting William Kibuuka Musoke at a heated AGM last week.

"My victory wasn't a surprise because it looks like everyone was looking for a change," Sebbaale told the New Vision newspaper. "It's like people were suffering deeply before and they are kind of happy that there is a change and that's a challenge because I must really show them the change."

Musoke’s time at the helm ended in bitterness – at the AGM he unsuccessfully attempted to block votes from clubs supporting Sebbaale on minor technicalities and then is believed to have been behind an advertisement in a national newspaper immediately after his removal announcing “the death of Ugandan cricket”. He was also widely accused of squandering advances made in Ugandan cricket and there is no doubt that the sport’s image has suffered in recent months.

"One of my major mandate this year is to try and clean up our image because without it you lose it all," Sebbaale admitted. "Thankfully, I have got a strong team who are very big corporate people, are in business and know how to handle people.

"I have travelled with Uganda for every tournament in the last five years and it's clear it is highly talented but the issue is moving from one level to the next," Sebbaale said, adding that he was not going to “rock the boat”.

He also explained that a high-profile national coach was a priority, although that would take time and the existing behind-the-scenes team would remain in place for the high-profile tour by the MCC which starts this week. "If the team goes professional and money allowing I want to put a squad on a payroll but they will have to be accountable for being national players.”

The Ugandan government has forgiven the two cricketers who vanished in Australia when they went there to play cricket last year.

Jimmy Okello and Patrick Ochan went AWOL after the ICC World Cricket League last June and surfaced claiming political asylum because of persecution. They were subsequently banned for life by Uganda.

James Nsaba Buturo, the minister of ethics and integrity, said they were forgiven because it had been realised persecuting them would make them suffer. "We are no longer interested in them being arrested by Interpol to be brought back. They can stay in Australia if they so wish."

There was a major upheaval in Ugandan cricket when William Kibuuka Musoke was ousted as chairman of the UCA by Dr Kato Sebbaale at a feisty meeting in Lugogo.

Musoke has been a controversial figure and it was obvious from early on that he was in trouble, as a succession of speakers lined up to attack his tenure. "We have struggled with this game for long,” said John Naganda, who opposed Musoke’s re-election. “Seeing someone destroy it hurts. Those who are anti-cricket should go to hell," He also moved a motion to suspend discussing the accounts because they were received late.

The UCA was also attacked by Jasper Aligawesa, the general secretary of the National Council of Sports. "You must improve UCA's public image,” he said. “You should also bring an end to divisions in cricket."

When it came to the vote, Musoke and his committee were sent packing. Kampala’s New Vision described him as possessing an ability “to divide all that stood before him”.

Kampala will host a number of "star" Melbourne players when the club tours Uganda next month, New Vision Online reports.

Players from the famous Lords Cricket oval in Australia, are due in Kampala February 13 to play matches against the national cricket team (Feb. 14), U-19 side (Feb. 16-17), select XI (Feb. 18) and also against a Kenyan U-19 side (Feb. 22-23).

“Initially, they were supposed to spend a week in Uganda and two weeks in Kenya but the situation in Kenya forced them to change the programme. They will now spend all the three weeks here,” said local cricket association secretary Ansasira Badu.

Uganda underlined their growing reputation as one of cricket's emerging forces with a 12-run victory over neighbours Kenya in the final of the East and Central Africa Under-15 Championship. The win avenged their defeat by the Kenyans in last year's final.

Click here for a full report

UAE underlined their ambition to take part in the 2011 World Cup by winning the World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Namibia, defeating Oman in the final. Denmark and Namibia also booked their place in the 2009 Qualifer, but Uganda and Argentina finished in the bottom two and were relegated back to Division Three.

Click here for Cricinfo’s full coverage of the tournament.

A Kenyan XI beat Uganda in two warm-up matches at Kampala's Lugogo Oval. The games were arranged to give the Ugandans practice before next week's World Cricket League Division Two competition in Namibia.

Click here for the full story

A squad of 14 Kenya players are lending their support to Uganda to play two friendlies at the Lugogo Oval this weekend, to help them prepare for the World Cricket League Division Two in Namibia later this month.

Steve Tikolo, the Kenya captain, along with Thomas Odoyo and other senior players are all participating, but Kenya have given Maurice Ouma the captaincy. They also called up a couple of younger faces, Ken Migai and Moses Otieno to gain experience.

Uganda will fight it out with United Arab Emirates - who today beat Bermuda in the Intercontinental Cup - Argentina, Denmark, Oman and Namibia for the four slots reserved for the group in the 2009 World Cup qualifier.

Click here for the fixture list

Uganda are increasing their preparations for Division Two of the World Cricket League with daily training sessions at the Lugogo Oval.

According to the Monitor, they have acquired the services of Franco Otieno - the former Kenya Under-19 captain - who is assisted by Charles Lwanga and Sam Walusimbi.

The ICC has said that there are no plans to extend the number of Associate members who will gain ODI status.

On a visit to Uganda, Cassim Suliman, the CEO of the African Cricket Association, was reported as saying that he would push for more countries to be added to the six Associates that currently have one-day status. But an ICC spokesman told Cricinfo: "There is no intention at this stage to increase the number of teams playing ODIs.

Click here for the full story.

Patrick Ochan and Jimmy Okello have been banned for life by the Ugandan Cricket Association (UCA), after the duo went missing at the end of the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Darwin.

The bans are unlikely to have a significant impact on the duo - it has been reported that they have now taken up residence in Adelaide after applying for, and successfully obtaining, working visas.

"By the rules of the association, we dissociated ourselves from the act [their disappearance] and banned them from playing cricket for Uganda ever again. They would have no cause to come back to us at all," William Kibukamusoke, the chairman of UCA, told Cricinfo on telephone from Kampala.

Ochan and Okello, who are multi-talented sportsmen, have also been barred from representing Uganda in any other sport. The duo have played in the International Tennis Federation's (ITF's) circuit. Ochan was the more successful of the two since he had a career-best ranking of 428 in the ITF's junior segment, and represented Uganda in the Davis Cup.

"They will never [represent Uganda in any international sport]. We passed this information around all our sister associations. Their talent is now wasted," Kibukamusoke said. "That [their banning] was the statement we made to the police in Darwin. We had to leave the case clear, and there was no use moving out without making a police case."

Interestingly, Ronnie Kintu, a sports journalist with the New Vision, a Ugandan newspaper, also went missing with the two after Uganda defeated Argentina in the final of the tournament on June 2. "He [Kintu] wasn't grabbed but the other two were grabbed - wherever they were staying in the neighbourhood, they were uprooted and apprehended," Kibukamusoke said.

Though Ochan and Okello were found by in Sydney by Australia's Immigration Department on June 12 - no action was taken as their visas were valid till July 28. The Age had reported that Ochan and Okello were staying with Ken Skewes, a South Australia player who they befriended at an Under-19 tournament. Skewes had contacted the authorities when he realised that the two were being sought.

Meanwhile, Ochan and Okello are enjoying life in their adopted country. "We got the visas last week and I'm even going for official cricket practice with my new club tomorrow," Ochan told Daily Monitor on August 1. Jimmy [Okello] is currently playing soccer with the Africa Stars Club and scoring goals for fun. Our ability to play most of the games here has made us very popular."

Botswana produced the shock of the Africa Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers when they Uganda by 27 runs to reach the semi-finals in Benoni on Monday.

Botswana's unexpected victory eliminated Tanzania from the semi-final on net run-rate after the duo along with Uganda ended up at four points each from three matches. In Wednesday's semi-finals, Uganda meets Namibia while Kenya faces Botswana. Kenya topped Pool One after conjuring up a four-wicket victory over Zambia while Namibia finished second after defeating Ghana by 172 runs, courtesy of an unbeaten century by Sean Silver.

In the Botswana-Uganda match, Botswana scored 192 for 8 after being put into bat with contributions from Karan Kapoor (54) and Nadeem Tajbhay (36) while Emmanuel Nakaana bagged 3 for 45. In turn, Uganda was dismissed for 165 in 44 overs after losing their last seven wickets for 54.

Tanzania, in their last match, carved out a 153-run victory over Nigeria. Athumani Kakonzi (70) and Seif Abdul (68) put on 123 for the second wicket to set the platform for Tanzania's 296 in 49.5 overs. Nigeria, in its target chase, were bowled out for 143.

Silver scored 101 to inspire Namibia to a 172-run victory over Ghana and featured in a 117-run second wicket partnership with Tiaan Louw (62) as Namibia scored 287 for 6. Ghana were dismissed for 115 with Elandre Oosthuizen taking 4 for 39 and Louis Petrus van der Westhuizen claiming 3 for 13.

Spinners Rakep Patel and Rohit Vekaria shared six wickets to help Kenya beat Zamibia by four wickets. Patel took 3 for 16 and Vekaria bagged 3 for 17 as Zambia were spun out for 152. Kenya achieved victory in 34.1 overs for the loss of six wickets.

The winner of the Africa Under-19 Qualifiers join Papua New Guinea (from the East Asia-Pacific Region), Ireland (from the Europe Region) and Bermuda (from the Americas Region), the ICC's 10 Full Members and hosts Malaysia at the 16-team U-19 World Cup from February 17 to March 2 2008 in Malaysia.

Two Ugandan cricketers who disappeared at the end of the World cricket League in Darwin earlier this month have been found by Australia’s Immigration Department in Adelaide.

The Age reported that Patrick Ochan, 18, and Jimmy Okello, 19, are expected to apply to stay in the country. It said that the pair were staying with Ken Skewes, a young South Australia player, and he contacted the authorities when he realised that the men were being sought. The paid have valid visas until June 28, so no further action is expected until then.

It appears two of Uganda's players, who won Division Three of the World Cricket League, have gone missing in Australia.

Patrick Ochan, 18, and Jimmy Okello, 19, from the same village in Uganda's north, failed to reunite with their team following the ICC World Cricket League 3 Division final in Darwin at the weekend.

Uganda's national team, which won the match, has since gone home, saying they hope the missing players will follow and won't seek to stay permanently in Australia.

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews confirmed the pair were still in Australia.

"They have valid visas until August 24 so they are still legally here," she told AAP.

Full story at the Sydney Morning Herald.

Despite the lack of preparation, the Uganda’s chairman William Musoke is delighted with his team winning Division Two of the World Cricket League.

“We persevered and insisted on training despite the inadequacies in the association. It was total sacrifice for the players and officials to make the Darwin trip.”

Musoke explained that under the conditions, it was seasoned cricketers like Sam Walusimbi (coach) and himself who knew the plot and the results proved them right.

“Since the people running the team were seasoned cricketers, I was absolutely sure they knew what they were doing,” Musoke bragged.

Despite a lack of trial matches for acclimatisation in Darwin, Uganda finished the eight-nation tournament unbeaten.

The chairman revealed plans to have the national team get involved in many international tours ahead of big tournaments.

“With the High Performance Programme, the onus is now on us to decide where or who to host and what we need for the team,” he added.

Read Ronnie Kintu's full story in The New Vision.

Leave your thoughts and feedback of Uganda's win in the comments below

Uganda celebrate their victory © ICC

As expected, Uganda won the World Cricket League Division Three final, beating Argentina by 91 runs in Darwin. But Argentina, who only qualified for the tournament after USA were expelled last month, came close to pulling off what would have been a remarkable upset.

At one stage Uganda, the hot favourites, had slumped to 79 for 7, after being asked to bat, with Argentina captain Esteban MacDermott, who was later adjudged player of the tournament, taking three wickets. However Frank Nsubuga, who made 55 from 38 balls, and Laurence Sematimba added a vital 80 for the eight wicket. Sematimba and Patrick Ochan, 56 from 34 balls, then posted 82 for the ninth wicket as Uganda reached 241 for 8. Nsubuga outstanding all-round day continued, taking 4 for 27 as Argentina were bowled out for 150 in the 47th over.

Click here for a full report

Leave your thoughts

Uganda and Argentina have been promoted to Division Two of the World Cricket League following their march into the final of Division Three in Darwin. Division Two, in Namibia, gets underway in November.

1st semi-final

Esteban MacDermott, the Argentina captain, produced a match-winning performance when he captured 4 for 20 to bowl out the Cayman Islands for 102 in the 40th over. Steve Gordon, who scored a century in the opening game against Tanzania, top-scored with 38 but only Saheed Mohamed (29) and Keniel Irving (19) reached double figures. Argentina's chase began poorly, stumbling to 58 for 4, but Alejandro Ferguson saw them through to the final with a composed 25.

"The boys could have easily lost focus or confidence after the one-wicket defeat against Italy," MacDermott said, "but they remained committed and stayed on track because they trusted their instincts. This is the reward for their dedication and continuous hard work.

"The credit for our promotion to Division 2 not only goes to the team but to the entire support staff and all those who backed us all the way. Our performance in the tournament shows how rapidly cricket is growing in our country where soccer remains the first-choice sport."

2nd semi-final

Uganda held its nerve to beat Papua New Guinea by one wicket with only four balls to spare at Tracy Village thanks to a brilliant 43 from Keneth Kamyuka, who added 15 for the last wicket with Charles Waiswa. Chasing 204, Roger Mukasa got Uganda off to a good start with a slick 43 from just 34 balls at the top of the order. But PNG hit back to cause a middle-order slump, Jamie Brazier bowling beautifully to pick up 4 for 17 from his 10 overs, but Kanyuka and Lawrence Sematimba combined to take them closer. And although wickets continued to tumble Kamyuka and Waiswa held their nerve to take Uganda into the final against Argentina. "Obviously now we want to win the final and have immediately set our eyes at Argentina, but for the time being we want to enjoy this achievement because when we left our shores, the target was to qualify for the final and earn a place in Division 2," Joel Olweny, the Uganda captain, said. "It has been a very tense and pressurised match and the boys have more than one reason to celebrate. The boys really deserve it."

Plate semi-finals

In the plate semi-finals, Hong Kong registered their first win of the series when they beat Italy by 39 runs. Hong Kong, batting first, scored 195 in 50 overs and then dismissed Italy for 146 in 45 overs with Ilyas Gull, the captain, picking up impressive figures of 3 for 37 and Zaheer Abbas and Najeeb Amar scooping two wickets each. In the plate final on Saturday, Hong Kong will face Tanzania who beat Fiji by three wickets.

Argentina and Papua New Guinea (PNG) complete the semi-final line-up of the World Cricket League Division 3 after recording impressive victories on the last day of the group matches in Darwin. Argentina take on Cayman Islands in the semi-finals tomorrow, while PNG meet Uganda.

Group A

Argentina routed Fiji for 44 inside 22 overs before knocking off the target in 30 balls. Esteban Nino, bowling with impressive pace, took 4 for 16 while Gary Savage and Diego Lord shared the remaining six. At one stage, Fiji were 9 for 7; that they reached the lofty heights of 44 owed much to Vuiyasawa Mateiwaqa's 16 and 15 extras. Lucas Paterlini and Grant Dugmore knocked off the required runs in the fifth over.

PNG beat Italy by eight wickets, but it was their superior net run-rate which edged them into the semi-finals, after both teams were tied following two wins each. PNG, who suffered a shock five-wicket defeat against Argentina on Tuesday, had to beat the Italians by a convincing margin to earn a berth in the last four. They did just that, dismissing Italy for 134 before cruising to their target in the 34th over. Arua Uda top-scored with 58 from 92 balls.

Group B

Poor shot selection from the Cayman Islands condemned them to a 26-run defeat to Uganda. Both teams had already qualified for the semis on Tuesday but Uganda put in an excellent allround performance, dismissing Cayman Islands for 127 in the 47th over with Charles Waiswa picking up 2 for 21. Uganda's 153 was led by Arthur Kyobe, the 18-year-old, who struck 37 from 64 balls.

Tanzania tasted its first win of the tournament, overpowering Hong Kong by five wickets. Hong Kong made 161, with Rahul Sharma notching 43 while Bhavesh Govind took 3 for 31. Tanzania cruised home with Abhik Patwa and Rishen Patel putting on 77 for the opening stand, edging over the line in the 47th over.

Hussain Butt is bowled not playing a shot by Franklyn Hinds © Travis Pittman

Uganda and Cayman Islands booked their places in the semi-finals of the World Cricket League Division Three as ball dominated bat on the second day of the tournament in Darwin. Both teams made short work of their opponents, comfortably winning low-scoring games in the first session.

The wins gave Uganda and Cayman Islands maximum points from two games in Group B and left Tanzania and Hong Kong winless with just one match remaining. Despite Italy's second successive win, Group B remains wide open as PNG and Argentina have one win from two games. After Tuesday's rest day, PNG will meet Italy at Nightcliff while Argentina meet Fiji at Kahlin Oval in the last group matches.

Group A

Uganda defeated Tanzania by four wickets at Power Park with Charles Waiswa taking 3 for 7 as the Tanzanians were dismissed for 64. Although Benson Mwita made Uganda work hard for their victory by taking 4 for 23, his efforts were not enough to stop Uganda stumbling to a four-wicket win. Cayman Islands' experience of playing in the Stanford Twenty20 tournament and the Intercontinental Cup was on display for the second successive day when they recorded a straightforward eight-wicket victory over Hong Kong at Nightcliff. Franklin Hinds was the star for Cayman Islands when he took 4 for 22 as Hong Kong were skittled for 67.

Group B

Argentina bounced back from a thrilling one-wicket defeat to Italy on the opening day by recording a five-wicket victory over pre-tournament favourites Papua New Guinea at Gardens. Skipper Estaban MacDermott inspired the Argentineans with a match-winning spell of 4 for 22 as PNG were bowled out for 91. Argentina achieved the target for the loss of five wickets with Donald Forrester remaining unbeaten on 44. MacDermott described the victory as the biggest in Argentina's cricket history. "All the effort that was put in is now paying off," he said. "By defeating PNG, we have shown that we can compete at this level." Italy recorded their second victory in the competition by overpowering Fiji by 37 runs. Batting first, Italy scored 186 for 9 with Nicholas Northcote top scoring with 37. Fiji were bowled out for 149.

Eight of cricket’s emerging nations will be hoping to take one step towards qualification for the 2011 World Cup when the World Cricket League Division 3 gets underway this Sunday (May 27) in Darwin.

The top two teams from this event will join UAE, Namibia, Denmark and Oman
in Windhoek, Namibia at the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 November. The top four teams from the event in Namibia will automatically qualify for the ICC World Cup Qualifier in the UAE in 2009, while the two remaining teams will have a second chance to qualify for the UAE tournament at the World Cricket League Division 3 in early 2009.

Click here for the full team-by-team preview.

Some good news for the spread of cricket to regions where the sport hasn’t gained much popularity comes in the way of the selection of two players from Tanzania and two from Uganda in the Africa team for the Afro-Asia tournament in India this June. What makes this news even more heart-warming is that the four players will represent Africa Women in a Twenty20 game against Asia Women.

Tanzanians Saida Ramadhani and Mwanaiddi Shakim and Ugandans Christine Aryemo and Frankline Najjumba will travel along with their team-mates from Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe to play a Twenty20 match in Bangalore on June 5. The match is expected to bring some deserved attention to the women’s game for it will be played before a men’s Twenty20 on the same day at the same venue.

It is significant to note that there are no representatives from either country in the men’s side. That these women have succeeded in finding a place in an international side of some reckoning is a good sign for cricket in the two countries but the absence of Tanzanian and Ugandan men means there is a lot more work still to be done.

Though Uganda and Tanzania didn’t make it through to the second round of World Cup qualifiers in Pakistan – Zimbabwe and South Africa have qualified from Africa – the trip to India for these players can only help in pushing the game forward back home.

The ICC recognised the efforts of Uganda Cricket Association when they awarded $1000 to Rebecca Alwayo Akwenyu, an international player, as Volunteer of the Year for her contributions and services to disabled cricketers in Uganda. The association also won the Photo of the Year for an image of a disabled man batting on one leg.

Click here for more information on teams for the Afro Asia Cup

Recognition for Ugandan cricket has come in the form of two ICC Awards – which have netted the country $3000 worth of equipment vouchers. A female international player, Rebecca Alwayo Akwenyu, picked up the Volunteer of the Year and the country took the Photo of the Year prize.

Akwenyu was rewarded for her outstanding contribution and services to the disabled cricketers in Uganda. She also won the Africa regional Volunteer of the Year award. Her award was worth $1000.

A further $2000 came when the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) took the photography prize for a photo of a disabled man batting while supporting himself on one leg.

"Winning two awards on the globe is a wonderful feeling," UCA’s administrative officer Martin Muyomba told the Daily Monitor. “It shows that UCA's development programs are still very strong at the grassroots.”

The prizes were announced at the ICC Development Program annual awards on Friday.

Ronnie Kintu

Uganda have dropped Benjamin Musoke and Junior Kwebiiha, their two allrounders, ahead of Division Three of the World Cricket League next month. Uganda named their final 14-man squad yesterday.

Uganda will be among the eight nations to take part in the tournament which gets underway on May 27 in Australia. They are joined by Tanzania, USA, PNG, Oman Republic, Malaysia, the Cayman Islands and Fiji in the seven-day event.

After a poor show at the 2007 World Cup qualifiers in Ireland two years ago, in which they finished bottom of the 12-nation championship, Uganda were relegated to the third division along with the fractious USA and PNG.

The top two countries in Division Three will qualify to play in Division Two which, in turn, acts as a mini World Cup in 2009

Uganda squad
J. Olweny, P. Ochan, R. Mukasa, A. Kyobe, C. Waiswa, H. Saleh, J. Okello, R. Okia, R. Semanda, K. Kamyuka, L. Sematimba, F. Nsubuga, D. Ruyange and R. Otim.

Harry Shapiro, a coach in South Africa, has been helping out Uganda reports New Vision

Shapiro described the participants as enthusiastic, hard working and full of potential capable of furthering the development of the game. They were attending a one-week course in coaching cricket.

“They are a dedicated lot with a lot of enthusiasm and talent. They only need a little more hard work,” Shapiro remarked.

Shapiro, 65, is a South African professional coach who has also been instrumental in guiding some players on the Proteas national squad.

He guided the coaches in batting and bowling techniques, fielding options and also took them through theories. He was assisted by Sam Walusimbi.

Local development officer John Mayeku was optimistic the candidates were now ready to coach in schools and clubs.

William Kibuuka-Musoke was voted new chairman of Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) at the Annual General Meeting at the National Council of Sports headquarters.

Kibuuka-Musoke, also the new manager of Mandela National Stadium beat his only opponent Robert Kisubi by four votes.

This will be Kibuuka-Musoke's second time as chairman after an earlier stint in 2001 that was prematurely curtailed with a vote of no confidence. But one journalist described his election as the "biggest joke".

Writing in New Vision, James Bakama described Kibuuka-Musoke as “an abrasive man”. He continued: “[In his youth] he was a loose canon of sorts. Stories of him going for opponents' heads instead of the stumps were also common, just like tales of his rugby fights at Makerere University. Those who are skeptical of the new chairman feel he never matured from this past and is therefore not fit to be in Uganda's top cricket office.

“He outwitted a group that wields a lot of influence. They not only have good connections to sponsors, but also call the shots as regards the national team. But how come these heavyweights were floored at the poll? Insiders attribute the revolution to a protest vote against the Tornado powerbrokers.”

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

With the exception of Bermuda, cricket is not a mainstream sport in any of the participants. And yet it survives, and in some instances thrives, despite the lack of attention and a relatively small number of enthusiasts.

The ICC, who do sterling work in supporting the game's second and third tiers, will rightly use the event to highlight that cricket is not just about the Indians and Australias of the world.

But there remains a nagging worry. The ICC boasts that the game is spreading across the world. But is that right? Is it taking root or is it surviving because more people from its hotbed - south-east Asia - are emigrating and keeping it alive for the duration of their careers?

In last year's Wisden Almanack, Matthew Engel raised this very issue. "Overwhelmingly, the game in non-traditional countries is played by expatriates, mostly South Asian. Journalists were kidded into believing that cricket was about to burst on China, on the basis of some warm comments by civil servants and a couple of coaching courses. I have seen not one shred of evidence to back this up. Are the kids playing with tapeballs on the streets of Shanghai? Are they heck!"

Take Canada. Of the squad in Nairobi at the moment, only three were born in the country, and two of those are over 35. Of the rest, five come from the Caribbean, four from India and each from Pakistan and Uganda. Whereas other Associates have a smattering of expats, Canada are utterly reliant on them.

Engel's comment attracted fierce criticism from those who either argued that England had more than their share of "imports" or that the game only spread in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Caribbean through expats playing it in the first place.

The worry in some countries is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants

With regards to England, yes there have been quite a few non English-born players who have been picked for the side, but the game still has a massive stronghold in the country. The selection has been more about improving a solid side. And as for the ex-pats argument? Well, yes, but that's the crucial point. In the regions flagged the game was brought in but it was then embraced by the indigenous population and taken on as their own. This is exemplified no better than in CLR James's seminal work, Beyond A Boundary.

The worry in some countries - and again I come back to Canada - is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants. Canada's cricket heritage is rich but there is little sign that it has been built on. This is best underlined by the selection of former West Indies international Anderson Cummins. Forty years old and without a major match to his name since 1995-96, he made his debut in Mombasa last week. What message does that send out about the strength in depth of cricket in Canada?

It's not just Canada. Look at the USA, whose 2004 Champions Trophy side was a collection of ageing expats whose performances verged on the disgraceful. And the UAE, which is almost entirely dependant on its ex-pat workforce to keep the game alive.

Cricket's expansion should not be about filling teams with expats and expecting the locals to get excited about it. The only way cricket can gain a foothold in emerging countries is by actually getting the indigenous population to embrace the game, and two excellent examples where this is happening are Nepal and Uganda.

Anderson Cummins of Barbados, West Inbies ... and now Canada © Eddie Norfolk

Does it matter? Yes, because as the ICC looks to develop the game in as many places as possible, that means the financial cake has to be cut in ever thinner slices. The ICC needs to concentrate on a smaller number of countries where the chances of the game taking off. It is invidious that Uganda gets the same basic allowance as Belgium.

Cricket is in trouble in its traditional homes in Africa - Zimbabwe are hell-bent on destruction and South Africa seems to be falling out of love with the game. So efforts should be made in Uganda . And in Asia, which everyone accepts is the game's stronghold, a side like Nepal should really be given the leg up. It's about targeting rather than a scattergun approach.

In fairness to the ICC, they have a tough time and a lot of countries scrambling for a share of the spoils. It's about weeding out the weak and really looking to grow the game in areas where it has the best chance of taking root. It's an almost impossible ask. Look at the repeated failure of American Football to crack Europe ... and if football itself still battles for acceptance outside expats and schools in the USA, then the size of the ICC's task becomes clear.

Of course expats have a key role to play in expansion. But if the game is basically played by them, is it the game spreading or is it more about diehards clinging to the traditions of their homelands? In the UK there are baseball and American football sides, but they are almost all expat Americans and so few would seriously claim the games have taken hold. However, basketball and ice hockey are widely played by locals, boosted by some imported players and expats, and, crucially, the national side can stand on its own two feet. That's the difference.

A very interesting article in Kenya’s Standard about Henry Osinde. Born and raised in Uganda, he is back in neighbouring Kenya this week to play in the World Cricket League. But he has turned his back on Uganda and is now a member of the multinational Canadian side.

Without a touch of irony, he said that "Uganda cricket has a good development programme, but the problem is to get it to next level." He added, with another turn of the knife, that he had no plans to visit to offer any support.

While most attention outside the Test world centres on the World Cricket League which gets underway next Monday (January 29), two of the sides providing opposition in warm-up matches will be taking those games far more seriously.

Uganda and Tanzania have been brought in by the tournament organisers to provide opposition for the six countries in the WCL, but both will be looking to impress. Uganda have been talked up by many in the last year, but they suffered heavy defeats when Kenya toured there at the end of last year.

"Everybody is in good frame of mind,” former Uganda Under-19 captain Hamza Saleh told The Monitor. “We have played with these guys (Tanzanians) in different age group events before and we will handle them cautiously."

In The Australian, Mike Coward reflects that while the Ashes series has generated massive revenues, the story is different beyond the Test world. He reports on the story of one Australian club side helping Uganda by donating equipment and funds. Spearheaded by Brian Freedman, Bankstown District CC in Sydney are doing their bit:

"There are 20,000 cricketers in Uganda and nearly all are playing with hand-crafted gear. Given so many have so little, cricket equipment is out of the question. Most cricketers I think have two or three bats in the shed that will never be used again but are too good to throw away.”

The first drive for equipment in 2005 was so successful the BDCC was able to ship a container of 100 bats, 100 pairs of pads, gloves, wickets, balls, stumps and some clothing. Unsurprisingly, shirts from the range bearing the names of two of the club's most famous sons, Steve and Mark Waugh, enjoy considerable popularity.

Uganda kick of 2007 with a tour to Kenya in January where they will play a select Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA XI) side, Kenya, Canada and Bermuda.

The Ugandans will take on the NPCA select side on January 24, play the hosts Kenya or Kenya A on January 26, Canada on January 27 and conclude the tour with a match against Bermuda on January 28. " We have lined up some of the ICC’s top Associates because they will also use the games as warm up ties for the ICC World Cricket League tournament that runs at the same time," said Cricket Kenya’s CEO, Tom Tikolo.

Uganda v NPCA XI (Jan 24)
Uganda v Kenya (Jan 26)
Uganda v Canada (Jan 27)
Uganda v Bermuda (Jan 28)

In the aftermath of Uganda 's below par performance in the inaugural ICC Women's World Cup qualifiers in Nairobi, coach Charles Lwanga has insisted his team is more talented than other teams in the region.

Uganda lost to Zimbabwe by 63 runs and Tanzania by 20 runs, before restoring pride with a 91-run win over Kenya in the penultimate game. "The players forgot that we had a World Cup berth at stake. It was like they were playing friendlies and warm ups till when the team put their act together. The players didn't play to their full potential," said team coach Lwanga.

Lwanga, also a former national team opener, disclosed that the eventual winners of the tournament Zimbabwe were beatable and didn't have anything special in their armoury. "They won the tourney because they applied basics, which was everyone else's undoing," added Lwanga.

The next tournament for the girls will be the ICC East Africa Women Championship in Tanzania next year and that is enough time for the team to bounce back and reclaim its lost regional accolade.

Click here for the full story from The Monitor

The countdown for the 2009 women's World Cup begins this Friday when four African countries will assemble in Nairobi, Kenya for the start of the World Cup regional qualifiers.

Joining the host nation Kenya will be Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Uganda and the one-day competition will be played in a simple round-robin format, with the winner heading to the next qualifying stage, a tournament in Pakistan at the end of next year. Eight teams will vie for two spots at the 2009 World Cup in Australia.

Click here for the full story.

The Uganda national cricket team’s latest performance will go down in folklore as the worst display ever. The game plan against Kenya was pretty straightforward; go out onto the oval, restrict the Kenyans to a chasable score, then come on chase and pile up the runs. But just like the angel of death who plucks out the heart of our loved ones, Kenya under the stewardship of Steve Tikolo tore Uganda’s script to shreds, and maybe the morale of the few fans who endured six, no five and half agonizing days in Lugogo.

Series Whitewash!

First was the three-day whitewash, where Uganda failed to even score half of Kenya’s total runs on any given day. The ODIs were misery the three-day was beyond misery. Many a fan walked away in disgust. Uganda’s batting problems stand out like spilled gravy on a white sheet, but there are far more underlying problems beyond that oval boundary.
Uganda’s cricket has been a success in many aspects, especially the Schools Development Programme (SDP), but in life, there is such a thing as moving on.
UCA needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Inside that metallic container, their excuse for an office, a lot of mismanagement is going on, and this has trickled down to the oval.

UCA squabbles

Forget the media hullabaloo that cricket is the best run organisation with flawless accountability and reasonable allocation of funds.
UCA officials openly mismanage funds; fight for trips, neglect work, and so on. Those problems have to be tackled head on. Ironically, inside that container is a poster of Sachin Tendulkar hitting corruption for six. The words, “lets hit corruption out of cricket.” One can only wonder how much UCA has walked the talk.

ICC grant!

Certainly the funds UCA receives are not enough, its officials will argue, but if that little were put to its proper use, the results would be as evident as Uganda’s attempt at chasing 200 runs. The national team’s progress on the international circuit is the only way UCA will be able to get more money in their confers in terms of grants and loans.

This year, Uganda received an extra $31,000 from World cricket bodies for the 2006/07 season. UCA that was initially getting $54,000 from the International Cricket Council got $61,800 as an administration grant. The UK-London based Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) chipped in with US $14,200 and the Africa Regional Development Office (ARDO) headed by Hoosain Ayoub added US $9,000 or Shs16.2million.

In total UCA received US $85,000 (Shs153m) One should also note that MTN and Stanbic Bank facilitate the Mini Cricket Development Programme, KKL (Kampala Kids League) organises another Stanbic sponsored mini-league, Coca Cola finances the Schools Cricket Week, WHO - World Health Organisation and British Council boost the annual Girls Cricket Tournament, Nile Breweries through their Castle Lager brand ungrudgingly sponsor the national league and more often Shell, MTN, Petroleum Industrial Services, Ruparelia Group of Companies, Asiatic, Rwenzori Water and Castle Lager have come to the rescue of several national teams.
So can somebody in UCA show us where the grant money goes? Certainly not to players’ allowances, because of Shs3000 per training day and Shs8000 per match day is way below the radar. Players’ remuneration is another trouble spot, but it’s a topic of its own.

Selection troubles

This is one trouble spot that requires revamping. Robert Kisubi, helped by Aloysius Nainhabo, Sam Walusimbi, Henry Okecho, Justine Ligyalingi and Richard Mwami, chairs the panel. Some of the guys on this committee should be in the stands with many of us. Unless they change or are shown the exit door, their larger than life egos will continue being a liability to the national team’s progress.

That they let their selections be biased by their club loyalties is well engraved in the epitaph. They have problems with certain players, and for as long as these officials are on the panel, some of these players, probably the best crop around will never wear the whites of the national team.

So the earlier we saw their backs, the better. Could that explain the inclusion of six debutants, to face the vastly experienced Kenyans? Tikolo rightly observed this misdemeanour. Not even the cricket Czars of this world can afford such an overhaul; the biggest number of debutants is always two.

For heavens’ sake, what was Keith Legesi doing on that team? Yes, he does keep the wickets, but that’s just about it. We need runs. Why not let Lawrence Ssematimba, proven over the years keep the sticks. The shorter-than average player is double-edged; he can chip in with the runs as well, which cannot be said of Legesi.

Richard Okia was left out on grounds that could hardly satisfy even the least knowledgeable of the game considering his past exploits and coverage he commands from the media. Although he was just recovering from a shoulder injury his usefulness with the bat would have come in handy since batting has remained a mystery to Ugandan cricketers on international duty.
We need leaders on that pitch, but by the look of things, it’s a pipe dream. The jury is still out on skipper Joel Olweny. Actually, it’s painful to write his name in the same sentence as that coveted role but because of the selectors, we are left with no choice. The forthcoming Triangular in Nairobi should be his ultimate litmus test.

Is it not baffling that the national skipper actually doesn’t sit on the selection panel? Yet he is supposed to lead the team out of the dressing-room? Actually what the selectors do is to keep everyone in suspense until a day or two to the tour. During coach Tom Tikolo’s reign, the skipper, by then Junior Kwebiiha, arguably the best skipper since John Lubia, was integral. But that facet didn’t go down well with some selectors, and once Tikolo was done away with, so was the skipper’s role. But there is one for the team manager, who is supposed to be a business mind, not technical. Cry the beloved country.

Players, style up too!

Not that the players are blameless. They need to play their part on the oval. We cannot continue relying on one batsman to come up with the runs. Every cricketer’s first role is to make the scoreboard tick, not in favour of the opponents though. If a player is not up to the task, the whip must be cracked, simple. Otherwise we may resort to other activities, like pulling our lungs out through the mouth than watch the national team in action.
What we want is the whole team performing collectively and consistently. We are not going to beat Kenya more so any opposition with just one player performing well. In our last major triumph overseas over Namibia in 2004, Uganda reigned by 5 wickets simply because the whole team chipped in with handy contributions.
One wonders why the batsmen never follow their coach’s instructions.

Way forward!

And what is the way forward in all this? Professionalism from the boardroom to the locker-room. Its evident the happenings at the top are responsible for what transpires down.
Cricket has lived on the basis of individual voluntarism for so long but chairman Ivan Kyayonka and his vice Chris Azuba must wake up to the reality that the game can no longer thrive on the good will of people. Professionalism is needed.
• The stake holders meeting, John Nagenda - the presidential advisor on media and also a former captain observed in his New Vision column that it should be held sooner to curb the downward trend cricket has taken since the thumping the team endured in the 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland.
• Favouritism and personal/club sentiments must not be allowed to overshadow the growth rate of the game. Otherwise even the little interested parties on board could decide to back off.
• UCA’s respect for the media is meager. The association should borrow a leaf from football by building a stronger partnership with the journalists, hold regular press conferences to inform the fraternity on the latest developments so as to avoid wrong publicity.
• Rugby has grown in leaps and bounds because the Uganda Rugby Union (URU) has tried to market the game. The game was in oblivion 5 years ago, but it has since surpassed it by a country mile. UCA must learn that they have to invest into the sport if they are to gain from it. In rugby the big league matches and international events are advertised all over the press, teams have sought corporate sponsorship which is no mean feat, players on national duty are paid for their services and the association has helped several players get employment.
• Is it not time we tried out a highly qualified continental coach? Someone the lads will look up to and not ask such questions like “show me any international wicket under your belt”? Because of club politics, we lost out on the amiable Tikolo.
• UCA should devise means of keeping the players into the game. Again motivation could do the trick. We don’t want to see players like Hamza Saleh, Davis Arinaitwe and Jimmy Okello forego the game in quest for better pastures, something that has claimed many and of recent likely to end Kwebiiha’s exciting career.
• And finally we need more grass wickets in Uganda. International cricket is no longer played on astro-turf pitches. Our batsmen are terrific on the artificial surfaces yet when they play on grass at Lugogo, even the lousiest of bowlers enjoys a field day.

Series Positives!

But it was not all gloom in Lugogo as a couple of youngsters gave us a glimpse of what to expect. Step forward Hamza Saleh who had the best Uganda batting average. It was he continued from where he left off in Ireland, with his bat helping us gnaw away at Kenya’s lead. Davis Arinaitwe showed glimpses of a potential allrounder, debutant Mark “Makhaya Ntini”Taremwa was also brilliant with the leather ball, giving Kennedy Obuya, Tikolo and Morris Ouma a few issues to think about. Old horse Benjamin Musoke finally came good, with 68 to silence many of his critics. He rescued Uganda from 27 for 4 in the first inning with a 102 runs partnership with Akbar Baig (30) to 124 for 5, although we were soon all out for 156. Hopefully it wasn’t a flash in the pan. This is the time for UCA to turn cricket around, otherwise those stands will continue emptying.

Innocent Ndawula and Hussein Bogere are journalists with the Daily Monitor Newspaper in Kampala, Uganda.

After the series whitewash against Kenya, the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) has apologised to all stakeholders. During the farewell dinner to reward the top performers and see off the Kenyan team, the UCA apologised for the woeful show the team put up. "It was an awakening for us because we were comprehensively beaten. We must admit that we are not yet there because our game was way below par but we will fight on," said UCA Chairman Ivan Kyayonka.

The Guest of Honour John Nagenda - a former national captain and presidential advisor on media -also apologised for the dismal performance, thanked the Kenyans for showing glimpses of fantastic cricket and promised them a better show in the next series. "I have talked to the top men in UCA and we are going to organize a big stakeholders meeting to find a way forward because it is not a pleasant scene to see the game regress. All the players will also be asked what the problem is," added Nagenda.

Kenya's West Indian coach Roger Harper was however full of praises for UCA for accommodating them and giving his team so valuable match practice ahead of the Intercontinental Cup match against Bermuda and the World Cup.

Uganda's next series will be a tri-series starting on November 9 against Bermuda and hosts Kenya in Nairobi.

Innocent Ndawula

The writer is a journalist with Daily Monitor Newspaper in Kampala, Uganda and seasoned cricketer with Africa Cricket Club in Uganda.

Kenya ended their short tour of Uganda with a resounding win over their hosts in the three-day match at Kampala. Earlier in the week, Kenya had completed an easy 3-0 whitewash in the one-day series.

Kenya made 316 for 9 on the opening day, with Steve Tikolo, Morris Ouma, Tanmay Mishra and Thomas Odoyo all making fifties, and reduced Uganda to 19 for 2 at the close. The home side were bowled out for 156, and Kenya again batted with ease, reaching 186 for 6 by the time they declared shortly before the close, setting the Ugandans a target of 347. They showed little appetite for the fight and were bowled out shortly after lunch of the final day for 95, giving Kenya a thumping 251-run victory. Peter Ongondo (4 for 42) and Thomas Odoyo (3 for 21) were the stars of a last day which lasted less than two hours.

The Ugandan team is stepping up its preparations ahead of their series against Kenya, which starts on September 23 at Lugogo Oval.

The players will now go through two training session a day, giving them more time to work on the batting skills which have been a problem for Uganda against stronger opposition.

Henry Okecho, the coach, told Daily Monitor: "The team is gelling well and everybody is looking good save for batsman Benjamin Musoke who is still nursing a slight injury. We shall name the final squad of 16 next Tuesday."

The tour will consist of three ODIs and a three-day game but Uganda will be without their star allrounders Kenneth Kamyuka and Junior Kwebiiha as well as youngsters Ahmed Yakub, Emmanuel Issanez and Patrick Ochan, who were dropped for various reasons.

Kenya's preparations for next year's World Cup will continue later this month when they tour Uganda for three ODIs and a three-day match.

Click here for more.

Your newsagent is wearing a Yorkshire T-shirt – nothing too surprising, especially if you are in Leeds. But David Ujemba is an 18-year-old shop worker in Kampala, Uganda. He knows nothing about cricket and has no idea about Yorkshire.

Most Ugandans wear imported second-hand clothes – huge bales arrive daily from the UK, US and other developed countries and are known locally as ‘mivumba’. David bought his T-shirt for 4,000 Ugandan shillings (£1.25). Although he knows little about its origins, David is proud of his Yorkshire connection as he goes about selling newspapers in a suburb close to Lake Victoria.

Kevin O’Connor, The Wisden Cricketer

The four-team Atul Shah Memorial Cup kicked off in Mombasa on Wednesday with Kenya A going down by three wickets to Uganda and Coast Cricket Association beating Tanzania by 52 runs. Live scores throughout the event, which ends with a final on Sunday, can be found by clicking here.

'It is my wish that youngsters are groomed to take on my roles' © Cricinfo Lrd

Ronnie Kintu

Nehal Bibodi, Uganda’s opening batsman and spinner has finally called it quits from the national team after 13 years of service. The 35-year-old said he had done enough for the nation and wished youngsters would take up the mantle and keep the candle burning.

"Considering the upcoming international engagements and the World Cup qualifiers I feel I may not be material for the national squad and it is my wish that youngsters are groomed to take on my roles," Bibodi confessed.

Bibodi made his national team debut in 1993 during the East and Central Africa Cricket Championship (ECACC). He also played in the Africa Zone VI championship where he knocked his highest international score of 140 runs against Botswana in 1998.

He won three Man-of-the-Match awards in the ECACC and has consistently led the batting averages in recent times.

“Nehal has been undoubtedly an excellent experienced player with very good batting skills, good playing techniques and above all very disciplined,” Robert Kisubi, the team manager, commented. “I strongly believe he has done a service for his country.”

Ronnie Kintu

The Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) has named a 22-man
squad ahead of the Kenya tour starting tomorrow at Lugogo.

National team manager Robert Kisubi announced the squad
which included recalls for Charles Lwanga and Richard Okia
alongside debutantes Henry Sebulime, Davis Arinaitwe
and Ronald Semanda.

Kisubi was optimistic that the Uganda squad with nine
of the youngsters who played at the recent Under-19 World
Cup in Sri Lanka would give Kenya a bloody nose during
the Tests.

“We have tried to give every one a chance to prove
[themselves] before the final squad is named and I am
confident all the boys have gained the exposure in the
past that could give the neighbours a perfect run for
their money,” a confident Kisubi remarked.

Uganda last played against Kenya in the ICC three-day
intercontinental match 2004-2005 losing both games.

Senior players Joel Olweny, Benjamin Musoke, Frank
Nsubuga and Kenneth Kamyuka have also been named. The UCA has also recalled
Richard Mwami as team manager while Henry Okecho is
head coach.

Squad
H. Sebulime, C. Lwanga, J. Olweny, N. Bibodi, B.
Musoke, F. Nsubuga, K. Kamyuka, K. Legesi, J.
Kwebiiha, N. Kishore, R. Otim, E. Issaneez, H. Saleh,
P. Ochan, L. Sematimba, C. Waiswa, A. Kyobe, J.
Okello, R. Ssemanda, D. Ruyange, R. Okia, D.
Arinaitwe.

A very interesting story on Reuters about disabled cricketers in Uganda.

"When we got here, we wondered how these guys in wheelchairs were going to get down," said Andy Dalby-Welsh [one of the overseas coaches] gesturing at the entrance to the ground: a hulking, green wooden stand looming over dozens of steep, cracked concrete steps. "They just hopped out, hurtled down and beat us to it," he said. "The level of athleticism, enthusiasm and talent we've found is just incredible."

Disability in Africa has sometimes been blamed on witchcraft and sufferers are often isolated. But in a sign of positive change, South Africa will host the third blind cricket World Cup in December. Both previous tournaments - which are played by mixed teams of blind and partially sighted players using a white ball containing ball bearings to make it rattle - have been held in cricket-friendly India.

The Uganda Cricket Association has named a 22-man squad for the tour by Kenya at the end of May, recalling Charles Lwanga and Richard Okia and bringing in Henry Sebulime, Davis Arinaitwe and Ronald Semanda.

“We have tried to give every one a chance to prove himself before the final squad is named and I am confident all the boys have gained the exposure in the past that could give the neighbours a perfect run for their money,” Robert Kisubi, the national team manager, explained.

Uganda squad H. Sebulime, C. Lwanga, J. Olweny, N. Bibodi, B.
Musoke, F. Nsubuga, K. Kamyuka, K. Legesi, J. Kwebiiha, N. Kishore, R. Otim, E. Issaneez, H. Saleh, P. Ochan, L. Sematimba, C. Waiswa, A. Kyobe, J.
Okello, R. Ssemanda, D. Ruyange, R. Okia, D. Arinaitwe.

Click here for more on the tour

The Uganda Cricket Association has received an extra $22,000 from the ICC for the forthcoming 2006/07 season.

UCA that was initially getting $54,000 has now received $76,000 (sh136m) from the ICC as administration grant. The grant is from funds raised for the ICC affiliate and associate member countries during the John Walker Super Series played last October in Melbourne, Australia.

UCA administrative secretary Martin Muyomba revealed that the local body has already received the money that would help in the administration of the game, uplifting facilities at various grounds and financing many underlined projects for the season.

“It is a big boost for us (UCA) and definitely the money will go a long way in boosting many of the projects we have undertaken to assist in the growth of the game to greater heights,” Muyomba revealed.

More on this from Ronnie Kintu at the Sunday Vision newspaper.

Ronnie Kintu

The Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) has confirmed that
the annual Castle Lager league will start in May with
nine clubs taking part at Lugogo, Kyambogo, Nakawa and
Entebbe ovals.

The league would this time be played alongside the
traditional Luswata and Mawanda knockout tournaments
and would take a duration of seven months ending in
November.

“We have come up with a new format that would make the
season more interesting, competitive and involving for
all the clubs,” newly elected UCA organizing secretary
Junior Kwebiiha revealed.

According to the 2006 calendar, the Coca Cola annual
schools cricket championship would be played August
19-26 while the secondary school girls championship
sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO) will
take off in December.

UCA is also set to participate in the inaugural Africa
Women World Cup qualifiers set for South Africa in
September after the national men team has toured
Malaysia.

The U-15 and U-17 boys teams are set to take part in
the regional championships while the senior team would
again compete in the Africa Cricket Association (ACA)
championships that would have the top two teams play
at the 2011 World Cup qualifiers in a country to be
confirmed.

The local season would climax in December with the
inauguration of the twenty-twenty overs championship.

Meanwhile, Richard Sempa, the new honorary secretary
for the association travels to South Africa for the
Africa Cricket Association (ACA) annual general
meeting and would also attend a development seminar.

The Uganda Cricket Association has received a major shipment of equipment from Australia, the largest ever donation in the history of Ugandan cricket. The donation included more than 100 bats, 150 pairs of pads, junior cricket equipment, gloves, helmets, stumps, wicketkeeping gear and more.

The New Vision website reports that Uganda won four of the nine annual Africa regional development awards given out by the ICC. Uganda has for the last five years consistently boasted one of the biggest development programs in the Associate and Affiliate world involving 20,000 children.

Sam Walusimbi, Uganda’s Under-19 coach, said the World Cup was a learning curve to the side that finished 14th out of the 16 playing nations.

Uganda participated for the second time after their maiden appearance in Bangladesh 2004, notched two victories, one against Ireland in a warm-up matches, and then against Scotland in the Plate Championship.

"It was a great learning experience for the boys and I have no regrets for such a sounding exposure they got after playing against test playing nations ranked best in the World," Walusimbi said.

The U-19 tournament produced its fair share of great stories, with Bangladesh qualifying for the Super League for the first time in their history before going on to win the Super League play-offs to finish fifth.

ICC associate member Nepal beat South Africa and New Zealand to win the Plate Championship and the United States of America took part in the event for the first time.

"We were definitely not the worst losers after seeing highly-ranked countries making pathetic scores in the tournament,” Walusimbi said. “In every other match we were showing steady improvement and surely the boys will be a side
to reckon with in future if they put the good they have learnt into their cricketing careers.”

The side produced the youngest player in the history of the U-19 World Cup, Emmanuel Nakaana (14), who was closely followed by the ICC analysts during the tournament. Patrick Ochan stood out from the crowd with a priceless Man-of-the-Match award after leading Uganda to victory against Scotland.

Team manager Justine Ligyalingi hailed the discipline of the boys and acknowledged it was the best group of youngsters he had managed in the past. He said: "With such good discipline, a lot is ahead for the boys and with consistency they would get the best out of their careers.”

Tony Munro

Tony Munro's second piece this week surrounds Uganda, their preparation for the Under-19 World Cup and all the latest news on the local competitions and happenings.

Uganda are widely considered to be the rising force in African cricket, and if Kenya and Zimbabwe continue to struggle, many believe that Uganda will emerge as No. 2 to South Africa. Here, the New Vision website offers an insight into the best young players on the block.

Great news from Africa for a change. While other countries on the continent have their share of problems, things are looking good in Uganda:

In Uganda today, cricket has grown from just a recreational sport to a highly competitive and intense game.

And the great thing is that it is the youngsters who are shining, and that has to be good for the future.

Tornado made a bold statement, humbling Africa by 104 runs in the final of the Uganda's Castle Champions Trophy at Lugogo Cricket Ground to scoop all the season's silverware. Roger Mukasa, a 15-year-old batsman, was named Man of the Series for his 582 runs, six wickets and ten catches.