8:30am Thursday 25th December 2008
BRAMPTON Bryan and Leintwardine Cricket Club have been helping to promote cricket in Africa.
The club have been in the Gambia on a successful tour that helped to further develop school cricket at junior and secondary levels in Banjul, the capital, and to develop relations with the Gambian Cricket Association.
The club stayed at the Hibiscus House hotel which is owned and run by Sue Clifford-Webb who left Leintwardine for Gambia four years ago.
The team played three games over eight days, winning one and narrowly losing the other two.
The first match was against the Gambian national side and was held at the July 22nd Square in the centre of Banjul. BBLCC scored 121 in 32 overs against some impressive bowling from the young Gambian fast bowlers.
In reply, Gambia scored 103 in 23 overs with the man-of-the-match award being given to BBLCC’s Owen Thomas who took 5 wickets for 22.
Apart from the matches the club ran cricket coaching sessions at the stadium with more than 200 school children attending over two days.
Over the week, the real winner was cricket and it is hoped that other teams will make the trip to encourage its continuing development in the Gambia.
The British High Commission was so impressed that it gave the team a reception and dinner at the High Commission. It was a happy night; the High Commissioner remarked that she was not used to having everyone – Europeans, Africans and Asians – mix so well.
The tour had taken nearly two years to organise and would not have been as successful had not a number of clubs and individuals donated second-hand cricket gear.
BBLCC left a quarter of a tonne of equipment with the Gambian Cricket Association.
Peter Naylor, who had done much to arrange the tour, thanks all those who had contributed the equipment and hopes that those interested in hearing more about the week would join the club at its ‘Gambia Evening’ in Leintwardine village hall on January 23.
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