Pomp and color marks the launch of the Numi Cricket Challenge

The launch of the Numi Cricket Challenge.PHOTO/courtesy

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 – It was an evening of pomp and color at the Nairobi Gymkhana lounge on Thursday night during the official launch of the Numi Cricket Challenge which was graced by the Indian High Commissioner in Kenya, Suchitra Durai and International Cricket Council top official Dev Govindjee.

Despite the recent dropping fortunes of Kenyan cricket, all the speakers at the glittering event that included the high commissioner, the top ICC match official and the NPCA boss were all agreed that the future was bright with the staging of high profile youth events like the forthcoming “Numi Challenge” providing the much needed solution of a large base of youthful players for the country to pick from.

The four day cricket extravaganza will bowl off on 12th July in Nairobi with over 400 youth of various age groups participating.

The tournament which is organized by Starfield Sports Ltd, a local sports consultancy firm in conjunction with Obuya Cricket Academy will feature four categories of under 9, 11, 15 and 19.

The inaugural tournament which replaces the annual Obuya youth cricket tournament which has been running for the last eight years is expected to be bigger, more exciting and lucrative in terms of prizes after several reputable firms confirmed sponsorship of the event.

According to the tournament director, Veer Dave, a lot of emphasis will be placed on promoting youth cricket this year especially among the underprivileged children.

Over 30 teams have already confirmed participation including four from East Africa Cricket Foundation comprising of three girls teams and one boys’ team of under 19 years.

Other top teams that have confirmed participation are Premier, Simba Union, Mombasa Simba Cricket Academy, Kanbis,  Nakuru Cricket Club, Nakuru Pirates, Lenana, Starfield and Obuya Cricket Academy.

The girl’s competition has attracted four teams including a team from Kwhisero in Kakamega County.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the tournament, Karan Kaul, a director of Starfield Sports Ltd said “Our two brands have come together to realize their shared vision of developing cricket in Kenya, and using cricket to help develop the society. With the combined knowledge and experience, the Obuya Star Field Tournament has endless possibilities”.

The post Pomp and color marks the launch of the Numi Cricket Challenge appeared first on Capital Sports.