Tubatse Cricket Club commemorates Freedom Day through sports

Burgersfort – In commemorating the National Freedom Day and a milestone reached in the country during the 30 years of independence, the Tubatse Cricket Club hosted a cricket and soft ball sporting codes event, held at the Tubatse Cricket Grounds on Saturday 27 April.

Six cricket and six softball teams, that included the under 13 and seniors, battled in the tournament for first prizes.

During the sporting event, Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality (MLM) was represented by Malegale and Jane Furse Cricket Teams while Praktiseer and Tubatse Cricket Clubs represented Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality (FTLM).

First match of the day was played between Jane Furse Cricket Club and Praktiseer Cricket Club, with Praktiseer started by betting and score 38 runs in 10 overs.  Jane Furse Cricket Club managed to chase the score and winning the match with 6 overs.

The second match played during the day was soft ball game between Jane Furse and Praktiseer. Jane Furse emerged as winners in a score of 60.  

In the third match, Tubatse Cricket Club defeated Malegale Cricket Club with 243 runs in 20 overs, with Malegale only making 75 runs in the 20 over match, leading to Tubatse winning the match with 168 runs.

Tubatse Cricket Club founder, Usman Rao, said the team was formed in 2019 and it its 5 years of existence, they believe that the club will be helpful for a huge population of local people who want to play cricket sporting code.

He said the vision is to spread the awareness of cricket in Tubatse Region and strive towards providing its members the best and safe platform to learn, play and succeed in the sporting code.

“The club, through its activities, intends to make a positive contribution to cricket along with enhancing the community’s access to cricket participation, facilities and development of cricket. Our goal is to provide the cricket lovers of Burgersfort opportunity environment and facilities to people of all ages and abilities to play cricket. We are particularly focused on promoting cricket and encouraging young players to participate, starting at an early age,” he said.

Rao indicated that among the challenges, Tubatse Cricket Club does not have a permanent ground for students to play on, as they are facing shortage of cricket gear which including equipment and practice nets.

“The aim of the club is to ensure all members have access to quality facilities and opportunities to play and participate. We also aim to harness and develop all young cricketers and provide the opportunity to contribute to the game of cricket at various levels and play a central role in club cricket life,” explained Rao.

He said their goal is to develop a structure and pathway for male and female to actively participate, play and follow cricket.

“We aim to actively participate in local tournaments, to enable our members to compete and gain exposure. The club welcomes players from different backgrounds and cultures and takes pride in promoting diversity,” he said.

Rao emphasized that the club has no other interest except for promoting the game of cricket and the upliftment of the community through the game, if given the opportunity to manage the ground and equipment’s that will be transparent and beneficial to the community at large.

“We want cricketing management skill into the community and ensure that Burgersfort is a powerhouse of cricketing talent in Limpopo and South Africa,” he said.

Rao thanked businesses that supported the sporting event including Gladcon-Africa, which sponsored with lunch, drinks and drinking water.