Rural cricket hub produces professional players and scholarships

The under-19 girls from Nkhensani Mthombeni Nkowankowa defeated Saints Christian School by 26 runs to win the Noordvaal championship in Pretoria.

The tournament gathered school champions from the Limpopo, North West, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng provinces of South Africa. Teacher Adam Shayi started the Nkowankowa Cricket Hub on a dusty school ground in Tzaneen. The program now recruits players from surrounding villages and townships to provide them with professional training and food support.

It also helps students access educational opportunities, including scholarships and travel to cities they could not otherwise reach. The hub has produced professional cricketers, including Don Radebe, who won the Men’s T20 Knockout Player of the Season award in 2024. Head coach Blessing Mabunda says the program also helps keep young people away from substance abuse and reduces the risk of teenage pregnancy. Mabunda received the award for best hub coach at the 2024 Cricket South Africa Awards.