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Cricket Kenya (CK) will next week deploy a coach to oversee youth cricket training sessions in more than five academies established by the association as they seek to scout for talent in schools within Kisumu Sub-County.

In an interview with People Sport yesterday, Kisumu Central Sub-County-based, St. Paul’s Kanyakwar primary school cricket head coach Samuel Mariga, said CK will deploy an overall coach to start overseeing the training of school pupils, in the game.

 “CK will deploy an experienced overall coach George Otieno, next week, once schools reopen after the long Christmas 2024 and New Year 2025 festive season, who will oversee youth cricket training sessions in academies of more than five schools, located within the largely urban Kisumu Central sub-county,” Mariga said.

He said the CK overall coach will also build on the youth training foundation, for instance, St. Paul’s Kanyakwar primary school cricket coaches led by head tactician Mariga, including Bill Clinton and Benjamin Danga, undertook during a just-completed two-week youth coaching programme at the school, during the last December 2024 holiday.

 “During last December schools holiday, at St.Paul’s Kanyakwar primary school, we had 48 pupils, comprising an equal 24 boys and girls in camp, undertaking cricket training. And, Kanyakwar Headteacher Sister Mary Millicent, supported the training with a meal feeding programme,” Mariga said.

And, Mariga disclosed that once schools reopen next week, the CK’s overall coach will oversee cricket training at St. Paul’s Kanyakwar, Highway Comprehensive School, Kisumu Senior School, Kisumu Junior School, Lake Comprehensive School and MM Shah Primary School.

He said the coaching sessions would take place, twice a week, targeting pupils and students at the identified schools where cricket academies were recently established, and would entail taking the youth through learning the basics of cricket.

“The school youth will be taken through learning cricket basis such as bowling, batting the ball, catching the ball, scoring runs and winning during the game,” Mariga explained.

Cricket academies were recently established at the more than five schools within the Kisumu sub-county by United Kingdom-based Cricket Without Boundaries (CBW) volunteers, who visited Kenya, trained youth and donated cricket stumps, bats and balls to several learning institutions in Western Kenya areas of Kisumu Central sub-county, Siaya County, Kakamega County.

In a separate interview with People Sport, CK’s Development coach Nick Oluoch, who accompanied the CWB volunteer coaches led by Mark Campbell, including Anil Karia, Dylan Swanepoel, Ed Lamb, Gemma Manvel, Marilyn Smith, Sorcha Breslin and Verity Turner, during cricket youth coaching session that covered parts of central regions Nakuru, Thika and Muranga, said the UK-based trainers also established youth academies in these regions.

“In addition to cricket training targeting youth in identified schools in Western Kenya, Rift Valley and Central regions, the CWB trainers also donated cricket playing equipment and donated sanitary pads in schools like St. Mark Nyabera and Kisian primary schools in Kisumu Central sub-county, “Oluoch recalled.

Oluoch said the deployment by CK of an overall cricket coach to Kisumu Central sub-county is a follow-up to the youth cricket training foundation recently established by CWB and part of an elaborate programme by CK in partnership with CWB to popularise and nurture the game of cricket among Kenyan youth and create a feeder pool of talent for the country’s national teams and professional cricket clubs.