An article from the ACC/ICC under 19 women's cricket tournament

The following article was written by an English Journalist, Colin Macbeth, who was following the Ugandan under 19 girls cricket side during the recent womens's cricket tournament.

One Of Cricket’s Fairytales

When you look at the record books in a couple of years’ time you will be reminded that Uganda won the 2010 Under-19s Girls’ East African regional championships in Dar es Salaam, and that Tanzania were runners-up.

What you will not be told is who were the real winners: Rwanda and cricket.

Rwanda survived a blown-up bus and 56 hours on the road to reach the Annadil Burkani stadium. There, poor souls, they were annihilated by an albeit weakened Uganda side, 121/4 to 38/8. On the same day Tanzania walloped the lacklustre Kenyans 101/4 to 18 all out.

So, everyone thought the die was cast; and indeed it was the Tanzanians and Ugandans who would battle it out for first place and fight again in the final. But on the way the Tanzanians scraped through against the rapidly improving Rwandans by just one run – 66 all out to 65/7, while Kenya succumbed easily to Uganda , 87/7 to 37.

Thus the final games against Kenya , an established though declining powerhouse of non-Test cricket, were going to be the real test for the inexperienced Rwandese. And they rose to it magnificently, beating the Kenyans not just once, but twice, all in the name of good cricket. First, it was they who won by the one run – 113/6 to 112 all out; then it was more emphatic, 95/8 to 70.

Coach Adam Arnold, an Australian who fell into the job almost by chance when visiting his girlfriend in the little central African nation, was like a kid with candy. “It was great, simply great,” he crowed. And his side were right behind him on this momentous occasion,

“It was strange though,” said Arnold . “When they lost by one run to Tanzania, they were as happy as can be; when they won by one run against Kenya they hardly celebrated at all; and when they beat them the second time they just said a prayer, although it was clear their joy was unbounded.”

The three visiting sides left Tanzania early on Monday morning each with long journeys ahead of them. Kenya ’s tails were rather between their legs; Uganda were all vuvu-blowing and flag-waving; Rwanda were simply proud, as the Tanzania Cricket Association chairman said they had every right to be.

And added “Cricket has won.”