More women cricketers in the making

11 January 2010

Thirty-two new players, along with 14 national players of under-19 women’s cricket team, are receiving training from four qualified cricket coaches at Yangchenphu Higher Secondary School ground in Thimphu.

They are trained for three to four hours every day. While the new players are being coached on the basics of cricket, the national players are trained on player skill matrix, enhancement of their skills and technical parts.

The players are coached and trained stage-wise. Those who catch up fast and master one stage can move to the next stage.

Coaching coordinator and youth national coach, Damber S Gurung, said that since the game was new, it was difficult to teach at the initial stage, but once they understand the game, they pick up faster and better.

In September 2010, these women will participate in teh under-19 women’s challenge championship to be held in Singapore.

While most of the players are living in Thimphu or staying with their relatives, five girls stay in the Youth Centre hostel. All of them are national payers, who do not have anyone in the capital.

Ugyen Dema, a 16-year-old class X student and one of the national players staying in the youth hostel, said she wanted to make the country proud and prove that women can also play cricket. The players were selected by the school coaches based on their performance and potential from the school cricket tournament held in schools every year since 2007.

The number of women’s cricket teams in two categories of under-16 and under-19 has increased from three last year to 13 this year.

By Eshori Gurung

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