By Fred Maingi

The one day Nairobi County Mini Cricket Tournament delivered  an inspiring display of great untapped talent and showed how enthusiastic the kids are towards the game.

South Zone Cricket Umoja Primary School emerged as the champions after a thrilling final, successfully chasing 52 runs set by the Ruaraka Development Team. They sealed the victory in the 10th over with 4 wickets down, showing composure, teamwork, and disciplined cricket.

Ruaraka Development put up a strong fight with impressive bowling and fielding, making the final a contest that was full of excitement for the ball bowled

Beyond cricket, this tournament was designed with our goal being to engage children from informal settlements while placing intentional focus on mental health awareness. Thanks to the incredible support of mental health practitioners from Africakala Art, the children spent much of the day participating in uplifting and therapeutic activities.

 These included board games such as Chess, Draughts, Ludo, and Jenga, all aimed at stimulating the different parts of the brain as they learnt how to control their emotions. Before the semi-final matches, the participants and spectators took part in guided breathing exercises and relaxation therapy, helping them stay calm and confident throughout the competition.

The tournament coordinator Jeremiah Saningo was all smiles after the tournament that was staged at the Ruaraka sports club.

“We are proud to have reached over 120 children and 50 adults through this event, after attracting 9 teams” Said Saningo.

Among the teams that took part in the one day  tournament include  Hungry Warriors Cricket, Southern Warriors Cricket, Dr. Agrey Primary School, Starehe Hub Cricket, Ruaraka Development, Mathare Cricket Development who train with the Ruaraka team, Unity Primary School, South Zone Cricket and all the way from Isinya, the Isinya team run by Ole Shah Cricket.

With each team contributing around 15 players and their coaches. This turnout reflects the growing enthusiasm for cricket in our communities and the importance of creating safe, constructive environments for young people. As the Tournament Organiser, I am committed to ensuring that this initiative continues to grow. Our plan is to host the mini tournament every school holiday, providing consistent opportunities for children to stay active, motivated, and competitive while nurturing their mental and emotional

well-being.

Thank you to all teams, coaches, partners, spectators and volunteers who made this tournament a success. Special thanks to Mansukh Hirani from Hirani Telecom and JD Tremblay, an Elite Triathlete who has been instrumental in the organisation of the tournament.