The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
KADOMA based Eiffel Cricket Academy have partnered with Indian online sports goods store Greatshot India, which will see the locals benefitting in the form of affordable cricket gear from the Asian country.
The partnership between the two will see Eiffel Cricket Academy get reasonable priced cricket equipment. Head coach and the founder of Eiffel Cricket Academy, Tafadzwa Manyuta said Greatshot have shown willingness in assisting them bring back cricket to Kadoma.
Head coach and the founder of Eiffel Cricket Academy, Tafadzwa Manyuta
“We managed to get into a partnership with Greatshot from India who are willing to help the Academy to provide proper cricket gear and help us bring back the sport in the city. For a while I have been in contact with the CEO of Greatshot. We are still in good terms on how we can develop cricket in the city not only in Kadoma but other towns and urban areas,’’ Manyuta said.
Sudhakar Rajmohan CEO and co-founder of Greatshot said they were delighted to be associated with Eiffel Cricket Academy, a place he reckons has the correct know-how in teaching the youngsters the game of cricket. Eiffel Cricket Academy are paying for some of the equipment while some of it is being provided free of charge.
“Eiffel Academy is a great place to learn skills in cricket and they do have the right expertise with Tafadzwa as head coach. We are excited to be a partner with Eiffel Academy and we want to support the great people by providing international quality cricket goods with most affordable cost. Also, we want to extend our support to the grass root trainees by providing training T-shirts, training equipment free of cost and make sure that the budding cricketers get enough support and motivation to do better in the field,’’ Rajmohan said.
In the long term, Eiffel Cricket Academy and Greatshot are planning to open a sports shop in Harare
“Also, we want to help them to start a sports store and make sure every sports person in Zimbabwe will get quality sporting gears with much cheaper price,’’ said Rajmohan.
Manyuta feels the partnership with Greatshot will benefit not only Kadoma but the surrounding areas who should be able to get reasonable priced cricket equipment.
“It’s really a beneficial to us as a province and a nation at large to have Great shot on board. In our province and the ones nearer to us we don’t have a cricket shop we travel all the way to Harare to get equipment and also it will be an easy access to our local players to have such a privilege. To the nation as a whole it will be great as well because great shot cricket gear is affordable,’’ he said.
Established in 2011, Eiffel Cricket Academy has according to Manyuta been running on low standards without equipment or proper facilities because of the tough economic situation prevailing in the country. In 2013, Eiffel Cricket Academy hosted the Bob@89 tournament at Kadoma Sports Club in honour of the late former President, Robert Mugabe.
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