Sarji (third right), Mahyan (second right), Sarawak Education Department principal assistant director Salina Bujang and organising committee members as well as SCA officials pose with the champions after the prize presentation. The team is managed by Keron Mat (seated seventh left) and coached by Morshidi Isnawi (left) and Francis Vitalingam (seated 10th right) while SK Tabuan Hilir acting headmaster Ismail Lobot is standing at left, second row.
KUCHING: The Malaysian Malay Cricket Association will continue to support cricket development in Sarawak at grassroots level.
Its president Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said one of the tournaments that the association are supporting is the Elite Cricket Tun Ahmad Sarji Cup U12 Tournament that ended at SK Tabuan Hilir yesterday.
“The Sarawak Cricket Association (SCA) under the leadership of Awang Mahyan Awang Mohammed has been actively doing cricket development in Sarawak and this U12 tournament is held for the fourth time,” he told reporters at the closing of the event.
Sarji would like to see more teams taking part in the tournament and threw a challenge to the SCA to have the participation of at least 25 teams in the tournament for the next two to three years.
“If SCA can do this, then Malaysian Malay Cricket Association will support the organising of the U18 tournament which will make cricket development in Sarawak standard,” he added.
“We may not be able to support Sarawak financially as we are an non-governmental organisation but we can help in terms of sharing technical expertise and we have an academy at Bayu Mas,” he said.
Sarji welcomed the Sarawak government’s move in allocating a piece of land at the Stadium Complex for a cricket oval.
“I think if you have your own cricket oval built according to the International Cricket Council specifications where you have the quarters and set up an academy there, it will spur the development of cricket in the state.
“I do appeal that this piece of land will be devoted specifically to cricket and not shared with other sports like football and rugby because it should conform with cricket specifications,” said Sarji who presented the prizes to the winners.
Meanwhile, SK Tan Sri Sulaiman Daud (Tasudda) beat SK Tabuan Hilir by seven wickets to lift the Tun Ahmad Sarji challenge trophy.
They won more honours when Hariz Afnan took the best batsman award, Mohd Fariz Fartulah the best bowler award and Nur Shawalia the promising girl player award. The best all-rounder was Mohd Hykal Basari from SK Tabuan Hilir and his teammate Nur Dania Suhada claimed the best ladies award.
Farhan Md Farid of SK Kampung Senari was the best wicketkeeper while Izzudin Md Ali from SK Tabuan Hilir was the promising boy player.
SK Kampung Senari finished third in the tournament after they beat SK Bako by 10 wickets.
Other participating teams included SK Wira Jaya, SK Gita, SK St David Bumbok, SK Rakyat Tupong, SK Siol Kanan and SJK Chung Hua Bau.