Titans and Lions taking professional cricket to the townships

THE Unlimited Titans and bizhub Highveld Lions have pulled out all the stops to make the pre-season warm-up match in the eKasi Challenge Cup a memorable one for both players and spectators.

Now in its third edition, the first match will go back to where it all started at the Mamelodi Oval when the two teams will play each other on Wednesday, September 9. The bizhub Highveld Lions will be defending their two consecutive wins in this series while The Unlimited Titans will hope to take home the trophy for the first time. The match starts at 09:30 and gates will open from 09:00.

The matches alternate between the teams’ home turfs in Mamelodi, Pretoria and Soweto, Johannesburg.

The idea of the eKasi Challenge is to bring professional cricket to local township ovals to encourage a new fan base. At the very heart of the eKasi Challenge is the intention of developing the sport at a grassroots level and using sports as a tool for initiating life-skills training and to inspire township youth. A few days before the match, the Lions and volunteers from Momentum will visit local schools with a fun and interactive life-skills programme.

Bringing the tournament to Mamelodi and Soweto also gives people the chance to identify with and be inspired by role models such as Aaron Phangiso, Eddie Leie, Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada, who are all current Proteas, plus Lonwabo Tsotsobe who has just come off a successful South African A-squad tour to India.