On 27 June, David Houghton, the Zimbabwe National Cricket Coach, completed his fund-raising walk from Bulawayo to Harare. Houghton has raised over Zim$750,000 (about US$40,000) towards the establishment of a new cricket academy in Zimbabwe.

Covering 20 kilometres a day, Houghton completed the 400km distance in 22 days, being joined by many different people for various stages of the walk. Accompanied by a marching band, a number of children, and Zimbabwe cricket and sports adminstrators, Houghton entered the gounds of the Harare Sports Club with sore feet but looking forward to the next stage of the project. "Now we have to market the product", he said. He hopes to get the Academy operational by the beginning of 1999.

Houghton said that the walk had been aimed at raising cricket awareness in Zimbabwe. He sees a Zimbabwe Cricket Academy as different from those in Australia and New Zealand. Rather than existing for improving the skills and talents of top players, he believes it should be a vehicle for developing players who can go into first-class cricket, thus building up a broader cricketing infrastructure, which, in turn, will improve the prospects for the long-term development of the national side. "We need to develop a cricket culture in Zimbabwe," he said. "Cricket should not be seen as an elitist sport."


Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so by either sending cheques to the address below or depositing funds directly into the following account:

Zimbabwe Cricket Academy, Beverley Building Society, Zimbabwe. Account Number: 14349815U.

Zimbabwe Cricket Academy, P.O. Box A1950, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe.

All donations will be acknowledged and receipted.