Bodoe, the man with the golden arm

After coaching the South Zone Under-13 cricket team to three successive British Gas titles, Baldath Bodoe has now given them success at the Under-15 level.

Bodoe earlier this season took the Under-13 team to their third successive cricket championship in the junior series. On observing the tremendous success he was gaining at this level, he was taken up a notch to the Under-15 level. His job at the Under-15 level was a little more difficult but one advantage he had was the fact that the players were all under his charge at the Under-13 level. “It was a more challenging task at the Under-15 level but the guys were known to me and we just continued our work ethic the same way,” Bodoe said. The South Under-15 team, dubbed the Logie  Division, started off with a thumping 90-run win against the Bishop division. “The good start was a tremendous boost for the youngsters and they carried on to win two of the other three matches.” The only defeat suffered by the south team was a narrow one-wicket loss at the hands of Dhanraj division of the South East Zone. This proved to be the only victory for the South East team as they finished bottom of the table.

Logie Division finished strongly with a win over Gomes Division in the last round to cop the title. Batting first Logie Division made 233 all out and then restricted Gomes Division to 219 all out —- to finish winners by 14 runs. South finished the league with six points, two ahead of second place Nanan Division. “South cricket is in good hands as we have a number of talented youngsters coming through. We have been dominant in the Under-13 age group and by winning the Under-15 for the first time, we are showing that our players are progressing,” Bodoe said. South also finished runners-up in the British Gas Under-17 tournament. “The difference in the performance of the Southern teams recently has been due to the new executive in control of the cricket. The chairman, Leo Doodnath, has been a tremendous asset to the zone and has been very supportive of our efforts to move forward,” he said.