Rwanda Cricket Association is the official

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

sports in

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

. Its current headquarters is located in kicukiro district in

Kigali Kigali () is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwanda's economic, cult ...

city . Rwanda Cricket Association is Rwanda's representative at the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the '' ...

and is an associate member and has been a member of that body since 2003. It is also a member of the

African Cricket Association The Africa Cricket Association (ACA) is an international body which coordinates the development of cricket in Africa. The ACA was founded in 1997, and has 23 member countries. The role of the ACA includes promoting the development of cricket in ...

. Today, cricket is one of the fastest-growing sports in

. The game was first introduced in the country after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, following the return of many Rwandans who had been exiled in English-speaking cricket-playing neighboring countries – such as

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Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

and

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...

Most of these exiles were students and played the game while pursuing their studies at the National University of Rwanda (now University of Rwanda). IPRC Kigali later became the home of cricket and went on to host several league and schools cricket competitions before the establishment of Gahanga Cricket Stadium; the first international stadium in 2017.

Charles Haba Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

, one of the pioneers of the game at the National University of Rwanda went on to become the first President of the Association which was founded between 1999 and 2000. Gahanga_Cricket_Oval_in_Kicukiro

The game is now played by over 23,010 people across the country. RCA’s annual calendar includes international competitions, domestic club competitions ( 50-over league, T20 league and most recently a

T10 league T10 League or Abu Dhabi T10 is a Ten10 cricket league in the United Arab Emirates launched and owned by T Ten Sports Management. The league is approved by the Emirates Cricket Board. Matches are 10-overs-a-side and the duration of each match ...

which attracts the country’s top clubs). Other regular competitions include the schools’ competition and a university competition. Emmanuel Byiringiro is the General

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

of RCA. Landry Rurangwa is the Development Manager.

Key milestones

In 2003, Rwanda Cricket Association became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) In 2004, Rwanda made its debut at an ICC tournament when the national senior men’s team participated in the

ICC Africa The Africa Cricket Association (ACA) is an international body which coordinates the development of cricket in Africa. The ACA was founded in 1997, and has 23 member countries. The role of the ACA includes promoting the development of cricket in ...

Affiliates Championship in Benoni,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. In 2010, Rwanda Cricket Association celebrated its 10-year anniversary. In 2011, Rwanda were crowned champions of the ICC T20 Africa Division 3 tournament. In 2017, Rwanda Cricket Association launched Gahanga Cricket Stadium; the first international standard Stadium. Rwanda_national_female_cricket_players

In 2018, Rwanda hosted the World T20 Africa B Qualifier. In 2019, Rwanda hosted the ICC World Cup Trophy. In July 2020, Rwanda Cricket Association won the 100% Cricket Participation Programme of the Year award, in the ICC's Annual Development Awards. The national senior women’s team is ranked 7th in Africa 2021- update: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most sports activities were cancelled. However, Rwanda Cricket Association is set to hold the annual Kwibuka T20 Tournament at Gahanga Cricket Oval in June 2021. Five national teams are expected at the event.

Board Members

President – Mr Stephen Musaale Vice President - Mr Audifax Byiringiro General Secretary - Mr Julius Mbaraga Treasurer - Mr Srinath Vardhineni Women Representative – Ms. Sonia Uwimana

Awards

Ground

Gahanga Cricket Stadium and IPRC Cricket Ground are the main cricket grounds in Rwanda. In August 2011,

Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

was formed to build and manage, on a not-for-profit basis, the first dedicated international cricket ground in

. The stadium sits on 4.5-hectares on the outskirts of Kigali, Rwanda's capital. The charity is run by a team of cricket enthusiasts from the UK

Christopher Shale Christopher Michael Henry Shale (23 August 1954 – 25 June 2011) was a British businessman and Conservative politician. He was chairman of the West Oxfordshire Conservative Association, and a close associate of Prime Minister and local MP D ...

and Rwanda in partnership with the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influe ...

Foundation. In 2012,

Brian Lara Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing rec ...

agreed to join a decorated list of patrons;

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

Andrew Mitchell Andrew John Bower Mitchell (born 23 March 1956) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sutton Coldfield since 2001. A member of the Conservative Party, Mitchell was previously the MP for Gedling from 1987 to 1 ...

Jonathan Agnew Jonathan Philip Agnew, (born 4 April 1960) is an English cricket broadcaster and a former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed "Aggers", and, less commonly, "Spiro" � ...

, Heather Knight and

Peter Gummer, Baron Chadlington Peter Selwyn Gummer, Baron Chadlington FCIPR FIoD FCinstM FRSA (born 24 August 1942) is an English businessman. He is currently President of the Witney Conservative constituency association, and is a PR adviser, long-standing supporter and d ...

Gahanga Cricket Stadium was officially launched in 2017.

References

External links

Cricinfo-Rwanda

Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation
{{Affiliate Members of the International Cricket Council Cricket administration Cricket in Rwanda