Harare — DESPITE Cricket South Africa suspending bilateral relations with their Zimbabwean counterparts, local authorities have sent two junior sides to the Ekurhuleni Cricket Festival.

The Zimbabwe under-13 and under-15 teams will compete in the festival, which will be hosted by the Eastern Junior Club Cricket Association at the Willowmoore Cricket Grounds of the Eastern Cricket Union in Benoni, South Africa.

The Ekurhuleni Cricket Festival will run from today to July 5.

In the under-13 age-group, Zimbabwe will play against the Botswana Develop-ment and Invitational teams and a side from Swaziland.

In the under-15 section, Zimbabwe will face Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and South African provincial sides Griqualand West, North West, South Gauteng and the Ekurhuleni team. The sides will play each other on a round-robin basis, with 30-over matches in the morning and twenty20 ties in the afternoon except on the final day when they will play 40-over fixtures.

"We expect our players to gain a considerable amount of experience from this festival as its playing format is designed to ensure that maximum cricket is played and that every player has an opportunity to participate, either with bat or ball," said Zimbabwe Cricket national junior schools manager Jimmy Chikange.

Mark Kingham, the chairman of the EJCCA, disclosed that they have great expectations for the 2008 Ekurhuleni Cricket Festival.

"The 2007 edition was a great success and this year we want to build on that. We hope to continue forming relations with cricketing bodies from other African countries to assist with their development programmes."

In his message to the organisers, ZC chairman Peter Chingoka, the chairman of the Africa Cricket Association under whose auspices the tournament is being run, said:

"On behalf of the ACA, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the hosts for putting together such a tournament which has the noblest of objectives, bringing together as it does young players from across the continent to compete in and share their experiences of cricket."

Zimbabwe squads

Under-13:

Clive Chitumba, Stuart du Preez, Ryan Higgins, Luke Jongwe, Farai Kabike, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Patrick Mambo, Thabani Moyo, Jack Myers, Tafadzwa Potsekai, Campbell Saul, James Suddens and Daniel Wells. Coach: Shepherd Makunura

Manager: Moses Chitare.

Under-15:

Matthew Bentley, James Bruce, Joy Chitate, Reason Deka, Hieronymo Kabvundura, Gordon Lindsay, Vuyisile Maphala, Isaac Mapimha, Luke Masasire, Tinashe Mungoshi, Tarisai Musakanda, Joseph Musorosekwa, Boyd Rouse, Michael Scruby and Peacemore Zimwa.

Coach: Clement Mahachi.