Local school triumphs at cricket tourney

Maybe, just maybe, cricket's next world beater bearing the name Imran will come from these parts.

Or perhaps he will be called Dede.

The student from Cimahi III Klari elementary school in Karawang, West Java, stepped up to bat, closely watched by fielder Sam Seward from the No Fear club of the British International School (BIS), on Saturday.

The Cimahi team won the match, and another local team from Ciomas, West Java, took the top honors at an inter-school tournament in Jakarta on Saturday.

The competition, held at BIS in Bintaro, South Jakarta, is believed to be the first between teams of local students and those from international schools, the Jakarta Cricket Association said.

The local boys are part of a development program of the Indonesian Cricket Foundation (ICF) focused on getting young Indonesians playing the sport.

Four local coaches -- three in Bali and one in Jakarta -- visit schools to educate teachers and students about the game. With an estimated 10,000 local youngsters introduced to the sport in the five years since the ICF's founding, the International Cricket Council says the country has the fastest growth in the number of players in the world. -- JP