Dodoma-In a historic milestone for school sports in Tanzania, cricket has officially been introduced for the first time at the national UMITASHUMTA games the annual inter-primary school competition organized under the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.
The inaugural matches are being hosted at Lugalo Secondary School grounds in Dodoma and feature teams from four regions: Morogoro, Tanga, Dar es Salaam, and the host region, Dodoma.
In boys’ competition held earlier today, the Dodoma regional team delivered a commanding performance, defeating Dar es Salaam by 119 runs to 48.
The match highlighted the local team’s strong grasp of the sport despite its recent introduction to the school games scene.
Elsewhere, Tanga edged out Morogoro in a tightly contested boys’ match, claiming victory with a score of 98 to 90 runs.
In the girls' category, Morogoro emerged victorious in a nail-biting encounter against Tanga, winning by a narrow margin of 37 runs to 36 closing the day’s cricket action on a high note.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Hamis Hassan Abdallah, Cricket Coordinator for UMITASHUMTA 2025, emphasized the broader vision behind cricket’s inclusion.
“This is a new addition to the games, and we’re proud to see it take off with such enthusiasm. For now, cricket is being played exclusively at UMITASHUMTA, but plans are already underway to expand it into UMISSETA next year,” Abdallah said.
“Our aim is to promote the sport across the country and nurture a new generation of talent that could one day represent Tanzania at the international level.”he added
Cricket’s inclusion in UMITASHUMTA is seen as part of a broader initiative to diversify the range of sports available to students and foster holistic development through physical education.