Kingsley Went (born 19 August 1981) is a Zimbabwean former
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 striki ...
er.
He played sixteen
first-class matches between 1999 and 2005.
Biography
Born in Harare, Went has spent most of his life in Mutare, with a notable family lineage tracing back to
Kingsley Fairbridge
Kingsley Ogilvie Fairbridge (5 May 1885 – 19 July 1924) was the founder of a child migration, child emigration scheme from Britain to British Empire, its colonies and the Fairbridge Schools. His life work was the founding of the "Society for t ...
.
He found his passion for cricket at Hillcrest Primary School, and his skill gradually grew, leading him to consider a professional career in the sport.
His school cricket career was marked by impressive performances as an opening batter and wicket-keeper.
His transition to focus on off-breaks was influenced by a conversation with Mike Whiley of the
Zimbabwe Cricket Union
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), previously known as the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) until 2004, is the governing body for the sport of cricket in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Cricket is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and administers th ...
.
Despite this shift, he still played as a wicket-keeper occasionally.
Went excelled in school cricket, with standout scores of 122 not out against a visiting school from Norwich, England, 103 against a Hillcrest Old Boys team, and 99 against Watershed.
He served as the vice-captain for most of his teams and captained in his final year, 1999.
Went started playing club cricket in
Mutare
Mutare (formerly Umtali) is the most populous city in the province of Manicaland, and the third most populous city in Zimbabwe, having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 and approximately 260,567 ...
at the age of 15, first for his school team, then for
Mutare Sports Club
Mutare Sports Club is a cricket ground in Mutare, Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe. It is located just to the south-east of the city centre, next to Main Park.
It has been the home ground of the Mountaineers, one of Zimbabwe's first-class cricket f ...
, eventually joining the Manicaland team.
While he didn't frequently use his bowling skills during this time, Went views bowling as his secondary skill rather than wicket-keeping.
Went studied
business management
Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...
,
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
, and
maths
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
at A-level.
His career aspirations include joining the Zimbabwe A team and the full national side.
Unfortunately, a slipped disc during his only first-class match for the Academy halted his season.
Upon recovery, he played successfully for Upminster in Essex, scoring nine half-centuries in 18 games. He later returned to the Academy, where he developed his skills under the mentorship of Dave Houghton.
In 2000, he played in England again, this time for Ely and Haddenham in the Cambridgeshire league, where he averaged over 40 with the bat and a top score of 130.
In 2002, he played for South Oxford and Lister.
Part of the national league-winning Mutare Sports Club team in 2001/02, Went excelled as a batter, favoring a slow start at the crease before ramping up his scoring rate.
Went has represented Manicaland in men's hockey and enjoys golf and tennis recreationally.
See also
*
CFX Academy cricket team
The CFX Academy cricket team was a first-class cricket team representing the Zimbabwe's cricket academy in the country's domestic cricket competitions. They competed in the Logan Cup from 1999 until 2002. The club played their home matches at the ...
References
External links
*
1981 births
Living people
Zimbabwean cricketers
CFX Academy cricketers
Manicaland cricketers
Cricketers from Harare
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