Winstonians Cricket club is the first high-density (township) based team to play in the Mashonaland Vigne Cup and the national first leagues. Winstonians is based in Highfield's Zimbabwe Grounds, plot five, near Machipisa Shopping Centre.

In 1993 Stephen Mangongo, the then Zimbabwe cricket development coach, was frustrated by seeing his Chipembere and Mbizi primary school cricketers failing to pursue playing as no proper playing facilities existed. He then decided to form Winstonians with assistance from Givemore Makoni, Emmanuel Dube and Peter Sharples. Winstonians started in the national and Mashonaland Vigne Cup third leagues.

Through playing merit Winstonians (WCC) finally won promotion into the Mashonaland Vigne Cup first league in the 1998/99 season. The following season saw WCC promoted to the national first league after winning the second league without losing a match.

WCC is a unique club in that it has introduced and nurtured most of its players. Its coaching department is proud to have produced such cricketers of potential as the current Under-19 players Tatenda Taibu, Stuart Matsikenyeri and Hamilton Masakadza. Other national junior players are A. Mbwembwe and T. Ruswa who represented the national Under-16 side.

Winstonians has a very bright future; firstly, they are the youngest team in the national first league, with an average age of 18. Seven regular team members are schoolboys. With their physical and mental maturity still to develop fully, the next two seasons will see WCC become a household cricketing name.

The second aspect is the number of enthusiastic township boys with an appetite to play only if the facilities and the necessary environment are created. Basically, WCC has the biggest catchment zone of potential cricketers with eleven primary schools and four secondary schools within walking distance of their training ground. WCC hopes to tap raw talent from these schools.

Winstonians has battled to raise sponsorship even with such obvious excellent achievements. Sporadic assistance from well-wishers has been crucial. What completely baffles any normal person is the dilatory attitude of various cricketing authorities in assisting WCC. Are the cricketing gurus genuine in their popular phrase `cricket development' – developing who?

With a principal sponsor to take care of an operational budget – i.e., transport, lunches, equipment and incentives – Winstonians will definitely be a pride and joy for many cricket lovers in Zimbabwe.

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