Kingsley Went - a short biography

FULL NAME: Kingsley Peter Robert Went

BORN: 19 August 1981, at Harare

MAJOR TEAMS: Manicaland

KNOWN AS: Kingsley Went. Nickname: King

BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat

BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Off Spin

OCCUPATION: Zimbabwe Cricket Academy student

FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: Still awaited

TEST DEBUT: Still awaited

ODI DEBUT: Still awaited

BIOGRAPHY (February 2000)

Kingsley Went, who lives in Mutare and plays for Manicaland, is one of the 2000 students at the CFX Academy. He is a promising top-order batsman and wicket-keeper.

Despite being born in Harare, Kingsley has lived all his life in Mutare, although his mother came to Harare briefly for his birth to be sure of the best available medical facilities. He comes from pioneer stock, one of his ancestors being the well-known Kingsley Fairbridge, to whom there is a memorial in the city of Mutare. Remarkably he has no family background in cricket, but began to develop an interest in the game at Hillcrest Primary School. His love for cricket and ability in the game grew slowly but surely, until by the end of his schooldays he decided that he enjoyed playing so much that if he had the talent he would love to play professionally.

Even at junior school his natural talent was such that he went almost straight into the team, as an opening batsman and wicket-keeper. Towards the end of his high-school days he developed his off-breaks, but still keeps wicket at times, and Manicaland this season have been more interested in his keeping than his bowling. The change in emphasis came about two years ago when he spoke to Mike Whiley of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union and was encouraged into this role.

At junior school he made some good scores, notably 94 not out against Murray McDougall and 88 not out against Mvurachena, both capable school teams. He was selected for the South-Eastern Districts team in the national primary schools cricket week as vice-captain, in 1993. In his first three years at high school, now at Hillcrest College, he played for the Mashonaland Country Districts Under-15 schools side, and for the next three years their Under-19 side. Despite these successes, though, he did not quite make the national side at any level.

At high school his best performances were 122 not out, scored against a touring school side from Norwich in England, 103 against a Hillcrest Old Boys team and 99 against Watershed. He scored a number of eighties and nineties in his final years at school without actually reaching three figures. For most of his school career he was vice-captain of his teams, and was awarded the captaincy in his final year, 1999.

Amost throughout his school career he had the same coach, Simon Scott-Elliott, who helped him a great deal, and he also pays tribute to the attention of Mark Burmester at the Manicaland nets, together with several other senior Manicaland players. Since then he has learned a lot from Shane Cloete in particular at the Academy.

At the age of 15 he started playing club cricket in Mutare, for the school team which played in the local league, and later for Mutare Sports Club. He was soon a member of the full Manicaland team, which was at that time still in the second national league, and has played for them over since, taking over as wicket-keeper during the current season when the regular keeper Roy Barbour was unavailable. His bowling was not used, but Kingsley sees his second line in bowling rather than keeping, especially as there are already three other keepers at the Academy. He has developed a good action and in a schools match last August took three wickets for 33 in ten overs against St Martin's from South Africa. He was then handicapped by a neck injury which prevented him from bowling for several weeks.

As a batsman he is a strong driver off the front foot, but can also hook and cut. His policy is to play himself in slowly at the crease and then score more freely as he settles in. Given a choice, he prefers to open the batting. When not keeping wicket, he generally fields close in behind the wicket.

Perhaps his most difficult batting experience to date was at the age of 15, when he had to face the former South African pace bowler Richard Snell on a wet pitch. The match in question was between the touring Nicky Oppenheimer's XI and a Manicaland team. He also found much difficulty in adjusting to the pace of Henry Olonga, while Pommie Mbangwa and Gary Brent are also bowlers who have earned his great respect.

Kingsley applied for a place in the CFX Academy last year and was accepted. He took Maths, geography and business management at A-level to give him some other qualifications, and may consider taking a degree by correspondence in business management in the future. His immediate aim is to do well at the Academy and do his best to fulfill his potential, with a view towards the Zimbabwe A team and eventually the full national side.

Kingsley is not playing any other sports at present, but he has played men's representative hockey for Manicaland, as well as the schools hockey team that won the inter-districts championship in 1999. He would like to continue playing hockey, but realises that his cricket commitments may not make that possible at present. In April, when the hockey season starts, he is likely to begin a club contract in England, probably at Cambridge. He has also played golf and tennis socially.