Kyle bowie playing club cricket in tasmania

Bowie named one of the most promising cricketers to emerge from Zimbabwe

Ex-CBC First Team cricket captain, Kyle Bowie, is currently playing for the Northern Tasmanian Cricket Association (NTCA), where coaches are lauding him as the bright

est prospect to emerge from Zimbabwe. This interview with Bowie was filed from South Launceston by Rob Shaw.

FEW cricketers taking part in this weekend's NTCA matches will have undergone quite as traumatic a trip to get there as South Launceston's Zimbabwean recruit Kyle Bowie.

The 19-year-old medium- fast bowler's journey to Westbury began with a 14-hour bus ride from Bulawayo to Johannesburg, complete with a three-hour grilling at the South African border, before a lengthy wait for a flight to Perth, another to Melbourne and a final leg to Launceston.

Bowie, described as one of the brightest prospects to emerge from Zimbabwe by the country's under-19 coach Chris Harris, arrived on Friday in time to see his new team in action and is excited about the transition across the Indian Ocean.

"I watched the second innings on Saturday and think the standard is very similar to what I've played back home in club cricket so I'm looking forward to that," he said.

"I had a mate who visited Tasmania and said it was really nice and it's good to get out of Zimbabwe and get a bit of experience.

"It is lovely and scenic here with nice people. There are much better facilities and it's a lot greener than Zimbabwe, which is very dry so I'm looking forward to playing on these wickets."

An outstanding all-round sportsman, Bowie was part of Christian Brothers College's athletics team, won its golf championship and turned down an international rugby call-up to focus on cricket.

Excelling at age-group level for Matabeleland, he made his full youth international debut in January 2011 against South Africa and featured in the tri-nation under-19 tournament between South Africa, Pakistan and Zimbabwe along with the ICC under-19 World Cup in Australia in August.

His best international figures were 3-25 against South Africa in Cape Town and 3-44 against England in Brisbane.

South coach, Ben Austen, said the club was excited about its new recruit.

"We've not done this for many years so it's a first time for both of us and a bit of a learning curve," Austen said.

"There is a fairly significant chance that this guy will go on to play for his country and that would be great for him and this club."

Bowie said he was well aware of the NTCA's proud history boasting Australia's oldest first-class venue and producing Ricky Ponting, David Boon and his South Launceston clubmate George Bailey.

"I'm staying with Brent Young and he tells me all about that, it is a little bit daunting," he said.