By RON FANFAIR
Ugandan-born Osindi Henry has been given a second opportunity to participate in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy tournament for Associate members.
Henry missed out representing Uganda in the last competition in Canada four years ago because of a shoulder injury. He moved here a few months later and has now been named in a 30-member squad selected to prepare for this year's tournament in Ireland in July.
Uganda was ranked second to last in the official seeding for the 2001 ICC Trophy tournament in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), but confounded all expectations finishing 10th overall. The African side shocked Ireland in a pre-season opener and proceeded to finish on top of its group.
Four years ago Henry became the first African to play in the Toronto & District Cricket Association (TDCA) competition.
The lanky medium pacer and useful lower order batsman claimed 27 wickets (av. 24.37) and hit 310 runs with a top score of 39 in his two seasons with West Indian Cricket Club before joining Victoria Park in 2004. He picked up 13 wickets (av. 26.31) and scored 23 runs in nine matches with the club last season.
He also took seven wickets (av. 11.29) in two two-day matches last season and was a member of the 2002 and 2003 Ontario teams that opposed Quebec in the annual two-day competition for the Atholstan Trophy. He captured 4-39 and 2-32 in the two matches respectively.
Henry was introduced to the game 11 years ago when late Barbados and West Indies opener Conrad Hunte visited his Busoga College Mwiri.
"He used me as a sort of an illustration as a tall fast bowler and what he could do on a cricket field," Henry recalled in an interview with Share in 2002. "I did not think too much of it at the time because I had never played the sport and wasn't interested. I played a lot of soccer, basketball and volleyball while at Busoga and at Makerere University.
Henry began playing the sport seriously in the summer of 2000 and quickly forced his way onto the Nile Cricket Club line-up in the local Bank of Baroda league competition. He was included on the Uganda teams that toured Namibia on four occasions between 1996 and 1998 and was a certainty to represent the country in the ICC trophy tournament for Associates in the GTA when he was unfortunately sidelined by injury.
Henry is among 16 Ontario players named in the squad.
Team manager Mike Henry said he intends to increase the training program for the GTA-based players.
"Sometime this month, we hope to get them in for two practice sessions a week and about three hours of gym work with the team physiotherapist," said Henry.
The CCA is required to submit a 30-member list to the ICC by April 30.
May 30 is the deadline for submission to the ICC of the final 14-member squad, three officials and any additional support staff for the 12 ICC Trophy tournament participants.