Pushing up
the run rate
Sean O'Connor describes how keeping it small and simple
can help promote cricket
development
When I started work here in 1995 there were only 10
township teams," says Ezra Cagwe,
development officer at the Western Province Cricket
Association. "Today there are 149. The
problem is they have to share six or seven pitches."
"The previous government made no provision for
sports fields at schools," he continues. "Joe
Slovo High School in Khayalitsha, which has huge fields,
cannot use them properly: they're
uneven, sandy and infested with wild grasses."
To establish a cricket field is hideously expensive. Then
again, just playing the game is
expensive. Unsurprisingly, this highly popular South
African sport has attracted many sponsors
over the years, intent on lifting barriers to playing the
game and developing talent wherever
possible.
Sponsors work within a provincial framework, and schools
apply to regional cricket associations
for assistance. PPC cement has been building free pitches
around the country for over 10
years. MTN subsidises kits: a full kitbag, consisting of
two bats, four sets of pads and gloves,
stumps, thigh pads and boxes, will cost a primary school
R400 and a secondary school R500,
less than half their actual cost. Among others, Standard
Bank assists with the irrigation of
fields.
But the real champions of cricket development are Bakers
Biscuits. Launched in Gauteng as a
regional experiment with a budget of R50 000 in 1982,
Bakers Mini Cricket is now a thriving
national development programme with a budget of
R13-million over three years. Shaun Pollock,
Lance Klusener, Makhaya Ntini and Mark Boucher all played
Mini Cricket in their early days.
Baker's Mini Cricket consists of fast, scaled-down games
with eight children per team. Games
last about an hour and a single coach can supervise and
instruct up to 16 children
simultaneously. Coaching is provided for free. The Bakers
Coaches Academy trains coaches at
various levels. Over 20 000 coaches have been through the
academy, including Graham Ford,
the national coach.
Mini Cricket can be played by all, under almost any
conditions. This helps explain why the
fastest growing aspect of cricket nationally and
internationally is women's cricket. "There were
always more women in the grounds than men," explains
Anthony Trout, director of Mini-Cricket
at the Western Province Cricket Association.
"They've stopped sitting back, and are now
enjoying themselves as much as the men."
Role models play a vital role. "The girls starting
to play adore Neil McKenzie," says Trout,
"while
the young guys go crazy about his sister."
Cricket is a complex game with many opportunities, and
the possibilities for interaction and
personal development are inbuilt. "We need good
leadership," says Trout. "Cricket is a great
vehicle for that. It is amazing to see how many community
leaders are still involved in sport.
But it doesn't just end on the field," he says,
revealing deep concern for the welfare of his
young players. "For me, the greatest compliment I
can receive is being told that I was part of
someone's growing up."
Although schools are the seedbed of young talent, with
thousands participating in schools and
Mini Cricket leagues, the "accelerating factor"
of development are the cricket clubs. Cagwe
explains that cricket in schools, usually in the form of
a mid-week game of about 20 overs per
team, isn't sufficient to develop real talent.
"Clubs play on the weekend, when a whole day
can be spent on the field."
Although long hours are listed by Trout as a reason for
dwindling interest in the game after U19
level, the clubs also provide a valued social dimension
to the game.
Running parallel to and in tandem with the clubs are
provincial development initiatives, where
young talent is spotted and developed. Similar to other
provinces, schools are divided into
zones. The better players are sent to nets to receive
extra coaching, while the top performers
receive assistance at regional levels, and then compete
for provincial colours.
The results are starting to show, though the road to
transformation in sport is a long one.
Already 80% of the Western Province U16 team are from
townships, and none of those are
"affirmative" appointments. "We're leading
the way, provincially," says Trout, "although
good
things are happening everywhere."
Cagwe adds that the Western Province is "lucky"
- the distances between developed and
underdeveloped areas are not great. This makes it a lot
easier from an administration and cost
point of view. Yet despite the luck, one thing is
certain: the will is there, and it's working
wonders.
- The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, March 2002.