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Ken Borland



Elise the epitome of Women’s Day celebrations 0

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Ken

Women’s Day – and it’s motto: “you strike a woman, you strike a rock” – is all about celebrating the courage and strength of women in South Africa and, in cricketing terms, Elise Lombard was the very epitome of those words.

Elise was the guest speaker at Cricket South Africa’s Women’s Day celebration on August 8 and spoke with great passion about the game she served so well for over 30 years.

So it was with great shock and sadness that the South African cricket fraternity learnt of Elise’s passing the next day, ironically on Women’s Day, which is meant to celebrate heroines exactly like her.

What set Elise apart as the CEO of Titans and Northerns cricket was her ability to combine a gentle, caring touch with tremendous leadership skills, business acumen and organisational excellence.

Although her shock passing will forever taint the memory of that day, CSA’s 2012 Women’s Day function was meant to be a celebration and what a party it was!

CSA has retained a wonderful team spirit and the female staff were able to let their hair down in a series of challenges involving dancing and singing.

National women’s captain Mignon du Preez has a lot on her plate at the moment ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 in Sri Lanka, but she took time out to report back on the team’s preparations, which have been nothing short of exhaustive.

South Africa have been drawn in the same group as hosts Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies, but Du Preez said her team’s confidence has been boosted by their recent series against world leaders England and the England Academy.

Women’s cricket has unfairly been dubbed as “butch” in the past, but Du Preez, alongside the likes of Dane van Niekerk, Yolandi van der Westhuizen and Shandre Fritz, showed the glamorous, athletic side of the sport.

“There’s not that much awareness about women’s cricket and there’s a misperception, people think you have to be butch to play cricket. But cricket is for any girls – and pretty ones too!” the petite Du Preez smiled.

The rise of the women’s game in South Africa is something Elise Lombard was fully behind. The game of cricket would be much the poorer if it weren’t for the contribution of all the wonderful women who add so much.

 

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    Micah 6:8 – “He has showed you, O mortal man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

    “Just knowing the scriptures does not make someone a Christian. Many experts on the theory of Christianity are not Christians. In the same way, good deeds do not make one a Christian.

    “The core of our Christian faith is our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our redeemer and saviour, and our faith in him. We need to open up our lives to him so that his Holy Spirit can work in and through us to his honour and glory.” – Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm

    Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father.”

    So we must do God’s will. Which means steadfastly obeying his commands, following and loving Christ and serving our neighbour with love.

    We must see to it that justice prevails by showing love and faith and living righteously before God.

    All this is possible in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

     

     

     



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