Ken Borland

As I discovered on a recent tour of development areas in Gauteng, there is absolutely no shortage of enthusiasm for cricket in these parts, but it is astonishing how little agency these players and coaches have when it comes to pursuing their passion.

Despite all the money and effort poured into developing cricket in previously disadvantaged areas over the last two decades, my sad, overriding impression is that things are actually getting worse, not better, when it comes to elevating Black African talent.

The obvious obstacles like poverty and a lack of facilities still remain, and have been worsened by the socio-economic situation and the dysfunctional education system in which the majority of children in this country find themselves. The common absence of support networks in disadvantaged communities is an off-field burden that makes on-field performance that much more difficult.

The vast majority of transformation success stories come from children who have received bursaries to established cricket schools, but this means they are taken out of their communities, which brings with it a host of new obstacles. Often these pupils are thrown into former Model C high schools without being able to speak English or having slept on a proper bed before.

Many of the concerned parties interviewed said there has been a decline in both the number and the quality of coaches provided for development cricket, but there are many other factors beyond the influence of Cricket South Africa that stifle the success of their efforts to grow the game in previously disadvantaged areas. One wonders how much talent does actually get into their pipeline? Sadly, the rest is just left to fend for itself, trying to overcome the sort of challenges we delve more deeply into below.

Decent facilities available, but controlled by bad landlords

Katlehong Cricket Club was formed in 1997 and currently has 112 players, spread through four junior teams between U8 and the U16 Colts, plus two senior teams. Nolo Phasha has been the head coach since 2016 and he has a Level II coaching certificate.

Phasha says the club’s most pressing need is for their own ground or even just a proper turf pitch to use. He bemoans the fact that the club cannot use the nearby fields of the Huntersfield Stadium, due to the meanness of the landlords, the Ekurhuleni Metro.

“In 2019, the Easterns Cricket Union built two nets at the Thuto Pele Secondary School but we have nothing. We can’t afford to use Huntersfield Stadium because in 2019 they told us it would cost R500 a game. It’s a municipal-owned facility, so why are they charging us? How are we expected to expand the game in Katlehong?

“So most times we just use tennis courts to practise, we have no choice but to work around it. The senior team has just one practice a week, on a Saturday, and then play on Sunday.

“But because we have no home ground, we play all our matches away, we have no choice but to travel. Easterns help with the transport costs, but we get food only when we play against the traditional clubs like Alberton, Kempton Park and Benoni Northerns. So the kids are starving most of the time,” Phasha says.

Nageng Primary School, in Vosloorus,was one of the best cricket schools in the Easterns union, and SA A batsman Lesiba Ngoepe was a student there, as was Easterns batter Lerato Langa. They had a dedicated coach in Eddie Meko, who was in charge of cricket there from 1988 to 2017, when he handed over the reins to Semakaleng Mathibela, a former Nageng pupil who was a talented cricketer and is now a passionate coach.

“I played cricket here since I was 10 years old, moving from mini-cricket to hard-ball cricket. Before Covid, we had eight teams and two of them were Boksburg Schools champions, we were always playing and competing. We had a ground behind the school we used, but when we came back, our equipment had been stolen and the field had been vandalised by council building a concrete path right across the field,” Mathibela says.

So from being able to play just about for free at their school, the Nageng Primary cricket teams now have to play their matches almost exclusively away from home, thereby incurring costs this struggling but orderly school can ill afford.

“Facilities are now a struggle because we play most of our games away. Our community never sees us play now and potential sponsors from the community want to see you play at home. So I take money out of my own pocket for food and transport, I use my own phone for admin. I end up not having time for my own family, but I do it because cricket is my passion,” Mathibela adds.

Meko, now retired, remembers the glory days of Nageng cricket with fondness.

“I was a soccer fanatic, but because of my love of sport in general, when Bakers Mini-Cricket came to the school in 1988, I wanted to know this new sport. We were then the only school producing cricketers in Vosloorus and pupils would go from the school leagues into the adult leagues.

“We had a field, we had a home ground. Teams like Parklands, Boksburg and Baanbreker used to come there and we competed with them. We also played in the Peermont competition with Thokoza and Katlehong and took the trophy. We won the title in another tournament at Westwood in Boksburg.

“Lesiba Ngoepe started playing when he was seven years old, although his Mom said he mustn’t play. Now he has built a home for them because of the progress he has made in cricket. Semakaleng was also one of the best U13 cricketers we had. So it makes me very angry when I see cricket in Vosloorus heading in the wrong direction,” Meko says.

Meadowlands Primary School had one of the top development programmes in Soweto and produced Central Gauteng Lions and North-West stalwart Kagiso ‘Jonty’ Rapulana. They were a successful cricket team in junior township competitions, but no longer as their nets have been done away with and a neighbouring church is disputing their use of the Shako Bowa Cricket Field.

The plight of the talented

Itumeleng Letwaba started playing cricket seven years ago in Grade V at Fairways Primary School, practically next door to the Wanderers Stadium.

“I saw cricket on TV, I was watching the Proteas, and I saw Black players and thought let me try it,” Letwaba says. “I put up a mirror at home which was quite long and tried to imitate the bowling action.

“And then I saw some friends playing and joined in properly. Soon I was playing on Wednesdays against teams like St David’s and KEPS. It was like starting a new journey because I was the first one in my family to play cricket.”

But he soon found out how his enthusiasm could not make up for the obvious uneven playing field.

“There was a lack of coaching and that affected our mentality. We had the talent but we lacked confidence. No-one believed we were good enough, the other teams always seemed to be one step ahead of us, and I did not challenge myself to be better than them because I wasn’t confident enough,” Letwaba explains.

“And then David Mashiyi came to coach us and then we did not lose a game, he changed the way we think. He tried to get us to play more, against clubs and other schools in the area, and for us to push for provincial teams.

“We were getting better, you could see the results. So the provincial selectors invited some players to trials. We thought we could be better, but we felt intimidated at trials seeing the other guys with their full cricket bags. We just thought they would obviously be more skilful.

“They split us Fairways pupils up depending on whether we were pace bowlers, batsmen or spinners. So I was in a different net to my friend, who has a bit of weight on him. But parents were asking ‘Why is he here?’ and putting him down. He was actually better than most of the kids there, but this treatment just lowered his confidence. We felt alienated, like they had sidelined us,” Letwaba says.

Letwaba did, however, make the 2016 area team. But his ill-treatment did not end there.

“I am an all-rounder, but I did not bowl or bat on the first day of the tournament week, on the second day it was the same, on the third day the same. I bowled on the last day. And this was with Black coaches from Zimbabwe.

“I felt like I was not meant to be there, I was not doing what I love, I wasn’t given a proper opportunity to show I can do this. And the other players did not care about me, they stayed together, sharing snacks which they would not offer me. Their parents were always around too, but I did not get any encouragement and I did not feel part of the team. Plus I had to pay money – R1500 – to play.

“My father played a big role in my cricket, along with David Mashiyi. They really fought for me to bat or bowl. David would pick me up and take me to trials and training, and my father told me to keep pushing, he told me I can make a life out of cricket,” Letwaba says.

Mashiyi, a Level II coach, helped to get Letwaba into King Edward VII Preparatory School, where he earned colours for cricket, football and swimming. But the feelings of insecurity remained.

“Things changed a certain bit, but not a lot. I was shocked I was in this school, they taught me the culture but I still felt sidelined,” Letwaba says.

“They put me in the B team and they were good to me for two or three weeks. I felt that they could see I was good. But then we got a White coach and I was dropped down to the C team.

“I’m not playing cricket anymore, even though I enjoy bowling and batting. I just could not take it anymore, my father knows the reasons although he was very disappointed. His support played a big role, he told me to keep fighting, but it was just so tough to progress to a higher level.

“I took it to heart, I didn’t want to quit but I was mentally weak. I decided to concentrate on soccer and now I have a trial with a First Division team,” the tall, athletic Letwaba says.

Tsepang

Having taken up cricket at Bramley Primary School and then done well at Glenhazel, Tsepang has now gone to a high school with miscellaneous disciplinary challenges and no cricket.

“In Grade IV at Bramley, I had to choose a sport. I saw cricket and thought ‘let me try’. Catching, batting, learning how to bowl, I went through the whole process and the more you learn, the more fun it gets,” Tsepang said.

“I then went to Glenhazel Primary School for Grade VI and VII and they said I was a good bowler and batsman. I then went to a high school where they have a field and equipment, but they only play soccer and netball. I keep asking them why we can’t play cricket and they just always have excuses.

“The environment there is not good, the kids are gambling and smoking. Some of the pupils don’t play any sports, they’re just on their devices all day and then they smoke drugs and some have committed suicide. There is no sport teaching at this school.”

The club that is making a difference

The Wanderers Cricket Club was established in 1888 and quickly thrived to become one of Johannesburg’s leading clubs. But being attached to the Wanderers Club, one of the most aspirational clubs in Gauteng, also means members generally come from more affluent backgrounds.

But in this day and age, clubs have to attract more diverse membership and it is also necessary, and right, to provide opportunities for those who were disadvantaged prior to the dawn of democracy in 1994.

Realising that the club had to evolve in order to survive and that Cricket South Africa could start to harry amateur teams into fielding more players of colour, Wanderers adopted a progressive attitude.

Graham McMillan, brother of the mighty Proteas all-rounder of the 1990s Brian, is the director of cricket at Wanderers and he is firmly resolved that there has to be a level playing field for cricket development to succeed.

“We are part of the pipeline that is meant to be bringing through Black African players, but we just weren’t getting them as members, our club doesn’t really fall into their demographic area,” McMillan said. “In terms of Black players in the club, we had 52% coloured, 3-4% Black African and the rest were Asian.

“We realised that Cricket South Africa would probably start imposing a lot more stringent targets, but it was also a moral imperative and a no-brainer in terms of the sustainability of the club, to get more Black African players in.

“We realised we can either buy them from other clubs or raise them ourselves. We prefer the grassroots approach and that money that would have been spent buying players can now go into coaching and enhancing our development programme,” McMillan says.

While school cricket is a traditional strength in the more affluent former Model C schools, there is a huge gap when it comes to the game in the majority of schools in this country. The Wanderers cricket development programme is enjoying much success as they service this vital segment of the pipeline.

“School sport is basically divided into two streams. You have the traditional cricket-playing schools like St Stithians and St John’s and KES. But then you have the non-traditional schools.

“We have nearly 150 kids playing at the club on a Saturday morning and 80% of those are from non-traditional schools. We start from the U7s and go through to the U13s.

“Then they graduate to playing with the 15 and 16-year-olds on a Sunday. We also have a Colts team for the U16s to U18s with two adults playing with them. From our Sunday Sixth League team, we’ve had nine guys make it to the Sunday First League team and a couple in the President’s B League.

“The cream will always rise and this is the third year we have been doing this. We have a good relationship with the Department of Sports and Recreation, they are very supportive. And we partner with Jackie Mafa and his Golden Bells Cricket Development organisation. He has bolstered our women’s cricket and brings eight or nine players from Ivory Park for our women’s section. We hire a taxi for them and that costs R2500 per weekend,” McMillan explains.

The guide

David Mashiyi is a cricket coach who is the director of the Champions Drive NPO, which supports the development of sport in underprivileged schools and clubs, through participation; and not just of the pupils but the parents and teachers as well.

He has been praised for changing lives and giving hope to some of the most disadvantaged youth in the country.

“Cricket development can save the lives of children because it can take them away from the societal issues they face like domestic violence and exposure to drugs. We try to give them the best options for life and it’s all about mentorship and education,” Mashiyi says.

Originally from Cape Town, Mashiyi remembers his own difficult experiences as part of the Western Province Academy.

“I would have to leave Gugulethu at 4am to get to the train in time and often I couldn’t afford the ticket so I had to dodge the conductors to get to trials and practice.

“I was thrown into a high school on a bursary when I couldn’t speak English and I had never slept in a proper bed before. And then you have to go on tour with the rest of the team … ”

But for the last 10 years, Mashiyi has been the guide to many schools and clubs, helping them find sponsors, paying them regular visits, pushing the importance of an holistic education, organising kit for them, co-ordinating coaching and the playing of fixtures.

Mashiyi is no rabble-rouser nor divisive trouble-maker, just someone who is passionate about children fulfilling their talent, but he has some explosive things to say about cricket development.

“Both the Langa and Ngoepe Reports said not enough development is being done. But this is not a racial thing, it’s about incompetence.

“We can complain or get up and do something, and I’m trying to change the lives of children for the better, but sometimes I feel I’m not appreciated. The people sitting in the offices don’t see what is happening on the ground.

“What’s happening to all that money for development? Soweto gets the most money but kids there still don’t have the right attire or they are going hungry. Schools have nets built for them but they don’t play cricket! There is no follow-up.

“Hubs don’t even have their own grounds, they are all owned by the municipalities. And Easterns has just two Hubs – Duduza and KwaThema – but no Vosloorus Hub. Central Gauteng has six Hubs but Easterns has much more players,” Mashiyi complains.

A glimpse into a positive future

But to end on a positive note, Lyndhurst Primary School has given a glimpse of what the future could be like if passionate cricket development starts at the bottom.

Andrew Matatanye is the sports co-ordinator and he has introduced squash, tennis and golf, as well as cricket, to the school of 1065 pupils. On Fridays the teams go to the University of Johannesburg to enjoy their facilities.

A cricket team catering for U9s to U13s is in place, with increasing numbers suggesting a 2^nd XI will soon be fielded as well. Mashiyi takes them to watch cricket at the Wanderers and private coaching, including by Graham McMillan, ensures they are very well trained.

The school has slightly more girls than boys, and they are on a drive to get more of them playing cricket.

Tebatso Mangena is the cricket co-ordinator at Lyndhurst and she speaks of the challenges, but never seems to veer into negativity-land or stop smiling.

“Transport is one of our challenges, getting the kids back home after cricket. In terms of infrastructure, we have our top field which is used for many different sports. It has a concrete slab in the middle for cricket, but it is our only field. We are fundraising to try and improve our facilities.

“There’s no sport that is just a male game or that only men can coach. It’s just about wanting to learn and our teachers have that mentality that they love to pass on knowledge. Cricket is not just for boys and we are trying to inspire more girls to play,” Mangena says.

“We’re just trying to change the lives of these children, the majority of whom come from Alexandra, and we would not be here without the teachers, and we know headmaster Mr Wellington Shaw also supports us,” Mashiyi adds.

A 46-40 victory over group winners Bordeaux-Begles has ensured the Bulls will be listed in the final 16 of the Champions Cup, and coach Jake White is delighted by that, but he did admit to being a little bemused by how hard they made life for themselves at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulls scored six tries, some of them absolutely brilliant, with flank Marcell Coetzee going over twice and wing Devon Williams, centre David Kriel, fullback Willie le Roux and scrumhalf Embrose Papier, with a superb individual effort, also getting on the try-scorers’ list. Flyhalf Johan Goosen converted five of the tries and his replacement, Jaco van der Walt, kicked two crucial late penalties.

Bordeaux-Begles also scored six tries, taking two bonus points from the match, which was enough to confirm they will finish top of the group.

The Bulls twice found themselves in a rock-solid position of dominance, leading 21-7 after 26 minutes and then 40-21 after 53 minutes, but on both occasions their concentration and game-management wobbled and they ended up letting the quality Bordeaux side back in the game.

It was the home side’s replacements who saw out the final quarter, their strong ball-carrying earning them the two penalties that enabled them to just hold off the French challenge.

“We did make it difficult for ourselves and maybe at halftime we started to think about winning by 36 points because that would have seen us top the pool if Bordeaux didn’t get any bonus points,” White admitted afterwards.

“Maybe we were seduced into that style of play, it became like a sevens game and that probably helped Bordeaux, who are a good team. This is such a big competition and there are very small margins, those are the things we need to be sharper on.

“But I can’t be cross with the team, we had four forwards under the age of 22. This is the next step to Test rugby and the only way the team is going to learn to cope with these sort of situations is by going through it. We need to be more streetwise, but that comes with time. When we have our debrief, we’ll look at what some of the best options should have been.

“But I’m obviously still very proud of the win and scoring 46 points versus Bordeaux, they don’t often concede that many and they have been dominant in France. So I’m happy and it’s nice to learn when you’ve won,” White said.

The Bulls gave the visitors, on an eight-match winning streak, a ferocious welcome as eighthman Cameron Hanekom was ruled to have just lost the ball over the line and tighthead prop Carlu Sadie was yellow-carded for a ruck offence. After seven minutes, the Bulls were finally on the board as Coetzee went over from a tap-penalty.

Bordeaux equalised six minutes later when fullback Romain Buros knifed through to score, but the Bulls then thrilled the crowd of more than 10 000 with a superbly-executed try off a lineout. Strong carries by hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels and lock Ruan Nortje were followed by a lovely pass out wide from Goosen to Williams, who scampered over for the try.

Coetzee forced his way over for a second try on 26 minutes, but in the last 10 minutes, the Bulls had to call on all their scrambling ability in defence as Bordeaux put them under severe pressure following prop Gerhard Steenekamp’s yellow card for ruck offences.

The Bulls did concede a try to lock Adam Coleman, but half-time beckoned with them still in the lead, 21-14, and then they added a vital score against the run of play. Stedman Gans sparked the counter with a half-break and lovely offload to Le Roux, who was through the gap in a flash and then threw a pinpoint pass to Kriel, who went all the way from long range.

The 26-14 lead would have pleased White, and the try that opened the second half would have delighted him even more. Goosen produced a brilliant up-and-under despite being under big pressure from two defenders, wing Sebastian de Klerk made a fine aerial win and Kriel then made the initial break before Le Roux was, as is his trademark, in the right place at the right time to score.

Papier’s try was a brilliant piece of individual play as his team presented him with untidy, backfoot ball, but the scrumhalf spotted a hole in the defence and raced through it before swerving past the cover defence to dot down.

But White would have then been po-faced as Bordeaux scored three times in the next 15 minutes. But the smile was back as his team held on for a good win.

With Saracens beating Olympique Lyon later on Saturday night, the Bulls remained second in the final group standings and will have a home match in the last 16.

Ironically, White believes finishing second and getting a home match in the last 16 could boomerang on the Bulls.

“I would love to have a home knockout game in this competition, but that means we will play Dragons and Leinster away in the URC, come back for a home last-16 Champions Cup match and then an away quarterfinal before coming back to Loftus to play Munster.

“It will be helluva tough flying back and forth like that. But the nice thing is it shows the improvement and growth we’ve had in the Champions Cup. There is belief that we can win it, but we also need to understand that the big guns are now coming.

“It will be teams where 20 of the 23 are internationals playing against youngsters who are still growing and learning the ropes. I’m a realist and this competition now goes on steroids,” White said.

Scorers

Bulls – Tries: Marcell Coetzee (2), Devon Williams, David Kriel, Willie le Roux, Embrose Papier. Conversions: Johan Goosen (5). Penalties: Jaco van der Walt (2).

Bordeaux-Begles – Tries: Romain Buros, Adam Coleman, Madosh Tambwe, Tevita Tatafu (2), Paul Adadie. Conversions: Zack Holmes (3), Mateo Garcia (2).

The Proteas once again showed little discretion with the bat, losing three wickets in their first session of batting in the third Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

South Africa were 71 for three in their first innings at tea on the fourth day, Australia having declared on 475 for four after rain washed out the entire third day’s play and Saturday morning’s action.

The Australian attack, having five sessions to take 20 wickets to win the Test and claim a 3-0 sweep of the series, as well as assuring themselves of a place in the World Test Championship final, were bang on target from the outset on Saturday.

It made for a torrid time for the Proteas batsmen, especially opener Dean Elgar. The captain scored 15, but most of those runs were off the edge and he lived a charmed life, notably when he edged Josh Hazlewood to Steven Smith at first slip. Smith was diving forward one-handed, but the similarity to the Marnus Labuschagne/Simon Harmer incident on the first day saw third umpire Richard Kettleborough quite rightly disallow the catch because some part of the ball had touched the ground.

But Hazlewood dismissed Elgar four overs later when the left-hander got into a tangle against a well-directed lifter on leg-stump, gloving a catch to the wicketkeeper.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon was introduced in the eighth over and he bowled opener Sarel Erwee for 18 in his sixth over, the left-hander making a terrible error of judgement and shouldering arms to a delivery that went straight on to off-stump.

Excellent use of the short ball again by Australia, this time by captain Pat Cummins, saw the departure of Heinrich Klaasen (2) in the next over, gloving a lifter aimed at his armpit through to the wicketkeeper.

South Africa were staggering on 37 for three, but Temba Bavuma and Khaya Zondo quietly went about the business of ensuring they did not give their wickets away.

At the same time they managed to massage the score with the addition of another 34 runs. Bavuma, used to having rescue the team in a crisis, looked especially calm and landed a couple of mighty sixes off the back foot off Lyon as he went to tea on 28 not out.

The Proteas batsmen found new ways to disappoint on a good MCG pitch as they were bundled out for just 189 little more than an hour after tea on the first day of the second Test against Australia on Monday.

Having been sent in to bat, openers Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee weathered the early movement and, although Erwee, reaching for a drive and edging Scott Boland into the slips, had fallen for 18, South Africa looked solid on 56 for one as lunch approached.

But Theunis de Bruyn (12), the new face in the batting line-up as he replaced Rassie van der Dussen, then tried a wild pull stroke from off-stump against Cameron Green, top-edging a catch to the wicketkeeper. Having seen the previous delivery climb steeply from a similar line and length, it was poor shot-selection.

An even bigger Christmas present for the Aussies was to follow though as captain Elgar ran himself out for 26, moments after becoming the eighth South African to score 5000 Test runs. He had led a charmed life up till then, being dropped on seven and 19 and also surviving when an inside-edge trickled back on to his stumps. But Elgar failed to capitalise on getting in, and there was a hint of him trying to escape strike against Mitchell Starc when he pushed the left-hander into the covers and ran, Marnus Labuschagne producing a brilliant piece of fielding and a direct hit at the bowler’s end to run him out, the first time the skipper has suffered that dismissal in Test cricket.

The next delivery saw Temba Bavuma (1) caught behind off Starc and, after a promising start, the Proteas had slumped to 58 for four at lunch.

That became 67 for five in the fifth over after lunch when Khaya Zondo, flatfooted and throwing his hands at a drive at a wide delivery form Starc, was superbly caught by Labuschagne at extra over, moving sharply and then diving to his right.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Kyle Verreynne and bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen then steered the Proteas innings back on to the road as they added a much-needed 112 for the sixth wicket.

Verreynne, fresh off his half-century in Brisbane, was smoothly underway and went to another fifty, off 80 balls. Jansen took a little longer to get going, but his maiden Test half-century was just reward for how sensibly he batted.

Starc’s accident in the outfield while trying to catch Jansen saw him dislocate his finger, resulting in Green having a prolonged third spell.

And the all-rounder took full advantage as he ripped through the rest of the South African batting to finish with a career-best five for 27 in 10.4 overs.

Verreynne (52) and Jansen (59) were both caught behind the wicket to probing deliveries just outside off-stump in successive overs, and Keshav Maharaj (2), Kagiso Rabada (4) and Lungi Ngidi (2) then meekly surrendered as the last five wickets fell for just 10 runs.

This batting display, on a good surface, was even more of a reckless car-crash than the Brisbane fiasco.

South Africa’s bowling was then as loose as profligate shoppers at the Black Friday sales as Australia reached 45 for one at stumps. David Warner had cruised to 32 not out.

The Proteas did at least claim one wicket when Usman Khawaja, defending well out side off-stump, was caught behind off Kagiso Rabada for 1.