[This is my first newspaper article -20 December 2012 for the Daily Dispatch. A very special moment for me, achieving such in my 1st year of journalism. The Dispatch is only available in the Eastern Cape so many people in other provinces weren't able to read the article. Well here it is. Hope you enjoy it. :)]
IF you ever have the opportunity to enter the Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium’s reception office in East London, being conscious of it or not, your curiosity will instantly kick in once you see the trophy cabinets.
On the wall of fame, you’ll discover an array of cricket players and coaches originally from the Border Cricket Union on display.
One will see Makhaya Ntini, Raymond Booi, Angelique Taai’s
framed portraits in their South African blazers.
A sense of pride will instantly flow through your veins like a witchdocter being hit by an epiphany.
But the names mentioned here are just the minor successes Border Cricket have managed to propel to national stardom in recent years.
The current crop of black cricketers in Border Cricket –ranging from school to professional level –the future seems brighter than ever for South Africa’s historical cricketing region.
Already this year Border Cricket have witnessed some brilliant individual performances.
Border amateur opening batsman Vuyisa Makhaphela’s innings of 165 of 501 balls against KwaZulu-Natal Inland was a sign of a batsman steadily emerging.
Border U19 left-arm seam bowler, Ngazibini Sigwili, has shown tremendous progress.
His 6/25 against Namibia U19 in the schools inaugural Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, proved to both Border coaches and selectors he’s truly a talent ready to blossom.
The Border Cricket Union has set up various programmes to develop and maintain Border talent from the time they leave school.
Border Cricket coaches’ manager, Deon Muller, explained passionately how the current system works to assist black cricketers in the region graduate to provincial and hopefully international cricket honours.
“We have academies put in place for all the various regions that fall under Border Cricket,” he said.
“People have asked me questions about why a player like Mkhululi Calana is not playing for the Boder amateur side despite him playing for the SA Schools’ Colts last year.
“This is simply because we are still working with him at one of our various cricket academies.
“We want to make sure so that when he gets the chance to play amateur cricket, he’s ready and not just pushed into the set-up when he’s not prepared for the type of cricket played at a higher level.
These academies Muller speaks about are training camps that take place throughout the year to monitor the consistency and form of young cricketers.
Academies for cricketers still in school usually train between May and September.
Academies for potential amateur cricketers take place in the latter end of the year from September to next year April.
Border Amateur coach, Frank Plaatjes, commends Border Cricket Union for its consistent work and dedication in ensuring black cricket transformation in the region.
“Some coaches around the country don’t have faith in their black cricketers but our approach is different,” he said.
“In the past few decades Border Cricket has shown its outmost dedication towards our black players and in return they have shown their appreciation by excelling far beyond of what is expected of them.”
-Mandilulame Manjezi
@JizzyJakesTheIn
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