GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - SWD Cricket hosted a Cricket South Africa (CSA) hub talent identification camp at the Oudtshoorn Recreation Ground on 29 and 30 June, bringing together some of the region’s most promising young cricketers.
The purpose of these camps is to identify, develop and fast-track talented players from previously disadvantaged and rural communities into CSA’s provincial, national and high-performance pathways.
Local hub coaches who assisted during the camp were Elridge Booysen, Lastword Tapfumaneyi, Douglas Baartman, Mihlali Gcganga and Bradley Carolus. Players selected to attend the camp were Kuhle Ncamile and Qhamani Veiwer of the Thembalethu Hub, Lastio Williams, Mario Tarentaal, Daylenn Williams and Gurshwin Frans of the Bridgton Hub, and Zacherey Opperman of the Rosemoor Hub.
The camp opened with an orientation session led by Gary Moos, the camp convenor, who outlined the objectives, expectations and programme for the players and coaches.
The remainder of the first day focused on physical assessments and high-intensity training sessions.
Players participated in strength and conditioning exercises, as well as demanding fielding drills designed to assess their skills, decision-making and ability to perform under pressure.
The day concluded with a life skills session presented by Colin Gxowa, acting Youth and Tertiary manager at CSA. Gxowa encouraged players to prepare for a variety of career opportunities while highlighting the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, negative peer influence and the responsible use of social media.
The second day began with a reflection session, during which players shared feedback on the previous day’s activities and identified areas for improvement.
Geoff Toyana, the camp’s technical expert, then guided players and coaches through specialised batting and bowling drills before the camp concluded with live net sessions, where participants had the opportunity to apply the skills they had learned.
The camp was attended by CSA officials and selectors, including Colin Gxowa, Gary Moos, Dumisa Makalima, Ritesh Ramjee, Loots Bosman, Graham October (CSA Talent Acceleration Programme lead), Jason Maswanganye (CSA coach developer) and Geoff Toyana.
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