South African World Cup preparations start in the Drakensberg.

The South African cricket squad began their preparations for the ICC World Cup 2003 in the beautiful mountains and valleys of the Drakensberg on Tuesday, and not a cricket bat or ball in sight.

Three days of motivational and psychological preparations started with an orienteering course. The 15 players were divided into four groups and blindfolded before being flown by helicopter into a forest. For Robin Peterson, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini the chopper flight was a first and they were a little apprehensive given the overcast conditions.

Each group was equipped with a set of instructions, a pencil, a balloon, a compass, and, in case of emergency, a two-way radio. Blindfolds removed, they set off at ten-minute intervals searching for the five checkpoint markers hidden in the forests and hills over the ten-kilometer course by making use of the compass to get their bearings.

For the first group of Allan Donald, Monde Zondeki and Gary Kirsten the task was to prove to much as they saw just one of the marker flags during their two-and-a-half hour slog, eventually arriving back at the resort via a long walk along the main road. "The radio didn't work!" claimed Donald. Kirsten said, "We must have walked 20K's!" To their credit the three walked all the way to the hotel, turning down an offer of a lift from team manager Goolam Rajah within sight of home. The welcome was predictable, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher giving them a rousing reception. "You guys must have failed Geography at school" quipped Kallis.

The quickest of the lot was the last group to set out, that of Boucher, Lance Klusener, Robin Peterson and Boeta Dippenaar, who put in a massive effort and showed tremendous orientation skills in completing the course in 57 minutes. This, despite Klusener having said at the start that he had never run continuously for two hours!

Captain Shaun Pollock,Herschelle Gibbs and Makhaya Ntini clocked 67 minutes, although they may still feel the wrath of teammates and coach for hitching a lift on a golf cart just 500 meters from the finish at the Golf Clubhouse. Gibbs found the going extremely tough, "this doesn't qualify as fun" he said, before adding that although he was tired, he was in better shape than when he had to retire hurt due to exhaustion in the ICC Champions Trophy semi final against India in Colombo in September.

Jacqus Kallis, Jonty Rhodes, Nicky Boje and Charl Langeveldt came in just five minutes behind the Pollock group. The first three groups also managed to preserve an inflated balloon for the duration of the course, earning bonus points for such care and attention, although Ntini looked as though he might have swallowed the balloon, having hidden it under his shirt!

The day concluded with a drumming workshop, dinner and an evening of games before fifteen exhausted cricketers hit the sack.

Day Two:

The second day of the South African World Cup Squad preparation camp at the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg provided the fifteen-man squad with a gruelling test of stamina and ingenuity.

A 6am start saw fitness trainer Andrew Gray send the players out on a fifteen kilometer mountain bike ride through the forests and fields surrounding the resort.

A wickedly steep dirt track inside the first two kilometers set the tone, with the entire squad resorting to pushing their borrowed bikes up the hill. The down hills were equally challenging due to the potholed and rocky surface and created much anxiety amongst the players but they all negotiated the path safely.

Gray emphasised that the ride was not a race and should be completed as a squad. But, as one would expect from international sportsmen, there was a healthy competitive edge. Gary Kirsten, Nicky Boje and Mark Boucher proved to be highly adept at avoiding trouble, however, Makhaya Ntini admitted that he was more at home on a horse than a bicycle, adopting the unusual tactic of riding up the hills and walking down the other side!

Herschelle Gibbs admitted he had never ridden a bicycle for two hours, and they all admitted to the cyclist curse, a painful behind and chaffed thighs!

The mid-morning was spent seated as well, this time in the comfort of the conference center where team Psychologist Clinton Gahwiler put the players through the cerebral side of the game.

An alfresco lunch was followed by a survivor course. As with Tuesday's orienteering course the squad was split into four teams.

Among the tasks involved were climbing through and under ropes in a forest, running with 20 foot logs and then making use of the logs, a rope and two 44 gallon drums to make a raft in order to cross a dam.

It was here that the budding engineers in the squad came to the fore in the design and construction of the rafts, and, with Boeta Dippenaar and Robin Peterson providing the plan, Mark Boucher and Lance Klusener adding the paddling power, the Free State/EP/Border/KwaZulu-Natal combination were, once again the leaders as they managed to cross the dam well ahead of the rest, and they cruised home to another impressive victory.

Nicky Boje, Jonty Rhodes, Charl Langeveldt and Jacques Kallis spent a long time on the bank in the construction phase and then in the water in the pursuit of the perfect raft, but all to no avail.

The remainder of the day was spent either on the golf course or resting.

Day Three:

River rafting and golf were the two major exercises on the programme for the World Cup Cricket squad on the final day of their three day motivational and team building camp in the Drakensberg on Thursday.

After a gentle early morning run, and a theory session with psychologist Clinton Gahwiler, the squad set off for a section of the Tugela River beyond Winterton for a three hour rafting exercise. The thorough safety brief was colourfully explained by the group leader, a feisty 21-year-old called Jackie Fourie.

With life jackets and helmets firmly in place, Makhaya Ntini, Monde Zondeki, Herschelle Gibbs, Robin Peterson and Manager Goolam Rajah took the safety in numbers option, and went down in the large six-man boat, while the rest of the squad paired of in two man rafts.

The Rhodes/ Boucher combination looked like Dusi veterans, both having had some experience on the water, and they cruised down the river, taking the two grade three rapids in their stride.

The biggest rapid on the course was Mambo 5, where Jackie Fourie showed up the boys and received a huge cheer as she took on the seething waters in a white water kayak. To be fair that section is not normally rafted due to a massive boulder in the middle of the river.

The bottom section of the rapid, rated Grade 4, was more manageable for the whole group, and after a stop to explain the intricacies of taking it, they ventured nervously forth. Assistant Coach Corrie van Zyl and Charl Langeveldt came out of their raft at the very top and bumped and bashed their way all the way down to the bottom. The safety briefing before the start proved useful as both went down in the "cocktail" position, sitting, with their heads and feet above water. "Their were three big rocks and I just knew I'd hit all three, so I braced myself and took them on, I might have a bruise or two on my backside" said Langeveldt.

Having seen that, Allan Donald and Nicky Boje decided that they were not going to risk it and walked around the rapid. All the rest went down. Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener showed great skill in negotiating the tough first rapid, only for Klusener to fall out right at the bottom of the second ! And, despite being told by Boata Dippenaar that he would fall out, Jacques Kallis and Physiotherapist Shane Jabaar sailed through the bumpy rapid, not so Dippenaar and partner Gary Kirsten, the Free Stater taking a swim at the bottom section much to the delight of Kallis.

The final section of flat water proved to be very strenuous and shoulders and arms ached when the squad eventually arrived at the finish to enjoy a braai. For Andrew Hall, Mark Boucher, Jonty Rhodes and Shane Jabaar, the adrenalin rush of the rafting was clearly not enough and they stopped along the way to jump off a ten meter cliff into the river!

For most of the squad, an exhilarating experience, for others, like Herschelle Gibbs perhaps not, " That's the first and last time I am going down a river" he quipped.

The afternoon brought cloudy, cool conditions, ideal for a stroll around the golf course. The four ball of Mark Boucher, Andrew Hall, Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje were red hot and came home the winners with a massive 100 points. " This is an easy course, but we were really on fire out there" said Boje.

Captain Shaun Pollock and his team of 3 handicapper Boeta Dippenaar, Physio Shane Jabaar and resort GM Graham MacKay were second, the captain carding and impressive 72 of his 6 handicap. Dippenaar smashed the longest drive and Corrie van Zyl was nearest the pin a the par three 12th.

The day ended with a three-course dinner at the Golf Club where the biggest cheer of the night was saved for fitness trainer Andrew Gray who told the side he had cancelled the planned biathlon for the next morning, professing himself satisfied with what the squad had achieved over the three days.

For coach Eric Simons and Psychologist Clinton Gahwiler the fruits of their efforts will only become evident in about six weeks time. One thing they could deduce from the three days in the mountains is that these fifteen players are superbly fit, resilient and motivated for the World Cup.

From Monday the squad will return to cricket bats and balls when they start a three-day skills camp in Cape Town.