T Chesterfield: Spinners Tales (18 Jan 1996)

SPINNER`S TALES (January 1996)

At first glance the list of players selected for the World Cup is a good advert for the South African schools coaching system. After all, who among the 14 didn`t represent their province at either under-13 or under-19 level, or the two age-groups in between? So we have the 57 varieties (if not more) of schoolmasters puffing out their chests and the self-congratulatory comments of, "spotted the talent in him at first sight". And they can`t get their tick in the box of excellence (10 out of 10) provided on the team sheet for those interested, fast enough. Yet, as they pat themseslves on their collective backs they seem to forget two essential ingredients that made it possible for the 14 to reach the level of limited-overs expertise necessary to represent their country in the World Cup. The first is quality, the second is the ability to transfer that quality to a level superior to that required at school. Which is where the poorly selected South African under-19 side that toured England last year, came seriously unstuck. Long before the end of that particular exercise recriminations were being whispered in the drafty school corridors around the country. There were no congratulatory comments about "who we had in (itals) that team (unitals)", was there? But in terms of the South African schools coaching system, the 1995 under-19 team to England is more representative of that particular system than the World Cup squad of 14. And, despite the traumas of England last year, some of the youngsters who went have emerged as better players. Compare that visit to the under-24 trip to the hard, unforgiving playing conditions experienced in Sri Lanka and it is easy to see why Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis, Nicky Boje and Lance Klusener have since played for their country. All of which shows that in coaching, the higher you go the more technically developed the game becomes, with new techniques emerging with which to beat the opposition. Team planning becomes all important, and as the pressures grow and the players are forced to re-adjust their game so does their thinking. It was not surprising that, alarmed by the results of the under-19 England tour, the UCB have sought ways to remedy the impoverished state of the game at this level. After all, if this is the best South Africa have, there will be precious little quality coming through the schools system unless there are changes. Just imagine the results of the national test team five to six years down the road as the well of talent runs dry under a system tied to an archaic past with stereotypical views. Part of the solution is the introduction of an innovative Australian/New Zealand style under-19 league of three-day matches to be played in February and March. While tradition has an important role to play, especially in the formation of the sport`s culture, it is time that blinkers be taken off and the squealing ninnies consider the wider global picture instead of their own parochial needs. Forcing youngsters to play traditional matches can deprive them of opportunities and experiences that might eventually turn them into first-class players.