CRICKET CULTURE

Hokitika Guardian, 8 March 1932, Page 6

CRICKET CULTURE

PRECEPT AND EXAMPLE. THE (SOUTH. AFRICAN METHOD. By LOUIS DUFFUS, oif-the ‘'Johannesburg Star,” touring with the South African cricket team.) South African ' cricket to-day is built up directly from the coaching of English professionals. These young fellows playing in New Zealand were taught to put tlieir left foot to .the hall in the quaint dialects of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Sussex and other parts of England. In net practices' all over the Union sun-tanned “pqo,’fessors” have stood: hours of an evening exhorting , would-be batsmen to keep a straight bat. In a certain high ischool in Johannesburg you could •have walked down to , the busy scene of daily net practice a. few seasons ago and heard a Gloucestershire professional pleading picturesquely across the summer air: “Put yer helbow hout toward Horan go Grove. . . and ’it it ’ard.”

! Either at dchool or shortly after leaving, every member of this touring team from Herby Taylor down Ito the “baby,” Len Brown, was 1 coached by an English professional. | They call them “birds of passage” over there. If springtime neglected to announce itself by its annual shower of blossoms, buds and fresh” greenness, you could still tell it was cricket season hv the arrival of the yearly hatch of coaches. I can think offhand of 16 who are out in South Africa now. Often there are many 'more. They land together at CapeI town and disperse throughout the j country to schools or clubs in Johani nesburg, Durban, Kimberley, Grahamstown, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth. And when autumn comes l they hand together again and sail off to English sunshine. From a school in ! Johannesburg one “pro.” goes home •to coach at Winchester College. He | moves with the iswallows and never sees a winter.

Most of the instructors are engaged by schools. A small percentage are retained by clubs. Occasionally the expenses are borne by two or more dubs and the professional’s tuition shared. If a good county player cannot be afforded, then often a coacli is imported from the Lord’s ground staff. There are two of 'these in 'South Africa now. One is Fred Button, a very successful coach in the Transvaal. He plays ill the English minor counties competition for 'Hertfordshire during our winter. (Another is Trey air, employed by a ■Durban high school. Bert Wensley, who visited New Zealand, lias taught cricket in Kimberley, the home town of Quinn, Viljoen and Balaskas. W. R. Hammond, Maurice Tate, Ashdowne, Macauley, 'Langridge, Brown, Lee, Cooke, Cadman, Newman and Wainwrighfc have all coached in South Africa at various, times. George Cox, who I believe also coached in New Zealand, was the first to show Herby Taylor, as a young man, the wrong and right methods of battling. In some cases the professional plays with a club in its Saturday afternoon league fixtures, but mostly his job is purely to coach. In the schools the system provides that boys above a certain age are grouped together for net practice and .'instruction twice weekly. Special attention is paid to the seniors and those who represent the first eleven. In addition, the’ professional watches the juniors in their games and i! a youngster shows talent lie is given the privilege of being coached. j A. J. Christy, one of the most successful, batsmen ou this tour of Australia and New Zealand, was the pride of at least two English professionals. As a member of the Wanderers Club, Johannesburg, he came under the eye first of George Brown (Hampshire), and later Sam Cadman (Derbyshire), who is flow engaged by the club in his fourth successive season. There was a timu when Christy used to hurry from his office of an evening to the Wanderers’ net. It was a very rare (lay .when he was not seen diligently following it he advice of the “pro.’