Kempie matric cricketer off to play in England
From Kempton Park to where cricket legends have made history, Francoise Stoman (18) is the one to watch.
A local young cricket talent will soon swop the cricket pitches of Kempton Park for the ones in Manchester, England, where he was chosen to play for Stretford Cricket Club next year.
Hoërskool Kempton Park matric learner Francoise Stoman (18) first picked up a cricket bat at Avion Park Cricket Club when he was six years old. He hasn’t looked back since.
“I love cricket, there’s no way to explain it,” he said in the living room of his parents’ home in Glen Marais.
As he spoke to Express, a television nearby showed an international cricket game. Stoman even dedicates his spare time to the sport.
When not juggling school work, the youngster spends between two to six hours perfecting his cricket skills. His dedication led him to captain his high school’s first team and to play for Portugal’s national team, as he has Portuguese citizenship.
Stoman didn’t face the Portuguese playing field alone but joined brother Miguel (20), who currently captains the Coimbra Knights in Portugal.
With heroes such as English cricketer Chris Woakes, allrounder Stoman, who prefers to bat, is sure to make a success of his time at Stretford. According to him, hard work is the key.
“You need to keep working hard. I got a breakthrough but hard work is still important.”
He added that this breakthrough is partly due to coach Johan Fourie, who helped him get in touch with coaches in England. “I am very grateful,” Stoman said.
If Stoman’s six months in England isn’t a success, he will return to his hometown and study teaching at the University of Pretoria.
But, with his dedication and talent, we’re sure we haven’t seen the last of Stoman.
