Young action cricketers ready to take on the big leagues
Young action cricket players had a fun day at the arena battling it out for the top spot during the last tournament of the season.
Fourteen teams, comprising 100 players, competed in an annual junior action cricket tournament at the Nelspruit Action Sports Arena on Saturday September 30.
The youngsters took to the three courts to battle it out in u/7, u/9, u/13 and u/16 divisions.
According to Thys van den Hoven, head coach of the Black Knights teams, the day was a great success, as it gave local players a platform to put their skills to the test.
Read more: Action-cricket season ends with a big bang
The Little Rascals took the win in the u/7 division, with the Mambas taking the trophy in the u/9 division.
The Black Knights Gladiators were victorious in the u/13s and the Zambezi Stallions took the u/16 title.
According to Tinus Nel, coach of the Stallions, action cricket is a great way to expose young cricketers to all aspects of the game.
“In action cricket each player needs to be able to bat, bowl and field. They are also given the opportunity to hone their skills, which makes a big difference in their progression for both the field- and arena- based versions of the game,” he said.
Read more: Action at the arena
The game is a variant of cricket, but is played between two teams, each consisting of six or eight players, and due to the reduced size of the overall playing area, is a much faster-paced game.
“What we have noticed is that junior players that play both action cricket and conventional cricket progress much quicker in their skills and ability to fill multiple roles as they get older, which means they end up being a greater asset to their high school cricket teams,” said Nel.
Dedicated supporter and coach of the DZ Black Knights from Ngodwana, Craig Fraser, said that he was pleased with the overall organisation of the tournament and hopes to see more junior tournaments in which the young players can put their skills to the test.
