The Alviro Petersen Cricket Academy in Midrand has seen many of its players excel and earn representative honours this year.
Established in 2010 by former Proteas right–handed batsman Alviro Petersen, the academy is celebrating 15 years of nurturing amateur cricketers and helping them pursue their dreams of turning professional.
The programme focuses on holistic player development, including technical training, cricket awareness, high–performance conditioning, fitness, strength, hand–eye coordination, and individual growth.
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Petersen said it was deeply rewarding to watch players progress. “A few years ago, Beaulieu College asked me to work with Tahir Isaacs, one of their pupils. I worked with him for two years, and he now plays professional cricket for the North West Dragons,” he said.
This year, several academy players made provincial and regional teams. “Three academy players made the Johannesburg Far North cricket teams – Jason Petersen, Ndondela Mama, and Herman Jansen.
N’aseda Amankwah was selected for the Gauteng U14 provincial girls’ team, Tyra Sahadew for the Gauteng U16 girls’ team, Varun Mohanraju for the U13 Gauteng East regional boys’ team, Suhail Ismail for the Gauteng East U15 boys’ team, and Jhinith Yeligeti for the Gauteng East U16 boys’ team,” Petersen said, highlighting the strides made by his players.
Last year, another of his protégés, Kamogelo Matlala, was chosen for the South African Schools cricket team.
The academy is based at Christ Church Preparatory School and College in Midrand, where Petersen served as director of sport and culture for eight years before stepping down in August this year.
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Reflecting on his tenure, he said, “We lifted the standard of sport and culture at the school, got promoted to the college athletics A–league around three years ago [despite being relegated back to the B–league last month], reached the Johnny Waite Cup cricket finals in 2024 and 2025, excelled in drama, and achieved many other notable successes.”
Academy players also dominated Christ Church’s annual cricket awards this year, with five receiving Player of the Year honours in their age groups and one named Most Improved Cricketer.
The award winners were Sivini Dlamini, Matthew Adam, Micah du Plessis, Cade Storer, N’aseda Amankwah, and Nahum Jansen.
Beyond the academy, Petersen offers tailored sports solutions to schools, helping them improve and grow their sporting programmes.
Details: Petersen.alviro.73@gmail.com www.apcricket.co.za
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