Cricket knows no boundaries for Jimmy Kgamadi, the current assistant coach of the North West Dragons, whose cricketing path started in the underprivileged street of Kanana township in Orkney.

“We played cricket in the streets. We grew up watching our heroes such as Hansie Cronje and Allan Donald. We would play with tennis balls and a used cricket bat and emulate our heroes.”

Kgamadi’s journey changed when he discovered Vaal Reefs Cricket club in Orkney.

“A group of first team players coached us. I have continued to played there for my entire career, from school level to the first team.  That is where scouts saw my ability.”

Kgamadi has gone through all the ranks to become a regular face at Senwes Park, where he grew up watching his heroes play from the stands. Now he plays an integral part in the Dragons setup assistant coach to head coach, Monty Jacobs at the Dragons.

Kgamadi played for the Dragons for nine years, primarily as a batsmen, where he averaged 25 in First Class Cricket and achieved a top score of 125 not out. Kgamadi also played a few games for the Highveld Lions in the Supersport Series (Sunfoil Series). This is where he started coaching youth and development teams as well, in his time as a player. “I started coaching then already, so coaching was nothing new when I retired in the 2012/13 season. I need to give youngsters a chance and I believe I can help them from a coaching and player level.”

Kgamadi looks after the players and makes sure that everything is set up and organises fielding sessions and net sessions. “I am there to make head coach Monty’s job easier. It is always nice to speak to the players and give advice on-field during matches,” said the disciplined Vaal Reef’s man.

In the past two seasons, the Dragons have come second on the log and, according to Kgamadi, this season the strategy is to focus on attack-minded cricket. “This year, we decided to play with a winning mentality and play an exciting brand of cricket. We came up with plans to start winning games instead of drawing them. The off-season preparation was also good and now we are moving in the right direction by turning possible draws into a winning result.” Besides being involved with the senior team, Kgamadi also has a deep passion for youth cricket.

“I am involved in all the pipelines of youth cricket. I am the head coach of the North West Cricket Academy. I have coached u.17’s for three years and been at the u.18’s for two years,” he added.

According to Kgamadi, one of the most important aspects is to teach patience to young cricketers.

“You must teach them patience when they develop their cricket. When they start playing three-day cricket they are accustomed to not smashing every ball to the boundary. The key is to still play positive cricket.”

“I look for a hard worker who is positive and willing to learn. Skills can always be improved with the correct attitude,” he continued. Kgamadi also waxed lyrical about the great atmosphere and cricket culture at North West Cricket. “A lot of things are done right at North West Cricket. Every person, from the ground staff to the players, are looked after and function in a family-oriented environment,” he said.  In the future, I would like to coach at a senior level, becoming head coach of the Dragons or a franchise. I love every aspect of coaching and improving the cricketing life of youngsters,” he said.

Best Bowler: James Anderson

Best Batsman: AB de Villiers

Heroes: Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara

Best moments in your playing career: The special moments was winning games for the Dragons. When I was a little boy, I loved watching the Dragons at Senwes Park and I am glad that I got the opportunity to play for the Dragons.