Tuks cricket coach helps young players fulfil their dreams
The biggest reward to him is going home knowing he has made a difference.
All young cricketers need is a little help, a little hope and someone who believes in them, says Assupol Tuks cricket coach, Mzuvukile Matomela.
The biggest reward to him is going home knowing he has made a difference.
For him, it is difficult to think of a time when he did not have a cricket ball or bat in his hands. He was once forced to make a clean break from the sport and it made him very unhappy.
Matomela was studying sports management but had to quit in his third year, because of financial constraints. The only option left for him was to start working.
“Something was amiss in my life. At first, I did not realise what it was. All changed the day I decided to go and watch some kids play cricket,” he said
“When I arrived at the field, I saw a mom throwing a ball to her son. I decided to step in. I told her politely that she can go and sit. Her son and I got talking and he explained to me that he had problems playing a specific shot. I gave him some advice as to how he can improve his technique. To make a long story short, he went on to notch up 40 odd runs coming close to his best score.”
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Matomela said the following week, he went to watch his niece play and that’s when some parents recognised him.
“I was then asked to help a few kids. That is how I got started as a coach. It is sort of ironic. I always said the last thing I will ever do is to coach. Now I love it.”
Matomela is involved helping Assupol Tuks’ age group teams.
“Before I start to coach any player, I sit down and talk to them about the game, their goals and what needs to be done to make it a reality.
“When it comes to coaching, I prefer fine tuning a player’s talents rather than a ‘total makeover’. In short, it boils down to each player being his own man on the field. There is not one blueprint to success.”
Matomela played provincially at school and at senior level for Border.
“We did not always get to play on the best of pitches. It forced me to think about the game and being able to adapt to any conditions. It is something I try and teach when coaching,” he concluded.
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