Green and gold for Lim’s Marcia

MARCIA Letsoalo (30) from Namakgale in Ba-Phalaborwa is a member of the Protea women’s cricket team and she wears the country’s green and gold colours with pride.

Having debuted in 2006, Letsoalo has cemented her place in the team, which recently performed well in Sri Lanka.

She says she fell in love with cricket while watching the South African men’s cricket team play on television.

She says she kept her passion hidden for a while as she had never seen women play the game, but eventually was unable to help herself and ended up learning how to bowl in the streets of Namakgale.

“I started playing in the streets of Namakgale when I was 13 years old. My love for cricket grew and I joined the Foskor Cricket Club. At this point, I was the only girl in the team but my teammates didn’t treat me differently. They actually respected me and did not treat me like an outsider,” says Letsoalo.

Besides playing cricket, she works for the South African Air Force as an administration clerk.

“I am grateful and blessed to work with people who support and encourage me in my cricket career,” she says.

She started school at Namakgale Primary School and matriculated at Sebalamakgolo High School.

She furthered her studies at the Tshwane North College, where she obtained a national diploma in management assistance.

“I am currently studying sports management through the University of South Africa. I would love to see myself working as a sports officer for the South African Air Force.”

She adds that the national team is working hard in preparation for international matches and for the 2017 Cricket World Cup.

“I would like to see the national cricket team occupy the number one spot in the world rankings,” says Letsoalo.