Despite a broken hand shortly before trials, exhausted bodies and hours of practising all whilst juggling schoolwork, three teens from Nelson Mandela Bay have been selected as the only boys from the Eastern Cape to participate in the u/15 category of the Indoor Cricket Junior World Cup in Dubai later this year.
The boys, Edrich de Klerk (14), Ruben Aylward (15) and Aiden de Klerk (15) will make their way to the UAE at the end of September 2023.
Aylward had an especially difficult challenge to overcome in order to qualify for the team, after he broke his hand only weeks before trials.
“I am extremely excited, but trials were nerve-racking because there are so many talented boys and we also had to compete against the action cricket boys.
“Breaking my hand a few weeks before trials meant that I couldn’t get any practice in, but I have worked so hard and it shows that working hard and not giving up eventually pays off,” the Grade 10 learner at Hoërskool D.F. Malherbe, said.
Starting with junior league in 2016, before moving on to EP indoor cricket the following year, Ruben believes that his sporting talent runs in the family.
“Both my dad, uncle and my mom’s cousin won cricketer of the year when they were at [my school]. My dad has played indoor and outdoor cricket for many years. Last year he represented EP in both indoor and outdoor cricket in national tournaments,” he said.
For Aiden, this will be a special trip as it will be his first time travelling abroad.
The Grade 9 learner, also at Hoërskool D.F. Malherbe, said that that he is very excited and humbled to be given this opportunity to represent South Africa on an international level.
“I am looking forward to our team’s World Cup journey, friendships, synergy and meeting and competing against players from different countries.
“Cricket motivates me, uplifts me when I am down and forces me to new goals and limits. Even when my body is exhausted from days of training or matches, you will still find me at the nets hours later,” said Aiden.
“There is no greater adrenalin rush than inching towards that first outdoor cricket 50 or 100 runs, or the feeling of playing in the finals at national tournaments. It can take years of hard work and dedication to get there, but it is so worth it.”
For Edrich, achieving this level of success with indoor cricket is a dream come true.
“Cricket means everything to me. I have played since I was a toddler and I am very excited for the work ahead and the opportunities that wait,” he said.
The Grade 9 learner at Grey High School also plays hockey, and added that he only started playing indoor cricket for fun in 2017 before he started participating competitively at the end of 2019.
“My family is very good at sport in general, but I am the first to play indoor cricket,” he said.
According to the boys, their trip is not funded and each individual has to pay for their own expenses; this includes the training camps that they have been attending in Johannesburg.
The boys’ coach, Heinie Aylward, who has been coaching different sporting codes for about 20 years, is extremely proud of how far they have come.
“I am very proud of the boys’ achievements as the level of competition was very high and they had to work hard to be selected for the team.
“It just proves how difficult it is to travel all the way from here to Johannesburg, sometimes having to miss a day of school; other times travelling by car to save money, and then still being able to prove yourself against boys that sleep at home and are ‘fresher’ because they don’t have all these logistical issues to worry about.
“That makes me even prouder and the achievement even better,” Aylward said.
