FRANCE WINS THE 2013 DANONE NATIONS CUP WORLD FINALS

25.000 people packed the stands at Wembley Stadium to support the world’s biggest international football tournament for 10-12 year olds

Over 400 children from around the world descended into Wembley Stadium on Saturday to celebrate the world’s largest international football tournament for 10-12 year olds at the Danone Nations Cup World Final. The event saw the world’s most promising U12 football teams compete at the iconic stadium.

International legend and Danone Nations Cup Ambassador, Zinédine Zidane, cheered the teams throughout the afternoon and took part in football chants and a giant Mexican wave alongside national tournament Ambassadors John Scales (UK), Tom Ince (UK) and Gheorghe Hagi (Romania). During the tense final between France and Brazil, it was 0-0 at the final whistle which took the game into penalties. Team France, were crowned the international winners as they beat Brazil on penalties (3:1), and were presented with their winning trophy by Zidane at the official tournament prize ceremony.

Amongst the 32 national teams, Team South Africa showcased their footballing talents in front of a lively crowd and beat Bulgaria 7 – 6 on penalties to clinch 29^th position.  But where team South Africa scored the most was on the dance floor, even trading pennants by some countries for a few dance lessons.  So impressed were the organisers of their talent they were asked to perform at the opening ceremony. “We learnt such a lot about different cultures,” said Teboho Msiza, the kids reporter who travelled with the team.  “But the country we bonded the most with was Bulgaria.  They could all speak English and some of our team got to learn to speak the language better as well.”  What the youngster enjoyed the most was improving his interviewing skills.

The event, which was hosted by British Olympic sprinter Iwan Thomas and TV presenter Abi Griffiths and included a special performance from Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity, football freestyler demonstrations and a giant zorbing competition which took place on the pitch.

Awards were presented to the ‘Best Player’ of the tournament, Hiro Satho from Japan, the ‘Fair Play’ award went to the country of Japan for their presentation of the fair play oath, 3^rd place went to Japan, 2^nd to Brazil and the winners were France.

Zinédine Zidane, Danone Nations Cup Ambassador, said: “A massive congratulations to France for winning this year’s Danone Nations Cup World Final. The teams all showed tremendous skill and professionalism on the pitch and I’m very proud to be a part of a fantastic program to help children develop their love for football and grow with respect for themselves and others around them. I wish everyone the best of luck in the future.”

Coach of the host team, Ian Forgie of England, said: “The atmosphere at Wembley was incredible. Our team are so grateful for everyone who came down to watch and support us and all the international team. It is an experience the kids will never forget and we are delighted to have been part of this and send our thanks to Danone.”

Over the Danone Nations Cup’s fourteen-year history, the tournament has established itself as a highly respected event and gained official FIFA endorsement. By bringing this competition to the UK on the anniversary of the 2012 Games, Danone showed real commitment to helping deliver a sustainable activity, health and sports legacy. From this, the 2013 World Final was officially recognized by the 'Inspired By 2012' campaign.

Nicolas Riom, Managing Director for Danone UK & Ireland, said: “For Danone, it is more than just a competition. It is a way of putting into practice the company's mission, to bring health through food to as many people as possible, by teaching children about the positive values of sport and the importance of a proper diet and exercise. This year, we are fully supporting the award-winning healthy eating education program for primary schools, ‘Eat Like a Champ’, which we have created in collaboration with the British Nutrition Foundation and in support of the Change 4 Life campaign.”

Surrey Sports Park in Guildford played host to the 32 national teams whom stayed on site, took part in various training and nutritional learning games and activities. The Danone Nations Cup World Final event is designed to symbolize a professional football camp so the children involved experience playing abroad, competing in a competitive environment, and living and learning together.

The week-long event kicked-off with an official opening ceremony where the children performed national dances alongside signing the oath to the ‘Fair Play’ rule. Openness, respect and fair play are the core principles on which the event is built upon. Everyone involved in the competition - children, coaches and accompanying adults – undertakes a promise to respect these values by signing an ethical charter at the opening ceremony.

Next year the Danone Nations Cup World Final will take place in Brazil.

FINAL RANKINGS

1 France

2 Brazil

3 Japan

4 Ireland

5 Mexico

6 Netherlands

7 USA

8 Indonesia

9 England

10 Russia

11 Czech Republic

12 Argentina

13 Spain

14 Canada

15 Italy

16 Saudi Arabia

17 South Korea

18 Uruguay

19 Belgium

20 Germany

21 Algeria

22 China

23 Switzerland

24 Belarus

25 Chile

26 Turkey

27 Morocco

28 Romania

29 South Africa

30 Bulgaria

31 Ukraine

32 Tunisia

EASTERN CAPE PRIMARY SCHOOL IS THE HOST OF THE NEXT DANONE NATIONS CUP PROVINCIAL FINAL

Nkunzimbini Junior Secondary School gets the chance to go for a long-standing dream on Saturday – to qualify for the national finals of the U-12 Danone Nations Cup. The school is from Nyandeni Libode Municipality in the Eastern Cape and is one of seven Schools playing in the Eastern Cape provincial finals on Saturday May 25 at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium, East London. Games commence at 9am.

Nkunzimbini has been playing in the tournament since 2000 but has never made it to the national finals before.  Team coach Gideon Maqokolo says they have been hard at work preparing for Saturday. They train twice a week for two hours, and have been using whatever spare time they can get to put in some extra training.  The weekends have been used for friendly matches against local teams so that the players can get used to playing competitive football. “Many of the kids lack confidence which is a problem I am working on,” says Maqokolo. “I am trying to get them to forget about specialising on one position at this stage as that limits them.”

Maqokolo says he does not want to single out players in the team as everyone is important. “Often people rely on their strikers, but the game of football is not just about the goal-scorer. The build-up to the scoring opportunity is just as important. If you single out a player, and he gets injured, it can affect the rest of the players and their morale. To me everyone is important.”

Coaching a team like this is not easy and Maqokolo tells the story of one of his players whose father has more than one wife. His mother is the wife who is neglected and not supported by his father. “This strains him emotionally and I have encouraged him to open up so that this doesn’t affect his performance,” Maqokolo says. “I sometimes take him home with me and he sleeps over at my place because all my players are like my own children and it is my duty to groom them mentally and physically so that the tournament can benefit them in all aspects.”

Nkunzimbini Junior Secondary has played in many tournaments including represented South Africa in Ghana in 2010. The school recently won the netball provincial tournament for the Eastern Cape.

Maqokolo explains that the school’s progress in the tournament has raised the level of interest in soccer in the community. “We have had many kids coming to join the school soccer team, some even take it upon themselves to join us when we are training,” he said.

The school involves the parents of the players in all their activities as their commitment makes it easier for the team to succeed. “We meet with them and sometimes do house visits to parents whose children are taking part in the competition. We all need support in doing what we love and we are trying to make sure that the children excel at what they do,” Maqokolo says.

The winners of Saturday’s provincial competition will play in the National Finals in Johannesburg in June, with the eventual winners there earning the honour of representing South Africa at the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in London in August.

The Nkunzimbini players are all soccer nuts and they know all about British football and Wembley Stadium where the final day of the Danone Nations Cup will be played this year. That is a huge motivating factor for them.

MONAMODI PRIMARY SCHOOL WIN THE DANONE NATIONS CUP FREE STATE PROVINCIAL FINALS AND TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO PLAYING IN LONDON

Monamodi Primary School from Majwemasweu Township in Brandfort is the 2013 Free State champions in the Danone Nations Cup. They beat Luckhoff Combined School 3-0 in the final, played at the Clive Solomon Stadium in Bloemfontein last weekend, to become the third team to qualify for the national finals of the competition which take place in Johannesburg in July.

The winners of the Danone Nations Cup National Finals will fulfil their dreams by representing South Africa at the Danone Nations Cup World Finals in London later this year where they will perform in front of Danone Nations Cup ambassador and former France captain, Zinedane Zidane.

Monamodi coach, Vuyo Nomatye, was delighted at the result. “This was totally unexpected as this is only our second year in the tournament and our first time at the provincial finals,” he said.  “The boys are excited and everyone at the school is proud of us, because they know how difficult things were at the regional level. Winning the Danone Nations Cup Free State Provincial Finals now means we have to work extra hard as we are only one step closer to the bigger and better title.”

Nomatye puts their success down to determination and hard work. “It took a while for the boys to understand the style of play I was introducing and to work together as a team,” he explains. “Our first four cluster games were difficult, and although we won those games, we were not at our best. I then added an extra 30 minutes to the training sessions and that was when things got better and we managed to win the regional title. We didn’t know what to expect at the provincial finals, so I said to my boys; let’s go there and use the platform as a learning curve, I didn’t think we were going to do so well, let alone win the provincial championship.” Nomatye said that none of his players had every ventured outside the village and the trip to Johannesburg to play in the National Finals will be a learning experience.

Monamodi Primary School now join Rietrivier Primary School from Northern Cape and Siphumele Primary from KwaZulu-Natal in the National Finals. They are waiting for the other six provincial champions to be identified and the first of those will be known on Saturday April 20 when the Limpopo Provincial Finals take place.

RESULTS

Tlong-Kganeng Public School      1 - 0        Selogilwe Primary School

Luckhoff Combined School          0 – 0       Matswathaka Primary School (Matswathaka won 3-2 on penalties)

Monamodi Primary School           1 – 0       Emang Primary School

Tlong-Kganyeng Public School    0 – 1       Luckhoff Combined School

Selogilwe Primary School              0 – 0       Matswathaka Primary School (Matswathaka won 7-6 on penalties)

Monamodi Primary School           1 – 0       Tlong-Kganyeng Public School

Emang Primary School                   0 – 1       Luckhoff Combined School

Selogilwe Primary School              0 – 0       Monamodi Primary School (Monamodi won 4-1 on penalties)

Matswathaka Primary School     2 – 2       Tlong-Kganyeng Public School (Matswathaka won 3-1 on penalties)

Emang Primary School                   1 – 0       Selogilwe Primary School

Luckhoff Combined School          1 – 0       Monamodi Primary School

Emang Primary School                   0 – 0       Matswathaka Primary School (Emang won 5-4 on penalties)

Selogilwe Primary School              1 – 0       Luckhoff Combined School

Tlongkganyeng Public School      0 – 1       Emang Primary School

Matswathaka Primary School     1 - 2        Monamodi Primary School

 

LOG POSITIONS

1. Luckhoff Primary School
2. Monamodi Primary School
3. Emang Primary School
4. Selogilwe Primary School
5. Matswathaka Primary School
6. Tlong-Kganyeng Public School

 

FINAL

Monamodi Primary School 3 Luckhoff Combined School 0.

 

 

 

About Danone

Danone Southern Africa is part of the Danone Group, one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world. Danone is present in over 120 countries across all continents. With 160 plants and around 100,000 employees, the Danone Group is the number one worldwide for Fresh Dairy Products. Danone’s mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.

NORTHERN CAPE PRIMARY SCHOOL TAKES FIRST STEP ON THE ROAD TO LONDON

A dream came true for the Under 12 football team from Blaauwskop Primary School from the Northern Cape when they took their first steps on the road to London after winning the Danone Nations Cup regional finals this past weekend.  

This past weekend saw two sets of regional finals in the Northern Cape being completed with the next stop for Blaauwskop Primary School from the Siyanda region and Willie Theron Primary School from the Pixley region being the provincial finals happening at the Keismos Sports Stadium, Keismos on the 16^th March.  Namaqualand, John Taole and Frances Baard regions will be playing their qualifiers this week. 

Coach of Blaauwskop Primary School, situated on Kanoneiland, near Upington in the Northern Cape, Johannes Julie, says the school played in the Danone Nations Cup for the first time last year, when they made it through to the regional finals where they lost to Upington Primary school in the quarter finals. “To qualify for the provincial finals in our second year of participation has brought a lot of confidence on the boys and I think that will help us a lot moving forward,” Julie said.

“We have worked on new strategies this year and it took a lot of determination and commitment from the boys. Fortunately I had 7 players who were part of the team last year, so that made things a little easy for me. I knew deep in my heart that I would want to reach the regional finals again, but I didn’t expect to win because we have strong teams in our region, including last year’s provincial finalist Keidebees Primary School.  I am glad we have passed this stage and our eyes are now on the provincial title.”

Jurie says he sits with the team for about 30 minutes before each practise session and talks to the boys individually trying to build their confidence.  “We trained three times a week in preparation for the regional finals and, although that was difficult, we will now continue where we left off.”

The challenge for the team, Jurie says is that most of the players live about 12 km from the school and, as a result, he can only keep them for an hour after school or else they will miss their last bus. “Sometimes there are only busses three times in the week and on the days when there are no busses we don’t train.”

Jurie says that should they go all the way and make it to the finals in England this year it would mean a lot to the boys. “They come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Most of their parents work on the farms in the area and the kids don’t even venture out of Upington let along travel to the National Finals.  I would like to see us get there as it helps them see that the world is big and anything is possible.”

Jurie singles out two key players in his squad. Randal Bonson, who was part of the team last year, and is a disciplined player and a good attacking midfielder; and Ambrosier Pretorious – also a midfielder whose pace and good passing make him exceptional.

 

COCA-COLA SOUTH AFRICA U-19 CRICKET TEAM CLINCH THE COCA-COLA YOUTH ODI SERIES AGAINST ENGLAND U19

COCA-COLA South Africa took a winning 3-0 lead in their five-match under-19 Youth ODI series against England when they won the third match by 10 runs at Boland Park on Saturday.

The match was very similar to the second one on Friday with England leaving themselves with too much to do in the closing overs and South Africa having their total set up by one big innings in the middle order from Man-of-the-Match Greg Oldfield supported by some good hitting at the death.

The South Africans managed to score 100 runs in their last 10 overs for the loss of only three wickets which was an outstanding effort by any international standard.

They will also be highly encouraged by the fact that they put their youngest side in the field for some time with seven of the players available to play in next year’s ICC under-19 World Cup in Dubai.

England have also fielded a youthful squad for the most part and both sides look well advanced in their preparation for next year’s tournament.

This match followed exactly the same trend as the second one the day before with England winning the toss and deciding to field first in stifling conditions.

The move looked as though it might be paying off when the first three South African wickets fell for only 48 runs before David Bedingham and Greg Oldfield stabilised the innings with a fourth wicket partnership of 58 in 14 overs.

England still looked in a strong position when they had half the South African team out for 134 in the 33rd over but the lower and middle-order, packed with all-rounders, rallied strongly and more than doubled the total to finish with a highly competitive 270.

Greg Oldfield (82 off 111 balls, 8 fours) and Jason Smith (49 not out off 48 balls, 1 four and 2 sixes) took the lead role as they had done the previous day. Oldfield was dropped twice in the second half of his innings but these lapses only cost England a handful of runs just when he looked set for a well-deserved century.

Smith was assisted by some spectacular hitters. Corbin Bosch hit 23 off just 8 balls (5 fours) before being run out when he slipped in turning to regain his ground. Sine Ntshona and Tshepo Moreki also joined in the boundary hitting and South Africa scored 100 in the last 10 overs for the loss of only three wickets.

Ngazibini Sigwili kept up the pressure when England batted, taking 2/14 in his opening spell of 5 overs. Corbin Bosch added the wicket of Ed Barnard to have England in much the same position as South Africa had been – 37/3 after 12 overs.

Ben Duckett, who has been impressive in the middle order, followed soon afterwards when he attempted a reverse sweep in off-spinner Ntshona’s first over and gave a straight forward catch to Murray Coetzee.

At 51/4 and with a required rate of just over a run a ball England had a lot to do in the remaining 34 overs.

England finally got a partnership going when Jonathan Tattersall and Ryan Gibson came together at the fall of the fifth wicket. They added 49 off 59 balls before Gibson miscued a cut and was caught at backward point, leaving England 130/6 and needing a further 141 at more than eight to the over.

Tattersall was largely left to play a lone hand, reaching his half-century off 54 balls with 2 fours. Tattersall shared a 50-run partnership with Joshua Shaw and hit a defiant six before perishing for 83 off 76 balls (5 fours and a six).

England continued to fight to the death with Shaw also reaching a half-century to go with his three wickets but, as in the second match, they had left themselves with too much to do at the end and fell 10 runs short of the South African total with their last pair at the crease.

 

COCA-COLA SOUTH AFRICA U-19 CRICKET TEAM GOES 2 – 0 UP AGAINST ENGLAND IN THE ODI’S

THE South Africa Coca-Cola side scored a nail-biting victory by 13 runs over England in the second under-19 Youth ODI at Western Province Cricket Club on Friday.

South Africa now leads the five-match series 2-0. The third match will take place at Boland Park in Paarl on Saturday.

Murray Coetzee was named Man of the Match for his innings of 58 for the home side. He was the only player to get past 50 on either side with many players getting starts but being unable to kick on.

England won the toss and elected to bowl first on a surface that gave the seamers some assistance up front but seemed certain to favour the spinners as the match progressed.

South Africa’s opening pair of Murray Coetzee and Clyde Fortuin played particularly well to blunt England’s experienced new ball attack of Oli Stone and Jamie Overton, adding 68 for the first wicket in 19 overs before Fortuin was caught in the deep.

England did not introduce their spinners, Jonathan Tattersall and Tom Shrewsbury, until the 23^rd over and they had an immediate effect with Shrewsbury getting rid of Coetzee in his first over for 58 (90 balls, 4 fours).

South Africa reached the power play, taken after the statutory 35 overs on 153/3 and were undone by some excellent bowling from Stone who caused them to score only 18 runs for the loss of two wickets during these overs.

David Bedingham (39 off 37 balls, 2 fours and 2 sixes), who had impressed with his powerful boundary hitting in the middle overs, was run out in the 41^st over to leave the home side under pressure at 172/6.

However, Greg Oldfield (32 off 37 balls, 3 fours and a six) and Jason Smith (22 not out off 26 balls, 1 four) led a counter-attack that saw South Africa score 70 run in the last 9 overs.

South Africa finished with a very useful 241/9 in their 50 overs, the only disappointment being that six batsmen got into double figures and only one got through to a half-century. There were 20 wides and three no balls in the innings which also contributed significantly to the total. Nevertheless England still managed to complete their overs within the stipulated time.

Stone, as always, was England’s most successful bowler with figures of 2/42.

South Africa kept up the pressure when they took two wickets inside the first seven overs. Dominic Sibley and Callum Jackson then provided the partnership England needed to stabilise their innings. They added 40 in 14 overs but the loss in quick succession of Sibley and another in-form batsman, Ben Duckett, meant they had to start building again.

They reached the halfway stage of their innings on 87/4.

Wickets continued to fall and England reached 133/6, needing 109 off 90 balls, when the power play was taken after 35 overs. England scored 30 runs in the five overs and thus went into the final 10 needing 79 runs with four wickets in hand.

Jamie Overton and Ed Barnard produced a threatening partnership that was keeping England very much in contention. The visitors went into the last five overs needing just 49 runs.

Corbin Bosch produced the vital breakthrough when he had the big-hitting Overton caught in the deep for 48 (45 balls, 6 fours) to end a partnership worth 77 runs in 12.1 overs.

Barnard followed soon afterwards and the tail was unable to keep up the required scoring rate eventually losing by 13 nail-biting runs.

Bosch, who was making his debut provided the first instance of both father and son representing South Africa since unity. His dad, Tertius, played at the 1992 ICC World Cup and was also a member of South Africa’s first ever Test team to play the West Indies.

Clyde Fortuin and Diego Rosier celebrate a wicket

Bradley Dial plays between backward point and gully

Corbin Bosch

David Bedingham

Oli Stone

Greg Oldfield

Jason Smith

Tom Shrewsbury

 

FORTUIN LEADS COCA-COLA SOUTH AFRICA TO SEVEN-WICKET WIN

CLYDE FORTUIN grabbed the opportunity given to him by coach Ray Jennings to open the batting to lead Coca-Cola South Africa to a seven-wicket victory over England at Boland Park on Wednesday in the first of five under-19 Youth ODI’s between the two countries. The second match takes place at Western Province Cricket Club on Friday.

South Africa, who had won the toss, had been set a testing target of 222 after restricting England to 221/9 in their 50 overs.

For the first time during this tour South Africa got away to a good start with Fortuin and Andries Gous adding 74 for the first wicket and Fortuin and his captain, Diego Rosier, a further 71 for the second. That broke the back of the target and the middle-order had little trouble in finishing the job with four overs to spare.

Fortuin was named Man of the Match for his innings of 75 (117 balls, 6 fours and a six). When he was dismissed 40 runs were still needed for victory and he might well have gone on to reach three figures but for a superb catch by Harry Finch in the covers.

It was one of two outstanding catches on the day as Gous took a superb running-and-diving catch on the extra cover boundary during the England innings.

Lizaad Williams took full advantage of a well-grassed pitch to give South Africa a perfect start. He took three wickets to put England on the back foot at 22/3 in an opening spell that read 6-1-12-3. It included an incredible 30 dot balls.

Ben Duckett, taking over as captain from Oli Stone, produced a real lead-from-the-front effort to re-establish the innings in successive partnerships of 60 with Finch for the fourth wicket and 47 for the fifth with Jonathan Tattersall.

The left-hander excelled with his ability to work the ball into gaps and the running between the wickets of the batsmen was also impressive. There were, in fact, only 11 boundaries in the first 30 overs but England still managed to get their run rate close to four to the over.

Duckett reached a well deserved half-century off 64 balls (6 fours) but then seemed to lose concentration as he holed out to mid-on against the spin of Bradley Dial.

England reached the second drinks break, leading into the last 16 overs with the batting power play still available, on 133/5.

The ball was starting to keep low which suggested that any total in the region of 200 would be very defendable.

England would have been pleased with their power play effort during which they scored 30 runs without losing a wicket.

South Africa lifted their game at the start of the last 10 overs when Jason Smith bowled Ryan Shaw with the first ball after the power play to halt a promising partnership of 36 and then Tattersall (41 off 55 balls, 2 fours) fell to a brilliant running-and-diving catch at on the deep extra cover boundary by Andries Gous off the left-arm spin of Yaseen Valli.

Jeff Overton laid in the long handle with some powerful hitting to enable England to finish on a very competitive 221/9.

Williams finished with 3/38 and Smith with 2/38.

Andries Gous and Clyde Fortuin started the South African innings very conservatively with a run rate of little more than one to the over during the opening power play. But once they had got through the new ball period their partnership started to flourish and they shared a productive partnership of 74 in 18 overs before Gous was bowled by a beautiful delivery from spinner Tom Shrewsbury.

Fortuin then went from strength to strength and he and Rosier gradually batted England out of the match during a second-wicket partnership of 71 in 15 overs.

Both were subsequently dismissed, Fortuin for a superb 75 off 117 balls (6 fours and a six) thanks to a fine catch in the covers by Finch.

But at that stage South Africa only needed 40 runs in 11.4 overs with seven wickets in hand.

David Bedingham and Murray Coetzee knocked off the required runs in 7.4 overs to give South Africa victory with exactly four overs and seven wickets in hand.

Tattersall (2/36) completed a good all-round match by being England’s most successful bowler.

Clyde Fortuin took part in the Powerade Performance Sessions against AB de Villiers. He proved that he is a good wicket keeper. Jennings believes that he is a huge talent.

Clyde Fortuin

Clyde Fortuin

Andries Gous

Tom Barber

Jason Smith

Jason Smith

 

SHAYLEN PILLAY PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THE COCA-COLA UNDER19 CRICKET TEAM THAT BEAT ENGLAND IN 2ND TEST

The Coca-Cola SA U19 team won the 2^nd Coca-Cola Youth Test against their England U19 counterparts by 67 runs in Paarl on Wednesday and their all-rounder, Shaylen Pillay, played a significant part in the victory. His patient 63 runs in 173 balls in his second innings helped set the team up for their match winning 320/8.  He then took 3 wickets for just 15 runs to put a stop to the tourists’ impressive ability to bat for long periods without losing wickets

Like most of the other players in the Coca-Cola U19 team, the Tests against England were the first four day cricket games that he has played. He found it difficult to adjust at first, but he got into the rhythm. “England is a young and exceptionally talented team and they showed plenty of patience in the four day games,” he said. “I learnt a lot from them on how to bat in a longer game. They also played more like a unit than we did at first and gave us a run for our money.”

Cricket was not Pillay’s first choice of sport as a youth. First he was an ardent soccer player and at 10 years old joined the Mini-Cricket programme and started playing for KES under former South African batsman, Jimmy Cook, who has been his mentor and inspiration ever since.  Cook is currently busy securing him a place at a cricket club in England for the South African winter, so he plans to only start university in 2014.

Pillay is something of a veteran when it comes to the Coca-Cola U19 Khaya Majola Week – he played there no fewer than four times - last year being his best when he was named the all-rounder of the week. He also made the South African team that went to the ICC Junior World Cup last year, but didn’t have the greatest tournament. “I only managed to score in the 20s and 30s, but I was happy the coach played me in every game and the experience has been valuable in the current series.”

Shaylen made his professional cricket debut two years ago, playing for the Lions against Griqualand West in a three day game. He went out for a duck in both his innings. He said this was devastating and he lost confidence, but the next game was a 50 overs one and he made 70. “It was lucky that the games were so close together so I didn’t have much time to dwell on my poor performance.”

Shaylen will not be playing for the Coca-Cola U19 squad for the one day series against the English because the selectors have brought in younger players who will still be eligible for the 2014 Youth World Cup, to give them international experience.

He says his experience in the Coca-Cola U19 team has been a happy one. “We were a very united and happy squad and we had lots of fun.”

Shaylen went to school at King Edwards VII high school which was one of the schools that took part in the Powerade Performance Sessions. The school stands a chance to win tickets for the entire school to go to the South Africa vs Pakistan ODI at the Wanderers.

 

CAPTAIN OF THE COCA-COLA SA UNDER 19 CRICKETER, DIEGO ROSIER, ENJOYS THE LEADERSHIP ROLE

Diego Rosier, captain of the Coca-Cola under 19 cricket team, currently doing battle against their England counterparts, sees being chosen to lead his country as a great honour.

“It is an honour to have been made captain and I am really enjoying managing the players,” he said. “I get on really well with all of them and there is great spirit in the team. England has proven to be very tough opponents and some of our players have been struggling against them, which makes them moody and it is my job to help them get through this.”

Rosier, who has been playing cricket for as long as he can remember, finished school at Northern Cape High School in Kimberley at the end of last year and is currently studying for a BCom Management through Unisa.

Rosier represented Griquas at three Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Weeks and says the best of those was in 2011 when he first made the South African Schools teams and was named all-rounder and player of the tournament.

For Diego, Test cricket is the format he loves. “It is the most difficult as you have to be on your guard all the time,” he says. “It is a challenge and only for strong-minded players as you have to adapt and be patient.” He was disappointed with the result of the first Coca-Cola Youth Test, which England won quite comfortably. “I think the batsmen let us down, but the bowling department was very good,” he said.

“We were outplayed by England in the first Test. They are a younger side than us and most of their players will be around for next year’s ICC Junior World Cup in Dubai. Our team, on the other hand, has only 6 players who will be eligible to play there.”

Diego believes the problem with the batting is that they don’t understand what is required in a four day game. “I am a bit disappointed that we lost wickets early in both our innings. We spoke at length in our meetings about being focused and not having to hit out as this is a 4 day game, but we seem to be repeating our mistakes.”

He explains that at schools in South Africa don’t play the longer version of the game, and at under 19 level cricketers generally play one three day game a year. “Adapting to a three or four day game is challenging,” he said. “When you have been playing for two days and realise that there are still another two days to play, you have to shift focus.  We play like we are in a hurry.”

Rosier does believe the upcoming ODIs will be a completely different proposition. “We will have a very different squad and I am looking forward to that. I believe we will give England a challenge there.”

 

BEDINGHAM PLEASED WITH HIS PERFORMANCE FOR THE COCA-COLA SA UNDER-19 TEAM

David Bedingham’s 131 runs for the South African under 19 side on the third day of the second Coca-Cola Youth Test against England may well have set his side up of for victory and a share of the two Test series.

Bedingham made 131, off 204 balls, including 14 fours and a six, to help his side to 320/8 declared and a lead of 317 runs. England go into the final day on 31/0.

David matriculated at Wynberg Boys’ High School last year. Wynberg is one of the country’s most famous cricketing nurseries and the alma mater of his role model, Jacques Kallis, as well as other international stars including Garth Le Roux and Alan Lamb. “Jacques comes to the school often and talks to us and is very inspiring. I have learnt a lot from him,” he said.

Western Province’s Nabeal Dien helped David secure a place at Plumtree Club in Nottinghamshire, England this winter, so his immediate future has been decided and he will be looking to start university studies in 2014.

The Coca-Cola Youth Test series against England was the first time David has played 4-day cricket. “I have enjoyed it, but it is different,” he said. “You have to stretch the game and you need to be more disciplined. I wasn’t scoring in the first game which was frustrating, but in the second I applied myself better and focus on what I do best. However, I have a weakness of losing concentration, so I enjoyed batting in partnership with Shaylen Pillay who is a more experienced player and helped calm me down when I hit some silly shots.”

David played in two Coca-Cola Khaya Majola cricket weeks. One of the worst cricket experiences was his poor performance in his first appearance, in Cape Town in 2011. However, last year he came back fighting and managed to get into the Coca-Cola U19 national team.

His best cricketing moment has been this one: scoring 131 in the Test! “I am so happy to have made such a huge contribution to the team and put them in a winning position,” he said.

David says there is good team spirit among the boys in the team. He is very complimentary about the captain, Diego Rosier. “He is a good leader, sets a good example and leads from the front and is always approachable. He is also the joker in the team together with Kagiso Rabada. Between those two they keep the team always laughing and therefore the spirits are high.”

His biggest friend on the team is his Western Province team mate Clyde Fortuin “We have been playing together for years, so know each other very well,” he said.

David Bedingham is a real cricketing talent, firmly grounded in the best traditions of the game. He is certainly one to watch in the years to come.

 

COCA-COLA SA UNDER 19 CRICKETER, KAGISO RABADA, SHINES IN SECOND TEST AGAINST ENGLAND

Kagiso Rabada’s excellent performance during the recent Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week earned him a place in the Coca-Cola under 19 national team. He is now frustrating the visiting England under-19 team with both his batting and his bowling.

Rabada is a grade 12 pupil at Johannesburg’s St Stithians College and, apart from his cricketing prowess, he is doing very well in the classroom and has aspirations to become a lawyer one day.

He earned his place in the national side thanks to his blistering bowling, but he is now proving that he is no slouch with the bat either. He shared a 79-run 10^th wicket partnership with Jan Frylink in the second Test to help his team get to 228 in their first innings.  He managed an impressive 46, then took 1/34 in 16 overs as England were restricted to 231 in their first innings, leaving the game evenly poised going into the third day.

Recently Rabada featured in one of the Powerade Performance Sessions head-to-head matchups with Proteas all-rounder Ryan McLaren and came out of it having learnt a tremendous amount. “It taught me how to prepare for a cricket match, and I put this into practice before joining the Coca-Cola under-19 team.  This is particularly relevant for the Tests as I need to peak at the right time to be able to play consistently well over 4 days,” he said. “But more than that, Ryan gave me a few tips on bowling which I believe have made me a better bowler.”

Rabada did not play in the first Youth Test against England but was brought in after Craig Kirsten got injured. “It was very unfortunate for Craig, but I have been given an opportunity now and I hope to make the best of it, contributing to the success of the team,” he said.

As far as his batting heroics on the first day of the Test are concerned, Kagiso says that it showed that in cricket you should never get too confident. “The funny thing about cricket is, you feel you are in control and all of a sudden things change and you find out you are not. This happened to England. They thought they were in control when they had us on 68/6 at lunchtime, and would bowl us out easily, but we frustrated them,” he said. “Jan and I talked to each other after each over and encouraged each other not to take chances but also to hit out when there were bad balls.”

 

Below is a clip of the Powerade Performance Session where Kagiso took on Ryan McLaren in a couple of training disciplines.

 

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