Cricketing tour of lifetime for school

ROB KNOWLES

IN an impressive start to their tour of the Eastern Cape, Shirley Boys High from Christchurch in New Zealand managed to score a respectable 195 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs against Port Alfred High School (PAHS) U16 team in their first match out of New Zealand.

In reply PAHS only managed to post 172 all out, and Shirley won its first match of the tour by 23 runs in a closely contested match.

The South African tour was the brainchild of Kingswood old boy Nigel Marsh. He and his wife left South Africa for New Zealand in 2000 and they now live in Christchurch where he works as the coaching and development manager of Canterbury Cricket.

"The tour was funded by the parents and pupils at the school,” said Marsh.

"After the recent earthquakes that shook the area there was a need for a car wash, and the pupils at the school jumped in to provide this service,” he said.

"They also visited gardens in the area and offered a mole removal service. Their parents held a gala dinner and various other forms of fundraising to ensure the tour was a success.”

Both parents and pupils worked for 18 months to secure sufficient funding for the tour.

"It's been a dream of mine to bring a cricket team to South Africa, and particularly the Eastern Cape,” Marsh added.

The tour began on Monday at PAHS, where the team played two matches. Then they were off to Sidbury for a game there and then on to St Andrews College for another there.

The team were also due to play Graeme College, Kingswood College, Garsfontein and St Albans in Pretoria, and their schedule further includes two 20/20 matches. In total, Shirley will play a total of nine matches in the eight playing days of the tour.

"We are going to take them on a game drive. I want the boys to get a full appreciation of South Africa before they return home,” said Marsh.

"It will be the first time they will have visited the bush, and we're really hoping they will get to see rhino and lions to get a feel for this country. It is a tour they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

As this is a development team, Marsh has chosen a "pod system” where boys are divided into groups of four and chosen to bat on that basis. Pod one will play first, then two then three. Then one will play third and the pods will be rotated,” he said.

"Our idea is to give all the boys on tour the experience they require.”