Top award for U'hage U12 coach

[caption id="attachment_35712" align="alignright" width="405"] PROUD OF THEIR COACH: Nokuzola Javu celebrates her KFC Mini-Cricket coach of the year award with the Mzamomhle Special School's U12 boys team in Uitenhage. Picture: FREDLIN ADRIAAN[/caption]

MZAMOMHLE Special School teacher Nokuzola Javu, 44, is more determined than ever to grow Eastern Province's mini-cricket structures after recently winning Cricket South Africa's mini-cricket coach of the year award.

The KwaNobuhle teacher and mother of four started coaching an under-12 team of pupils with special educational needs in 2000.

And her hard work and dedication to the programme reaped rewards when CSA recognised her involvement in uplifting the lives of numerous children through the game.

"This is the biggest cricket award I've received since I started being involved with the sport and it's a great honour. I'm passionate and committed to coaching these young souls," Javu said.

"Mini-cricket has enriched my career by helping me understanding children better on the field as opposed to only in the classroom."

New Brighton-born Javu was an ordinary child who was never active in sport, but smiled when she explained how she used to play marbles with the boys in the street.

She attended Johnson Marhwanqa Primary School and then went to Ithembelihle Comprehensive School, but she competed her matric at Imiqhayi Senior Secondary School in King William's Town in 1988.

Javu enrolled for her teacher's diploma at Cape College in Fort Beaufort. After she completed her three-year course, she studied remedial education at Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) before obtaining her BEd honours in LSEN (Learners with Special Educational Needs) at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

"I was never active in any sport as a child or teenager and when I started working as a teacher at Hombakazi Primary School I was appointed as a music teacher.

"I became involved with cricket when I joined Mzamomhle Special School after I was redeployed by the Department of Education.

"I was introduced to Baker's Mini Cricket which is now known as KFC Mini-Cricket, by the school but my challenge was that then, I had no cricket background.

"I had to go through some basic coaching learning material and practical coaching clinics arranged by EP Cricket and that's how I've learnt more about the game."

Javu said she then taught her school team all the fielding and batting knowledge and skills she had acquired from the coaching clinics.

"We are dealing with children who have learning problems and they are coming from mainstream schools, hence I also teach them teamwork and how to communicate as a team member.

"I enjoy working with them because they bring joy to my life every day I'm around them."

Javu said her team competed with six other regional special schools – Luvuyo, Sunshine, Ruben Birin, Lonwabo, Khanyiso and Happydale – in the LSEN under-12 mini-cricket league and their fixtures are played all-year around.

School principal Rev Sipho Bodlani said the school was proud of Javu.

"Her dedication and commitment to the team has put the school on the sporting map. She picked up the baton from the previous coaches and moved forward and we are happy for her." - Mthetho Ndoni