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Millfield U15 Cricket Team Tours South Africa
The Millfield U15 Junior Cricket Team exceeded the expectations of their coaches back in the Summer of 2009 by winning most of their games and becoming the County Champions. In doing so they qualified for the Lords Taverner's Competition. Their coaches believe that it was the way they played cricket, the enjoyment they showed and the support they gave each other which undoubtedly led to this success. A fitting reward for their achievement and a chance to further develop and improve their skills was the Cricket Tour to South Africa which took place in the Christmas holidays, departing on the 11th December and arriving back in the UK on the 22nd December. The team assembled at Heathrow just after the end of the Autumn Term to depart for Cape Town on the 12 hour flight.
The tour consisted of a very full itinerary, which was a mixture of five cricket matches in ten days interspersed with trips to some of the highlights of the area. Upon arrival, pupils took a cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain, where they enjoyed a refreshing walk at the top with amazing views and scenery. They then went to their accommodation for the trip, and spent the rest of the day settling in. On Sunday 13th they played their first match against Bishops Diocesan College. The following day started with a tour of the Newlands Rugby and Cricket Stadium, followed by their second match against Bergvliet High School. The next day was an excursion to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 19 years. The trip included a tour by a former inmate. The boys particularly enjoyed this trip and found learning about the history of South Africa to be particularly fascinating. This visit was followed by the second excursion of the day to the Two Oceans Aquarium. Wednesday 16th December was their third match against the Ottoman Cricket Club Youth Division. The entirety of the next day was spent at the Ratanga Junction theme park. The following two days were spent playing matches, first against St Augustine Cricket Club, and secondly against Wynberg Boys Composite Side. On Sunday 20th December, the team checked out of their hotel and headed to the Inverdoorn Game Reseve. The afternoon safari included seeing elephants, lions, buffalos, rhinos and rare mountain leopards. Dinner was eaten under the stars, with an overnight stay included, with a further safari the next day. This was a fantastic way to end the tour before heading back to the airport for the overnight flight.
The conditions they played in could not have been more different from the thick blanket of snow and ice which was beginning to cover the UK at this time. It was extremely hot, with temperatures reaching into the high thirties on some days, which increased to 45 degrees by the end of the tour. However, this was an environment which the team had expected and needed to adapt to quickly. It helped them to develop teamwork skills, with some boys developing modern ways of looking after each other, which included drinks being run out to the pitch after each wicket and laying bottles around the boundary edge to keep hydrated when able.
All of the boys, regardless of ability level, took home with them many things that they will be able to use and recall for the important English season ahead of them, both individually and as a team. The boys highlighted to their coaches that this starts before stepping out onto a cricket pitch, suggesting the need to take training as seriously as they take a match situation and treating every practice experience as an encounter to thrive on and achieve. Belief in their own ability and knowing that they are good enough was mentioned as an important attribute when bowling against good batters.
An aspect the team picked up on and one that will need to be remembered this coming season is that everyone needs to ensure they remain positive and alert throughout the whole innings whilst in the field regardless of situation or temperature. Ensuring that everyone is expecting the ball and whatever happens, looking forward to the next ball is crucial, as ‘cricket is a funny game and anything can happen'. The last 10 overs could be the difference in winning and losing. Diving around, throwing into the keeper and being tidy might restrict the opposition to only scoring 40 runs off the last 10 overs compared to conceding 55 runs if not doing these things and if thinking of the dropped catch 20 overs ago.
The boys really developed an understanding of importance of being a team player in every situation. Whether that is building batting partnerships with team mates and contributing to that or by staying in, running hard, picking up 1's and 2's or even hitting all the runs yourself. Everyone has a role to play and roles change throughout each phase of the game. Adaptability is key and being able to back yourself in that situation, for example changing the pace of your innings if wickets are falling.
They also learnt the importance of enjoying themselves. It is a game that is a great leveler of any athlete and you can be a match winner one game, scoring 100 runs to feeling down in the dumps for being caught behind the next game for 0 and losing the match. It was highlighted that being a team player is important and supporting and encouraging team mates no matter how you or the team have played is essential and one Millfield and this team do well.
All the boys displayed the high standards Millfield hope to achieve and showed great team spirit and sportsmanship throughout each game played, which was fantastic. At the end of the games the boys would interact with the opposition and get to know fellow opposition by playing various games with them such as touch rugby or vortex. The tour was undoubtedly an experience which they will remember for the rest of their lives. Not only for their performance on the pitch, but in terms of living away from home with others, dealing with the hot African conditions and adapting to and experiencing the very different culture than what they are used to in the UK. It is always tough when you play any sport away from home, but when you travel nearly 6000 miles to another country at the age of 14 or 15 then that in itself is a test of many aspects. The team meetings that were conducted over the course of the tour were attended with great maturity, and the boys seemed to enjoy speaking of their experiences and thoughts of what went on during each game and day off. The boys learnt a lot from the tour and are now ready to work hard over the next few months and prepare themselves for an exciting season at Millfield. Above all, the boys learnt to enjoy success, respect failures and thrive on the different challenges they were presented with.
