Success of Schools SA20 also highlights challenges for cricket

It was with a mixture of relief, joy and expectation that Vincent Barnes watched the final round of matches in the inaugural Schools SA20 competition at the LC de Villiers Oval in Tshwane. 

Relief it was finally ending after more than 600 schools started the competition late last year; joy from the players making it to the finals that were broadcast on SuperSport and expectation about what awaits several players, who all harbour dreams of playing for the Proteas. 

Amid the continuing tumult over transformation that exploded last week regarding the Warriors losing their place in a One-Day Cup playoff, Barnes understands the significance of a competition that unites schools from varied regions containing players from contrasting social backgrounds.

There are targets in place for the schools competitions: teams must field two generic black players and four in the finals series. “From what I’m watching, it’s not a case of [players] carrying drinks, a lot of those guys perform. Black players are the main players,” Barnes said.

“Some schools still struggle, but there is an opportunity to give black players a chance in this tournament not just based on the colour of their skin. Most of the black players in these teams are good enough to be playing; and they are big players.”

Transformation is a sensitive topic for Barnes. His playing career took place during apartheid, when he had no chance of representing South Africa, and instead played provincial cricket under the SA Cricket Board banner. 

After unity, he rose through the provincial coaching ranks, eventually employed as the Proteas bowling coach, and playing a crucial role in building one of the most successful attacks in the world, featuring Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander among others. 

After a stint as CSA High Performance manager, Barnes retired from CSA, and was called by SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith to take over as project lead for the SA20’s schools version. 

“We needed this kind of competition, so that the best could play against each around the country, and not just focus on eight or 10 schools,” he said.

As difficult as it was to create a fixture list for schools around the country that had to be cognisant of provinces starting their competitions at different points of summer because of weather and the ever-extensive rugby programmes of some of the larger private institutions, Barnes said interest in the tournament was huge. 

“I was still getting calls as the finals started from schools wanting to know how to enter. This will grow and it will get better.”

In its previous guise as the Coke Schools T20 week, the competition featured the likes of Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee and Wiaan Mulder. But in its current guise it encompasses a wider range of schools and most notably, a competition for girls. 

“We had the Markrams and De Kocks coming through; now we are seeing people ask who is Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Steve Stolk? But in the next few years we won’t be asking those questions, because youngsters are being exposed to this type of competition and not just the South Africa under-19 team at a World Cup.”

The tournament wrapped up on Saturday, with Bishops from Cape Town winning the boys' event, and Steyn City School, led by Karabo Meso’s 117, the girls' competition. Meso was part of the South Africa under-19 team that reached the final of the World Cup in Malaysia recently and the added exposure in a tournament such as the Schools SA20 will accelerate her progress. 

As heartwarming as Saturday’s finals were, in watching the early stages of the competition Barnes also became concerned by what appears to be a decline of the sport in schools where cricket used to be prevalent, like his own alma mater in Cape Town, Livingstone High. 

“My biggest concern — and using examples from the Western Cape — is the amount of schools from my era that were top cricket schools that now are just not playing any cricket. So what do they do? South Peninsula HS plays Bishops, but withdraw on the morning of the game and even though they have enough players they rather go and strengthen a St Augustine’s Hub.”

The St Augustine’s Hub is part of the wider CSA Hubs programme that combines schools and clubs into single teams as a means of sustaining the sport in poorer regions, and encompasses 57 sides around the country. 

“Plumstead High, where JP Duminy, Rory Kleinveldt and Paul Adams went, they pulled out of the competition and provided cricketers to St Augustine's Hub. And fair enough St Augustine's Hub is quite strong — but Livingstone has absolutely no cricket and they are not interested in having cricket and the guys that want to play must play in the Victoria Hub,” said Barnes.

He will spend a vast chunk of his time in winter researching why that is the case. But it is likely the declining interest of government schools in sports is being more keenly felt by cricket because of the enormous expense attached to the sport. 

Seen in that context, the Schools SA20 is going to play a critical role in the sport’s sustainability.

“There’s a hell of a lot of potential, but also a lot of work that has to be done,” Barnes said.