On a cold July Monday two years ago, SA Under-19 coach Lawrence Mahatlane arrived at Craven Week at St Stithian's College in Randburg to watch Warriors starlet Sinethemba Qeshile, the inside centre for Border.
With the Under-18 provincial rugby week a showroom floor for school rugby talent, Mahatlane had to look after his cricket interests.
His foresight has been richly rewarded as 19-year-old Qeshile, in his first season of franchise cricket, has scored 620 runs at 51.66 with six 50s.
Qeshile was also recruited by the Jozi Stars in last year's Mzansi Super League.
"The kid has a run-accumulating quality and there's a lot of players who score runs. It's the how that you look out for. He's got a calm demeanour at the crease and he's got a bit more time compared to other batters. He's also got this quality of playing a different type of cricket that's required at different times," Mahatlane said.
"Scoring the runs he's making lower down the order is tough because he has to adapt to the various match situations. With him also being a keeper, at some point he'll get the first franchise ton and will move up the order and get a chance to convert. He batted at four when we were in England in all formats so he's got the capability."
Dave Alers has seen a number of promising black cricketers from Hudson Park High School break into the professional ranks.
None of them have progressed as quickly as Qeshile.
Alers and former Eastern Province opening bowler Kenny Watson transformed the Vincent-based co-educational school into a serious schoolboy cricket factory.
Alers, also the school's deputy headmaster, has been around long enough to know what makes a very good professional and one who can actually make it to the top.
"I have a thing of grading players out of 10 in terms of cricketing skill and using the same grading for mental strength. You'd find that some cricketers would get around eight or nine for cricketing skill but only around one or two for mental strength. You need the requisite mental strength to marry the talent for it to work for you and that's what Qeshile has. You can have all the talent but you can't go anywhere without the hard work," Alers said.
"We predicted when he was in grade eight or grade nine that he had a very bright future in cricket. Remember, he's one of many talented black cricketers we've had here at Hudson Park but he came across as of the really special ones. He was and remains humble, well-mannered, disciplined and, importantly, has amazing mental strength."
Of the top 10 Four-Day Franchise Series batsmen, Qeshile is the youngest and has the fifth-highest average behind Keegan Petersen (Knights, 61.53), Edward Moore (Warriors, 55.12), Nicky van der Bergh (Highveld Lions, 55.16) and Andries Gous (Knights, 53.63).
For a kid whose first-class career started in Oudtshoorn last year for Border against South-Western Districts, it's an impressive start.
Qeshile's beginnings were humble, having grown up in Gonubie, just outside East London as a son of a domestic worker whose employers ensured he received a good education at Gonubie Primary.
When he moved to Hudson Park, his parents' employers had to leave but a Cricket South Africa bursary ensured he remained at Hudson Park as a boarder.
This background is a significant driving force for the elegant yet determined right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper.
"Being helpful to people is an important thing to me and helping others around me is also important. It helps share the experience of what I went through because I'm from a humble background.
"I keep on reflecting on those experiences because of my background and that makes me strive to be a better person and help other people," Qeshile said.
While Qeshile is goal-driven, his goals are manageable bite-sized chunks, some of which he feels he's achieved this season.
"I don't set too many goals and all I try to do is to keep things simple, make sure that I perform consistently and take each game as it comes. Keeping things simple is important and I think this season I've achieved what I set out to do," Qeshile said...