The island of Mauritius is a tropical playground, famous for its serene beaches and year-round busy tourism industry.
GKC, always eager to help grow the game around the world, jumped at the opportunity to spend some time coaching on the island when the opportunity presented itself.
Football is their most popular sport but the GKC is proud to have planted the first ‘cricket seeds’ on the island.
Eager youngsters from the College Pere Laval were introduced to the game during a two week-long clinic.
With the sport being virtually unknown in these parts our coaches had to start with teaching the fundamentals of the game before they could head out and get the practical element going.
“Our first point of order was a PowerPoint presentation, graphically showing the game of cricket. The easy part was describing a bat and ball, but it became more complex when we explained wickets and runs,” Ryan Cook said.
“This process was made incredibly stress free by the passion and enthusiasm to learn from all the boys we coached,” he added.
Once the boys had the basics down, it was time to head into the sunshine at the Northfields Cricket Club who were our hosts for the duration of our stay.
“As we moved outdoors and started coaching the real meaty bits of cricket we soon realized the potential we had on the island for growth. We are still in the real grass roots phases but with the passion these boys showed towards the game anything is possible,” Cook explained.
The GKC were determined to leave a last impression on the kids and knew that they also had to help up-skill coaches in the area.
A total of 14 coaches were involved in the camp and Cook says they displayed an incredible appetite for the sport.
“We felt it would be meaningless for us coming over here if there was no form of continuity in what we have started as an academy. We needed a group of individuals who would continue to strive to achieve growth in the sport,” Cook said.
The players and Northfields Cricket Club remain firmly in our hearts and minds. We wish Mauritian cricket and the individuals at College Pere Laval all the best.
