OVERHAUL FOR SOL PLAATJE LFA
FINDING rhythm, form and even some confidence in their four-day warm-up game against the England Lions in Worcester will be the primary objective for the Proteas from tomorrow.
In recent years it’s become trendy for the South Africans to treat tour matches with a lackadaisical attitude, but results on this tour have been awful and the team needs a lift in spirits and a sharpening of attitude ahead of the four-match Test series that starts in London next week.
The tour now hinges on the outcome of the Test series. South Africa’s previous two trips to England are both regarded as successful as the Test series were won on each visit, but on both occasions the Tests came at the start of the tour.
In 2008 it was as if the air was let out of the balloon after an historic first Test series triumph in England in over 40 years and the subsequent one-day series was lost, while the 2012 triumph saw the team earn the No 1 ranking, though the one-day series on that tour was drawn and the T20 series lost, but no one cared that much.
This time, the Champions Trophy was so poorly played that there is a danger some lingering doubts may spill over into the Test portion of the tour.
Throw in the likely absence of inspirational captain Faf du Plessis and concerns over who the next coach will be and South Africa certainly do appear as if they’ll be starting the series on the back foot.
Therefore, it’s crucial they make an impression at Worcester against an England A side – aka the Lions – featuring four players with Test experience.
Left-hand opener Keaton Jennings is likely to feature at Lord’s next week, while Gary Ballance, who captains the Lions, may be an outside bet to sneak into the squad for the first Test.
Sam Robson and quick bowler Liam Plunkett have also played Tests for England and in the latter’s case, a good performance against South Africa may see him roped in as cover as there still appears to be concern over the fitness of Stuart Broad, who has an injured heel.
The South African players are at various stages of readiness as far as match play is concerned.
Heino Kuhn (pictured), Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma have been in action for the SA ‘A’ side, which itself had a wretched tour to England, losing one-day and four-day matches to their England counterparts.
Kuhn (33) who made a double century against a second string Hampshire outfit and then a century against the Lions, was among those who enhanced his reputation and got picked in the Test squad as a result.
“I have matured a lot over the years as a batter and as a cricketer,” he said yesterday. THE SOL Plaatje Local Football Association (LFA) have overhauled their traditional dual-stream football structure and installeda slimmer 16 to 20 member league frame that may soon also have a financial sponsor.
LFA treasurer Cecil “Shorty” Thebe said the association last month took a step forward with regard to implementing a year-old resolution to overhaul its competitions committee structure. He said that changes that the association contemplated to implement at the competitions committee level will automatically impact directly upon the local football league which is supervised by the competitions committee.
Thebe said the old 32-member league structure which comprised the dual-stream league with 16 clubs in each streamhas been discontinued forthwith. In its place the slimmer league will now be put into operation in the new 2017/18 season.
Thebe said the new league will be known as the Premier League, andall the teams that failed to qualify for this league will henceforth constitute the Super League, which in turn will be a primary feeder into the newly established Premier League.
Direct promotion
“I believe everything happens for a reason and maybe five years ago wasn’t my time. I’m happy to be here and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m going to try and approach it like I do with every game. I know there is going to bea bit more pressure, especially if I make my debut, but it will be important to see it like any other game.
“Opening the batting everywhere is tough but it’s a lot more challenging in
South Africa and England. My job is to take the newness off the ball. I’ll have to try and leave as well as I can, know where my off-stump is and take it from there.”
Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo and Morné Morkel have been involved throughout the tour, while Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada had time off after the Champions Trophy.
Du Plessis stayed home as his wife Imari awaits the birth of their first child. If as seems likely, he misses the first Test starting next Thursday, Dean Elgar will captain South Africa at Lord’s.
Thebe explained that the team that ends at the top of the Premier League at the end of the season will not be required to compete in the usual playoffs which previously decided the champion of the dual stream league.
Instead, the new Premier League champion team will now be promoteddirectly to the SAB regional league.
The Super League, however, will feed replacement teams into the Premier League on a relegation and promotion basis.
Thebe added that all other structures such as the Promotion and Development Leagues will remain in place. However, as part of the new changes, all LFA match officials will in future be required to have a minimum introductory level certification to adjudicate over official LFA matches.
He said the new certification requirements will do away with the “boom” referees (tree refs) which used to be an unwelcome feature of the local football scene. The term was coined because random spectators were often “plucked from under a tree” to officiate a match.
He said this unregulated practice caused many quarrels at match venues as some teams deliberately rigged the “voluntary” referee process by planting somebody who would offer to officiate at a match.
Thebe told the DFA that another innovation by the LFA will see the introduction of an additional level to the Masters League, namely the Social League that will primarily cater for players aged 27 to 34 years of age. The Social League will then feed into the Masters League, which caters for mature and/or retired footballers.
Thebe said part of the new changes will also see the inclusion into the LFA structures of other previously neglected suburban areas which reside under the Sol Plaatje municipality such as Ritchie, Platfontein and Riverton.
Yet another innovation would be the insistence that all LFA matches henceforth be played on turfed surfaces such as that at the Galeshewe stadium, the West End club and the AR Abass Stadium.
Thebe said the LFA will soon release details about a likely sponsorship deal for its league, as “very promising talks” with potential sponsors were still in progress.
Once these talks were concluded the outcome might be the introduction of improved prize-money for winning clubs in the LFA fold.