Gifted siblings to move to Durban for scholarships
SPORTING and academic excellence runs so strongly through the Rajakumar siblings that most of the family will move back to Durban from Richards Bay next year.
Brother and sister twins, Simrn and Sagel, 13, who are in Grade 7 at Richards Bay Primary School, will follow elder Seth to Durban, where he is on an all-round scholarship at Westville Boys High.
Simrn, winner of the SuperSport Let’s Play award for September, has received an academic scholarship to attend Westville Girls’ High from 2018, and Sagel has been awarded a sports scholarship at the boys’ high – he has national colours for hockey and cricket.
This means mother Charmaine will relocate to Durban with the children, while dad, Viresh, will remain in the North Coast town because of work commitments.
Although academics helped Simrn earn a scholarship, she is equally gifted at sports. In 2013 she represented KZN North for indoor cricket, at a provincial tournament in Centurion, and has been representing Uthungulu in cricket since 2015.
That year she also represented the KwaZulu-Natal girls’ under-13 team, and went one better in 2016 by captaining the team. It’s hardly surprising then that Simrn turns out for her school’s first cricket team as the only girl.
Simrn also represents the school’s first football team and first hockey side, as well as the netball team. Her prowess earned her provincial honours in hockey as well, said Charmaine.
“She is quite an all-rounder and enjoys most sports. She also represented her school in athletics, short- and long-distance running, and her dream is to one day play hockey and cricket for South Africa. She is confident that she could make it as a coach too,” Charmaine added.
That is hardly surprising given that Simrn’s favourite sports star is recently retired international cricketer Dinesha Devnarain, who coaches the youngster at provincial level.
Devnarain, in charge of women’s coaching at the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union, was not surprised by Simrn’s Let’s Play accolade.
“She is an extremely talented kid who always works hard and asks a lot of questions. It’s a pleasure working with her and she’s really blessed to have a wonderful support structure where her parents are always there behind her,” said Devnarain.
All going well, Simrn should be in line to earn selection for the KZN under-13 squad which will compete in a national tournament in Johannesburg in December.
When not challenging her twin Sagel at fast pace bowling or facing up to Seth’s spin deliveries, she enjoys reading, art, playing with her two pet dogs and writing short stories. – Sport Reporter