40 not out for cricket club
Gelvandale celebrates major milestone
THE Gelvandale Cricket Club will be celebrating 40 years of history and excellence through the months of November and December as members look back on four decades of its existence.
Started with teachers organising children to participate in sport during the township riots in 1976 and 1977, the club has grown over the years and continue to be a shining example to the cricket fraternity in Port Elizabeth.
The club is in partnership with four primary schools and three high schools from the community, assisting the pupils to develop their cricket.
A total of 40 children participate in the junior academy that takes place on the club’s field every Friday.
The club has been identified as a hub for cricket development and is headed by coach Robin du Plessis, who manages the junior sides of the club.
“What we are trying to do is give children an opportunity to sharpen their cricketing abilities, with o a key focus on education,” Gelvandale president Gary Dolley said.
“We are very proud of the facility that we have here because it also helps breed greatness in society.
“The notion that there need to be top-class sporting facilities for children to progress in sport is a fallacy.
“The club has been able to reach major milestones with very limited resources and all it needs is a proper mindset.”
The teams have produced a number of fine achievements throughout the years, with the current season being the pinnacle of the club’s progress.
Both the premier side and the promotion team are among the top teams in their leagues and the women’s team are head of the log.
Gelvandale has produced a number of talented cricketers in the likes of former South African head coach Russell Domingo and ex-Proteas batsman Ashwell Prince, to mention just two.
“The future looks bright for the club because we have been able to produce really good players under very difficult conditions and that should show everyone that anything is possible,” Dolley said.
“The club stands as testament that it is not just about resources to be as good at something that you want.”
The celebrations started off at the weekend with a church service to which all members of the community were invited.
They then went on to play a junior cricket challenge that featured four schools and was won by the Gelvandale Academy.
The celebrations will draw to a close with a golf day on December 23 at the Port Elizabeth Golf Club, followed by a youth inter-hub day of cricket that will feature all the hubs in the Nelson Mandela Bay region.
We are very proud of the facility that we have here because it also helps breed greatness in society