Warriors interim head coach up for national award
Warriors interim head coach Robin Peterson said his nomination for the Pitchvision coach of the season in the CSA 2019/2020 Men’s International Awards was a testament to the hard work put in by his players to learn his way of playing the game.
Peterson is one of three sons of Eastern Cape cricket to be in line for the award, with Proteas head coach Mark Boucher and New Brighton-born Imperial Lions head coach Wandile Gwavu the other contenders.
Having stepped into the limelight at the Warriors less than a year ago, after the departure of Rivash Gobind, the side has performed admirably in both red and white ball cricket under his guidance.
Peterson said the nomination was as much a tribute to the team as it was for anything he had personally achieved.
“It was completely unexpected. I think that when one gets nominated for these things, a lot of [credit] needs to go to the players.
“As a coach, you can encourage them to play in a certain fashion, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the players,” Peterson, who has a combined tally of more than 100 ODI, Test and T20 SA appearances, said.
The Warriors assignment was Peterson’s first role as a head coach, having previously worked as an assistant coach in the Caribbean Premier League with Barbados Tridents and St Kitts and Nevis.
The former Alexander Road High School pupil also brought with him an intimate knowledge of certain players within the Warriors, having worked with Matthew Breetzke, Jade de Klerk, Sinethemba Qeshile and the now departed Lutho Sipamla during his time as a consultant to the SA under-19 side.
He was also assistant to Nelson Mandela Bay Giants coach Eric Simons in the Mzansi Super League T20 last year.
“I didn’t think it would be the [Warriors] with whom I would start my coaching career.
“It could have been anyone, but for me it felt like a good fit, having started my cricketing journey in PE and now my coaching career as well,” the left-arm spinner said.
Peterson felt blessed with how his coaching journey had taken him all over the world, and said those experiences had certainly grown his coaching acumen and his approach to the game.
“Coming into the team, I tried to understand the players.
“Perhaps try to get them to set their goals a little bit higher.
“I didn’t arrive there with any preconceived ideas.
“I just observed and maybe just tried to add a little something to each individual player,” he said.
With a talented array of youngsters, Peterson wanted to show that any player was capable of winning games for the team, not only a select few.
“For me, it was about finding the right time and opportunity for these guys to establish themselves in SA cricket and it’s great for me to see these guys come through,” he said.