Citizen of the Year: Ross Mccreath’s field of dreams
His cricket club for disadvantaged youths has unlocked immense talent
THE 18-year-old Tiger Titans Cricket Club founder, who once received a standing ovation from Britain’s Prince Philip at Lord’s Cricket Ground, is a contender for The Herald GM Citizen of the Year title.
In 2007, at the age of 14, Ross McCreath started a cricket club for the youth of Nolukhanyo township in Bathurst after discovering that his domestic worker brought her daughter to work during the holidays because she was scared she could get raped if she was left home alone.
“Her daughter was the same age as my sister [12]. I just could not imagine something so terrible happening to my sister, Brittany. That was the spark. After that, I asked my parents what they thought of my idea of playing sport to keep the boys busy.”
His mother, Anne “Mama Tiger” Mc- Creath, is now seen as the mother of the club because she is so involved.
Anne is a proud mother when she describes her son’s accomplishments through his devotion to uplifting disadvantaged youth through cricket.
“It is actually quite unreal,” she said.
“Initially it seemed like a holiday thing, but when he went back to school at St Andrews College he challenged the school to have them over for a match.”
Ross was motivated to get his school involved because of the potential he saw in the players.
“The boys who I coached for one month were better at the end of that month than I was after seven years of playing the game,” he said.
“It was never intended to be longer than the holidays, but once you see the positive effect you can have on so many people, then there is no reason in the world to make you want to stop.”
Ross has been to Lord’s Cricket Ground in England twice, once in 2010 to talk about the cricket club he started, and the second time earlier this year to accompany Masixole “Hassan” Mkrakra, a player at the club.
The Tiger Titans have impressed many with their talent, despite lack of funding and resources. Two of the players have EP colours. “I would like to challenge SA Cricket to make a move and assist the club, which has been going for five years without any government or sports organisation funding, to unlock this potential,” Ross said.
The Tiger Titans Cricket Club won the Murray and Roberts Jack Cheetham Memorial Award in 2010, receiving prize-money of R500 000, payable over five years.
The club also fields junior and senior teams at school level in the Grahamstown League and has participated in the Knysna Cricket Festival for the past three years.
Ross was inspired to make a difference in other people’s lives from a young age, through his involvement with the President’s Award for Youth Empowerment.
His nominator Sheila Jones, a close family friend, described Ross as a people’s person.
“You can be with him for just two minutes and he will have you laughing,” Jones said.
Tiger Titans Cricket Club coach Mduduzi Mkalipi described Ross as someone who had been a good friend for six years, since they started working together.
“He is always willing to help and goes out of his way to make the community of Bathurst recognised,” Mkalipi said.