Grey College recently launched its Grey College Cricket Institute (GCCI) training facility with the aim of impacting the cricket community – locally, nationally and internationally.
The facility, on the School’s campus, looks to not only improve the quality of cricket at the School, but it also plans to cater for national and international cricket teams.
According to Adri Swanepoel, Grey’s cricket director, the GCCI has been a dream for the School since 2015. Phase one of the development started in 2016 and the second phase in 2018. These phases focused on the development of the pitching nets, which are located outside of the facility. The facility’s concrete was laid in 2018 and the first ball was officially bowled in September 2021.
“We want to encourage the learners to walk in the footsteps of all the cricket legends who come from our school and therefore as a token of their memory, we have a wall that is dedicated to them. It includes the likes of Hansie Cronje, Kepler Wessels, Boeta Dippenaar, Corrie van Zyl, Ryan McLaren, Nicky Bojé, Victor Mpitsang, Morné van Wyk, Rilee Rossouw and Pite van Biljon. Grey College has produced the most one day international cricketers in South Africa, more than any other school in the country. This facility will definitely help us keep that record alive,” he said.
Speaking on a video released by the School, Grey’s cricket specialist Ryan McLaren said they were not only looking to create a facility, which is aesthetically pleasing; they wanted to create something that featured a combination of components never seen before. “The GCCI consists of a variety of aspects, mainly three cricket ovals that are adjacent to the indoor centre, 21 artificial nets and 18 grass/turf nets. The facility itself consists of six lanes, and a pitch that tries to resemble what the players have outside. It also has white nets, enhanced by exceptional lighting,” he said.
Another feature of the training facility is the use of technology (Pitch Vision) in the analysis of a game. Players can have their actions recorded for tracking their progress and it can ultimately be used as a correcting tool that promotes excellence.
For more on this, visits Grey College’s social media platforms.
Justine Fortuin
