JP Duminy’s foundation goes to bat for less-privileged Western Cape cricketers

The JP21 Foundation and CSA are custodians of the U11 and U13 boys and girls’ HUB team, a group of 40 players.Photo: JP21 Foundation

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

20 Oct 2024

South Africa is still struggling to develop black batters, but the coach’s foundation aims to change that.

Before South Africa’s most recent World Cup quest at the T20 in the West Indies and the US earlier this year, in which they made the final, there were understandable mutterings of dissatisfaction with the racial make-up of the team.

In the racial categorisation used by Cricket South Africa (CSA), Kagiso Rabada was the only black African in the 15-player squad, while the only black batter (again, the term used by CSA) was Reeza Hendricks.

There were four other black players in the squad: Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and Ottniel Baartman, all of whom are bowlers.

Although this is only one squad, there has been a continuing issue in the national team, with a massive dearth of black batting talent rising to wield the willow in the green and gold of the Proteas.

The primary cause of the disparity between bat and ball is how the two skills are learnt. Bowling, particularly fast bowling, requires raw skills that can’t be taught, such as a natural athletic ability and the power to hurl the ball a long way.

Refining those skills can take place at a much later stage of development compared with batting.

Batting requires elite-level coaching from an early age. It also requires facilities and equipment, which can be very expensive.

Former Proteas batter and current national team batting coach JP Duminy, with the help of his JP21 Foundation, is looking to bridge that gap in his Western Cape community by providing a platform for young cricketers to improve their games.

JP Duminy, South Africa’s batting coach, during a training session in Durban. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

“It seems like [facilities are] certainly a challenge currently in our system,” Duminy told Daily Maverick. “It’s not so much the performance element, it’s more an opportunity being provided.

“Affluent schools will identify players of colour and potentially can offer bursaries, but what we need and want is for those facilities and those opportunities to be provided within the communities so that you can have the infrastructure [and] coaching capacity, and you can nurture the talent from within where they come from to be able to compete with the affluent schools. That seems to be the gap at the moment.

“That’s partly the reason why we have a shortage of players coming through that are able to really shoot lights out in this high-performance space.”

Bridging the gap

Duminy is from Strandfontein – which battles with societal problems of gangsterism and drug abuse – on the Cape Flats of the Western Cape. His foundation oversees cricket in primary schools in his area of birth as well as Mitchells Plain, which is adjacent.

When the JP21 Foundation was founded in 2015, four of the 54 primary schools in the area played cricket as a sport. Less than a decade later, 32 schools play the game.

“Infrastructure is always going to be a challenge,” Duminy said. “We’ve built cricket pitches at eight schools… built a cricket pitch with a grass field and a cricket net facility so that’s the hub we operate from.

“For the most part the ground of the outfield is sand so it’s quite challenging.

“But the reality is, as long as you have a bat and a ball and a pitch, kids are motivated, kids are encouraged.”

Since the inception of the foundation a batter has already risen to South Africa’s professional cricket ranks.

The JP21 Foundation and CSA are custodians of the U11 and U13 boys and girls’ HUB team, a group of 40 players. (Photo: JP21 Foundation)

North West Dragons’ wicketkeeper/batter Meeka-eel Prince was one of the first members of the foundation. In August and September this year, the 21-year-old represented South Africa “A” in three List A matches against Sri Lanka “A”. Prince made scores of 24, 44 and 31 while taking three catches and one stumping.

“He’s probably the standout prodigy that has come out of our foundation,” Duminy said about Prince.

The foundation instils love of the sport into youngsters and nurtures their talents before providing them with bursaries to elite cricketing schools that have the facilities to foster their progress.

Prince, for example, grew up in Tafelsig in Mitchells Plain but received a bursary through the foundation to attend South African College High School (Sacs).

“We don’t operate in high schools. However, we have a high school bursary programme,” Duminy said. “[Prince] is someone that has gone all the way and is doing exceptionally well.

“Hopefully we get to experience more of those beautiful stories.”

The U11 and U13 boys and girls’ HUB team. (Photo: JP21 Foundation)

Changing the game

Duminy, however, is hopeful of young cricketers completing their development in communities such as Strandfontein and Mitchells Plain and competing against Sacs and other elite schools, instead of those being the only places for them to achieve the peak of their potential.

“Part of our role as a national team is to identify how we create more opportunities, and that’s obviously in association with the government, with Cricket South Africa, with the provincial set-up from a junior perspective,” Duminy said.

“The talent is out there, but we need to couple it with creating opportunities for good coaching so that we can nurture the talent within the community itself.

“But that comes with resources and if there’s a continued lack of resources, you’ll always find those challenges.”

Duminy was given a similar opportunity in his youth and his talent was nurtured away from Strandfontein. Western Province Cricket covered his school fees at Plumstead High School – the alma mater of Proteas Rory Kleinveldt and Paul Adams. The school was a hotbed of cricket talent in the Western Cape.

His cricket career took off from there. He signed a professional contract with Western Province when he was 18 and went on to represent South Africa in 326 matches.

Duminy’s goal now is to ensure that his celebrated cricketing story is not the last to come out of his hometown and that those who follow him will have an easier path to walk. DM

The JP21 Foundation will be hosting a 10-year anniversary gala dinner on 2 November. For more information contact Jamaine Cloete on 072 606 5014.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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Bridging the gap

Changing the game