Schaper family breeds champions

Breidyn Shawn Schaper has been awarded the opportunity to move to the UK to not only complete his matric at Scarborough College, but to also attend training at the Joe Root Academy and play club cricket for the Scarborough Cricket Club.

“It’s an awesome opportunity and I am so grateful to have received this chance. Now that my foot is in the door, the aim is to work hard and prove myself so that hopefully one day I will be offered a contract to attend the Yorkshire Academy,” the Rynfield resident said.

The 18-year-old was head-hunted by agents at Vitae Sports, founded by Darren Long, an ECB-registered agent with a degree in sports science and 20 years’ experience in the cricket and football industry.

Long’s agents in South Africa sent Breidyn’s videos and photos to him in the UK and within three days, Breidyn got the call to say they wanted him.

“Cricket is everything to me and its all I have known,” explained Breidyn.

“I am good with my academics but I am not really one to hit the books, I am a sporty person. I don’t go out partying every night or on weekends. I am always training and giving cricket my all. This is my life.”

Breidyn attended Farrarmere Primary School, where, as he explained, he played all the sports he could just to test drive them all before starting high school and deciding on one sport he wanted to excel in.

From 2009 to 2015, to name a few, he won awards and gained achievements, such as:

• In soccer at Northerns, in soccer he received the golden boot of the year for scoring 25 goals and was named player of the year.

• He was selected to represent South Africa in the u-11 Action Cricket World Cup.

• He won the Ekurhuleni Primary School Scratch League Golf Tournament.

• He captained Eastern Winter League cricket against five different countries and captained Eastern Schools Cricket.

• Received a scholarship to play soccer for Mamelodi Sundowns and received a sponsor from SuperSport for the period 2014 – 2017.

• Received cricketer of the year at Northerns, sportsman of the year at school level and received cricketer and soccer player of the year at school level.

Shawn Schaper, Breidyn’s father, said: “While growing up, Breidyn and Jayden Schafer (professional Benoni golfer, Breidyn’s cousin) would always be sporty, especially with golf.

“We all stayed in the same complex, so the boys grew up very close. When we moved to Serengeti, they would leave at 6am for the golf course, return for lunch and then go back.

Jayden’s father and I would be sitting at home and the boys would come in telling us they just played a nine hole with Ashley Simon, for example, it was incredible.”

Breidyn added: “Jayden and I used to make jokes. I’d say to him if I didn’t make it in cricket I would be his caddie. Now look at us, he has a tournament coming up in the UK and we are hoping to meet up while we are both there.”

At Jeppe Boys’ High School, Breidyn racked up tons of awards and achievements.

From 2017 to now:

• Broke the 120-year record to become the first Grade Eight learner to play first team cricket.

• He toured to Sri Lanka and India as part of the u-17 Academy team, was awarded player of the series and has been invited back to India to play in their junior IPL tournament.

• He was selected for the u-17 Gauteng Elite Winter cricket squad (HPC) as vice-captain and awarded batsman of the year.

• He was selected as captain for the u-17 Gauteng Lions team to tour Port Elizabeth in December.

• He was chosen as the first team cricket captain for Jeppe Boys.

• He plays for the premier side of Jeppe Quondam.

“I have achieved 23 hundreds at school, club or provincial level,” said Breidyn.

His cricket coach at Jeppe, Mike Bechet, is, according to Shawn, one of the most respected and prestigious coaches at school level. He has coached greats like Kevin Pieterson and David Miller.

“He approached me saying, ‘Schapes, I want your son’. It was such a thrilling moment for me that such a prestigious coach would want to coach my son. We will be heartbroken to see Breidyn relocate to the UK, but thrilled at the same time.”

While in India, Breidyn was honoured by the reception he received.

“It was absolutely unbelievable, they called me Jonty Rhodes for my catching and they invited me back for their IPL. It was a great tour. I will definitely be going back,” he said.

Breidyn looks forward to being in the UK and following his cricket dream.

“Don’t practise until you get it right, practise until you no longer get it wrong,” he said.

“Do it because you love it, have fun. Do as many sports as you can in primary school so by high school you know which one makes you happiest.

“Choose your sport and focus hard on it. Give it everything you have and then some.

“There is no ending to opportunities, so live life with no regrets and one day your dreams will become a reality, just like mine.”

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