New CEO to reinvigorate cricket

On the grass embankment overlooking the main grandstand at Willowmoore Park was where Wesley Coulentianos and his friends enjoyed watching Easterns in action as youngsters.

For years, Coulentianos returned to the same spot to watch his heroes take Easterns cricket into the stratosphere, all while aspiring to one day represent the union.

On January 17, 2013, three days after his 19th birthday, Coulentianos made his professional first-class debut for the union against Border on the same field that shaped his love for the game.

For 10 years, the left-hander called Willowmoore Park his home and enjoyed some memorable moments with the union, even captaining the men’s team to glory.

“I’m blessed with a few brilliant matches. We won the ACA T20 Cup here, and I captained the side that won the CSA three-day competition. It was massive. My first professional century on this field was special. The thing I will miss the most is playing and singing with the lads after winning matches,” he said.

He played 84 first-class matches, scoring 4 825 runs, with 11 centuries and 26 50s. He also played 38 List A and 10 T20 matches, He played his last game for Easterns in March.

From witnessing the magical moments as a fan to being part of the team and going through the tough times with the Eastern Cricket Union (ECU), the Boksburg resident is now faced with the mammoth task of “awakening the sleeping giant” after he was appointed CEO on June 1.

This “giant” was overwhelmed by administrative mayhem, with bitter in-fighting in the boardroom curtailing development and resulting in the union being unable to attract any lucrative sponsorship for years while Eastern Storm languished in the second tier of professional cricket.

The 29-year-old former CBC Old Boys opener has already dived deep, looking at innovative ways to bring the love of cricket back into the region. But his foremost goal is a naming and title sponsor for the union.

“We haven’t had a naming, title or any sponsor of note in years. We went full steam ahead looking for sponsorship. Hopefully, in the coming months, there will be some good news.”

Bums in seats

Coulentianos may have found his love for the union on the grass area of the main field, but what lies beyond inspires little confidence.

Ekurhuleni’s cricket mecca, Willlowmoore Park, is surrounded by a city in decay, while the outside perimeter of the venue is shocking.

“With CSA a bit cash-strapped, we must find ways to bring in income. Once we get a stadium and naming rights sorted, a large portion of that will go into fixing the stadium. We need to make this a nice facility for our fans to come and enjoy cricket,” he said.

As an aspiring cricketer, he said families would enjoy a nice outing at Willowmoore Park, with the venue often filled with spectators.

“My big hope is to try and bring the love for cricket back to the Ekurhuleni community. We’ve always had a big thirst for cricket that might have died over the years.

“We need to find innovative ways to bring the crowds back on the embankments to start inspiring the next generation of cricketers,” he said.

New direction

The injection of young, homegrown players brought excitement and life to the Eastern Storm, but the team fell short of clinching the CSA division two title last season.

“With no CEO for three years, the board did a good job consolidating our finances and policies. Last season, we came so close to winning the four-day cup with a completely homegrown side. The potential of what our policies can do was amazing to see.”

Coulentianos said the return of players like Wesley Marshall and Shaylen Pillay was the booster the ECU needed to gain promotion to division one.

But it was the new coaching staff, former Easterns players Geoffrey Toyana and his assistant Ephraim Nyawo, that gave the CEO hope of better things to come.

“The board has done a good job identifying passionate local guys with the skill sets to do the job. We need to give our coach time to impart his culture. It’s exciting where the union is headed.”

Traditional vs emerging clubs

The University of Pretoria alumni admitted the distance in aligning ideas between the traditional and emerging clubs was a huge sticking point.

“With the restructuring of CSA, club cricket has become even more important in terms of the feeder system into professional cricket.

“I’m hoping with my appointment as CEO, they can see what the Easterns board would like is what would be best for cricket. I hope to be a vessel in merging the ideologies of all the clubs. We are all part of one union with the same goals. We need to pull in the same direction,” he said.

On the development of women’s cricket, he said the buffer in funds allocation between division one and two teams was a problem, and the union had lost several female cricketers because of it.

However, Coulentianos was happy with the new direction the union was taking and hoped the prospect of new sponsors would inspire the players to stay.

The CEO said he was excited about his new role and urged the community to rally behind them because many exciting things will come.

“I want to awaken the ‘sleeping giant’,” he said.

“It’s the start of something special. Please, come and support us. In return, we’ll show our love for you. We are going to play a fast-paced and exciting brand of cricket. Our game is nothing without your support.”

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