Bowled over by Stephan Le Roux’s success
The local cricketer tells us just why this sport will always be his favourite.
As a five-year-old boy, Stephan Le Roux could always be found in the backyard of his home, playing cricket with his father.
In the years that would follow his appreciation for the sport would grow as he did. A moment that clinched his love for the sport was when he watched Jonty Rhodes play a world cup match. He watched in awe at how the cricket player would field and dive, “As a young boy I also just wanted to be able to dive and catch a ball like him.”
Le Roux, who is a leg spinner and middle-order batsman, has been playing Last Man Stands (LMS) for the Rebels who are ranked in the top 3 in the world. He also played in the premier league two seasons ago for the Marks Park Sports Club cricket team and he also spends his time playing action cricket for the North West Gauteng team. Next year he will also form part of a national team within his age category that will compete in the world cup.
As a young boy, he was always smaller than the others and it was quite honestly intimidating for him. However, his parents always taught him to fight, work hard and do his best. This helped show him that it wasn’t stature that mattered but how he used his skill, talent and grit. It’s a sentiment he carries beyond the cricket pitch throughout his life. One of Le Roux’s highlights has to be 14 years ago when he was named as part of the 2009 World Indoor Cricket Team and he received his national blazer, sharing this moment with his parents was extremely special for him.
He has faced his fair share of challenges, one of those being a shoulder operation he needed at end the of 2010. All before having to prepare for the 2011 world cup, “Mentally it was the hardest thing to do because to fight so hard for something you want and not knowing if you will still be able to be ready for such a big event and dream. I had six months of rehab but with a great coach and mentor, Shawn Shaper, and my parents backing and believing in me, we got over that massive hurdle and I was able to live a dream and play in a world cup final.”
Le Roux’s biggest goal now is to come back from India next year with gold.
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