A hunger for success motivates Geoff Toyana
Toyana was the guest speaker at the Limpopo Impala Cricket Awards on Friday, 21 February and Review had the opportunity to speak to him.
POLOKWANE – Growing up in Soweto in the 70’s proved to be challenging for many sport enthusiasts, as they did not have all the opportunities as other athletes.
Geoff Toyana, Highveld Lions coach, proved that with hard work and determination, it does not matter where you start, it is about where you are heading.
The guest speaker for the evening is the @HighveldLions Coach: Geoff Toyana #LICAwards17 pic.twitter.com/20rgJnlfag
— Polokwane Review (@PolokwaneReview) April 21, 2017
Toyana encourages young cricket players to not only focus on cricket but their education as well #LICAwards17 @Impala_Cric
— Polokwane Review (@PolokwaneReview) April 21, 2017
He is well known for being South Africa’s first black African franchise coach and Review spoke to him about his career.
The hunger to keep improving is what motivates Geoff.
When did you play your first ever cricket match?
“I was 12 years old. I remember it very well. We played against St. Johns. It was a very strong school at the time. We were bowled out for 12 wickets in the first innings and in the second inning we were bowled out for 11 wickets. I got two runs in the first innings and four runs in the second innings.
When was your first big match?
I made my first class debut for the South African Invitation team. Hansie Cronjé was the captain of the side. It was a first class game. It was the first ever first-class cricket match played in Soweto against England. Hansie Cronjé and Jonty Rhodes played.
What age were you when you captained your first side?
I was captain of the Soweto Premier League team at the age of 16. I was the youngest captain of a team in Soweto. It was a special day for me. I went on to captain Soweto Cricket club for 10 years.
What game will you never forget?
My first year as a coach for the Highveld Lions. The franchise has not won a trophy in seven years. It was the final of the ram slam T20 competition, we played against Titans. I think there were about 15 000 people. About 100 tickets were given to the older people of the Soweto Cricket club. To have them there was something special. We won against the Titans, and I won my first trophy as a coach.
What has been the hardest game for you?
As a player, I played for Gauteng against Free State. Alan Donald was bowling and broke my finger. I still have evidence to prove that. In the first innings, I got naught and in the second innings I got naught. I was bowled both times by Donald.
What has been your best game?
The final of the Super Sport series. I was playing for Easterns and we played against Western Province. In those days, Western Province had a very strong team, and we beat them. Our team were a mixed team of rejects from other teams and we beat Western Province.
Is there something you did in your cricket career that you would have done differently?
When I was still young and playing cricket, I did not understand the professional cricket arena. I learnt about my game when I was 28 or 29 and if I understood my game earlier, like when I was 18 or 19, I could have played for South Africa. I believe that I did have the talent.
How did you motivate the team to do better following the match fixing scandal?
That was a tough period in my life and as coach, not being able to sense or see anything was hard to digest. Our biggest thing was the sponsors, all our big sponsors were trying to pull out at the time, as they did not want to be associated with us. It was tough. I and the captain, Steven Cook, sat the boys down to assure them that it is key that we do not drop our heads and that people are watching us.
How do you feel about Limpopo Playing in the Africa Cup next year?
Very excited, I think it is a big thing that Cricket South Africa is doing, taking the game to the people and spreading the game. Cricket South Africa is acknowledging the hard work that the smaller unions are doing and there is big talent in Limpopo. I hope Cricket South Africa can continue with this initiative.
You have been the first black coach for a franchise coach. What were your challenges:
Challenges for me were more as a player because you get in a change room with good players, like Daryll Cullinan, Adam Bacher and Clive Eksteen, and you do not know if you are there because you are good enough or because of the colour of your skin. It was challenging and it was something that might have slowed progress in my career because I was always unsure whether I was in the team because of the colour of my skin.
As a coach as well, I had to sit down and tell myself that even if I fail I do not want to fail because of the colour of my skin. I blocked all that out and concentrated on my job.
