Raymond launches cricket academy in eMalahleni for kids
Raymond encouraged children to lean more into sports to avoid being affected by substance abuse.
Raymond Ramahlo is an Accredited Cricket South Africa Level 3 coach who is currently looking for cricketers to join and be a part of his academy.
The RR School of Cricket Academy is inclusive of all genders, ages, and races.
Raymond has been playing cricket for over 20 years and started coaching in 2008.
“In 2015 I moved to Embalenhle under the Mpumalanga Cricket Union where I worked as a head coach at Embalenhle RPC which is under Cricket South Africa,” Raymond explained.
The resident coach was born and bred in Daveyton on the East Rand and says that growing up in the township where a lot of his role models and peers were heavily affected by substance abuse encouraged him to lean more into the sport.
“Although I did not play professionally, it was a privilege to play and be a part of a team at such a tender age. When I look back now playing cricket protected me from all the bad stuff that was happening in my township,” he expressed.
Raymond said when he moved to eMalahleni, he immediately saw the need to contribute to society the only way he knew how, “That is when I launched the academy. I did it because I want to protect and uplift through my professional skill the younger generation who grew up in a similar environment as mine.”
The coach also outlined that he perceives cricket as a safety net for every child.
The RR School of Cricket Academy is currently in collaboration with TUT Emalahleni and Witbank High School.
Raymond said he has experienced great feedback from the school and university.
“When I started the academy, I had three players who were children of my associates, now I have 11 players and hope to grow and do more.”
Another challenge Raymond said he has encountered is the lack of facilities available for him and his team to utilize.
RR School of Cricket is also in partnership with Math with Joy; this is where sports meet education.
The partnership aims to make sports and education fashionable to help learners boost their physical and mental attributes.
Math with Joy is a tutoring company that offers tutoring services to high and primary school learners.
“We strive to help learners to excel at school as well as to help them improve some critical skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving. These skills are essential to help learners improve their marks for maths, science and even English,” said Raymond.
On Saturday, April 15 Raymond and his team embarked on their first tournament in Secunda at the Sasol Sports Weekend.
He collaborated with his TUT players as well as Witbank High School and played against Embalenhle and Kinross.
The RR School of Cricket Academy players were awarded a bronze medal.
“I am extremely proud of my team, they showed resilience and were very keen to play with full determination and they put in the work,” the coach said.
Raymond hopes to make big changes to the local cricketing industry as a professional coach and hopes to work with more schools in eMalahleni.
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