UCT Ikeys head coach Ryan Maron will not accompany his side at the Inaugural Varsity Cricket tournament in Potchefstroom from 3-8 February as he will be at the World Cup in Australasia with the Afghanistan National Team.
Maron, who has been in charge of the students for the previous four years, was approached in November 2014 to assist in training the men from the Middle East by former UWC coach and current Afghanistan head coach Andy Mols without the expectation of going to the World Cup.
“The head coach of Afghanistan, Andy Mols, who is a former coach of UWC, has been monitoring my coaching and skill over the last year or so and he sent me an email in November to ask me to come to Dubai for training with no talk about going to the World Cup.
“However, after two sessions of coaching the side and helping them improve their fielding, they have asked me accompany the team at the World Cup as the fielding coach.
“It’s been excellent. I spent a few weeks in November with the squad in Dubai at the ICC Global Academy and we played in a four match series against UAE. I then returned to South Africa for the USSA Cricket Week before going back again in early January, to play in a tri-series against Scotland and Ireland.
“We are busy with final testing in Kabul but I won’t be there. I will join up with the squad in Dubai on January 30, then we will head to Adelaide to play against India and the UAE as final preparation before the start of the World Cup,” he told varsitysportssa.com.
Heading to the biggest cricketing showpiece in the World will see Maron miss out on Varsity Cricket, however, he feels the experience he will gain in Australia and New Zealand will help him improve as a coach.
“Unfortunately I won’t be attending Varsity Cricket but I was looking forward to the week in Potch. However, being given the opportunity to attend and experience the Cricket World Cup is something that will hold me in good stead in my future as a coach,” he added.
Maron will link up with the Afghanistan side at the end of January but, until then, has decided to continue his work with the Cape Town-based students as he wants them to be as best prepared for the tournament as possible. In order to make sure the transition into the tournament is a smooth one, he has appointed Haydon Higgs as the man who will take charge of the team at the tournament.
Higgs has helped out at UCT before and is also part of Maron’s coaching staff at the Cricket School of Excellence and is a very passionate CSA Level Two coach.
“One of my head coaches at the Cricket School of Excellence, who also assists me at UCT when I do need help, Haydon Higgs, will be taking over from me for the tournament. At the end of the day, he can only prepare them [the team] as far as they want to but as soon as they walk across the rope, it’s up to them.
“He will be there to support, guide and train them, but ultimately, it’s up to the players as to how much they are willing to put in to achieve what they want at the end of that week.
“I want to try and prepare them as best I can for the tournament. I’m not going to leave them in the lurch, I want to be involved as much as possible. This is my fourth year with UCT and I have given my heart and soul. I’m very passionate about this institution, and the growth of the game here, and I really hope they can perform well in order to do themselves and the university proud,” he stated.
Maron went on to express his thoughts about the addition of cricket to the Varsity Sports brand and feels it will be great exposure for aspiring cricketers.
“It’s an excellent initiative and was the natural choice in expanding the Varsity Sports brand. It’s the kind of exposure the students need and, who knows, some of them might get franchise contracts and even go on to play for South Africa.
“The new rules are very innovative and the concepts are excellent. You never know, these rules could be adopted at higher levels after it’s given a proper pilot run.
“I will be following online and I wish all the teams the very best of luck,” he said.
