So much so that this year has seen a combined initiative from the Tuks Cricket Academy, Cricket South Africa and Northerns Cricket Union through its bursary program to bursar 5 of the most promising young cricketers from the areas to attend the TuksSport Combined School and be part of a school and academy curriculum that is focussed on developing both cricket and life skills for the future. These young cricketers have represented the province at age group level and hail from Shoshanguve, Atteridgeville and Mamelodi. They have become an integral part of a school program that has been structured specifically to allow for young sportspeople to have enough time to dedicate to their training and still develop academically. The sports specific program sees attention paid to all aspects of development, mental, physical, technical and tactical through the use of the professional services provided by the high performance centre and the world class facilities of the University of Pretoria. The school is based at the Universities Groenkloof Campus and follows the GED curriculum from grade 8 – 12. The school enjoyed a 100% pass rate for its matric students last year and is testimony to the high level of education which the learners are exposed to.

While future success can never be guaranteed, all at the Tuks Cricket Academy are excited about what the future might hold for these young avid cricketers. Through their exposure to a passionate staff and world class environment that focuses on the holistic development of these future stars and combined with their unquestionable enthusiasm the future seems bright. With the recent success of the Proteas in Australia and the contributions made by the younger members of the team we look forward to being part of creating the next JP Duminy, Makhaya Ntini or AB De Villiers.