Hylton Ackerman
17 September 2009
It is with great sadness that we learned of Hylton Ackerman's passing this
week. Hylton had a great love and knowledge of the game. There probably is
no first class cricketer in South Africa that was not influenced in some way
by Hylton. I was fortunate enough to spend a year with Hylton at the
national academy and learned so much about the game from him. Although
cricket brought us together as friends it is Hylton Ackerman the person that
I will miss most of all.
Hylton Ackerman South Africa's cricketers and the Players' Association
salutes you, you will be deeply missed!
I thought that it will be good for all of us at SACA to hear different
perspectives on how we influence people through cricket. I asked a good
friend of mine Andre Coetzee to share some of his thoughts with us. Andre is
a dear friend who happens to be the guy who introduced me to flying
helicopters, but above all he is passionate about the game of cricket.
I hope you all enjoy his thoughts, I did!
Andre Coetzee:
For the love of the game
I don't believe that professional cricket players always understand what
it's like to be an avid supporter and far removed from the game, especially
when things aren't going my side's way. My two daughters simply don't
understand that daddy can be either ecstatic or depressed when the Proteas
or Diamond Eagles are playing cricket, albeit watching it on TV and not even
being at the stadium!
That said, they are only 5 & 6 years old respectively, and typically sigh:
"ag nee, pappa kyk weer rugby!" whilst the like of Kallis and Gibbs are
plying their trade on TV. Players obviously don't understand the
frustrations of having to help with origami projects, feeding the hungry and
mopping up the mess afterwards, when the focus should be on enjoying an ODI
against Aus.
Distractions in the lounge should really be minimised - women and pets must
be kept at bay, or ideally sent shopping for the seven hours of pure bliss.
Catering is essential in providing the correct ambiance and to reduce the
need of constant trips to the kitchen area. My personal favourite still
remains a barrel of Colonel Saunders' finest and at least 2 litres of ice
cold Coca-Cola. The ultimate pleasure is to share the experience with mates
- obviously under the same conditions noted above and without any
interference from disinterested parties.
The change in Test Cricket has been remarkable since the 2005 Ashes. It
really has done wonders to uplift the interest in the game and makes for
exciting and enjoyable viewing - even when England's playing Australia! I
honestly can't wait for the December tour matches every year, when even work
can't interfere with my viewing pleasure. My immediate family hates it,
especially when SA tours Down Under or the Caribbean, and awkward
screening-hours are at the order of the day.
May the enjoyment of cricket viewing continue forever! We all certainly do
it: For the love of the Game!