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27 August 2008
London
The Standard Bank ODI cricket squad today staged a unique warm up session ahead of their games at The Oval and Lord's.
Hosted by the team's sponsors Standard Bank at the HAC cricket ground in the heart of the City of London, the South African squad welcomed 50 schoolchildren to take part in a series of cricket drills typical of a training session. These covered the key range of skills including batting, bowling, catching and fielding.
Graeme Smith, South Africa's ODI Captain said: "It is always a pleasure to pass on the cricket skills that I and the rest of the team have acquired throughout our careers onto enthusiastic budding young cricketers. Today has also been the perfect warm up to the two crucial London ODIs against a strong England team.
Who knows, one of these young England players may come up against the Proteas in years to come!"
Standard Bank is a longstanding sponsor of the South African ODI team. Through the sponsorship, Standard Bank has also made a significant investment in supporting cricket development, at all levels of the game, from a national Under-13 cricket week, to schools to High Performance and Academy programmes in South Africa.
Cricket South Africa and Standard Bank regularly host coaching clinics with the ODI team, at venues around South Africa prior to international fixtures. In the build up to the ICC World Twenty20, for example, the ODI team hosted clinics for young cricketers on the beachfronts of Cape Town and Durban, as well as Alexandra township in Johannesburg.
However, with Standard Bank's growing international presence in developing markets, their support for cricket development is not limited to South Africa. As part of Standard Bank's vision to make a difference in the communities in which it operates, their cricket sponsorship makes for an ideal platform to assist in the development of the game in other parts of the world.
"Although we primarily support Cricket South Africa at provincial, national and international levels, we'd also like to lend our support and assistance for the benefit of a wider cricket community at a grassroots level. By arranging this coaching clinic in London, the ODI squad has managed to pass on just a few hints and tips to the next generation of cricketers and allowing everyone to put something back into the sport," said Clement Motale, Director Group Sponsorships Standard Bank.
The schoolchildren who took part in the coaching session came from local London cricket clubs and academies affiliated with Surrey County Cricket Club's Cricket Development Team, who currently work with 41 strategically identified cricket clubs committed to long-term junior development.
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Note to editors:
Standard Bank
Standard Bank is a South African-based financial services group with a global presence focused on emerging and developing markets.
Standard Bank operates from 18 countries in Africa* and from 20 countries on other continents, including the key financial centres of Europe, the United States and Asia.
*In some African countries, Standard Bank trades as Stanbic Bank.
Standard Bank's cricket sponsorship
Standard Bank has been a sponsor of limited-overs cricket in South Africa since 1997 and is the official sponsor of:
- The International limited overs team (ODI and International Pro20),
Standard Bank partners Cricket South Africa in thee key cricket development properties:
- Standard Bank High Performance Cricket - encompassing the National Cricket Academy and the High Performance Programme
Standard Bank was a regional partner to the ICC Cricket World Cup held in the West Indies in 2007, as well as the ICC World Twenty20, held in South Africa in September 2007.
Surrey County Cricket Club's Cricket Development Team
The role of Surrey County Cricket Club's Cricket Development Team is to promote and develop the game of cricket in Surrey Cricket's five districts of East, West, Central, Inner London and Outer London.
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Media Enquiries
Standard Bank
Kate Johns
+27 11 631 2406
+27 82 805 0210
Cricket South Africa
Michael Owen-Smith
07902395869 (UK)
+27 83 412 4514 (SA)
Revolution PR (on behalf of Standard Bank):
Rod Kohler
01903 883717
07770 647662
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