Balinese youth step up to bat for cricket

Balinese youth step up to bat for cricket

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Soni Hawoe never dreamed of becoming a sports coach, let alone
one in cricket, whose terminology and rules were alien to him.

He was once a successful production manager at a leading
bakery in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, but it went bankrupt in the
economic crisis of the late 1990s.

The jobless Soni met two Australian friends, Rosie When from
Canberra and Dr. Bruce Christie, a veterinarian from Sydney, who
were visiting lecturers at the Christian University in Kupang.

"I was introduced to the sport through my good friend Bruce,
who patiently taught me all about cricket," remembered Soni, 36,
who played soccer when he was young.

For most Indonesians, unlike neighbors in the region who were
colonized by the British, cricket's world of wickets and bats is
a head-scratcher.

On the island of Bali, the most popular sports "imported" from
Australia are surfing and other water sports like diving and
snorkeling.

"At first, I set up a small cricket club, NTT Cricket Club, in
my hometown in Kupang, but Bruce found so much talent in the club
and challenged us to visit Bali and to play against the already
established Bali International Cricket Club (founded in 1995),"
Soni recalled.

With the assistance of the Australian community in Bali, Soni
and his club were able to fly to Bali to play the local club.

The Bali Cricket Club, led by noted Australian businessman in
Bali, Terry Frimstone, of course won the game, but for Soni and
his friends, Melven, Jerry and Bernard, it was a life changing
experience.

"This game totally changed my life, my future," said Soni, who
was invited to join the Bali Cricket Club. In 1998, Soni and his
friends moved to Bali and became members of the Bali club.

In 2000, with full support of the Australian cricket
community, the Bali Cricket Foundation was established to promote
the sport among local youth.

The foundation sent Soni and Agus Anom Abdi from Klungkung,
East Bali, on a three-month training course at Camdem Ram Cricket
Club in Sydney.

"We were the first Indonesians who were trained at the
prestigious cricket school, Don Bradman Camp, run by the
Australian cricket legend," he said.

"I met Australian Prime Minister John Howard. He said he was
proud that Balinese youth had started to play cricket. He
promised that he would provide assistance for the development of
cricket in Bali and Indonesia in general."

In April 2000, the Indonesian Cricket Foundation (IFC) was
established. With a full recommendation from Australia, ICF was
accepted as a newcomer country member of the International
Cricket Council (ICC).

The support from the Australian community living in Bali and
Jakarta has been extensive. The ICC appointed Western Australia
Cricket Association as the assisting association.

Australia was also appointed as the country responsible to
help develop cricket in East Asia Pacific countries with funding
between US$400 million and $550 million.

In Bali, support also came from Australian businesspeople and
the public.

Graeme Flesfadar is just one of the many examples. Visiting
Bali almost every year, Flesfadar, owner of Darwin Cricket Shop,
generously provided expensive cricket equipment to a number of
junior and high school students.

Their encouragement paid off when, during the ICC East Asia
Pacific Tournament in Japan in 2004, Indonesia became an
affiliate member.

To become an associate member, Indonesia has to compete in the
pre-qualification tournament of the East Asia Pacific leg in
Vanuatu in September for the 2011 World Cricket Championship.

Indonesia currently has a strong U-15 team consisting of 14
members, 12 of them Balinese.

"I was so proud they ranked fourth during the East Asia
Pacific Tournament in Melbourne last March. They beat favorite
teams from Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga," Soni said.

Most of the team members are Balinese junior and high school
students. "They are all talented and our great assets in the
future in the field of cricket," he added.

Allan John Wilson, president of Bali International Cricket
Club, agreed about the prospects for growth although there is
work to be done.

"These young promising athletes generally have similar
shortcomings, i.e. lack of patience. They tend to be in a hurry.
Cricket is a sport in which one can hone one's patience,
persistence, self-discipline, honesty, responsibility and
leadership, these universal values most young people in the world
would need to enter adulthood," Wilson said.

Most importantly, Wilson added, sport has strengthened the
already strong and established relationship between the
Australian community and their Balinese friends.