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.