Cricket
At Sweet Valley Primary School cricket is offered to all learners as a summer sporting code (in the first and fourth terms). We encourage all boys to make use of this opportunity.
Grade 1 and 2 boys play mini-cricket once a week and are taught the basic skills required with the emphasis being on enjoyment and full participation.
In Grade 3, boys play mini-cricket matches against other schools for the first time. Two teams compete at this level. Matches are played using a soft ball. We also start to prepare the boys for hard ball cricket and offer them the opportunity to practice in the nets once a week with a hard ball, as well as attending the scheduled mini-cricket practice.
From Grade 4 to 7 we enter the boys in the leagues arranged by the Western Province Youth Cricket Association, and this is where the boys' real cricket careers begin. This includes teams from the U10 to the U13 level. Depending on the number of boys interested in playing cricket, we enter either two or three teams per age group.
Approximately 250 boys participate in cricket at Sweet Valley. Five cricket nets are available for practices as well as one turf wicket for matches. Matches are held close to the school at Bergvliet Sports Association, in Children's Way. Our results over the past few years have reflected a win rate of approximately 60%.
An annual tour to Knysna is organised for the boys in the U11A team. Coaching is taken by members of staff as well as professional coaches. Cricket is the most popular summer sport for boys at Sweet Valley.