Adams on a mission to spin dreams into reality

You know you’re in good hands when former Proteas spin bowler Paul Adams and former Springbok live wire, Juan de Jongh, keep watch over your ball-handling skills.

The two celebrated sportsmen were among the coaches putting youngsters through their paces at the launch of Adams’ sports development programme at the Lavender Hill Shared Facility over the weekend.

Back in familiar territory, not too far from his old stomping ground in neighbouring Grassy Park, where he played for Blue Bells Cricket Club during his early years and later at St Augustine Cricket Club in Elfindale, the former South African cricketer — known for his unorthodox bowling action — invited pupils from surrounding schools to attend Saturday’s sports day.

Among those taking part in the sporting and coaching festivities were boys and girls from Grassy Park’s EC Primary — the school Adams attended — as well as Hillside, Levana, and Prince George Drive primary schools.The day’s activities included coaching in four sporting codes — cricket, rugby, soccer, and hockey — ending with a mass mini-cricket festival to celebrate the Foundation’s roots in cricket.

Nicknamed Gogga, Adams spearheaded the Proteas’ bowling attack as a left-arm spinner in the mid-90s to early 2000s, taking 159 Test wickets and 132 ODI wickets. Following his retirement in 2008, Adams took on various coaching roles, including a successful stint as Cape Cobras head coach from 2012 to 2018. Now he’s come full circle, back to where he started — this time allowing youngsters to chase their own sporting dreams, just like he once did.

“We’re here to spin dreams into reality,” said Adams, who has established a foundation to help drive his vision of sports development.

Ready to tackle his latest venture with the same dogged determination his attacking prowess once brought against top-order batsmen, Adams understands that this is not a one-man job — unlike his bowling, which at one point saw him almost single-handedly destroy the opposition.

Much like his time with the national and other sides, this is also a team effort, with Adams quick to call on family, like-minded friends, volunteers, and representatives from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) to help get the project off the ground.

“It’s been 30 years since my first-class debut and my South African debut. So it’s a great occasion, and I’ve started this foundation to give back to our underserved communities," said Adams, who was 18 when he made his first appearance for the national team on December 26, 1995.

"For me, it’s so important to have this sports day — to encourage the playing of sports, what it means, and how important it is to our youth. Sport is for all and for everyone to enjoy. My main thing is for the kids to have fun; you never know where it might go,” he said.

“We’ll also be travelling around the Western Cape, trying to set up these sports days and encouraging the kids to keep playing. We’ll also look to build this into a bursary programme, helping kids understand that education and sport are very important. A healthy body and a healthy mind, and we’ll have a better future,” he said, quick to thank all role players, especially the children, for helping make the day a success.

From one sporting icon to another, Olympic bronze medalist Juan de Jongh, a member of the 2016 Blitzbok squad at the Rio Games, has supported the Foundation from day one, always ready to lend a helping hand when called upon.

“To see the smiles on these kids’ faces is absolutely fantastic. Incredible work done by Paul Adams himself — he was one of my heroes, one of my icons. Hopefully, we can share something special with these kids and take it into the community,” he said.