Durban - While most parents berate the referee and shout from the sidelines when their kids play sport, one Pietermaritzburg dad has ended up in mediation with his cricket-playing son’s school after going to the high court to stop the teen being dropped from the first team and as captain of his squad.
The case between St Charles College and the 17-year-old Grade 11’s father came before the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday but was adjourned, without a date, because an agreement was being reached between the parties.
The father, who may not be named to protect his son, believes the decisions by the school would crush his son’s cricket career.
He said the school’s principal, Allen van Blerk, had told him and his wife there were no internal proceedings to resolve the matter and that he would not take any action against the coach, Dave Karlsen, nor would he reinstate his son.
Van Blerk declined to elaborate until the finalisation of the mediation process, saying it had been entered into at the request of the president of the KZN Inland Cricket Union, Yunus Bhamjee.
The father’s attorney, Subhash Maikoo, said that because the matter was subject to mediation he could not comment.
In court papers, the father, an attorney, said the school’s first team were considered prestigious because members were often selected as players for the KZN Inland Cricket team, placing them in possible contention for selection for the national under 19 team.
The father said his son had been made captain for this year at the end of the third term last year.
During the holidays, Karlsen asked his son to allow another player to captain the team, but he refused.
On the second day of school, the coach informed his son that a panel had decided he must be dropped from the first team. Karlsen told the pupil he had his backing, but the rest of the panel had overruled his decision, saying the pupil was not doing well and should be dropped from the first team.
The father said his son later found out that there had been no panel and that Karlsen had been untruthful. The boy’s mother then met Van Blerk to discuss the issue.
“At the meeting the principal advised my wife to sweep the matter under the carpet.”
At a second meeting he appeared to “brush us off”, said the man.
“We told the principal that by being in the second team, our son would be totally excluded from selection to the KZN Under 19 Inland Cricket team.”
The principal said he should rather participate in the second team.
The father said his son excelled as a sportsman in his early years at the school. He captained the under 13 preparatory and under 16 cricket teams before gaining promotion to the first team in 2011. He also played for the KZN Inland Cricket team.
The school has not responded to the allegations in court papers.
The Mercury