Cape Town - The pupils at Botrivier Primary School were treated to a once in a lifetime experience, when the Proteas’ Castle Lager squad made a visit on Thursday morning. The squad has been in the area for the week, and used some downtime to make a difference in the local community.

“I cannot begin to describe what the Proteas’ visit has done for our school and community,” commented the Principal, Mr John Theron. “This has been an inspiring day for all of the children, staff and community members. I would like to thank the squad, especially Gary Kirsten, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers for taking the time out of their busy schedule to make a difference in so many of the young lives here.” 

More than 400 learners, staff as well as parents from the community enjoyed a photo and signing session with the players, who felt privileged and honoured to be given such a warm reception. 

“Days like this remind us that are not only cricketers, we are role models for a lot of supporters out there. The reception we received when we arrived actually gave me goosebumps and it is humbling to know that the support for the Proteas is still strong out there,” said Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

“Small towns like this will hardly ever get to meet an entire national team and you can just see from their faces what this visit means to them. In the end it was not just the community that benefited from the visit, we as players also got a lot out of it,” said fellow Protea Faf du Plessis.