London - Thirty young cricketers from the inner district of London were treated to a special coaching clinic by the Proteas’ management and players at The Oval on Wednesday.

The clinic was part of the squad’s contribution to Mandela Day, where individuals are encouraged to spend 67 minutes giving back to a worthy cause.

Proteas fitness and conditioning coach, Rob Walter, led the clinic and said: “Sixty-seven minutes is the least we can do after the great man Nelson Mandela spent 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of our people. We wanted to contribute and be part of the Mandela Day spirit taking place back home (South Africa), and hopefully it will be a memorable experience for the young cricketers who attended this afternoon.”

The under-9 players represent the Surrey inner-London team as well as Belleville Primary School which is located in the surrounding areas of The Oval. They were given the honour as a treat, after a few of the players were badly injured during a storm a few weeks back.

Proteas seamer, Lonwabo Tsotsobe was happy that he could contribute to the young cricketers’ lives. “Madiba did so much for our country, the least we can do is give 67 minutes to a good cause on this special day. We had a great afternoon with the young cricketers and we hope that spending time with them will bring a positive influence to their lives.”

Proteas Test captain, Graeme Smith also shared some special words about Mandela. “Firstly, a big happy birthday from the Proteas to Madiba, he is a man that is very special to all of us in South Africa and we hope that he has a wonderful day with his family and his close friends.

"He will know that there are a lot of people in South Africa that are doing good things on his birthday and we, as the Proteas, contributed 67-minutes of our time at The Oval and giving back; Madiba would have liked us to lead in the same manner that he has all these years.”

The first Test between England and South Africa starts here at the Oval on Thursday.