The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Coach of schoolboys' team upset

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Friday, Aug 18, 2006

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Coach of schoolboys' team upset

Special Correspondent

Colombo: Richard Venter, the coach of the St. John's schoolboys cricket team from Johannesburg, which has been in Sri Lanka for more than a week, is "devastated and upset" that his side has been asked to return home by the school council. Mr. Venter told The Hindu here on Thursday, "the issue has been blown out of proportion by the South African media. It was made to appear that there were bombs dropping in Colombo every moment which is simply not true. Ours is one of the most reputed schools in South Africa, and we would have been targetted by the media back home had we decided to stay. I am extremely disappointed. The school council must have been under pressure. I don't think we were under any great threat or danger here, except perhaps, when we went to crowded places and we could so easily have avoided going to those areas.

The boys were happy here. I think the people back home have over-reacted." The boys from St. John's seemed to be in high spirits as they returned from a practice session. The side will now leave on Friday morning. Meanwhile, Cricket Victoria's Emerging Players side has cut short its tour of Sri Lanka by three days due to security concerns. The side did not play its final match, against Sri Lanka `A'.

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