Giané Hartzenberg Aspires to Play for Momentum Proteas

Eastern Cape cricketer Giané Hartzenberg aspires to follow in the footsteps of Momentum Proteas’ Suné Luus and Marizanne Kapp as she aims to represent the senior national women’s cricket team one day.

Hailing from Queenstown, Hartzenberg started playing cricket in Primary School where she was selected for the Under-13 boys team.

Unfortunately in High School, Hartzenberg’s cricket dreams came to a halt because there was no girls team and she could not join the boys side.

In Grade 10, Mr Maseti from the Department of Sports and Recreation witnessed Hartzenberg’s talent and offered to assist her with private lessons which afforded her the opportunity to later join Border Cricket.

The now 18-year-old is passionate about making her dreams of becoming a Protea a reality, while also showing her abilities in netball and tennis at school level.

Speaking with Rudene Hare, Hartzenberg reveals her achievements to date and shares her view on women’s cricket development in South Africa.

Giané, thank you for chatting to us! Please give us a little background about yourself.

I am a matriculant at Hangklip High School. I am passionate about sport, especially cricket and love the outdoors.

When and where did your love for cricket begin?

I always loved the game of cricket and used to play with the boys during breaktime in Primary School. That is where I discovered my love for cricket and I started to play for the under 13 boys cricket team. Unfortunately, there was no girls cricket in High School and I had to stop.

I was told that I could not play with the boys in High School as it was difficult to accommodate a girl when they needed to play somewhere else or if they need to go on tour.

When I was in Grade 10, the Department of Sport tried to establish girls cricket at school but due to a lack of interest from the girls, it did not materialise. But it was while we practiced that Mr Maseti from the Department noticed my talent and assisted me to get private lessons. These lessons assisted me to work really hard to get elected as part of the Border teams.

Describe your major highlights and achievements in sport so far.

My major highlight was being selected for the Border Senior Women’s team for the matches against the Boland, Border Kei and EP. During my first game against Boland I managed to take 3 wickets.

Other achievements: Being selected for the Border U/19 Girls cricket team last year and U/14 Border Inland Hockey Team.

Is there a coach or woman cricketer you look up to and why?

Definitely Suné Luus! She started her cricket career as a bowler and worked her way up as an all-rounder and finally being the stand-in captain of the Momentum Proteas. I also want to become an all-rounder like her. I would also want to bowl like Marizanne Kapp and bat like Ellyse Perry.

What is your take on women’s cricket development in South Africa?

There is a lot of development in women’s cricket in South Africa, especially now that the Momentum Proteas is one of the best teams in the world and that gives young upcoming girls hope to see that there is a career in cricket for them.

Apart from playing cricket, is there any other sport that you are participating in and how are you managing to accommodate all your activities?

I am currently playing netball for our first team and during summer I play tennis for the first team. Although school sport and academics keeps me busy, I always manage to make time for cricket as this is where my passion lies. I do my fitness programme on my own and skills training with my coach Ralph Cullinan. As cricket is my passion, I will always make time for it.

What is your greatest ambition?

To play cricket for the Momentum Proteas one day.

What is your message to encourage corporate giants in South Africa to sponsor development sport in the country?

Please sponsor and support sports development in South Africa. A lot of talent has not yet been discovered as some areas, especially small towns, do not have the facilities, equipment and coaches to provide and train all sport to interested children.

Lastly, can you share some words of encouragement for girls who would love to play cricket one day?

Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t achieve it or that you are not good enough. If you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve anything.

A quote that I always use or tell myself is: “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.  If you can dream it, you can become it.”

Photo 1 Caption: Eastern Cape cricketer Giané Hartzenberg aspires to follow in the footsteps of Momentum Proteas’ Suné Luus and Marizanne Kapp as she aims to represent the senior national women’s cricket team one day. Photo: Supplied