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Paul Smith
- CCC Global Ambassador
Paul played professional cricket
for Warwickshire County Cricket Club for 16 years.
His career coincided with the most successful period
in the history of any first class county which has
participated in English first class cricket. His
contribution was significant to the achievements of
the club in this era. Illustratively, Warwickshire
secured the unprecedented achievement of a treble,
and a double, winning a total of 6 trophies in 24
months. He participated in 6 major cup finals at
Lords - the home of cricket. He was Man of the Match
in Warwickshire`s Benson and Hedges final victory
over Worcestershire in 1994.
As his professional cricketing career began to
evolve and develop he grasped the potential role
that cricket could play in the transformation of the
lives of marginalized groups, not only in England
but on a global scale. The arrival of Bob Woolmer as
the coach of Warwickshire in 1991 was seminal in
terms of helping Paul to flesh out and realize this
vision. The impact Bob Woolmer has made on the world
game does not require too much comment since he is
arguably the greatest coach who ever lived.
In addition, Bob had considerable experience of
using cricket as a tool in social transformation in
the context of Soweto in the era of South African
apartheid. He was extremely fortunate to be able to
draw on his knowledge experience and contacts. As a
consequence he was able to coach and play cricket in
Soweto and other deprived black communities in South
Africa. It is of some significance to remark that
during this period Bob and Paul were the only white
men to cross these racial and cultural frontiers,
and to have the resilience and tenacity to challenge
and resist the negative responses which their
actions provoked within large sections of the white
South African community during the era of apartheid.
Paul was the first white man to play for Saint
Augustines cricket club in Cape Town, which was the
setting in which Basil D`Oliviera developed his
cricketing skills, but was then forced because of
circumstances to ply his trade in England.
Symptomatic of the Warwickshire all-rounders
contribution to Saint Augustines cricket, and the
role he played in the empowerment of black and
colored marginalized communities and the dismantling
of apartheid, is the fact that in a recent history
of this club - "Saints - In our Soil" a whole
chapter recognizes and renders visible his input
into these developments.
Drawing on his involvement and experience in South
African townships he continued his work within white
marginalized communities in South America, whilst
maintaining links with South Africa.
Having worked in Soweto and surrounding townships
under the guidance of Dr Ali Bacher during the years
of apartheid in the 1980`s, and then later being
heavily involved with Bob Woolmer coaching in the
townships around Cape Town when apartheid was being
dismantled, he is uniquely qualified to state that
the Compton Cricket Club is achieving the very same
results in gang areas within Los Angeles. Paul`s
involvement in the activities with Compton Cricket
Club began in 2001 and has spanned the last decade.
In this regard he has played several roles in the
development of cricket culture in Compton embracing
coaching, playing, advising, educating, mentoring,
and acting as a link between the club and national
and international associations.
Additional experience in the UK includes linking
cricket to educational qualifications through course
work and re-employment schemes. Outcomes from this
work have seen a consistent 40% of those engaged
with re enter the work place. He works as an
Ambassador for Prince Charles charity the Princes
Trust. |
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Woodley
