ROURKELA: Jethro Eustice and Connor Beauchamp played a major role in South Africa's Hockey Nations Cup win last year and are also part of the World Cup team.
Interestingly, they also played cricket quite seriously in their youth, and if not for hockey, they might have been playing cricket professionally in South Africa.
While 33-year-old Eustice, played provincial cricket for KwaZulu-Natal Inland Under-19 team, Beauchamp, a right arm off-break blower, played for St Stithians College where he shared the dressing room with the likes of South Africa national team players Kagiso Rabada, Wiaan Mulder, and Ryan Rickelton.
Asked what made him choose the game, Eustice, predominantly a batsman, said, "At school, we always had to play some sport. So, in the winter it was hockey and cricket during the summer season. My father also played a bit of rugby and a bit of cricket. But I always enjoyed hockey more, so chose that finally."
Growing up in Johannesburg he played a lot of matches against players who played for the Titans and Lions. Devon Conway was among them. "Not only against him, but I played a few matches with him in provincial cricket, and it's great that he has been doing so well for the New Zealand team," added Eustice.
Beauchamp, meanwhile, played everything from cricket, hockey, tennis, and squash.
"I finally went for hockey because of my passion. Yes, there's not much money but that's the beautiful thing. I think when money gets involved in things, it turns a bit ugly," said the 25-year-old, who recently got a job as a financial advisor.
While the youngster is more than happy with his choice of sport, Eustice believes he might have chosen cricket if the shorter format of the game was popular during his time.
"In South Africa, hockey is of course not treated as a professional sport so now when I see what players of my era like Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks have achieved, I would have definitely chosen cricket," said Eustice, who now also works as a coach at Kearsney College.
"But the way it has turned out, I am enjoying my hockey and playing my third World Cup."
He is also quite pleased with the number of kids who play hockey at schools these days but believes the administration needs to do something after that to make sure they keep playing the game.
"Hockey is quite popular at the school level with cricket, football, and rugby as about 1,50,500 kids play the game around the country. But what we are missing is a structure at the university level – only five universities that take hockey seriously – and that's where the administration can maybe do something. They can also look at having a club structure," he said.
Beauchamp, however, is hopeful that things will change following their Nations Cup win. "The Nations Cup victory was huge, especially in front of the home crowd. We weren't the favourites going into it, but we had the belief that we do anything," he said before walking off.
