Seasonal Incidence and Nature of Cricket Injuries among Elite South African Schoolboy Cricketers

Objective. To identify the incidence and nature of injuries sustained by elite South African schoolboy cricketers. Design. Data were collected retrospectively using a questionnaire. Cricketers recalled all injuries from June 2003 to May 2004. Setting. The population consisted of 196 cricketers representing all provincial teams in the 2004 under-19 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola cricket week. Results. Sixty-seven injuries were sustained by 196 cricketers; with an incidence of 34.2during the period under review. Injuries occurred during matches (71.6); throughout the season due to repetitive stresses sustained during matches and practices (14.9); during practice (11.9) and during other forms of training (1.5). Bowling accounted for 50.7of the injuries; fielding 32.8; batting 14.9and the remaining 1.5occurred while warming up or training. The primary mechanism of injury occurred during the delivery stride and follow through of the fast bowler (34.3). Eighty seven per cent of the injuries were first-time injuries while 13were recurrent. Most injuries (40.6) reported were severe and took the cricketers more than 21 days to recover. Cricketers were more prone to injury during December and January. Conclusion. The incidence and nature of injuries have been recorded and potential risk factors for injury have been identified. It is suggested that coaches and cricketers partake in continuous educational processes that focus on all the physical; mental and technical components necessary for success in cricket; with a national database

Nature and Proportion of Total Injuries at the Stellenbosch Rugby Football Club: a Comparason of the Years 1973 1975 with 2003 -2005A Review of Cricket Injuries and the Effectiveness of Strategies to Prevent Cricket Injuries at all Levels

Objective. The purpose of this study was to compare the nature and proportion of total injuries occurring at Stellenbosch Rugby Football Club in Stellenbosch; South Africa;between the years 1973 - 1975 and 2003 - 2005. Design. Retrospective; descriptive study. Main outcome measures. Injured rugby players from the Stellenbosch Rugby Football Club from the different time periods were included in the study. Results from the 1973 - 1975 time period were obtained from two previously published articles (Roy; 1974; Van Heerden; 1976); while data from the 2003 - 2005 time period were available through the Stellenbosch University Rugby Injury Database. Results. An increase in the proportion of head and facial injuries from 1973 - 1975 (21) to 2003 - 2005 (42) was found as well as a doubling in the proportion of concussions between the two time periods (12- 23). There was an overall decrease in total injuries between the two time periods. Conclusion. The findings highlight the high and increased proportion of head and facial injuries in the game of rugby at the Stellenbosch Rugby Football Club. This is a matter that should be further investigated