After the previous weekend’s fixture had been cancelled, the Groot Drak players were all chomping at the bit to get a game in before the end of the season. After a tight game against Somerset Oakes last year, everyone was anticipating another thrilling match up.

The Oakes were asked to bat first and Johannes got the visitors off to a great start while having to contend with some sharp bowling from openers Corrie Brand and Liam Carruthers. Corrie picked up 1 wicket (and as usual could have had several more) for 25 runs in his 7 overs, while Liam was even more economical than usual, taking two wickets for just 19 runs in his quota.

Morne Maritz (17/1 from 5) and Kudu Kotze (20/0 from 4) bowled in good areas and limited the runs in the middle overs. Johannes went to his 50, unnoticed by his team-mates, who apparently, only celebrate hundreds.

Resident spinners, Jaco Swarts and Bruce Taylor were introduced to allow some respite from the pace, but both caused problems for the batsmen. Jaco managed a wicket with his second ball and from there only went for 11 runs in 4 overs, while Bruce bought Groot Drak 3 wickets for 23 in his 3 overs.

Somerset Oakes lost their last two wickets to run outs, which meant the visitors would only post 116 runs all out.

Groot Drak sent in veteran openers, MC Uys and Jaco Swarts to start the run chase after a quick lunch break.
Jaco fell early for 5 after receiving a peach from Hendrik, while new member, James Basson could only manage 4 before lobbing one to mid-on.
MC stuck around and played well for his 28 from 27 before falling to a great diving catch from John Hartley.

Groot Drak were in a spot of bother when Darren Pilz and Craig McNaught decided to get stuck in with the bat.
Darren held on to his wicket resolutely, while Craig freed his arms and sent a few balls to the boundary. Both batters managed to remain not out, with Darren scoring 18* from 26 and Craig unbeaten on 57 from 42 before the final runs were scored in the 19th over.

In the end, a rather one-sided game, but one that was enjoyed by all. Both teams put away a few cold beverages at fines before saying goodbye to Groot Drak for what proved to be the last time for the season, with the Coronavirus putting a premature end to the club’s cricketing calendar.

Man of the match: Craig McNaught
TFC: James Basson/Kudu Kotze
Pacman: James Basson

Match report by Craig McNaught

On Saturday the 29th of February, Groot Drak were visited by the seniors from Surrey.
Kindly honouring the Groot Drak tradition of batting first on what looked like a great pitch, the Surrey lads padded up and got the game underway.

Craig McNaught (0/19 from 7) and Colin Myburgh (2/12 from 8) opened the bowling, both keeping the batsmen very quiet. Colin picked up both the openers for 3 a piece, putting immediate pressure on the visitors.

Newcomer, Brendan van Zyl picked up a wicket coming on first change for 21 from his 5 overs, while Matthew Tracey made his welcome return to the club and bowled 4 overs for 24. Handro Slabber toiled hard in his 5 overs – bowling well for 28 runs. Robbie Izzard (0/28 from 4) also joined in on the action, bowling some very tidy away swing in his spell.

Wickets were hard to come by in the middle overs, but Surrey had not yet experienced Groot Drak’s secret weapon, The Bruce.
While a touch expensive, Bruce Taylor (5/53 from 7) managed to deceive plenty of batters, snatching a five-for from the last ball of the innings, with a sharp stumping from keeper, Jono Boulton. It could easily have been 7 wickets, if a few more chances had been taken in the field, but this is friendly cricket after all.

Surrey had posted 193 for victory from their 40 over allotment.

A quick lunch break and Surrey were ready to salute the flag with the mandatory Brandy shot to lubricate the joints before taking the field once again.

A promising start from Colin Myburgh saw 3 balls from the first over get dispatched to the boundary, before missing a straight one, precipitating a top order collapse from Groot Drak, with Paul Higginbottom (6 from 8), Jono Boulton (8 from 22) and Darren Pilz (0 from 3) departing far too early in the game.

Matthew Tracey looked like he hadn’t in fact taken an 8 year break from cricket as he blitzed a very valuable 38 from 29 in an attempt to stabilize the innings somewhat. Craig McNaught joined him at the crease and was determined to not give his wicket away.

Morne Landman got bowled past the outside edge for a duck, bringing Bruce Taylor to the crease to join the skipper.
Bruce played an out-of-character innings, showing great restraint from the good balls and punishing the loose deliveries. Bruce scored a very well-played 30 from 36 before opposing skipper, Ken Mead (6/22), brought himself back in to the attack and trapped Bruce LBW. Ken would go on to wrap up the innings, claiming Rob Izzard, Brendan van Zyl and Handro Slabber for ducks, leaving Craig McNaught stranded on 56 not out at the other end.

Groot Drak were bowled out 31 runs short of victory in what could have been a much tighter game had there not been 5 ducks from the Drakies, as there were still 10 overs left in the innings! However, the bowling from Surrey was just too good!

Both teams enjoyed a quick beer on the pitch before retiring to the clubhouse for some highly entertaining fines. After a lovely quintessential South African braai, the captains shared a last word of thanks, a few glasses of wine and some memorabilia to close out what was a hugely enjoyable day for all involved.

We look forward to hosting the wonderful men (and ladies!) from Surrey again in the very near future!

Man of the Match: Bruce Taylor (Groot Drak), Ken Mead (Surrey Over 50s)
TFC: Morne Landman

Match report by Craig McNaught

On Sunday, Groot Drak hosted a highly-skilled Cape Town Cricket Club Rhinos side that featured several prominent players involved in the upcoming Over 50s World Cup.

Damien Thornton and ex-Protea batsman, Louis Koen, opened the batting for CTCC and saw off the pace-men upfront, putting on a slow but steady partnership that had the visitors without loss at the first drinks break. Corrie Brand and Liam Carruthers both bowled very tightly, but neither could pick up a wicket with their 7 over spells.

After drinks, Morne Maritz worked some magic by nabbing both opening batsmen, as well as trapping David Thornton in front to finish with arguably Groot Drak’s best bowling performance of the day: 3 for 29 from 7. Danie van der Nest also put in some hard work, ending up with very miserly figures of 1/15 from 7 – picking up the valuable scalp of Alan Dawson!

Claude Chantler and Kudu Kotze each picked up a stick, but went for a few runs as Anwell Newman smashed an unbeaten 54 fom 50 balls to see the visitors post a respectable 177 runs from their 35 overs.

Expecting a good fight from some experienced quick bowlers, the Groot Drak top order padded up and awaited their fate.
Wickets fell with alarming regularity, with batters 2, 3, 4 and 5 only managing 10 runs between them. MC Uys was resolute at the top of the order, however, anchoring the innings, while scoring rapidly at the same time. Henry Williams showed exactly why he’s in the squad for the Over 50s World Cup by nibbling the ball around at extreme pace – picking up Liam Carruthers and Claude Chantler for ducks.

Morne Maritz joined MC at the crease and put on a very handy 35 from 36 before being bowled by Louis Koen.
Two more ducks followed immediately and Groot Drak were in serious trouble – and not for the first time in the game!

Corrie Brand came out to bat with MC Uys still soldiering on, having recently gone to his 50. Corrie made the bowling look easy as he clobbered 22* from 18 balls, while MC (95* from 86) was unbeaten just 5 runs short of what would have been a fitting century, before the final runs were scored to secure an unlikely victory for Groot Drak.

A fantastic challenge and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of the local boys. An experience that we were all very grateful for!

A few beers were enjoyed during a well-deserved fines meeting after what was a massively enjoyable game and a day that very few of us will forget.

Man of the Match: MC Uys
Lifesaver: Morne Maritz
TFC: Claude Chantler

Match report by Craig McNaught