After our nerves had been rattled for the second week in a row thanks to the Springboks’ last minute antics in the World Cup, we were greeted with glorious weather on Sunday the 22nd of October. It’s a long drive from Kleinmond to Groot Drak, so it was great to see the friendly faces of the Kleinmond CC players already waiting for us when we arrived at the club.

Kleinmond skipper, Dannie Gerber, won the toss and opted to bowl first on an out-of-sorts Groot Drak pitch.

In only his second game for the club, Marko Combrink was asked to open the batting with Ian Nel. Both batters got off to very cautious starts, with Ian being dismissed for 14 from 26 balls.

Marko was joined by club-debutant Justin Barnes, who settled into his work nicely. The two put on a healthy partnership, with Justin chipping in with a valuable 34 from 41 before a sharp stumping opened the door for Kudu Kotze at number 4.

Having not played cricket for nearly 3 years, Kudu let us all know that he was very rusty and that we should not expect too much. His first ball disappeared into the swimming pool area for six. This started a trend of rapid-fire boundary striking for the big all-rounder. Kudu fell just 4 runs short of what would have been a memorable 50, considering he had only faced 16 balls before nicking off.

At the other end, Dr Combrink was diligently going about his business and racked up his first half century for Groot Drak, finally being caught behind on 78 from 85 balls.

The next five wickets fell very cheaply, but Groot Drak somehow managed to avoid being bowled out, posting 210 for 9 from their 35 overs.

After a short break, Kleinmond were ready to start chasing down what felt like a par score on the day.

Another Justin making his debut for Groot Drak, Justin Laubser was asked to open the bowling with Ian Nel (0/14 from 3).
Justin’s pace and swing caused plenty of headaches for the opposition, being retired from the attack after five overs. He picked up two wickets for just 17 runs.

With a surfeit of bowling options, the attack was rotated at regular intervals.

Wessel van Deventer (30/0 from 3) and Hugo Brink (27/1 from 2) were somewhat wayward, but Hugo landed a perfect inswinging yorker to castle the ever-dangerous Christiaan Jordaan.

Justin Barnes showed his all-rounder capabilities landing the ball in consistently good areas, bringing the run rate down a touch.

At the drinks break, Kleinmond were bossing the game – comfortably ahead of the 8-ball at 120 for 5 from 17 overs.

Groot Drak turned to their destroyer-in-chief, Bruce Taylor, who dished up some lovely flighted deliveries, which Kleinmond could not resist. Two stumpings and a slip-catch from Bruce’s bowling had the opposition in all-sorts shortly after drinks. The leggie ended up with figures of 3/30 from 5. Even more impressive were Justin Barnes’ figures of 3/28 from his five overs.

With the result firmly in the bag, Christo van Deventer was tasked with nabbing the last wicket, which took him just seven balls, allowing both teams the opportunity to grab a beverage and catch some shade.

Kleinmond were bowled out for 157 in 25.1 overs, a remarkable comeback by the local boys.

The visitors showed good form and all stayed to share a few hard earned fines and many hearty laughs. Thanks to Dannie and the Kleinmond lads for what is always a memorable day with great human beings.

Man of the match: Marko Combrink
Match report by Craig McNaught

We were finally able to get our 2023/2024 season underway, after our last 6 FCA fixtures were rained out. Even though the wind pumped throughout the day, everyone was just happy to be playing cricket for a change.

The toss was offered to Melkbos Fellows, who gladly accepted the opportunity to bat first. The wicket looked like it had sweated a bit under the overnight covers, but it still felt like a track that could produce plenty of runs.

The bowlers were understandably rusty after the 7 month break, but were nevertheless fairly tidy at the start. Jannes Mouton finished his 6 over spell wicketless for 20 runs, with Zak Barnard (12/1 from 4) producing an edge in his third over, taken by Jonathan Boulton standing up to the stumps.

Claude Chantler made a welcome to return to the bowling attack and bought 2 wickets for 45 in his 7 over spell, but was not nearly as expensive as his skipper, Craig McNaught, who had the common sense to remove himself from the attack after his 3 over spell gifted the opposition 21 runs.

At drinks, Melkbos were looking on par for a decent total, at 98/4 after 17 overs.

It took Bruce Taylor 3 overs to find his mojo, while the opposition were looking to accelerate. His first two overs travelled for a whopping 23 runs, but the seasoned campaigner bowled his full spell, conceding 47 runs for 3 wickets.

Groot Drak’s best bowler of the day was without a doubt Wessel van Deventer, who showed his class by picking up three valuable wickets for just 16 runs in a very tidy five over spell.

Plenty of the Fellows batters got good starts, but no one was able to get a big score, resulting in the visitors being bowled out for 172 in the 33rd over. The total was hardly a reflection of the batting performance, as the lush, early season outfield prevented countless boundaries and probably saved 40 runs or more.

A quick bite to eat and a few refreshments later and most of the players were ready to start the run chase. Quintin van der Westhuizen got stuck in the changeroom, obviously watching AB de Villiers batting highlights, as he arrived to open the batting 5 minutes later than his partner, Mark Nel. Perhaps it was the excitement of his 41st birthday, but Mark, by his very high standards, struggled for timing before being gunned LBW on 15 from 34. Quintin also had some issues early on, with only 3 runs from his first 14 balls, but he soon kicked into gear and put his foot down, breezing past 50 and finding the boundary fence regularly.

Fresh-faced and eager to show his skills on debut, Marko Combrink waltzed to the crease and was just starting to accelerate before missing a straight one, departing for 15 from 23. Quintin was eventually dismissed after a well-paced 86 and was greeted in the clubhouse by much applause.

In at 4, Gert Uys played the first three consecutive forward defensives of his life and then attempted to get stuck in to the bowling. A six, a four and a single were all he could muster before being caught out on 11.

The hard work had been done upfront, meaning that after the two quick wickets, Groot Drak needed around 40 from the last 10 overs, with Jonathan Boulton and Craig McNaught taking guard at 5 and 6.

The Melkbos lads tossed the ball to their spinners who managed some prodigious turn, causing all sorts of trouble for the two new batters. Both Jono (12* from 28) and Craig (20* from 30) pushed and prodded the ball around without too many risks, but the slowing run rate took the game into the last over. In the end, the score was probably 20 runs light, as Groot Drak knocked off the total with 2 balls remaining and 6 wickets in hand.

A great game and a super tight finish was the perfect way to kick off the new season. A few richly deserved fines were enjoyed before wishing the Melkbos Fellows the best of luck for their season ahead and safe travels home.

Man of the match: Quintin van der Westhuizen.

Match report by Craig McNaught

After 3 years since we last had the pleasure of hosting the Southern Cavaliers from Washington DC, we recently had one of the most enjoyable games played at the Pickstone oval in a long time.

With normal touring side traditions upheld, the visiting side was put into bat and after very tight spell from the two opening bowlers – Craig McNaught (2/19 from 6) and Ian Nel (1/20 from 5), wickets began to fall quite regularly. Special mention needs to be made of the spectacular catch down the leg side by Jono “eat your heart out Klaasen” Boulton – an effort that really got the Drakies’ tails up.

A great effort put in by all – albeit that this author may have or may not have dropped their highest scoring batsman when he had just open up his account – the limited spread of bowlers all did well,with Eddie Cloete and Bruce Taylor pitching in with 2 wickets a piece.

There were some easy let-offs by Groot Drak with a number of misfields and dropped catches, yet Groot Drak kept the Cavaliers to a respectable, yet chasable score of 206 runs from 40 overs.

What should’ve been a reltively easy target to chase down by normal Groot Drak standards, did not go as planned with a few cheap wickets falling quite early on. Making a guest appearance, Dave Bakker carved out a well played 32 runs for the Drakies. But once again, Captain courageous, Craig McNaught, walked in and put on a magnificent score of 71 runs not out off 88 balls, well supported by Jono “eat your heart out Klaasen” Boulton (12 from 35), giving the entire team hope of actually achieving the target.

However, some of the most spectacular wrist spin from the Cavaliers was enjoyed more from the umpire’s position than that of the batsman’s crease, while the seamers supported with some great line and length. Groot Drak fell short by 25 runs. The result was the first time that the Cavaliers had beaten Groot Drak and the overall tally now stands at 2-1.

The camaraderie was enjoyed by all in the pool with a few frosties, after which a very festive fines meeting was held.

The lamb on the spit dinner topped off the evening of old friendships being renewed and new friendships being formed. Testament to this was how both teams enjoyed each other’s company well into the night, along with the all important lesson of “champ” was learnt.

We look forward to the Cavaliers touring South Africa again and hopefully we can put Groot Drak back on a winning streak.

Man of the Match: Craig McNaught
Match report by Sean Petzer