On Saturday the 5th of November, with a marathon of international rugby on offer in the bar, Groot Drak and Rondebosch Pumas elected for an early start to proceedings. Winning the toss, Groot Drak grabbed the opportunity to set a total on what looked like a fairly spicy pitch.

Quintin van der Westhuizen got going from ball one, with Rikus Walters (4 from 12) and Claude Chantler (8 from 17) both being castled cheaply with the new ball hooping around for the Pumas.

With two wickets down early on, Craig McNaught joined Quintin at the crease. The pair put on an 84 run partnership, with the batters each reaching half centuries at a decent lick. Quintin ultimately departed for a very well played 71 from 66, with Craig joining him in the clubhouse for 51 from 48.

Bruce Taylor, being elevated up the batting order, could only manage 8 from 14, while debutant, Ian Nel smashed a quickfire 40 from 30 to see Groot Drak over the magic 200 mark.

Zak ‘Snack’ Barnard (11 from 16) pitched in with a few valuable runs as Hugo Brink (0 from 2) was run out in the most spectacular fashion for a duck.
In at 9, Johann Agenbag was left stranded on 4 not out from 8 as Groot Drak posted a more-or-less par score of 227 for 8 after their 35 overs.

After a quick lunch, the boys from Rondebosch came out guns blazing, forcing Ian Nel (24/0 from 2) to be retired from the attack early on. Johann Agenbag took the new ball up the hill and had it on a string, dismantling the top order and pocketing 4 wickets for 37 in his 6 over spell.

Hugo Brink (0/48 from 4) came on first change and struggled to find a consistently good area (Possibly because of an injury that he alerted his captain about well in advance, which was promptly ignored).

At this stage, Rondebosch Pumas were well ahead of the required run rate and cruising towards what looked to be a comfortable victory, should they keep wickets in hand.

Zak Barnard (1/26 from 5) bowled in tandem with Bruce Taylor (3/22 from 6.1), both bowling superbly, putting the brakes on the scoring rate. Zak was unlucky to not pick up several more wickets, as no fewer than six catches were palmed during the run chase.

Pitching in with the bowling duties, Wessel (17/1 from 2) and Christo van Deventer (0/10 from 1) were a touch expensive, but some diving catches in the outfield from Rikus and Craig put Groot Drak in the driving seat for the first time in the game.

There was just one over from Claude Chantler (0/2 from 1) before Bruce came back for a single ball to pick up the 10th wicket and see Groot Drak victorious after a thrilling second innings.

Despite the 34 run margin, Rondebosch Pumas were ahead of the run rate for the entire match, but were bowled out for 193 in 27.1 overs.

A cold beverage was enjoyed on the pitch before a quick dip in the pool and a well-deserved fines meeting in the shade. Thanks to Rondebosch Pumas for what is always a great day out with exceptional company!

Scorecard: Rondebosch Pumas Nov 22

Man of the match: Johann Agenbag

Match report by Craig McNaught

The stars aligned for Groot Drak and Scorpions as some last-minute changes-of-plan saw both teams without opposition for the weekend. This worked out extremely well as our scheduled game against Scorpions earlier in the season was cancelled.

After inspecting the pitch and winning the toss, Scorpions skipper, ‘Kloppies’, opted to bowl first in some pretty brutal Boland heat.

The Groot Drak openers put on a strong introductory stand before Quintin offered a simple caught and bowled chance, which saw him depart for his usual 40 runs.

Tim Whitfield went without troubling the scorers and brought Jono Boulton to the wicket to stabilize things.

Jono and Rikus settled into their work nicely, before Rikus fell just after drinks for a run-a-ball 52.

Alan Sherratt (18 from 15), Claude Chantler (16 from 21) and Charl Ackermann (8 from 7) all pitched in with some valuable runs in the latter stages of the innings, getting Groot Drak close to the 200 mark.

Herman Fourie joined Jono at the crease and bludgeoned a quick-fire 33* from 16, while Jono finished up with a very respectable 36* from 66. A solid team effort saw Groot Drak post a competitive total of 231 for 6 from their 35 overs.

With sunlight threatening to fade, both teams enjoyed a quick lunch and promptly got back on to the field.

Craig McNaught (0/8 from 3) opened the bowling with Bruce Taylor (0/20 from 7) and both set the tone with some ultra-economical bowling. Both bowlers were unlucky not to pick up a few wickets between them.

A sharp run-out from Charl Ackermann at backward point saw the end of the dangerous run-machine, Andre Geldenhuys for 13.

Alan Sherratt took the first-change responsibilities and gave a leg-spin masterclass, while taking 2 wickets for just 18 runs in his 7 overs. The second of his wickets saw Bruce Taylor in the covers take a spectacular diving catch to dismiss Leonard Willemse for a duck.

Claude Chantler picked up two wickets for 21 runs in his 5 over spell after drinks, which also included a great catch – this time from from Charl Ackermann, to see the back of Johan Klopper.

Scorpions number 4 bat, Dave Bakker (62*) got to a well-deserved half-century as wickets tumbled around him.

The death overs from Herman Fourie (0/21 from 5), Charl Ackermann (0/10 from 1) and Tim Whitfield (0/23 from 3) were good enough to see Groot Drak victorious by 93 runs at the end of the day.

Drinks on the pitch were followed by a fines session for the books, with the braais burning well into the night.
Thanks to Scorpions for making themselves available at short notice and for always putting on a great game, with a wonderful bunch of cricketers. We look forward to welcoming Scorpions back in January to settle the scores.

Man of the Match: Rikus Walters.

Match report by Craig McNaught

Match report by Rob Frater:

The weather Gods played along for a change and allowed us to play the 71st edition of GD Fathers & Sons vs Bishop U13A fixture. Our team was a healthy balance of youth and experience, including 10-year-old James Boulton at ‘wickey’ and many-year-old former SA Schools player, Francois Immelman.

As tradition dictates Bishops were sent in to bat. GD seamers, JP and Ruan kept things really tidy and Bishops were hovering along at a paltry 3 runs/over. 1st change spinner, JP kept the pressure on, although he was struggling to control the spin on the little 2 piece. A couple of dropped catches and “it’s been a long winter” overs ended up costing us 20 odd runs. The slow outfield and spring pitch meant that 144 was going to be a good total to chase.

After a quick boerie roll lunch break, we sent the Paarl Boys primary U13A openers out to face the music. JP played early and popped the easiest of catches to mid on to see Groot Drak 3/1. Our Paul Roos import, Ruan, swung some lusty blows to put us ahead of the run rate. After attempting another, he was clean bowled by medium pacer McLea. His departure ignited a batting collapse.
Spin twins, Horton (4 for 10 off 7) and Collis (1/14 off 6) frustrated our lads with some really tight stuff, inducing silly “give my wicket away” shots.
By the time the senior Corps arrived we were woefully behind on the scoring rate.
Apart from a couple of quickfire boundaries from Francois, there was nothing to write home about.
Yours truly and Jean Pierre closed out the innings on 90/9, a 54 run loss.
It was however a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Thanks to Murray and his Bishops boys and to all the parents who spoilt us with a delicious spread.

Groot Drak’s final game of the season was against an opposition that has not visited Pickstone Oval in many years – Kelvin Grove. Groot Drak were lucky to win the toss, as both captains had decided that it was a ‘bat first’ kind of day.

Quintin van der Westhuizen and Tim Whitfield opened the batting and put on a solid opening stand, before Quintin was adjudged LBW on 40.

Rikus Walters joined Tim at the crease as both batters notched up yet another 50 each for the season – Tim departing on 56 from 49 and Rikus contributing 58 from 54 as a very solid platform had been set for the middle order.

In at number 4, Joubert van Zyl smashed 31 from 20, while Claude Chantler and Bruce Taylor both ended their batting efforts for the season on ducks.

With a few overs to spare, Craig McNaught contributed 41 not out from 28, ably supported by Hugo Brink, who scored a run-a-ball 8 not out before the 35 overs were up.

With 257 on the board, it felt like a par total, as the wicket had offered a bit for both batters and bowlers.

At the innings break, with the flag at half-mast, Groot Drak paid tribute to ex-club-captain-and-chairman, Ian Laurenson, who sadly passed away just a few days prior. Thanks especially to Ken Lumb for sharing his heartfelt words and memories of one of the club’s great characters.

Opening the bowling, Joubert Kotze bowled a mixed bag of unplayable deliveries and buffet balls, as his seven overs cost 53 runs without a wicket. From the other end, Claude Chantler redeemed himself and only conceded 19 runs in his quota, but also without any success.

While Kelvin Grove started thing slowly, they kept all their wickets in hand until Sean Petzer (2/46 from 6) managed the breakthrough with his lucky-packet-array of right arm over. Michael Devine’s (0/34 from 6) off-spin created a few opportunities but couldn’t convert them into wickets.

In the latter overs, the bowlers started to take some pretty serious stick, while the visitors edged closer and closer to the total, with plenty of batters still to come. Taking the brunt of the punishment were Hugo Brink (1/38 from 5) and Bruce Taylor (1/29 from 3), who bowled better than their figures might suggest – taking a hiding from some clean hitting towards the close of play.

With just one over remaining, Tim Whitfield was asked to defend 21 runs in his six balls. It was a thrilling finish to a wonderful game of cricket, as Kelvin Grove fell just 5 runs short of the total.

After a civilized fines meeting and with the game constantly in the balance, it was a fitting end to another hugely enjoyable season as we look forward to seeing Tal and the Kelvin Grove lads again after the winter break.

View photos and videos of the day here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb4c1PzqHEA/

Match Report by Craig McNaught