Groot Drak’s longest-standing fixture against Bishops U13A saw its 70th iteration of this historic clash on Wednesday, after a short, Covid-induced hiatus. The young visitors were offered the opportunity to set a total, which they gladly accepted.

Groot Drak fielded a side comprising 6 children and 5 veterans, which created an interesting dynamic in the middle.
Newcomers, Zach Lorentz (0/10 from 4) and Ben Dipnall (0/17 from 5) opened the bowling for Drak and caused plenty of trouble for the opposition, consistently landing the ball in good areas. Zach was unlucky to not pick up both openers, after his fiery pace found their edges early on. Ben started his spell with two very impressive maidens and also had a chance spilled off his bowling.

Ilan Myburgh, the son of seasoned campaigner, Colin, bowled first change and was the most efficient of the young bowlers, with an impressive economy rate of just 2.3 runs per over. Gillian Klaassen (0/11 from 3) was also very tidy from North end, testing the batsmen with varied lengths.

Despite the top-class bowling, the Bishops boys stood resolute and ended up retiring their top 5 batters, who each scored more than 15 runs. The standout was Bishops skipper, Thaafier Japtha who effortlessly smashed 36* from 27.

The breakthrough finally came via the wily off-spin of Colin Myburgh (1/5 from 4). Bruce Taylor (0/18 from 4), Chris Greenway (0/34 from 4) and Rob Frater (0/31 from 2) took the brunt of the punishment for their efforts with the ball towards the latter half of the innings.

Ilan Myburgh was brought back for his second spell, which proved to be the perfect tonic as he clean bowled two Bishops batters cheaply. His unerring line and length saw him finish with 2/12 from 5 overs – a fantastically disciplined performance from a young and promising cricketer. Shayne Ayford backed him up at the death, claiming one wicket for 17 runs from his 4 overs.

At the innings break, Bishops had set a very competitive 159/4 after their 35 overs.

Chad Ayford opened the batting and was the only of the youngsters to score meaningful runs – carting 30 from 26 in spectacular fashion. Ben Dipnall (1), Gillian Klaassen (0), Zach Lorentz (0), Chris Greenway (1) and Ilan Myburgh (0) could only manage 2 runs between them, while they fell victim to some remarkably smart bowling from the Bishops lads, including a magical hat-trick from Thaafier Japtha (3/9 from 6) – showing his true all-round capabilities.

The old guns were required to stop the bleeding as Craig McNaught, while beaten countless times, somehow steadied the ship for the home team. Joined by Rob ‘Jerry’ Frater (10 from 18), the two put on a hour-long partnership that just about got the two teams back on level terms at the drinks break. Craig retired to make way for Bruce Taylor (13 from 30) and Colin Myburgh (13 from 27), who batted conservatively against top quality death bowling from Bishops.

Shayne Ayford wasn’t able to trouble the scorers, departing for a duck, forcing a reluctant Craig away from the draught machine to pad up again for the final 3 overs.

Needing 26 from the last 18 balls with no wickets in hand, the game was due for a very tight finish. After a few lusty blows and much-needed boundaries, Groot Drak required 4 from the last 5 balls of the game. Punching a ball straight down the ground, Craig (70 not out from 82) called for what should have been a comfortable 2 runs, but an incredible direct hit from the boundary from Thaafier Japtha saw Bruce Taylor short of his ground at the non-striker’s end, to conclude a nail-biting run chase.

Bishops claimed a deserving victory and take great form in to their imminent cricket tour. We wish them the best of luck on the road, but their skill with bat and ball will no doubt see them hold their own against the Eastern Cape schools. The youngsters from Bishops covered themselves in glory both on and off the field, showing fantastic sportsmanship and healthy competitiveness.

We eagerly look forward to the next meeting of these two sides and hope to keep this epic annual fixture going for another 70 years!

Match report by Craig McNaught

After a long and rainy winter, Saturday the 18th of September saw the beginning of Groot Drak’s cricket season. The annual President’s vs Chairman’s fixture kicked off on a sublime Spring day in the Boland. Claude Chantler captained the President’s side and won the toss. After much deliberation, the Chairman’s team was asked to bat first – an opportunity that was gratefully received!

Tim Whitfield and Colin Myburgh did an incredible job of opening the batting and both looked like they had been playing in the IPL during the off season. Tim was dismissed for a run-a-ball 27, while Colin smashed a destructive 51 from 40 before retiring.

Darren Pilz decided to slow the run rate with a 13 ball duck alongside club debutant, Justin Vellacott, who put on a solid 21 from 26.

Having to deal with some excellent swing bowling from Hugo Brink (23/1 from 4), Alan Sherratt nudged 29 valuable runs from 42 before being castled.

A brief cameo from Kudu Kotze (9 from 9) saw Craig McNaught (28* from 22) join Stephan Krige at the crease to face the death bowling. Stephan paced his innings fantastically and finished up with 30 not out from 35 deliveries.

Had it not been for tidy bowling performances from Andri le Roux (19/0 from 4), Dylan Dowell-Ellis (7/0 from 3) and Brendan van Zyl (18/1 from 4), the Chairman’s team would no doubt have amassed far more than their 223/5 after the allotted 35 overs.

A quick refreshment at the clubhouse and it was time to start the run chase.

Club debutant, Quintin van der Westhuizen, was tasked with facing the new ball with Christo la Grange (1 from 8). Christo fell early to a lovely in-swinger from Stephan Krige (9/2 from 4), who swiftly dislodged Brendan van Zyl (1 from 12) a few balls later.

Claude Chantler (0 from 5) was comically run out at the non-striker’s end without troubling the scorer, putting all sorts of pressure on Quintin and the rest of the President’s team.

Things didn’t improve a great deal from here, with Clive Webb (0 from 5), Dylan Dowell-Ellis (2 from 7) and Morne Maritz (4 from 4) getting out cheaply. Quintin van der Westhuizen was clearly batting on a different pitch, going past his 50 with relative ease.

Colin Myburgh (10/1 from 3) and Alan Sherratt (14/2 from 3) were unplayable and had to be removed from the bowling attack to allow some relief for the batters.

Andri le Roux offered some much-needed support at number 8, scoring 10 runs before an unbelievable one-handed catch from Darren Pilz behind the stumps exposed the tail.

Quintin managed to farm the strike and before anyone could blink, had scored an epic hundred. His impressive innings saw the bowlers carted all over the field from an array of classic cricket shots.

Hugo Brink, Francois Marais and Bruce Taylor (who defected in an attempt to get some batting in) could only manage 3 runs between them as the Presidents slumped to 133 all out, leaving Quintin van der Westhuizen stranded on 112* from 90 deliveries.

Despite the one-sided result, everyone enjoyed a fun-filled day of well-spirited cricket and camaraderie, with a few cold beverages thrown in for good measure.

Welcome to all the new members, who we look forward to seeing more of at Groot Drak. Here’s to what will no doubt be a wonderful 2021/2022 cricket season!

Match report by Craig McNaught

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