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

On Sunday, the Groot Drak boys were ripped out of their comfort zone to play a rare away game against the Pumas at the spectacular Rondebosch Oval. After quickly assessing the conditions, Groot Drak was given the opportunity to bat first on the relatively small, but beautifully manicured ground.

A new face in the Groot Drak setup, was Greg Olyn, who ably opened the batting with Quintin van der Westhuizen. Quintin got off to a flyer and took particular fancy to the rather close square leg boundary, as he interrupted the residents’ quiet Sunday afternoon with a barrage of sixes on to the surrounding rooves, patios and gardens.

The openers managed a 100 run stand before Greg (30 from 34) departed just one ball before the 12 over drinks break.

Cassie Carstens looked good for his 23 from 26 before being dismissed in the most unfortunate manner – losing the grip on his bat and knocking over his stumps in the process. In his third game for Groot Drak, Joubert van Zyl was rock solid at number 4 and posted 38 from 37, but was unfortunately run out while pushing for a second run.

After his last few innings saw him out in the 40s, Quintin finally managed a half-century and showed no signs of slowing down as Claude Chantler joined him at the crease. Quintin was finally dismissed playing one shot too many, getting caught behind square leg just 5 runs short of what would have been a well-deserved century. Quintin carted six sixes and ten fours in his stand of 95.

Starting cautiously, Claude pushed and prodded ones and twos to start and opened up later on in his innings. Having to deal with a colossal 37 deliveries, Claude had pushed his body to its breaking point and retired his innings and his dignity on 42 before being helped off the field and into the air-conditioned bar area.

Tim Whitfield (37* from 12) and Craig McNaught (10* from 6) were tasked with seeing off the last 3 overs of the innings. Tim smashed five sixes, including one that will only be recovered from Athlone Stadium in the coming days.

With 35 overs done, Groot Drak had set a target of 320 at a shade over 9 runs per over.

Having to be wrestled away from the clubhouse after lunch, both teams set out in the heat for the the run chase.

Rondesboch Pumas lost two early wickets as Craig McNaught (3/23 from 4) picked up Grant and then Gerhard in his first over, thanks largely to a superb one-handed diving catch in the slips from Angus Simmers.

At the other end, Tim Whitfield (1/28 from 5) knocked over Tariq Benjamin, who was on the charge and looking dangerous.

The spin twins, Angus Simmers (1/10 from 2) and Bruce Taylor (2/34 from 5) took the first-change duties. Angus bowled in great areas, but removed himself from the attack, citing a calf strain. Bruce bowled a mixed bag that produced -boundaries-a-plenty, but he found the zone in his final over, nabbing one wicket via a sharp stumping and another from a simple catch at first slip.

Reverting back to pace, Hugo Brink bowled arguably his best spell ever for Groot Drak. Landing multiple unplayable in-swingers, Hugo chimed in with two for 10 from his 4 overs. With only one wicket left to get, Johann Agenbag was unfortunate to only be required for 6 balls, but that’s all it took to uproot the stumps of Mo Pillay before the Pumas were bowled out for a fateful Nelson; 111 after 21 overs.

After enjoying the lovely amenities at the Rondebosch Oval, both teams were treated to some gourmet boerie rolls and some civilized fines. Thanks to Garth and the Pumas for their cracking hospitality and a wonderful day of cricket in a stunning setting.

Match report by Craig McNaught

Match Stats

Things didn’t look good on Sunday morning, with dark storm clouds moving in from the North. Both teams drove to the ground in the rain, hoping that the sun would make an appearance at some point.

While the start was delayed by more than an hour, the covers eventually came off and Groot Drak elected to bat on a surprisingly dryish pitch against first-time opponents, Green Point Gullies.

Having pretty much cemented their opening spots, Quintin van der Westhuizen and Rikus Walters faced the new ball, but struggled with timing early on. Quintin nicked off for 14 from 19, finally giving Bruce Taylor a rare batting opportunity at number 3. Just three overs in and the rain came down again, forcing the covers back on to the field and 22 men in to the bar.

After losing another 45 minutes to the rain, the covers came off again and the game was reduced to 30 overs a side.

Bruce managed a run-a-ball 10 before being gunned LBW, brining Herman Fourie to the crease. Herman was also given out LBW for 4, exposing the middle order very early on as Claude Chantler made his way out to face the music.

Producing a solid knock of 36 from 48, Rikus was caught out after a mistimed pull shot to square leg.

Craig McNaught joined Claude at the crease to try and stabilise the innings, with Groot Drak on around 60/4 after 16 overs. Claude was seeing the ball big, and smashed 3 big sixes in his innings, bringing up a well-deserved fifty for his efforts. Craig also got stuck in, as the two put on a partnership close on 100 runs at roughly 8.5 an over – ensuring that there would be a defendable total on the board at half time.

Claude was eventually caught on the long-on boundary for a world-class 64 from 47 deliveries, bringing the ever-dangerous Tim Whitfield out to bat.

Tim got on with things immediately, bludgeoning 24 not out from just 9 balls as Craig (52* from 37) just got to his fifty just before the end of the innings.

With Groot Drak posting 218/5 from their 30 overs, the boys were fairly chuffed with their efforts, considering that we had talked about 170 likely being tough to chase, given the conditions.

A shortened lunch interval saw both teams back on the field, ready for the run chase in no time.

Morne Maritz (1/12 from 4) opened the bowling and landed a series of unplayable deliveries in his spell. Joubert Kotze opened with Morne and produced a stunning yorker with his first delivery after many months at sea, uprooting the woodwork and finding himself back on the deck.

Joubert had to be removed from the attack as he took down 4 Gullies batters for just 6 runs in a remarkable spell of quick bowling.

Having been overlooked as a bowler for the past season, Mike Devine was finally given the opportunity to land a few offies. Mike found the edge twice and was rewarded with figures of 2/11 from 4 overs.

Hugo Brink (2/21 from 4) also joined the attack and, once the radar started to work, he had two good catches taken from his bowling, seeing off the last of the Gullies batters in the 16th over – just after they had celebrated their team half century.

Despite the rather one-sided affair, everyone was just pleased that the weather had allowed a game of cricket to take place. Fines were dished out in their usual fashion as a healthy dose of left-handed beverages were consumed, while we all thoroughly enjoyed the company of our new friends from Green Point.

Good luck to the Gullies for the rest of their season and congrats to Joubert Kotze on his man of the match performance with the ball.

Match report by Craig McNaught.

Although we had never played against the Somerset College Old Boys before, we had met a few of the lads when we squared off against Elgin earlier in the season. Everyone was amped for not only some good cricket, but also the exceptional company that we knew would be on offer.

After a quick chat on the pitch, the captains agreed that Groot Drak should bat first, with some serious fire power in their top-and-middle-order.

Quintin van der Westhuizen and Rikus Walters got things underway, putting on a solid opening partnership of 64, before Quintin (45 from 29) was castled for his fifth 40-something score in a row, after bludgeoning 9 boundaries. Rikus too, fell just a few runs short of a half-century with a solid knock of 41 from 36.

Starting his innings slowly, Cassie Carstens accelerated after getting his eye in, with support from Alan Sherratt at the other end after drinks. Alan smashed a quick 40 from 20, including 3 sixes and 3 fours before finding the hands of backward square on the pull.

Next in was Claude Chantler, who could only manage 2 runs from 5 deliveries, making way for Tim Whitfield at number 6.

Cassie and Tim went after the bowling in spectacular fashion, with Cassie notching up his first 50 for Groot Drak and showing no signs of slowing down. It only took 26 more deliveries for him to convert his 50 into a century – retiring after an epic knock of 100 runs from 64 balls.

Craig McNaught (13 not out from 18) joined Tim in the middle, as Tim smashed his way to yet another half ton, bringing the Groot Drak innings to a close with a superb 63 not out from just 32 deliveries, continuing his rich vein of form.

The home side had amassed a mammoth total of 340/4 after their 35 overs.

After a short break for lunch, Johann Agenbag and Bruce Taylor opened with an unconventional pairing of seam and leg-spin bowling.

Johann (0/52 from 7) toiled hard from the top but couldn’t manage a breakthrough, while Bruce took 2 overs to find his line and length.

The College boys started exceptionally well, as Allister and Rob put on a very healthy opening stand of 60 before Allister helped himself to one too many pies, becoming Bruce’s first victim for the day.

Bruce turned one into two, picking up Andre for a duck in his next over and ending his seven over spell with 2 wickets for 37.

While the openers took a well-deserved breather after bowling their quota on the trot, relief arrived in the form of Hugo Brink and Angus Simmers as the first-change bowlers.

Struggling to control the prodigious swing, Hugo’s first three overs went for 31 runs. Angus’s ‘offies’ from the other end caused several headaches for the batters as he created a multitude of chances early on, having two simple catches dropped off his bowling. Undeterred, Gussie soldiered on and picked up 3 wickets for 35 in his 7 overs, while Hugo got the radar working and only conceded 12 more runs in 4 overs, ending with figures of 0/43.

A brilliant throw by Cassie from the boundary saw a rare run-out for Groot Drak, as the opposition slumped to 153 for 6 after 28 overs.

Craig McNaught and Claude Chantler (0/7 from 3) turned their arms over at the death, with Craig picking up 3 wickets for 11 in his four overs and having no fewer than three catches dropped in the process.

Somerset College Old Boys were bowled out for 171, but the result was neither here nor there, as the spirit on the field was, without a doubt, the winner on the day.

The incredibly-prepared pitch was honoured with a frosty beverage, having provided us with more than 500 runs. Some hard-earned fines were dished out while we thoroughly enjoyed the company of our new friends from Somerset West.

We look forward to the next time we get to share the field with this bunch, who taught us that “cricket is life”!

Match Report by Craig McNaught
Player of the match: Cassie Carstens

We hadn’t seen our friends from Somerset West in a few years, so after a quick pitch assessment, Bobby and the Oakes were offered the chance to bat, with some gloomy overhead conditions in the morning.

Hugo Brink and Stephan Krige took the new ball and bowled two very different opening spells. Stephan (0/27 from 7) had the ball on a string, landing it in a good area and beating the bat delivery after delivery – this meant that he would bowl his entire quota of overs on the trot. From the other end, Hugo struggled to control the prodigious movement in the air, which saw him leak multiple wides before being given a rest.

Craig McNaught (1/11 from 4) managed to take the first wicket and kept the batters reasonably quiet, before making way for Tim Whitfield, joined by Bruce Taylor.

Tim (2/9 from 2) and Bruce (3/7 from 3) bowled ridiculously well, with Bruce nabbing 3 wickets in his first over, which should have been 4 had it not been for a simple dropped chance at short fine leg. Tim was also dropped by the same fielder, this time at first slip. With the Oakes struggling at 69 for 6, Johann ‘No Hands, No Man’ Agenbag (2/20 from 4) joined the attack and picked up two well-deserved wickets with his left arm seamers.

Hugo returned for a second spell and got wickets in each of his 2 overs, ending up with figures of 2 for 32 from 5, while Herman Fourie (0/28 from 4) bowled leggies from the other and created a few half-chances before the visitors were bowled out for 137 in 29 overs.

After a quick lunch break, the Groot Drak boys were feeling confident, with the middle-and-lower order batsmen tucking in to the bar offerings early on, knowing that Quintin van der Westhuizen and Rikus Walters were opening the batting.

Quintin and Rikus dealt almost exclusively in boundaries and had the fielders collecting balls from parts of the ground that hadn’t been explored since the late 70s. Spectators would have been excused for thinking that Drak were chasing 400, with the scoring rate red-lining at around 14 runs an over.

Quintin smashed 41 from just 20 deliveries before being dismissed, making way for youngster, Joubert van Zyl.

Joubert obviously also liked the look of the bowling and got off the mark with a boundary and continued to be ruthless with anything near to the slot. Joubert departed for a quick-fire 33 from 19 balls and brought Bruce Taylor to the crease at number 4.

Unfortunately Bruce didn’t get to face a delivery as Rikus got himself to 48* from 29 balls, securing a mammoth 8 wicket victory for Groot Drak in just the 11th over.

Fines were justifiably severe, with both sides having plenty of performances to reward and reprimand. At the end of the day it wasn’t the closest game, but always a pleasure to host the lads from Somerset Oakes and we wish them well for the remainder of the season.

Match report by Craig McNaught