A short while back I blogged about how jacked up Kingswood were with their preseason rugby preparations. In spite of every one of the rugby players in their 1st XV squad being a dual sportsman, the little Grahamstown co-ed private school had managed to organise their 1st XV squad well ahead of other bigger high schools from the Eastern Cape. Now much closer to the start of the rugby season well laid plans are slightly derailed.
This week one has to spare a thought for Kingswood rugby head coach Gareth Shaw. Kingswood 1st XI cricket is on a hot streak at the moment and this outstanding form has seen them qualify for the Coca Cola T20 finals to be held at the University of Pretoria from 14-16 March 2014. As a result four rugby players Michael Braans, Cameron Hertz, Ryan Victor and Josh Shelley will not be available to train with the rugby squad until after the completion of their cricket commitments over the weekend. It’s a great cricketing achievement by the college but definitely a setback for their rugby preparations.
Kingswood’s rugby season kicks off with a tough game against Queen’s College at the Graeme College Rugby Day on Friday 21 March 2014. By then Queen’s would already have had a game at Border Rugby Day under the belt.
Coca Cola T20 progress to the finals at the University of Pretoria, 14-16 March 2014
| Province | Champions | Finalists | Franchise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP | Kingswood | Kingwood | Warriors | |
| Border | Selborne | |||
| KZN Coastal | Westville | Westville | Dolphins | |
| KZN Inland | Hilton | |||
| WP | Wynberg | Wynberg | Cobras | |
| Boland | Paul Roos | |||
| Free State | Grey College | Grey College | Knights | |
| Griquas | Noord-Kaap | |||
| Gauteng | St Stithians | St Stithians | Lions | |
| North West | Potch Gim | |||
| Northerns | Waterkloof | Waterkloof or EG Jansen | Titans | |
| Easterns | EG Jansen |
Thanks Woltrui. Dahm but thanks in any case
@jakes: Jakes I dont want to piepie on your battery but Jansies is not going to the T20 finals. Waterkloof won them and Klofies is through to the finals
@BOG: And I love you too.
@beet: Just expressing my natural affection for the old gentleman. He gets lonely in the OAH among the old ladies. Dont forget the jersey for my FS ally- slightly darker than your own. I have not heard if all the matches are taking place this weekend, two years ago, it was said that the Valies are so tough that they would play (rugby) in a swimming pool. Lets see.
@star: I wanted to say GO WESTVILLE but in any case go Westville may the right team be victorious.
Tip on how Westville must approach the game. Be in their faces with hard aggressive rugby, a stolen “push” or two is all fair and acceptable. You will find that this disrupts their normal behavior on field and then you simple walk over them, physically and mentally. But be warned their spectators will revert to tantrums and verbal abuse. Like Bog said we have history to proof this.
Go Westville
@ Beet- aren’t you reminded of the movie” Grumpy Old Men”
@jakes: Jakes, EG will have a much more difficult year than in 2013. Opposition stronger, EG team, maybe not so strong.
You will see some real talent in that team, but maybe not as well balanced as in 2013.
Tomorrow will be interesting. Vereeniging Gim is a much improved team and 2013 this was a very tough game.
@BOG: @Tjoppa:
Trust Tjoppa and BOG to come up with these comments
@star: Yeah you guys have a big derby this weekend, so I am sure your boys did did not mind as much but as I said the parents were all a little sadder…lol!!!!
@Tjoppa: If a persons language skills are not up to standard, it does not mean that he is stupid. I merely quoted what he said in his book. The golden rule is that if you are offended by silly answers, dont ask silly questions.
Go EG Jansen!!! Seeing that nobody mentions you!! Yes that school from the Easterns region.Show the rest up here that it can be done.It reminds me of the national sevens tournament last year. Nobody uttered a word about the Falcons team, and their they won the tournament!! And the silence was golden afterwards..
@ kcman@Pinotage- so all our boys were to play in the Nationals. We will have a bit of fun when it comes back on track. Cancelling flights and accommodation was not much fun but you are right boys bounce back with great aplomb especially with a game of rugby against the old enemy on Saturday.
@Pinotage: Yes my son was totally gutted as well when they received the news but a large entourage of parents and supporters were even more gutted by the news.
At least I get to watch my son play is first game for the First XV this weekend, so all was not lost.
@BOG: So implying Allan Donald was/is stupid?
@Tjoppa: They might discriminate against Afrikaners like you, but not BECAUSE they are Afikaners, but because they are intellectually incapacitated.
@BOG: So is it public knowledge that GCB discriminate against white Afrikaners?????
@Veg: Despite the result, thank you. In his book, White Lightening, AD still rated GCB s refusal to admit him to the secondary school, as one of his biggest disappointments. One of the reasons given, according to him, was that his English was not up to standard. He has since married a British woman and did commentary for Sky Sport. AD of course, rated Johan Goosen as a 14 yr old bowler as the quickest U 14 he has seen. Hansie led the CW side (No 8) in 1987. That side produced 5 Springboks (as did the 81 side) but Im sure he played for the First XI for at least 3 years before that? As far as I know, the first clash between GCB and Saints took place in 1884, but Im not sure if it was cricket or rugby. Another well known OG boy, was Hayward Kidson- not as a player but an an umpire. He officiated the series Aust vs SA in the 69/70 series. He did a lot for cricket on the platteland. He came from Springfontein and he wrote a very good (and thick ) book on cricket, which I bought in the UK
BOG.Must say Grey can take a lot of credit for the spread of cricket in the Free State and the Afrikaans community as a whole.Firstly you chased Alan Donald away to HTS ( nowadays HTS Louis Botha) so that got them taking their cricket a bit more seriously.A lot of my older school friends were rather miff with Grey for this as they played 3XI cricket and had to play HTS 1st XI and face Alan Donald on a mat.Then the outstanding crop of players they had in 1980s who started to make waves not only in the Free State but nationally. The chief one being Hansie Cronje.Played against him U11,U13 and U15 but while he obviously went on to play 1st XI I never got higher than the 2nd XI.People tend to forget that he was also a darn good rugby player.
This doesn’t happen to often so will brag a little bit.
See that Saints beat Grey at cricket the other day.
Sport Update – Senior Cricket 1st team
SAS vs Grey College
Grey 251 all out, Lyle Heilbron 5/56, Sean Whitehead 3/93.
Saints 254/6, Koot Pienaar 126, Michael Stannard 43.
Result = SAS won by 4 wickets.
Sport Update – Senior Cricket Colts u15A
SAS Colts vs Grey College
Colts 107 all out in 36 overs, R Smith 26, C Flannegan 25.
Grey 100 all out in 47, M Walsh 4/12 in 10, G Spano 3/16 in 5.
Result = SAS Colts won by 7 runs.
@star: My son was gutted for about an hour after the news of the cancellation broke. Then he heard he will be playing Rugby on Saturday, and the smile was back!
The 20/20 has been postponed for bad weather.
@Andre T: Aiden Markram se storie is een van vasbyt en voete op die aarde. Hoe loop jnr se gholf?
@BoishaaiPa: Die prima donnas se houding haal hulle gewoonlik in. Ek het n tyd gelede krieket gekyk in Bloem. Een van die seuns wat uiters talentvol is, se opgeblase wingat houding het selfs sy eie spanmaats sigbaar ontstel. Op die lange duur, sal die prima donna uitgesorteer word. Vra vir Christoff Becker
@BoishaaiPa: Dankie BHP, het gewonder wat van hom geword het. Hy het ‘n paar wedstryde vir die Titans gespeel en daarna verdwyn. Was in die Laeveld bekend, buiten vir sy natuurlike talent, as n verskriklike harde werker. Sou voor en na vasgestelde oefentye ure op sy eie oefen.
@Woltrui: Pieter Malan speel nou hier klubkrieket vir Durbanville Klub…Hy speel ook vir WP Amateurspan…Bietjie van n prima-donna soos ek maar deur die krieket grapevine hoor…
@Andre T: Andre T ek dink jy verwys na Janneman Malan. Kom van die Laeveld-reeds ‘n honderdtal as O/11 laaitie vir Laerskool Nelspruit geslaan. Sy ouboet, Pieter Malan, het as graad 9 laaitie na Waterkloof gekom en het ‘n kontrak by die Titans gehad(weet nie of hy steeds hier is). Die Malan boeties-3 van hulle- het die wereld warm gemaak vir die oposisie spanne hier in Petoors die afgelope paar jare. Hulle is soos die Massyn’tjies van Monnas-net as jy dink hulle is klaar met skool duik daar nog n boetie op om die pas aan te gee.
Is the captain of the SA u/19 cricket team related to Robert Markram?
@Woltrui: Ons (Monnas) het as o/15’s teen hierdie jaar se eerstes in 2011 in die semi’s gespeel en ek dink hulle het iets soos 400 gemaak in 50 beurte. Daar was n openingskolwer wat blykbaar sy 3de agtereenvolgende 200 tal daai dag gemaak het. Dit was nogal skrikwekkend.
Met nou die dag se wedstryd tussen Affies en Kloof, het die Klofies nie weer Affies mure omgeskop nie? Seker nie ne, hulle het mos gewen.
@Grasshopper: So would you say the same for 7’s rugby ? A different format of the game that suits a different type of player.
Hell, I guess we could say 100 Metre sprints are also a waste of time – ultra marathons the only “real” test for a runner.
@ Grassy- when your kids start playing sport then even “the baseball champs” will become the preferred choice. But to show my commitment to the cause even though my son is playing in said champs I will be supporting the Griffon as he circles the locust.
@BOG: Hence this initiative. Great learning experience for the boys.
http://webcricket.co.za/stats/M1M1007Mar14
@Grasshopper: Lets be very honest. If you are talking REAL cricket, then its the 4,5 day/ 2 innings aside game.We have been CONDITIONED to believe that the 50 over game is the real thing, but its NOT. Age may have something to do with it. In my youth, there was nothing like limited overs. You grew up with it and regard it as normal. Regrettably, another generation is now growing up with T 20 and will too, think its normal. Believe it or not, you are getting old too.
@Grasshopper: Lets be very honest. If you are talking REAL cricket, then its the 4,5 day/ 2 innings aside game.We have been CONDITIONED to believe that the 50 over game is the real thing, but its NOT. Age may have something to do with it. In my youth, there was nothing like limited overs. You grew up with it and regard it as normal. Regrettably, another generation is now growing up with T 20 and will too, think its normal. Believe it or not, you are getting old.
Enjoy the baseball champs, I’ll be watching a proper game at Westville on Sat :-)
@star: Wynberg represented Cobras in 2010, 2011 and now in 2014 so they are also appearing for the 3rd time.
@Pinotage: Ja, dankie, ek het so verneem. Tot redelik onlangs, was dit maar net GCB en Saints wat krieket gespeel het in Bloem. Om opposisie te kry vir die spanne was maar n uitdaging rnaar as ek reg onthou, was die eerste wedstryd tussen GCB en Saints in 1884 (of was dit rugby?) Mnre D&L was ongereelde besoekers aan Bloem, maar dit kom voor asof hulle nou permanent daar woon.Ons hoop maar die weer hou in Pretoria- ek verneem dit reen katte en honde
@BOG: GCB het n baie goedgebalanseerde krieketspan wat in beide T20 en die langer formaat , goed gevaar het.
Interessant dat die Vrystaatfinaal T20 finaliste,Grey1 en Grey 2 was. Dis nou nadat Grey 2 vir St Andrews uitgeskakel het( met so n bietjie hulp van Mnre Duckworth en Lewis)
Grey1 kan dalk net verras die naweek!!
@Gungets Tuft: yep, will be watching out for them. Glenwood too have some stars coming through…
@Grasshopper: Young indeed. 2 grade 9 (both played last year as grade 8’s though), couple of grade 10, lots of grade 11. Got some future stars in there, watch the names Small, Tullis, Hope. Wiffen doing nicely, as is Dicks.
http://webcricket.co.za/stats/M1M1007Mar14#scorecard
@Gungets Tuft: yep, the Glenwood & College sides are young so a bit erratic, one day blowing a side off the park to another where they collapse in a heap. We did miss Andile in a few of these games though. I played a 3 day game once at school, we learnt a ton….patience, strategy, bowler rotation etc
@Grasshopper: College also beat Westville and had Hilton on the ropes, Hilton closed up shop with a couple of wickets in hand and about 12 overs to go. Beat Michaelhouse this weekend in a 2 1/2 day game, real taste of “test” cricket. I think it is a fantastic thing, teaches the boys a bundle about real cricket.
@Grasshopper: I would generally agree with you, but I was surprized that the 3 top “ranked” teams, where 50 over results are used, are in the finals.
Who really cares about this baseball. I loved Mike Holdings comments at the end of the 3rd test, can we cancel the T20’s for another test. Real cricket is played at 50 overs and above. Glenwood dismantled Westville at Westville this season, also did the same to College. They did lose to Hilton though, which would indicate they are decent at proper cricket. T20 is about as good as indoor cricket, complete waste of time..
@Woltrui: GCB is no 3. PE is at 5, I think.@star: I think Noordkaap has done that. As I said, this is not quite cricket, but its the first time in several years that GCB have beaten them, yet it is generally accepted that GCB have the better cricket team. The fewer the overs, the better chance the weaker side has. One lucky knock can change the whole complexion of the game, either way.
@ Woltrui- Yes I believe the facilities are fantastic at the HPC. My son must not get any ideas
I just hope the weather plays ball as the boys are also going to the SA/Aus game at SSP on Friday evening. This is actually Westville’s 3rd appearance in a row which is a KZN record.I wonder if any other school has achieved the same for their franchise.
@star: You should come visit the beautiful city of Snorretoria Star. It is going to be a cracker of a tournament! University of Pretoria’s cricket facilities would also be a nice experience for the kids.
@ Woltrui- that is why I am sending the wife up to support the boy while I bunker down against the Green machine. :
@BOG: Naw, Affies lost against Kloof. That in it self should make the other teams afraid of Kloofies
Is Grey Bloem of Grey PE the no3 school on the schoolboy cricket rankings??
Did Affies withdraw? Although Im not a big fan of this concoction, Im surprized to see that its close to the current cricket ranking, which puts Kloof at 1, St Stithians 2 and Grey at 3. Lets see what happens. From what I hear, they need to take with them, wet suits and goggles to Tshwane.
@Dale College Per Ardua Ad Astra: Jee wizkers sir, you couldn’t have chosen a longer name? We Rockspider are having difficulty with the English. Now you are hitting us with Latin as well? Any way, if “per ardua ad astra” is a swear word-same back to you
All the best to Kingswood. Me think Kloofies, That is WATERKLOOF, to all the foreigners outside the Noordvaal, is going to eat the foreigners like pap en boere wors (that is snoek en brood to our mountain goat bloggers)
This is BIG news!!! Surprised it didn’t make the herald to be honest! Just kidding, well done KC on winning the Warriors T20 tourney and goodluck for nationals!
Not ideal from a rugby perspective but nonetheless proud of the boys for making it to the finals!