It was with absolute glee that we welcomed the Forty Club back to Groot Drak during their umpteenth tour of South Africa. We have not had international teams visit us in almost three years, so the excitement leading up to the fixture was pulpable… until the rain arrived. It’s not terribly often that we have heavy rains during the summer, but it bucketed down on Tuesday the 24th of January. Fortunately, the skies cleared at around midday and we were able to get underway shortly thereafter.

The visitors, in keeping with tradition, were asked to bat first and got off to a positive start. Bowling down the hill, Colin Myburgh kept things very tidy, leaking just 15 runs from his five overs and picking up the first wicket of the game in the process.

Claude Chantler, from the other end, was in a very generous mood, gifting the Forties 55 runs in his 5 over allotment. Going at better than a run-a-ball, Chris Turner retired on 50 after a proper opener’s knock at the top of the innings.

The medium pacers, Craig McNaught (0/6 from 3) and PC Blom took the first change duties and bowled a pretty neat line and length to keep the batsmen quiet. At drinks, the visitors were 93/1 and looking set to kick on.

Clearly energized by the drinks break, PC (2/30 from 7) came back to knock over Ian Rippengal (11 from 21) and Howard Johnson (20 from 23) as they were getting set.

Spin was reintroduced in the form of Alan Sherratt (2/20 from 6), Quintin van der Westhuizen (3/19 from 5) and Adam Cloete (1/30 from 4). The Forty Club’s middle order struggled against the wily bowlers and had an almighty collapse, with batters 5 to 10 only managing 21 runs between them. Some sharp catches from Quintin and Colin saw the visitors at around 140/8 after 30 overs.

Chris Turner returned to the crease with a few overs to go, adding another 17 runs to his already impressive tally. At the end of the innings, the target set was 180 from 35 overs.

After a quick lunch break and the traditional flag salute, the teams were ready to switch roles and head back out on to the field for the run chase.

Having not had the chance to turn his arm over, Liam Carruthers opened the batting with Jonathan Boulton. The two went about their work in contrasting fashions; Liam with aggression and Jono with prudence. While smashing a straight drive down the ground, Liam forced a premature drinks break by striking the standing umpire in the arm and sending him to the hospital for some much-needed attention. Some very tight bowling saw Groot Drak under immense pressure, around 25 runs behind at the interval.

Jono (15 from 51) was the first wicket to fall, being caught at long off, while Liam marched to a well-deserved half century. The youngster retired on 51 from 51 balls, having bludgeoned half a dozen fours and a six during his innings.

Reveling in the opportunity to have a bat in the top 3, Tim Whitfield wasted no time in getting stuck in to the bowling. Rob Frater joined him at the crease and managed just the 5 runs before holing out at mid-wicket.

Alan Sherratt came to the crease and put on a 76 run partnership with Tim Whitfield, edging Groot Drak ahead for the first time in the match.
Alan was eventually dismissed for a blistering 38 from 22, with Tim hot on his heals, retiring on 50 from 34 deliveries.

Craig McNaught and Adam Cloete were both unceremoniously dismissed for ducks, leaving PC Blom (6* from 9) and Colin Myburgh (8* from 5) to finish off the run chase.

Although Groot Drak secured a 5 wicket victory, the result was never a certainty until right near the end.

After the match, both teams gathered on the pitch to enjoy a refreshment and were regaled by Richard von Hoesslin’s legendary recollections of the incredibly rich and vast history of the club and its members.

After a swift fines meeting, everyone donned their eveningwear to enjoy a fabulous dinner, supported by some delicious local wines from Cilmor and Frater Family Wines – many thanks to Rob and Quintin for their generosity!

We wish the Forty Club all the best for the remainder of their SA tour and we look forward to welcoming them back soon!

Scorecard: Groot Drak vs Forty Club – 24 Jan 2023

It’s never a dull affair when we are visited by our friends the Spin Doctors. After winning the toss, it was not with a great deal of confidence that Groot Drak elected to bat first.

In just the 7th ball of the day, Rikus Walters managed to nick off down the leg side to earn himself his first Golden Duck for Drak. Joined by Ian Nel, Quintin van der Westhuizen was just getting started. The two looked good before Ian was caught out on a well-played 28 from 29 deliveries.

Craig McNaught (10 from 11), Claude Chantler (6 from 5), Colin Myburgh (4 from 11) and Zak Barnard (5 from 12) couldn’t contribute significant runs and put the home team in some serious trouble early on.

Fortunately, Quintin was seeing it like a beach ball as Jono Boulton stood resolutely by his side and refused to offer up any chances. Quintin smashed his way to 50 and then, what felt like moments later, found himself on 100 not out with several overs still to go. Groot Drak were back on track for a respectable total.

Jono (25 from 42 not out) and Quintin carried on their merry way until the last over. With just one ball left in the innings, Quintin was on 148, needing two runs for the almost unthinkable individual score of 150 in a 35 over game. Calm as a Hindu cow, Quintin guided the ball past the keeper to the boundary, bringing up his ton-and-a-half in emphatic fashion. Quintin carried his bat, remaining unbeaten on 152* from just 98 balls. Thanks largely to his efforts, Groot Drak posted exactly 250 runs.

Having not had a chance to bat, the young and energetic Liam Carruthers made his welcome return to Groot Drak by opening the bowling with Colin Myburgh. Colin took three wickets for 21 runs and had to be removed from the attack after only 3 overs. Liam from the other end posted returns of 1 for 22 in his 4 over spell. A run out from Claude Chantler saw the Doctors struggling on 29 for 5 after 6 overs.

The plan to bring on Bruce Taylor to donate a few runs backfired in spectacular fashion. Bruce conceded just 13 runs in his 7 over spell, at an economy rate of 1.8, while nabbing two wickets in the process. From the other end, Hugo Brink had a few GPS-related issues and tested Jono Boulton’s agility behind the stumps. Nevertheless, his efforts earned him two wickets for 42 runs in his full quota of overs, including the wicket of Kurt (35 runs), who was offering some staunch resistance in the latter overs.

Wanting to get Rikus Walters involved in the action, he was tossed the ball in an attempt to wrap up the last wicket. A long hop above the wickets was the eventual demise of ‘Judge’, who smashed his own stumps out of the ground to end the game. Spin Doctors were bowled out for 95.

The result was soon forgotten as both teams assembled outside the clubhouse on a perfect summer evening in the winelands. A few well-deserved beverages were dished out before the Doctors headed back home. Thanks to Rodney and the lads for a hugely enjoyable day!

Man of the match: Quintin van der Westhuizen