Ken Borland

It was an emotional four days at SuperSport Park in Centurion for former Proteas fast bowler Fanie de Villiers as he watched the son of his late former new-ball partner at the same ground make his Test debut for South Africa against Pakistan, but it also got him thinking about Corbin Bosch’s surprisingly mediocre first-class record.

Bosch made a sensational Test debut in the first Test against Pakistan with a great all-round showing. He took a wicket with his first ball, on his way to fine figures of four for 63. He then counter-attacked smartly with the bat, coming in at 191 for seven and refusing to be pinned down despite being under massive pressure in difficult conditions for batting. His 81 not out at number nine was a terrific innings and hugely significant in the thrilling outcome of the match as it made up the bulk of the Proteas’ 90-run first-innings lead.

But while the 30-year-old was continuing his outstanding recent form with the bat, taking his first-class average this season to 96, he was primarily chosen for his fast bowling. And Bosch came into the game with a first-class record of 72 wickets in 34 matches at a humdrum average of 36.75. He had only taken one five-wicket haul in his career.

Father Tertius, who passed away in perplexing circumstances at the age of just 33 in 2000, shared the new ball between 1987/88 and 1993/94 with De Villiers for the Northerns cricket team that was based at SuperSport Park. Bosch senior claimed 210 wickets in 68 first-class matches at an average of 27.56. His pace and aggression was enough to earn him a place in South Africa’s 1992 World Cup squad and their first Test since isolation, in the West Indies that April.

While De Villiers was two years older than Bosch, he only made his Test debut in December 1993, on the tour to Australia in which he famously bowled them to victory in Sydney by five runs, defending just 116, with six for 43 in the second innings and 10 wickets in the match.

“It was absolutely emotional to watch Tertius’ son make his Test debut, and it was a privilege to be able to commentate on the same day,” De Villiers told SportsBoom.com. “Most people thought the younger brother Eathan had surpassed Corbin and was more likely to be selected for the national team, but Corbin really used his opportunity.

“I was surprised that every ball he bowled was over 140km/h. He must have developed a lot over the last couple of years, judging by his first-class average. It suggests he did not have the best help in his early career. And it also shows that he has not played a lot of first-class cricket.

“That’s the biggest problem with our young bowlers, because then it is difficult for them to develop properly. In most white-ball cricket, bowlers are looking to slant the ball into the batsman so you don’t give away too many runs, while you want to take it away from the bat in Test cricket. So it’s like having to detox when you play with the red ball, you have to change those muscle memories,” De Villiers said.

Before December 2024, Bosch must have looked at international cricket from afar, perhaps wondering if his chance to emulate his father had gone. But a host of injuries to South Africa’s fast bowlers, his all-round ability, improved first-class performances and Proteas coach Shukri Conrad’s desire for real pace on the Highveld, combined to make his dreams come true.

Bosch is averaging 22.60 with the ball this season, but in the three seasons before that, he only played 11 first-class matches.

The 26-year-old Eathan Bosch has already taken 100 first-class wickets in 40 matches at an average of 26.94.

The death of Tertius Bosch when Corbin was just five and Eathan was not yet two-years-old would obviously have had a massive impact on his sons, made worse by the fact there were clouds of suspicion that the wife may have poisoned the husband.

“When I think of what I put into my boys in anticipation of them being cricketers, it’s amazing what Corbin and Eathan have achieved,” De Villiers said. “They never had a father, so to make it is incredible and they are both such good cricketers.

“I feel it is so important for someone to create that dream world for children, which Tertius would have created for his sons. You look at Ray Jennings [Keaton], Kepler Wessels [Riki] and Jimmy Cook [Stephen], their sons have all succeeded in cricket with long careers. People like Hylton and H.D. Ackerman and Trevor and Mike Madsen for Wayne too.

“It’s wonderful to be able to phone and congratulate them. It’s just such a pity that I couldn’t phone Tertius. But when there is no dad around, then you need a special teacher or coach to give the kid a chance. And because they lost their dad, Eathan and Corbin are big supporters of each other, and you could tell the pride of Eathan was massive on the side of the field.”

Interestingly, De Villiers said the styles of fast bowling employed by the two sons are very different to how Tertius Bosch used to bowl.

“Corbin has broad shoulders and a completely different action to Tertius, who had a massive whiplash effect. From a three metre run-up, he was still special, like Sylvester Clarke, Jofra Archer or Marchant de Lange, Tertius could still bowl at the speed of light.

“Guys like myself and the Bosch sons, we need a full run-up because we rely on momentum. Tertius played action [indoor]cricket and was the fastest in the country in that sport, he could break your ribs. He was the same sort of bowler as Sylvester Clarke, but quicker than him when they were both at Northerns,” De Villiers said.

South Africa’s two most iconic courses hosted their big events in December and winning scores of just five-under-par at Sun City and 13-under-par at Leopard Creek showed that they were excellent tests for the outstanding fields and the many international golfers included in them.

Johannes Veerman, an American who has campaigned mostly on the DP World Tour, prevailed in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Gary Player Country Club with an inspired 69 on the gruelling final day.

There was no respite from the searing heat and tough layouts the following week in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, with Shaun Norris also coming through the field, overcoming a six-shot deficit with a 67.

At Sun City, the prestige field had to contend with temperatures that reached 46° as well as the usual treacherous, shifting winds and nefarious pin-placements in the nooks of the clover-shaped greens. The heat was turned up even further in Malelane as a startling temperature of 50° was recorded on the second day, with irregular winds adding to the torment.

Romain Langasque tied for second in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, finishing one stroke behind Veerman after rounds of 70-70-73-71, and the fact that he was pretty chuffed to shoot around par indicated just how tough the conditions were.

“To shoot 70 is actually a very good score. If you shoot under-par here, you have played very well. The course plays very tough mostly because of the wind, which is constantly going anywhere, blowing one way and then completely the other direction. If you are just off the fairway, then it is very difficult to hit the green. You have to stay very patient, take a decision and see where the ball goes.

“The greens get firmer and firmer and it seems to just get tougher and tougher. Sometimes you will land in a very bad place, but that happens to everybody. Your attitude is so important,” Langasque said.

But the Frenchman also spoke about how wonderful the whole Sun City experience was.

“I’ve had good results in South Africa. But it’s not just about the golf, it’s the people too. There’s good food and a good hotel, the hospitality is something I really enjoy. So it’s a good week here, the course is always so unbelievable, but tough,” Langasque said.

Fit-again American star Will Zalatoris was delighted to finally make his Nedbank Golf Challenge debut, having first accepted an invite for the 2022 event but then getting injured. The 28-year-old spoke glowingly about the history of the tournament and how special walking on to the ninth green was with the plaques honouring all the previous winners decorating the pathway.

“I stay up late at night at home and watch this tournament, I’ve been doing it for a decade. So it’s special to play here for the first time, I was really upset to miss out previously because of my back surgery, it’s a tournament I’ve had circled on the calendar for a while.

“It’s Africa’s Major and the 18^th hole is the real deal with an awesome vibe all week, and I think it’s the toughest hole on the course. And the history of the tournament is special, you see all the past champions on the ninth green – that hole is my favourite – and that’s a really strong list with a lot of Hall-of-Famers,” Zalatoris said.

‘Stick to the fairways’ was also the mantra at Leopard Creek, according to Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult, who had to settle for a tie for second after shooting 74 on the last day.

“I enjoy playing this golf course and look forward to the challenge. I like what I see, most holes suit my eye, but some are very tough as well. It’s quite similar to Sun City in that you have to be on top of your game. There’s nowhere to hide, which is what I like, but some Leopard Creek holes do give you more of a margin for error.

“But there’s no way to bail out, you have to take on every shot. The greens are also slopey and they can tuck the pins like at Gary Player Country Club. It was tough out there, the wind was gusty and the temperature is more than 40°.

“But it’s a great course, it’s my first time here and I am really impressed. It’s even more important here to drive well, you’ve got to hit the ball straight, in the fairways, and then you can attack some pins, you expect some to be tucked; be in good positions in order to attack or even just to hit to the fat side of the green,” Kinhult said.

But a few extra minutes spent at the 13^th green, overlooking the Crocodile River and the Kruger National Park, is enough to convince anyone that it will all be okay.

“It’s an amazing course, I’ve never played anywhere with a national park right on their doorstep. The 13^th green is something else with its hippos and crocs. We’re very lucky to get to play here.

“I’m a massive animals fan and there is wildlife everywhere in the park. We were able to see elephant, lion and leopard. We only get a pigeon and a crow at home!,” a delighted Alex Fitzpatrick said.

A new Omoda C5 will set you back around half a million rand given the futuristic brilliance of this crossover vehicle, so it is a measure of the esteem in which the Hornbill Classic is held that this super-hybrid car was provided by the Mbombela branch of this Chinese automobile manufacturer as a hole-in-one prize.

Omoda Jaecoo Mbombela were the main sponsors of the two-day tournament at Kruger Park Lodge by Legacy Hotels and Resorts that was played for the 29^th time. The Omoda C5, full of new technological developments, was the prize for a hole-in-one on the long and challenging 194m par-three fifth hole, that has a threatening water hazard lurking on the left of the green.

While Team Wouter (Wouter du Toit, Piet Taljard, Paul Lombard & Zak Oosthuizen) claimed overall honours in the Hornbill Classic four-ball alliance, the hole-in-one prize was unfortunately not won. Oosthuizen came close to a hole-in-one, but on the par-three 16^th hole with its 150m carry over water on to a wide but shallow green.

Nico Grobler, the Omoda Jaecoo Nelspruit sales manager who also took part in the tournament, took the disappointment of not being able to give away the modern and sporty looking vehicle with good civillity.

“It would have been awesome if the car had been won, but it was nice to see all the people smiling at the hole and also chatting with us on the first, where we had a station too. Everyone heard about the prize and we’ve felt the support back already.

“There were so many brands involved in the Hornbill Classic, not just us. The tournament is about people, it’s about the community and we are part of that. It was about different communities working together and feeling at home.

“I was introduced to the Hornbill Classic by my dealer principal and it is one of the most up-and-coming events in the Lowveld. It is very nice to be part of something like this and the Omoda is a very good value-for-money vehicle, one of Chery’s upper range crossovers,” Grobler said.

Reeza Hendricks will not be based at his beloved DP World Wanderers Stadium for the SA20 tournament that starts on January 9, but that’s not to say the Lions star is not looking forward to the event.

Hendricks has been an ever-present in the Joburg Super Kings line-up in the first two seasons of the SA20, but was released this year. That was not the setback it seemed, however, as the 35-year-old fetched the highest bid at the auction for the 2025 edition, netting R4.3 million from MI Cape Town.

He will be joining fellow DP World Lions stars Kagiso Rabada, Connor Esterhuizen, Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen and Delano Potgieter at MI Cape Town. And Hashim Amla, the vastly-respected batting coach for the Central Gautengers, is also with the Newlands-based T20 franchise.

It’s not for nothing that there is such a concentration of #ThePrideOfJozi that has been signed by head coach Robin Peterson. The DP World Lions are the back-to-back domestic T20 champions and Hendricks has starred in both winning campaigns.

In 2023/24, he was the third-highest run-scorer with 440 at 36.66 and a strike-rate of 140.12, with four half-centuries. In this season’s triumph, he was again in the top-10 run-scorers with 194 at 38.80 and a strike-rate of 135.66, with two fifties.

Given that he has been starring on the domestic T20 stage since 2010/11, it is not a surprise that Hendricks this season broke former Knights team-mate Morne van Wyk’s record for the most domestic T20 career runs.

Van Wyk held the record with 3183 runs in 113 innings, averaging 31.83 at a strike-rate of 124. Hendricks went past that tally in the final against the Titans and has scored 3184 runs at an average of 36.18 and a strike-rate of 125.35.

And it’s not just the DP World Lions that Hendricks has been shining for: He has been one of the premier T20  batsmen in international T20 cricket, scoring 1222 runs for the Proteas in the last three years, at an average of 33.94 and a strike-rate of 141.92.

“I’ve had a good run, although I had a bit of a slump in the World Cup. But I made a few runs since then and hopefully I’m close to my best again and the runs keep coming. A little slump like that is not uncommon in your career, but hopefully I’m out of it now,” Hendricks said.

“It’s a part of the game and you just need to accept it and move on. Conditions were quite challenging at the World Cup and it wasn’t anything to do with technique. It was just a time I had to go through, although it continued longer than I would have liked.

“It’s nice to win trophies and be the highest run-scorer ever in the competition. Milestones are a part of it, it’s quite an achievement to have most runs ever, but a winning team and culture is more important.

“The record tells you that I’ve been around for a while and I just try to keep my batting as simple as possible, I formulate plans that work for me. Hopefully they continue to work going forward.”

Even a move away from the DP World Wanderers Stadium for the SA20 is okay with the typically phlegmatic Hendricks.

“I still feel good and I will keep playing for as long as I can, as long as I still have the desire, the passion is still there and I’m still scoring runs. I just try and keep my standards and keep building on my game. I like to think my game is still evolving and now I have a new coach to work with [Peterson] in January,” he said.

The DP World Lions are well-represented throughout the SA20 with 13 players in all taking part in the six-team franchise competition. The other Western Cape side, the Paarl Royals, also have a clutch of #ThePrideOfJozi with Nqaba Peter, Mitchell van Buuren, Codi Yusuf, Bjorn Fortuin and Kwena Maphaka chosen for Trevor Penney’s side.

All-rounders Wiaan Mulder and Evan Jones will turn out for the Durban Super Giants and Joburg Super Kings respectively.