Ken Borland

Cricket may be the archetypal English sport, but there is a long history of it being played in Pretoria and one of the earliest mentions of the game in the city was in August 1874 when a Volksraad meeting was interrupted by Jim Nobel, President Burgers’ secretary, slogging a ball through the window of the chamber and narrowly missing the Speaker.

Those early Landvaders almost decided to ban cricket from the city square, but President Burgers and the attorney-general were both lovers of the game and the sport was given a reprieve.

Those pioneering Pretoria cricketers moved to a cattle compound on Widow Hoffman’s farm, in what is now Fountains Valley, in 1882 and their ground became known as Berea Park, where several Pretoria v Potchefstroom matches were held.

There was already a black cricket club playing in Elandsfontein, the Diggers, in 1898 and by 1937 there were more than 50 black clubs spread between Randfontein and Nigel.

Those were the days of the Transvaal Republic and the best cricketers from the Pretoria region would play for Transvaal, until 1937 when North-Eastern Transvaal was included in South African domestic cricket in its own right.

North-Eastern Transvaal’s first first-class match was played in December 1937, in the 25^th edition of the Currie Cup, as they took on Western Province at Berea Park. Lennox Brown, who played in two Tests for South Africa in 1931/32, took five for 54 and William Lance, the father of Tiger, claimed three for 19 as the inexperienced home side limited the powerful Capetonians to just a 10-run first-innings lead.

Brown then top-scored with 42 in the North-Eastern Transvaal second innings, but the debutants ultimately went down by just three wickets.

North-Eastern Transvaal also often played in Benoni, at the same Willowmoore Park ground that has become a Titans stronghold in the present day, but they were considered a second division team and only played in the A Section of the Currie Cup again in 1960/61 and 1967/68.

In 1971, the North-Eastern Transvaal Cricket Union became the Northern Transvaal Cricket Union, and in 1979/80 they returned to the A Division.

But with all the socio-economic problems in South Africa and Berea Park now being nearly a hundred years old, Northerns cricket remained a hospital case and they needed a doctor to steer them into the bright future they now enjoy.

That doctor was chemical engineer Willie Basson and as chairman of the NTCU he began chasing what he would later describe as “a ridiculous dream” in 1981/82 when the search for a new home for the union began.

It was a momentous year on the field as well as the Northerns B side was entered into first-class competition for the first time, playing in the Bowl, and the senior team won for the first time in the A Section as they beat Eastern Province in Port Elizabeth under captain Norman Featherstone. English swing bowler Chris Old took eight wickets in the match and there were important 70s from Rodney Ontong and Vernon du Preez.

And in 1982, former Transvaal stars such as Lee Barnard and Noel Day arrived in Pretoria and would play vital roles in the rise of Northerns cricket. The other major acquisition was that of former New Zealand captain John Reid who was put in charge of the team and proved an inspirational figure working in tandem with captain Barnard.

The move to Centurion Park – the name was chosen after a Name The Ground Competition – happened from 1984/85 and it is the only cricket ground in the world to have given its name to the suburb that sprung up around it. The first match was played on November 15, 1986.

The 1980s was the decade when the rise of Northerns cricket really began and in 1984/85 they played in two of the three domestic finals. They beat Western Province for the first time in the Currie Cup semi-final, thanks to Mandy Yachad’s century and Eric Simons taking seven wickets and scoring a crucial 58.

The elusive first A Section trophy would only come in 1996/97 however, the same year the NTCU became the Northerns Cricket Union, when 59 years of waiting ended with Keith Medlycott and Mark Davis steering them to the Standard Bank League title, Mike Rindel breaking the record for the most number of runs in a season in the day/night competition and Rudi Bryson spearheading the attack.

Limited-overs cricket continued to be the main source of success for Northerns and the Titans franchise as they became known in 2004, with the team winning the 1998/99 Standard Bank League, the Pro20/T20 competition in 2004/05, 2007/08 and 2011/12, and the one-day competition in 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2013/14.

The Titans have won the four-day competition four times – in 2005/06, 2006/07, 2008/09 and 2011/12 .

The Northerns Cricket Union has become a place where the different language groups and races of South Africa pull together for the success of the team, and no franchise won more trophies than the Titans between 2004 and 2014.

This has obviously led to many players from the Pretoria region being selected for the national team and the likes of Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Morne Morkel and Paul Harris have been integral to the rise of the Proteas to the number one Test side.

Off the field, the calm, visionary leadership of people like Basson, Alan Jordaan, Richard Harrison, Brandon Foot, Vincent Sinovich, Elise Lombard, Jesse Chellan, and now Jacques Faul, Patricia Kambarami and John Wright has been crucial to the success of the Northerns and Titans teams.

AB de Villiers made it impossible for the International Cricket Council’s enumerators who decide on the nominees for their annual awards to ignore him and South Africa’s ODI captain was yesterday duly announced as one of four candidates for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award as well as being shortlisted in the individual one-day international category.

De Villiers will go up against Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson and Sri Lankan run-machines Angelo Mathews and Kumar Sangakkara for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy that goes to the best cricketer overall between August 26, 2013 and September 17, 2014.

Fellow South Africans Quinton de Kock and Dale Steyn, as well as Indian batting star Virat Kohli, will be his rivals for the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award.

Hopefully the judges will also take into account the fact that De Villiers has been keeping wicket exceptionally well while starring with the bat. Scoring 932 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 54.80 and 963 runs in 20 ODIs at an average of over 60 is great work in anyone’s book.

The fiery Johnson enjoyed a phenomenal haul of 59 wickets from his eight Tests in the period under review, three of which were against world number ones South Africa, while Sangakkara gathered 1502 runs from 11 Tests, with four centuries, and Mathews, who took over the Sri Lankan captaincy from Mahela Jayawardene, averaged 92 in Tests and just under 54 in ODIs.

De Kock’s five centuries in ODIs during the qualifying period, including three in a row against India, made him a certainty for the ODI shortlist but how he was not named amongst the four for the Emerging Player of the Year award is a mystery. Instead Kiwis and Englishmen dominate that category, with Jimmy Neesham, Corey Anderson, Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes nominated.

Steyn ended the visits to the crease of 36 batsmen in 16 ODIs and had an economy rate of just 4.32 runs-per-over, and was selected to the ICC Test Team of the Year for a record seventh successive year, while the honour has gone to De Villiers for the fifth time.

De Kock has joined that duo in the ICC ODI XI of the year to give South Africa equal-most representation with India – captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Mohammad Shami.

Amazingly, Hashim Amla has failed to crack the nod for any ICC awards this year.

Anton Ferreira – The first player to be given a benefit by the Northerns Cricket Union – in 1987/88 – when Ferreira retired in 1992 he had made the most appearances in the history of the union (93). The powerfully-built all-rounder known as “Yogi” scored over 4000 runs and took over 200 wickets for Northerns and is one of the most popular players to wear their colours. The ball hit the bat hard when he bowled his accurate seamers, and he was also able to give the ball a good whack batting in the middle-order. Only the presence of many other all-rounders such as Eddie Barlow, Mike Procter and Clive Rice prevented him from being one of the biggest names in South African cricket. He was also a stalwart for Warwickshire in the county game, finishing with over 9000 runs and 583 wickets in his first-class career.

Northerns record (1974/75-1991/92): 93 matches, 4290 runs @ 28.60, HS 133, 3x100s 21x50s. 235 wkts @ 26.91, BB 8-38, 12x5i, 1x10m, 53c.

Lee Barnard – The leader of the Northerns team when it first became a major force in South African cricket in the 1980s, Barnard was a shrewd, adventurous captain who was also never short of a smile and a chuckle on the field. He skippered Northerns 60 times between 1982 and 1989, a record for the union. As a left-handed batsman, he was a deft strokeplayer and he added tidy off-spin and athletic brilliance in the field to his all-round package . Barnard played a one-day game for South Africa against the rebel Australians in 1985/86. He was also a fine rugby player, representing both Transvaal and Northern Transvaal at flyhalf, and is one of only two to have ever been officially chosen ahead of Naas Botha, during his days with Northern Transvaal U20s (Johan Heunis was the other).

Northerns record (1982/83-1991/92): 75 matches, 3229 runs @ 23.91, HS 102, 1×100, 20×50. 40 wkts @ 41.02, BB 3-50, 69c.

Vernon du Preez – A reliable, consistent run-scorer for Northerns at the start of the innings for 15 seasons, Du Preez was a technically correct, well-balanced batsman, who focused on the basics of run-getting from a steady base. Coached by Xenophon Balaskas in his youth, Du Preez made a century on debut for Northerns in A Section cricket in 1978/79 and was also a part-time leg-spinner. He was 12^th man for South Africa several times during the rebel tours era but was unfortunate not to get a start.

Northerns record (1978/79-1993/94): 92 matches, 4717 runs @ 29.11, HS 200*, 8x100s, 22x50s. 19 wkts @ 40.05, BB 3-19, 59c.

Noel Day – Much of this wicketkeeper/batsman’s career was spent in the shadow of Ray Jennings, but Day was also an integral part of the rise of Northerns cricket when he moved north from Transvaal in 1982/83. A slightly less brilliant wicketkeeper than Jennings, he was obviously better than his rival in front of the stumps and capable of playing Currie Cup cricket as a specialist batsman. Agile and unflustered with the gloves, he had the determination and skill required to produce match-changing performances with the bat. Day never played cricket for South Africa, but was an acclaimed Springbok hockey star.

Northerns record (1982/83-1989/90): 55 matches, 2476 runs @ 25.79, HS 117, 1×100, 18×50. 176 catches + 18 stumpings.

Willie Morris –  At six foot, eight-and-a-half inches, Morris was a left-arm spinner who gained considerable bounce from awkward areas for batsmen. His accuracy made him the perfect foil for the many fast bowlers Northerns used in the 1980s. Morris was also a solid lower-order batsman, able to defend stoically and also score aggressively, and an outstanding fielder in the gully region.

Northerns record (1979/80-1991/92): 61 matches, 1143 runs @ 14.46. HS 73*, 2×50. 166 wkts @ 26.77, BB 7-110, 9x5i, 2x10m. 55c.

Rodney Ontong – Ontong was a talented all-rounder and important figure in the changeroom in the days when Northerns were finding their feet in Currie Cup A Section cricket and he was particularly effective in limited-overs cricket. He was able to bat almost anywhere in the batting order and was initially a seamer before switching to sharp-turning off-breaks. Ontong was a stalwart as well for Glamorgan in English county cricket, twice being named their player of the year and was captain from 1984-1986. He turned down the opportunity to play for South Africa in order to keep his qualification as a local player in England, for whom he was close to playing in 1987.

Northerns record (1978/79-1994/95): 61 matches, 2201 runs @ 23.16, HS 95, 11x50s. 153 wkts @ 33.41, BB 6-70, 7x5i. 28c.

Fanie de Villiers – The leader of the Northerns attack when they became a side capable of winning domestic trophies, De Villiers’ greatest attribute was probably that he never gave up, as famously illustrated when he bowled South Africa to a five-run victory over Australia in Sydney in 1993/94. Swinging the ball at a brisk fast-medium pace, Vinnige Fanie was constantly at the batsman, always scheming and famously accurate. A useful lower-order batsman, he often contributed runs at vital times.

Northerns record (1985/86-1997/98): 53 matches, 815 runs @ 15.67, HS 58*, 1×50. 227 wkts @ 21.32, BB 6-47, 10x5i. 25c.

Mike Rindel – Rindel in full flow was one of the best batsmen in the country in the mid-1990s and it was no surprise when he was called up to South Africa’s ODI squad in 1994. A dashing left-hander with all the strokes, as well as useful part-time bowler of either orthodox spin or little dibbly-dobblers, Rindel was a key figure when Northerns won the day/night league in 1996/97 and 1998/99, but he was also an accomplished performer in first-class cricket, as he learnt to temper his strokeplay with more maturity.

Northerns record (1986/87-1998/99): 88 matches, 5449 runs @ 37.32, HS 174, 11×100, 31×50. 33 wkts @ 37.66, BB 4-17. 46c.

Rudi Bryson – The enforcer of the Northerns attack when they won their first A Section domestic trophies, Bryson was the archetypal fast bowler – it was a question of when the batsman was going to get the skiddy bouncer not if. But when stumps were called, Bryson was one of the great characters of the game. Nevertheless, he was a bowler to be reckoned with, as shown by his selection for South Africa for seven ODIs in 1997, when pace bowling stocks were at their richest. The stocky Bryson could also be a dangerous batsman when the mood took him.

Northerns record (1993/94-2000/01): 39 matches, 633 runs @ 12.91, HS 62, 1×50. 105 wkts @ 29.60, BB 5-25, 3x5i. 9c.

Steve Elworthy – Elworthy was born in Bulawayo and made his first-class debut for Transvaal B, but he made his home at Centurion, arriving at Northerns in 1989/90. The quick pitch was to his liking and his brisk away-swingers, with steep bounce, meant he was regularly one of the outstanding bowlers in the domestic season and he was the leading wicket-taker in the history of the union. He was less well-received at national level, however, and he had to wait until 1998, when he was 33, for his first call-up by the Proteas. Like good wine, though, Elworthy seemed to get better with age and he was one of the most effective bowlers in the 1999 World Cup in England, finishing his ODI career with impressive figures of 44 wickets in 39 matches, at an average of 28.06 and an economy rate of 4.35. He also played four Tests and was a capable batsman in the lower-order.

Northerns record (1989/90-2002/03): 97 matches, 2565 runs @ 19.43, HS 89, 6×50. 352 wkts @ 26.87, BB 7-65, 14x5i, 3x10m. 34c.

Gerald Dros – Dros made his name as one of the finest captains Northerns and the Titans have had, a strategist but also a people-person able to instil the right attitude in his charges. He was also an attractive strokeplayer, capable of hugely destructive innings. Tall and strong straight down the ground, he also could fulfil a role as a tidy medium-pacer. Captaining the SA A team was the closest he came to higher honours.

Northerns/Titans record (1993/94-2003/04): 64 matches, 3211 runs @ 33.44, HS 136, 3×100, 18×50. 36 wkts @ 29.13, BB 5-17, 1x5i. 78c.

Pierre Joubert – The workhorse of the Titans attack, Joubert also proved to be the most successful captain in the franchise’s history, winning five trophies in three seasons, combining innovation with the relaxed atmosphere he brought to the changeroom. A bustling seamer, Joubert was more dangerous than he looked, able to get movement on docile pitches, and he also developed into a very respectable batsman, worthy of the all-rounder’s tag.

Northerns/Titans record (1996/97-2010/11): 85 matches, 2486 runs @ 29.59, HS 112*, 1×100, 16×50. 222 wkts @ 22.24, BB 7-32, 10x5i, 2x10m. 51c.

Ethy Mbhalati – Tall and willowy, Mbhalati can be destructive with the new ball with his extra bounce and seam movement, and is also a reliable stock bowler for the Titans, fit enough to bowl over-after-accurate-over to keep the batsmen quiet. He is the leading wicket-taker for the franchise. A hugely popular man, Mbhalati was awarded his benefit after 11 seasons at Northerns and is also an excellent sounding board for the younger fast bowlers coming through. The man from Tzaneen is the type of bowler who would never let you down and he has had to be content with SA A caps, when full international cricket must have been close for him.

Northerns/Titans record (2002/3- ): 102 matches, 395 runs @ 6.26, HS 19. 284 wkts @ 27.73, BB 6-98, 9x5i, 2x10m. 23c.