Ken Borland

Kyle Verreynne is not going to resemble Quinton de Kock nor necessarily fit the perception of what some people believe a Test batsman should look like, but the 24-year-old proved in no uncertain fashion that he belongs at the highest level as his magnificent maiden Proteas century put South Africa in command of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch on Monday.

Verreynne has had a tough time at Test level, scoring just 112 runs in his first eight innings, but he more than doubled that with his brilliant 136 not out in the second innings at Hagley Oval. Going back to the batsman he was before his elevation to Test level provided the breakthrough for the Western Province wicketkeeper/batsman.

“It’s been challenging mentally and Test cricket is the toughest format,” Verreynne said. “My first three series have been on challenging pitches, the wickets for the India series were the toughest I’ve ever batted on and the first Test here was difficult too.

“So you have a lot of doubts and you read what people write about your technique and it’s a challenge. It’s important to keep your self-belief and back your preparation and what you have done in the past.

“In the build-up to this game I did quite a lot of work on my technique and I felt in a really good space, it was just about getting mentally right. I’ve gone back to what I was doing for the last couple of years.

“Footwork has never been a strong point of mine, for me it’s more about my contact points and playing the ball late. Fortunately it worked out and hopefully I’m through that tough phase in my career now,” Verreynne said.

Verreynne praised Kagiso Rabada for his ferocious innings of 47 off 34 balls after lunch on the fourth day that saw the rampant duo hammer 69 runs in eight overs. Not only did their efforts allow South Africa to declare at tea with a lead of 425, but the momentum was carried through into the field, Rabada roaring in with the ball and dismissing both New Zealand openers in his first two overs.

“The third evening was a tricky period for myself and Wiaan Mulder, the stage of the game was such that we just had to get through, and the first 30 minutes this morning were the same, and then we could show more intent.

“KG said he felt pretty good and he would stick around for me to get my hundred. But then it looked like he just couldn’t miss the ball and his innings was a big factor in the energy we took into our bowling,” Verreynne said.

BRANDEN Grace’s Masters debut at Augusta next week will be his fifth appearance in a Major championship, but what is different this time around is that the 24-year-old really feels he belongs on golf’s greatest stage.

In a whirlwind rise to fame, Grace played in the three other Majors last year, finishing in a tie for 51st place at the US Open and tied 77th at the British Open, for which he had previously qualified in 2009, finishing tied 43rd. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

Grace began 2012 ranked No265 in the world, but successive wins at the Joburg Open and the Volvo Golf Champions lifted him into the top 100, and victory in the China Open in mid-April ensured his ranking was high enough to make the rest of the Majors that year.

But his ascension was so rapid, Grace felt a little like an outsider needing to prove himself.

This year, having been comfortably ensconced inside the top 40 since his victory last October in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, he feels right at home.

“Obviously I’ve changed a lot, last year made me a better player and person, just in the way I handle myself: even when things aren’t going great, I can find a way to make it happen. Obviously I was disappointed with the last Major and missing the cut, but there was always that little bit of extra pressure last year.

“This year I don’t have to worry, I’m No32 in the world, I can just go out and enjoy myself. I don’t have to worry and think I have to play well, I don’t need to worry about what people think. I’m in a good place,” Grace told BDlive in a teleconference on Tuesday.

Grace is one of eight South Africans in the prestigious Augusta field, joining Tim Clark, George Coetzee, Louis Oosthuizen, Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel, Richard Sterne and Trevor Immelman, and may yet make an even bigger name for himself at America’s most hallowed course.

“The other South Africans are just as excited as me and they think Augusta could suit me because I hit the ball pretty straight, I can shape it a bit and my lob-wedge is good too. I just need to get sharper on my putting so that I don’t worry about the little five- or six-footers you get,” Grace said.

The 2012 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner will be going into the Masters after successive missed cuts at the Houston Open and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he feels his game is quickly regaining the same levels as in January, when he claimed three top-10 finishes.

“It’s getting back there, even though the last couple of weeks didn’t go to plan. But I’ve made good progress although the scores don’t show that. I’m hitting the ball like I did in January and by Sunday I’ll be ready and then the excitement will hopefully take care of the rest.”

 http://www.bdlive.co.za/sport/othersport/2013/04/04/grace-feels-at-home-on-golfs-greatest-stage