Ken Borland

The equity of the Multiply Titans just keeps rising, with another rich haul of trophies gathered at the Cricket South Africa Awards this year, and much of the credit for that success must go to the leadership and equanimity of Northerns Cricket Union president John Wright.

Apart from achieving success on the playing field – a box the Titans certainly ticked by winning two of the three franchise trophies – the union also places a high premium on CSA’s scorecard system that ranks administration, and winning the Affiliate of the Year title for four successive years is a tremendous feather in their cap.

“For the Northerns Cricket Union to win CSA’s incentive scorecard for four years running is definitely a highlight from an admin perspective, as is every competition we have won on the field. We implemented a turnaround strategy for the stadium, which we remodelled with cosmetic upgrades and making it fit for different uses. Jacques Faul [CEO] has done really well to turn SuperSport Park into a multi-use venue.

“The function of our board is good and there has been very good support from council. Before 2013, there were many meetings postponed because we didn’t have a quorum, but it hasn’t happened once since then. Our club cricket continues to do well too and a good university is critical for any province. The involvement and success of Tuks is one of the reasons we do well, they are strong, with good facilities, coaching and infrastructure,” Wright said.

2013 was the year that Wright began his tenure as NCU president and initially he was meant to serve a maximum of two two-year terms. But then CSA decided in 2015 that presidents can serve two three-year terms and the Northerns council decided recently that the renowned international hockey umpire is eligible for another term when elections are held in August.

If Wright is re-elected, which would seem to be the obvious move, then the 47-year-old will be stressing that there can be no relaxing as the NCU and the Titans have to keep striving for greater heights.

“This is a fantastic union and franchise, steeped in a lot of history, but we mustn’t forget that we weren’t always one of the big dogs. Now we have to maintain our success and keep looking at opportunities to improve. We have achieved a lot, but to rest on our laurels would be a huge mistake.

“The well-being of our clubs is critical and I would like to empower them and provide them with even more opportunities. On the field, obviously the Titans had the chance to do the treble but only ended up with the double. But it’s a very cut-throat, tight competition. But I do believe that we have what it takes to win all three tournaments, we just have to be consistent all the way through,” Wright said.

The senior sports organiser at the Tshwane University of Technology stated that the Northerns provincial team and transformation in schools would be areas of focus for him if he serves another term.

“We’ve ridden the wave for a long time, we’ve been one of the most successful franchises in South African cricket history by winning two trophies for three years in a row, but this season coming will be a good test of where the franchise really is because we will be without a lot of Proteas players. And it’s great that we have provided a number of new players for South Africa recently.

“I would also like to see our Northerns provincial team be more competitive and more consistent, that needs a bit of rebuilding. I hope those coaches are allowed time to come through and are not just hung out to dry after one season. We need to give them an opportunity to establish themselves.

“There’s also a lot of work to do in the transformation of schools. We have not been as effective as we should have been at that level – there are some spectacular results but then some schools are dragging their heels. And I would like to see people have an even bigger attachment to SuperSport Park, make it feel even more familiar for our fans,” Wright said.

The chairman of the Titans franchise is certainly now a familiar face in South African cricket and, having achieved so much already, he still has plenty to give.

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.

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.

If multi-tasking is one of the greatest attributes of a woman then SuperSport Park should forthwith be referred to as a “she” given the plans Northerns Cricket Union president and Easterns Titans chairman John Wright has for her in the second year of his term.

The feminine touch dominated SuperSport Park last weekend when more than 26 000 runners took part in the Pretoria leg of the Spar Women’s 10km Challenge which started and ended at the venue, but the fairer sex have been taking pride of place at the ground since Elise Lombard, the efficient, much-loved former CEO, oversaw the move there from Berea Park in 1986. Lombard’s sad passing in August 2012 has seen Jacques Faul replace her as chief executive, but Patricia Kambarami has been promoted to chief operating officer to continue the tradition of female leaders in Northerns cricket.

Wright is adamant that events such as the Spar Women’s 10km Challenge and promotions such as Kambarami’s are crucial to the future well-being of Titans cricket.

“Titans cricket cannot sustain itself with only cricketing content, we have to make our assets work for us. One of those is our world-class stadium, but we can’t rely on just 14 days of profitable cricket every year. We need other streams of income and this is where Jacques Faul has been so good and he’s way ahead of the rest in terms of innovations.

“The Franchise and Africa Sixes and the Northerns Bash are all his initiatives and he’s making the stadium work for us in enhancing the Titans brand. It’s been set back a bit recently, but we’re busy getting proposals from developers and there’s a fair amount of interest that shows that SuperSport Park is not just seen as a cricket-only ground.

“We need other revenue sources and we want to attract more people to SuperSport Park. Things like the Spar Women’s Race, which markets and promotes the ground as more of a community centre. And we’re not just looking at sports events, we want to be multi-cultural. SuperSport Park is at the hub of business and a rich sporting culture and it’s ideally situated in terms of the Gautrain and the N1,” Wright told The Pretoria News.

As for Kambarami’s appointment, Wright says the former marketing and events manager’s promotion was thoroughly well-deserved and another sign that the Titans are looking to the future.

“Transformation is a term that’s used loosely sometimes, but the essence of it is that I don’t see it as an appointment of someone of colour; Patricia has been appointed because of her abilities and she just happens to be black. She has shown her qualities and it’s absolutely on merit. She’s proven to everyone that she’s more than qualified for the post and that’s why it’s been so well accepted.

“Things like that have to happen in this cut-throat environment and recently there have been some other bold steps like all Premier League clubs being required to have at least one player of colour and our executive becoming 50/50. In the past there was a stigma around transformation and we were very much Afrikaans and all-white, but that is changing,” Wright said.

When Wright is not wearing a jacket and tie in his role as president of the union, he is out on the sports fields himself. While he played some Premier League cricket for the then Pretoria Tech, and has been in charge of cricket and hockey at the renamed Tshwane University of Technology for 20 years, he is perhaps best known as one of the leading hockey umpires in the world.

Wright has officiated in four Olympic Games (one final) and four World Cups, including being in charge of three finals.

“I think I’ve got two or three years left as an umpire, there’s an age cut-off of 47 for international hockey. So the Rio Olympics are in sight, but it depends on how fit I stay and whether the fire still burns. I have accomplished most things in terms of hockey umpiring, but I still want to contribute, although I now have a huge responsibility to cricket,” Wright said.

A board meeting can often be like a hockey Test with 22 under-pressure players getting emotional, and Wright has a knack of handling those sort of explosive situations.

“I think my umpiring does help at board meetings! I’ve learnt to listen and operate under pressure, how to deal with personalities.”

While the stadium and the union finances are important, Wright, exposed as he has been to top-class sport, knows how important it is for the Titans team to have the right culture and to enjoy success on the field.

“We’re not as prescriptive as to say trophies are required, but the coach is under no illusions as to how handy trophies are! We have to be realistic, a team will always have ups and downs, but with the quality squad we have, the Titans should always be in contention.

“I’m not a president who digs his nose into the team’s affairs, the coach and CEO must run that show, but there was previously an ethos of lacklustre performance and preparation and to survive in the franchise environment, there can be no place for that. It’s difficult for the coach to turn that around, but Rob Walter is determined and committed to promoting far more responsibility and productive preparation,” Wright said.

The product of Selborne College in East London also gives full support to the University of Pretoria’s dominance of local club cricket, which has ruffled some feathers.

“I know it’s not the opinion of all the clubs, but Tuks are an extremely valuable asset for us. If we draw comparisons with other franchises who don’t have a strong university, then we see they battle. Tuks are at the forefront of coaching and performance in South Africa and their record speaks for itself.

“They must be doing something right and their professionalism and ethics must rub off positively on the other clubs. So I see no reason to clip their wings, it would only be to the detriment of the franchise,” Wright said.

While the changing face of cricket is most obvious at the franchise level, the amateur, club game also needs plenty of attention. Fortunately Wright is a leader who has his feet firmly in both camps.

“I’m very much a  club man, I support the old traditions. Clubs are critical but we’re also moving into a very professional era. The days of volunteers running the show are few and far between. We need the right mix of club and professional people to steer us in the right direction.”

John Wright certainly seems to have the Titans ship facing in the right direction.