An Athlone man is part of a team of 16 veteran cricketers who have a chance to play in the 2022 Over 60s Cricket World Cup finals in Australia but need the public’s help to get there.
The team, which has members from all around South Africa, is set to leave South Africa on Monday August 29, and will return in the fourth week of September.
The Over 60s Cricket World Cup takes place on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia from Monday September 5 to Tuesday September 20, according to Roger Moult, chairman of the Veterans Cricket Association of South Africa (VCASA), an ancillary member of Cricket South Africa.
Roy Meeser will captain the team. He captained the South African squad to the Over 50s Cricket World Cup, held in England in 2018, in which South Africa came 7th.
“The team from South Africa will be joining a further 11 countries in this inaugural Over 60s World Cup. The team is presently hard at work as the tournament is physically tough as the matches are 45 overs a side, and we will have to play seven in 11 days,” he said.
The squad will also include former Proteas players Omar Henry and Peter Kirsten.
Cricketer Steven Adriaanse, 62, from Athlone, said they hoped the public would help them raise R75 000 per player as Cricket SA did not cover the fees. The amount included money for flights, accommodation, kit, food, and transport in Australia.
Mr Adriaanse, who owns a scale-making company, has been playing cricket since he was in his teens at Alexander Sinton High School and traces his love for the game back to his father, who also played cricket. In 1978, Mr Adriaanse joined the Metropolitan Cricket Club as a wicketkeeper and batsman.
The father of three also plays professional soccer and made Western Province in the 1980s.
“We would really like to play overseas and perhaps win the cup for South Africa. We hope that the community will be generous enough to help us get there. We will do our best for the country,” he said.
Mr Adriaanse said that he hoped sport opportunities on the Cape Flats would improve as they were of great benefit to the youth.
“Sport is the only thing that will help sway them from joining the cycle of crime and violence. It needs to be worked on a lot especially in Ward 49. There are not enough facilities for children to play.”
Contact Roy Meeser at 082 494 3783 or roy@newtonsphere.co.za to assist.
