The Rhodes Shrews XI recently returned from a once-in-a lifetime cricket tour to the Western Cape, where they played against UCT and Stellenbosch.
It was a valuable opportunity for the players to not only experience the excitement of a sports tour, but also to get into some good pre-season form for the upcoming Grahamstown Cricket League.
The Shrews departed on 11 September, spending the night in Plettenberg Bay. Their scheduled match the following day against the Knysna Raggies was cancelled due to the unavailability of a cricket pitch.
The Rhodes Shrews XI recently returned from a once-in-a lifetime cricket tour to the Western Cape, where they played against UCT and Stellenbosch.
It was a valuable opportunity for the players to not only experience the excitement of a sports tour, but also to get into some good pre-season form for the upcoming Grahamstown Cricket League.
The Shrews departed on 11 September, spending the night in Plettenberg Bay. Their scheduled match the following day against the Knysna Raggies was cancelled due to the unavailability of a cricket pitch.
This was to be the sad story of the tour as, despite having lined up four games, the Shrews could only play two due to unprepared cricket pitches. This was largely due to the timing, as most clubs and schools are still in their winter sport seasons and thus there were few cricket facilities in a useable condition.
This meant, too, that they could not play their proposed match against Rhodes Old Boys XI, which was set to be the highlight of the tour. Nonetheless the cricket that was played was done so in a jovial and competitive spirit.
After suffering a defeat to a Stellenbosch Invitational XI, The Shrews bounced back to a resounding 35-run win over a UCT team. Having been put in to bat, the Shrews totalled a mammoth 201/8 in their 20 overs. Stu Rayner was the star of the show, as he top-scored with 51 runs in an innings that saw him hit 7 x 4s and 3 x 6s. He was well supported by skipper Ross Alford and Charlie Raw, who made 34 and 45 not out respectively.
UCT looked in firm control with the bat at 140/4 after 13 overs. But then Duncan Potts’s nagging medium-pacers grabbed two wickets in one over to turn the match on its head. From there on, the UCT side crumbled and were bowled out within their 20 overs as Mark Harrison ripped through the tail to end up with three wickets. UCT were dismissed for 165 and the Shrews claimed a well-earned victory that gave them some much needed match practice ahead of their upcoming domestic season.
Apart from the cricket, the highlights of the tour included a train trip along the coast from Kenilworth to Kalk Bay, where the team had lunch at the famous Brass Bell restaurant. There was also a beautifully scenic drive along Chapman’s Peak and the Atlantic seaboard, which culminated in a swim in the icy waters of Clifton beach.
Perhaps one of the most fulfilling moments of the tour was a visit to the Cecil John Rhodes Memorial, nestled into the mountain above UCT’s campus. The Rhodes Memorial was the inspiration to the tour and brought about the tour’s slogan “All Rhodes lead to Rhodes”.
