South Africa’s Over-50s World Cup cricket team – a favourite to win the tournament currently underway in the Western Cape – has so far performed well, and could be the team that returns the country to its cricketing heyday. During the first week of the tournament, which began last Monday, the country’s side had solid wins against four teams, including the strong teams from India and Pakistan.
Fourteen teams from around the world – including hosts South Africa, England, Wales, Australia, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, India, United Arab Emirates, Namibia, United States and Canada – are pitted against one another in this year’s tournament. The 2023 games mark a strong sign of recovery after the interruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw the tournament abandoned during 2020.
“It is wonderful to welcome cricketers from across the world to Cape Town again after the long interruption we had to endure,” says Phil Wilson, Sales Director of Evergreen Lifestyle, “and this time round we look forward to a full tournament with many exciting matches and moments.
Evergreen Lifestyle, which provides retirement-lifestyle estates in many parts of the country, including Val de Vie in Paarl, is the main tournament sponsor.
The South African team includes many a well-known name from yesteryear. Captained by Louis Koen, the squad includes favourites from the national team, such as Alan Dawson and Clive Eksteen, as well as many popular players who performed at provincial level.
The first games were played on various grounds in central Cape Town and the southern suburbs of the city, but the tournament moves to the Stellenbosch area on Monday. South Africa will play England at the Groot Drakenstein Games Club, a match that’s bound to be a thriller, starting at 10.15. Wilson explains the games are open to all spectators at no charge. “This gives cricket-lovers a wonderful opportunity to catch some of our sporting greats in action, and see them reliving the glory of earlier days.”
Members of the public are also encouraged to watch the final on 20 March. It will be hosted at the iconic Newlands Cricket Ground, with tournament ambassadors Mike Proctor, Barry Richards and Omar Henry attending.
Again there is no charge to attend the final, so members of the public are encouraged to make plans to attend the game, as well as any other games. (For those unable to get to the final because it falls on a workday, top-level games are also being played on Sunday, 19 March, as the winning teams from various previous games take each other on. All games start at 10.15.)
Source: Veterans Cricket Association of South Africa (VCASA) with a link to www.vcasa.co.za.
