The OUCC Men’s Blues squad have recently returned from tour to Cape Town. The 15-strong squad was led by captain Ben Swanson and Tour Manager William Frewen. The tour began with a trip to Seal Island followed by an afternoon T20 victory against Green Point CC, courtesy of Saqlain Choudhary’s 4-14 and 35 with the bat. Our second game was against the social side Groot Drakenstein CC, one of the most stunning locations (pictured) many of the touring party have played at. OUCC racked up a massive 343 off our 50 overs, with Robbie Hardwick 100*, Max Kirkby agonisingly dismissed on debut for 99 and Toby Brown 94*. Despite the customary glass of brandy before going out to field, we managed to restrict Groot Drakenstein to 175 all out with wickets shared between the bowlers.
Our only defeat of the tour came against Western Province CC under the gaze of Table Mountain (pictured). Despite recovering from 8-2 to reach 284 (Toby Brown 64, Robbie Hardwick 59, Justin Clarke 40* off 15), WPCC chased the total in the final over courtesy of 145 from first-class batter Gavin Kaplan. The Men’s Blues recovered strongly the following day in a T20 against Claremont CC, restricting the opposition to 144 before chasing the total with 8 wickets to spare thanks to an Alec Kenningham 50*.
In our final 2 games we beat Maties CC and Brackenfell CC in two low-scoring games, defined by accurate spin-bowling from Ben Swanson (5-14 & 4-32) and Saqlain Choudhary (4-9). Some gutsy batting performances across the team helped to grind out respectable scores in challenging conditions in these 2 matches.
Despite playing 6 games in 9 days, we were also able to enjoy the sights and culture Cape Town has to offer. Particular highlights include the cable car-assisted ascent of Table Mountain, and visiting vineyards in the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek regions (and still being able to play the day after!).
Whilst we were lucky enough to have some success on the pitch this tour, winning 5 of 6 games, perhaps the biggest gain to the team from the tour is bringing the Men’s Blues squad closer together as a group through time spent off the field. Either way, everyone at OUCC can’t wait for the season to begin in April!
