HTS Drostdy and Worcester Gim set for De Lange Trophy tiebreak
HTS Drostdy and Worcester Gimnasium tackle one another for local bragging rights and the coveted De Lange Trophy on Saturday morning.
The De Lange name is revered and respected in Boland cricket circles. Dawie de Lange, in his time as vice-principal at HTS Drostdy, played a formative role in the development of many of the Boland’s top cricketing talents.
Those included his son, Con de Lange, who matriculated at Worcester Gimnasium. He was selected for the SA u19 team and went on to enjoy a successful career after school, captaining both the Boland and Cape Cobras teams.
After moving to Scotland, he played cricket for East Lancashire, Blackpool and Northamptonshire before being selected for the Scottish national team in 2015 as an orthodox left-arm spin and right-handed batting option.
De Lange was given the honour of the vice-captaincy of Scotland in 2017 at the Desert T20 Series in the UAE. In June of that year, he took five wickets for the Scots against Zimbabwe.
He represented every team he played for with distinction until his career was cruelly cut short by a cancer diagnosis early in 2018.
Sadly, Con de Lange passed away in April 2019, but his legacy and that of his family is commemorated when the two schools go head-to-head on the cricket field every year for the De Lange Trophy.
Speaking at HTS Drostdy’s “Evening of Legends” in 2022, Dawie de Lange expressed his support for the event, saying that he hopes it continues to help grow the competitive spirit between the two schools.
In honour of their connection to the Worcester legends, the trophy takes the name of Con de Lange when Worcester Gimnasium wins and Dawie de Lange when HTS Drostdy is triumphant.
Historically, the home-field advantage has proved decisive, with HTS Drostdy taking the spoils at home in 2022 in the inaugural competition and Worcester Gimnasium winning the return fixture last year.
Jacques Jordaan, Gerhard le Roux, Ruvan Barnard and Darius Venter have competed in every match for the De Lange Trophy since its inception in 2022 and will be seeking to reclaim the honour for the Donkeys this weekend.
Rijan Visser, Garnet le Roux, Aiden Abrahams and Ayden Pekeur, however, all return from the Gimmies team that won last year, and their goal will be to become the first team to successfully defend the coveted trophy.
Teams
HTS Drostdy: Stephan Steyn, Jacques Jordaan, Gerhard le Roux, Ruvan Barnard, Bryan Cochrane, Albert Nel, Adriaan Krynauw, Sias du Toit, Helgardt Nortjé, Darius Venter, Reghardt du Plessis.
Worcester Gimnasium: Caleb de Lange, Garnet le Roux, Noah Goliath, Aiden Abrahams, Ayden Pekeur, Alijandrew Heneke, Rijan Visser, Zayden Marais, Fredwin Philander, Brevin Maree, Therenzo Jacobs.
