Loveland joined an elite group at Fasken Time Cricket Festival
Alec Loveland made St John’s College history when he became the 13th player to earn 100 caps for the school’s first team at the just-ended Fasken Time Cricket Festival at St David’s Marist Inanda.
“Playing for the first team is a huge privilege, and doing it 100 times is an even bigger honour. This is one of the best feelings that I have ever experienced,” Loveland shared after The Blues’ contest against Nelspruit.
The all-rounder marked the occasion with a haul of six wickets. He took 4/66 in the first innings and 2/38 with the ball and scored 11 runs in a single innings as he helped The Blues draw with Nelspruit.
“I am really honoured to lead the side. Mr Ntini and Mr De Villiers help me to develop as a person and as a cricketer with their advice and guidance. They also help shape my character with the tough conversations we have,” Loveland told SuperSport Schools Plus.
Loveland fell in love with cricket early. The first toys he was drawn to were a cricket bat and ball. However, it wasn’t until his Grade 5 year at St John’s Prep that he took his game to the next level. The transformation was spurred on by his change from medium pace to left-arm spin.
“I always wanted to be that pace bowler that knocks the stumps, but Mr. Mahony, my coach at the time, proposed to me that I try out spin,” Loveland explained.
He took to spin like a duck to water and earned his spot in the teams he played for as a bowler; however, he enjoyed his batting and put work into it to develop as an all-rounder. Loveland’s progress wasn’t immediate; he took a little time to find his feet.
However, once he got going, he did well enough to earn selection not just in the school teams, but also in the provincial squads and teams at every level through the junior age groups. The matric student’s hope for 2025 is to make the Gauteng Lions u19 side at the Khaya Majola Week in December.
Loveland, who admires David Miller’s approach to cricket and AB de Villiers’ 360-degree game, is less like his South African heroes and more like his Indian role model, Ravindra Jadeja.
“I really like Jadeja’s consistency, the way he puts batters under pressure, and how he keeps them guessing. His batting is also something I enjoy watching,” Loveland stated.
He just doesn’t spin webs around batters; he takes down opposition spinners with the bat. His ability to play the turning ball well makes him a great middle-order batter. Loveland, who came into his own as an all-rounder in the 2024-25 season, preferred positions are numbers five, six, and seven.
“My ability to rotate strike and get into fifth gear to kick on make me a great candidate for those positions,” he said.
The Blues skipper is an all-rounder in every sense. He has played first team hockey for St John’s in the last two years and is, in his words, “an all-right student,” expecting several distinctions at the end of the year.
Loveland made his first team debut in Grade 9 and bagged a wicket with his first delivery on his way to a three-wicket haul. While that was a moment to cherish because he had an immediate impact in his maiden outing, Loveland’s most memorable performance was a couple of years away.
Loveland scored a steady 38 from 43 balls and shared a match-winning 47-run third-wicket partnership with Joe MacRobert on a tricky surface and against a strong St Stithians bowling attack led by Kwena Maphaka in the 2024 Johnny Waite final. With the ball, Loveland took 3/16 in four overs to help his side win the trophy.
“It was a great match. Playing with great players like Joe MacRobert and Cole Francis and winning the title made everything great,” he shared.
Loveland finished the Fasken Time Cricket Festival with 101 caps and is keen to add more to his tally of appearances for St John’s.
The list of St John’s College centurions includes:
Bradley Dial (2010 – 2013) – 139 caps.
Lorenzo Masselli (2011 – 2015) – 135 caps.
Wesley Coulentianos (2010 – 2013) – 123 caps.
Connor Esterhuizen (2016-2019) – 115 caps.
Devon Conway (2006 – 2009) – 108 caps.
M Strydom (2010 – 2014) – 108 caps.
M Blair (2014 – 2017) – 106 caps.
C Smith (2013 – 2016) – 105 caps.
Connor McKerr (2012 – 2015) – 102 caps.
Jack Lees (2016 – 2019) – 102 caps.
Nick Halsted-Cleak (2016 – 2019) – 102 caps.
Joe MacRobert (2022 – 2024) -101 caps.
