The seventh edition of Fasken Time Cricket is here
Twelve captains will lead 156 players onto the field to compete in the St David’s Marist Inanda Fasken Time Cricket Festival, from Thursday, 28, to Sunday, 31 August.
The showpiece, which is its seventh year, will feature the hosts St David’s, St Stithians College, St Andrew’s School, King Edward VII School, Clifton College, Hoërskool Nelspruit, St Charles College, Hoërskool Waterkloof, Jeppe High School for Boys, St John’s College, Hoërskool Noordheuwel, and the Lions Invitational XI.
“It’s a massive value to the youngsters to be able to come into a pre-season festival, where they can bat for long periods, bowl for long periods and get time on their feet,” Dave Nosworthy, the St David’s Director of Sports Performance and Cricket, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
Time cricket is school cricket’s version of red-ball cricket at the professional level. Players compete for five days in Tests, for four days in first-class cricket, and for two in time cricket.
Nosworthy said the format gives batsmen time in the middle without the restraints of limited overs’ cricket. Bowlers, meanwhile, learn to bowl longer spells and, also, have the ability to return to the attack for multiple spells. For the captains, it is a learning platform for game management.
“They play on pitches that are wearing and that are older after four days and stuff like that, so it brings in different fielding positions for the captains, to get guys around the bat, and an extra slip, an extra short leg, and silly point.
“The spinners come into the game massively, so there’s a huge number of opportunities for boys to learn a different format of the game and to solidify their platforms and their base,” Nosworthy explained.
The format also helps players to develop their character in the game. As Nosworthy states in the festival programme, “The true test of character isn’t in the easy runs, but in the long spells, the tough sessions, and the moments that demand resilience”.
He added: “I think everybody that’s played the game agrees, and speak to any current international, 99 percent of them have played the longer format before they just head on into white ball cricket. Knowing your defence and knowing the game a lot better helps players massively, and that is what Time Cricket brings.”
Nosworthy’s assertion is backed up by the many players who have participated in the festival and have gone on to play cricket at provincial and national level. Over 100 players adorn their honours board, including Gerald Coetzee, Bryce Parsons, Wandile Makwetu, and Curtis Campher, who were part of the 2017 cohort.
Proteas’ all-rounder, Marco Jansen and his brother Duan, along with Michael Copeland, took part in 2018, while 2019’s group of players included Connor Esterhuizen and Andile Simelane. Teenage sensations Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, and Richard Seletswane were part of the 2022 group, and junior Springbok star Riley Norton played in 2023.
The next wave of stars, who have represented the South Africa u19 team, include the hosts’ Jason Rowles and Armaan Manack, while Waterkloof’s lineup includes Titans u19 star Wian Ruthven.
The festival wouldn’t be possible without the support St David’s receives from their various sponsors, most notably, the event’s title sponsor, Fasken Law. “Their investment into the pathway of South African cricket has been invaluable,” Nosworthy stated.
“There aren’t too many of these types of festivals for the youngsters, so when sponsors like Fasken commit to invest in our youth and are prepared to go the extra mile, it is awesome.”
Blaize Vance, a managing partner at Fasken Law, said the company sees its partnership with St David’s and the festival as a good fit with their core values.
“I think we judge talent wrongly. What do we see as talent? I think I have made the same mistake myself. We judge talent by people’s ability to strike a cricket ball. The sweetness, the timing. That’s the only thing we see as talent.
“Things like determination, courage, discipline, temperament, these are also talent,” Vance said in the festival programme.
MATCHES
28/29 August
Waterkloof vs St David’s (La Valla Oval)
Clifton vs Noordheuwel (Gier Oval)
St Andrew’s vs Jeppe (La Rosey)
St Charles vs KES (Temba Bavuma Oval)
Nelspruit vs St John’s (Mitchell Oval)
Lions XI vs St Stithians (Dlamini Oval)
30/31 August
St David’s vs Lions XI (La Valla Oval)
St John’s vs St Charles (Mitchell Oval)
St Stithians vs St Andrew’s (Dlamini Oval)
Jeppe vs Waterkloof (Gier Oval)
KES vs Clifton (Temba Bavuma Oval)
Noordheuwel vs Nelspruit (La Rosey)
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