Wynberg unveils new Jacques Kallis Indoor Cricket Centre
There’s an old anecdote about a bowling selector and a batting selector for the South African Schools side. Each one told the other that they had found the next big talent in bowling and batting respectively.
Bowling selector: “So what’s the name of this opening batsman that you’re praising?”
Batting selector: “Jacques Kallis.”
Bowling selector: “What? But that’s the name of the opening bowler I was telling you about!”
One incredibly illustrious cricket career later, Kallis retired from the Proteas as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, regarded by many as the best all-rounder the world has yet seen.
Thus, it’s no wonder that Wynberg Boys’ High has named their new Indoor Cricket Centre after the old boy of the class of ’93. It opened on Tuesday, 23 September.
Previously, in 2009, Wynberg renamed its main cricket oval, the Jacques Kallis Oval.
Kallis is widely considered a class act, and he has certainly shown his class via his patronage of the school and other educational institutions.
When Kallis was awarded a benefit year by Western Province, in 2005, he donated all the money raised to a scholarship in his name.
As a result of that magnanimous gesture, numerous young talents who could not afford to attend top schools around the country were given the opportunity to attain a high level of education and cricketing development.
Proteas’ wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, who matriculated from Wynberg Boys’ High in 2015, is one of many who have benefitted from the scholarship.
The Wynberg Boys’ High 1st XI will show off their stuff at the Cape Schools Cricket Festival from Saturday, 4 October, to Tuesday, 7 October.
Matches will be played at Wynberg, Bishops, Rondebosch, and SACS, with Wynberg Boys’ High, Grey High, Rondebosch Boys’ High, Queen’s College, Bishops, St Andrew’s College, Union High, Selborne College, SACS, St Andrew’s School, Graeme College, and Dale College in action.
For readers interested in learning more about this story, here is the link to the online brochure about Jacques Kallis and Wynberg: https://bit.ly/WBHS25-Programme-JKICC-Opening.
