The "Shadow" South African League

[Langeveldt]

The height of absurdity, mefeels, has been reached with Leicestershire vs Northamptonshire starting on May 13th 2008. In this game there are ten South Africans - Ackerman, Dippenaar, du Toit, Henderson, du Preez, Boje, Klusener, van der Wath, Wessels and Hall. There is also a West Indian (Lawson) and an Australian (Allenby).

This means that 12 out of 22 players are not indiginously British or Irish.

I am not against alteration of nationality, far from it, but this is ridiculous.

Oh of course, but Kolpaks are so good for English cricket..

 

[Richard]

I really would like to know how much the importing of these 14 players has cost the two clubs, and then compare it to what the costs for local players of comparable ability might be.

 

[Richard]

Returning to this again, with the knowledge that hopefully the end is in sight for the Kolpak player, I've just had a quick look at a few contractual details that I can find-out for certain. I presume nothing is going to enable the ECB to force contracts to be terminated, so it'll just be a case of refusing to allow any more applications from now on and waiting for existing contracts to run-out. From what I can tell, these are SAfricans with no connections whatsoever to the UK apart from their counties and hence would either have to retire, go to the ICL or go back to Franchise cricket: Andrew Hall, Nicky Boje, Zander de Bruyn, Boeta Dippenaar, Garnett Kruger, Claude Henderson, HD Ackerman, Francois du Plessis, Martin van Jaarsveld, Ryan McLaren, Justin Kemp, Neil Dexter, Grant Hodnett, Dale Benkenstein, Greg Smith, Jacques Rudolph, Deon Kruis, Charl Willoughby. Friedel de Wet didn't play this summer after all but would be in the same boat.

The below are different:
Andrew Strauss, Nick Compton, Michael Lumb, Matt Prior, Jade Dernbach, Gareth Berg, Kevin Latouf - I'd describe these as Brits with South African heritage. If they wanted to be South African, they could've been, but they have lived in the UK for much or most of their lives and are now more British than SAfrican.
Nic Pothas, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Craig Kieswetter - aiming for or achieved British citizenship, having already had British or EU heritage, despite being patent SAfricans originally.
Dawid Malan, Tim Groenewald, Ant Botha, Neil Carter - South Africans with British heritage (or birth in Malan's case) and will always remain qualified even if they don't actually aim to play for England (all bar Malan are patently not good enough anyway).
Ryan ten Doeschate, Alexei Kervezee - Dutchmen with SAfrican connections.
Riki Wessels - I actually don't know about him. Something tells me Kepler married an Englishwoman, and if that were true obviously Riki would be half-English and thus eligable for England. But I may be completely wrong here.
Chad Keegan - appears to have given-up the game.
Garry Park, Stephen Moore - not sure what the situation is with either of these two either, but think Moore is England-eligable, whatever his background.

Not all Kolpak players are South Africans - there are a handful of West Indians too, as well as the odd Zimbabwean, plus an Australian. Being bored out of my skull earlier today I looked through some contractual details and this is what I could find:
Derbyshire:
Wavell Hinds - 2008
Greg Smith - 2010
Charl Langeveldt - 2009
Dominic Telo - 2008 - England-qualifying?
Durham:
Dale Benkenstein - ?
Gloucestershire:
Grant Hodnett - ?
Anthony Ireland - 2009
Kent:
Martin van Jaarsveld - ?
Justin Kemp - 2009
Ryan McLaren - 2010 - England-qualifying?
Neil Dexter - ?
Lancashire:
Francois du Plessis - 2008
Leicestershire:
Hylton Ackerman - ?
Jacques du Toit - ?
Claude Henderson - ?
Jermaine Lawson - 2008?
Dillon du Preez - ?
Garnett Kruger - 2009
Northamptonshire:
Lance Klusener - ?
Nicky Boje - 2009
Johannes van der Wath - 2010
Andrew Hall - 2010
Nottinghamshire:
Andre Adams - 2009
Somerset:
Zander de Bruyn - ?
Alfonso Thomas - 2008
Charl Willoughby - ?
Surrey:
Pedro Collins - 2009
Sussex:
Murray Goodwin - ?
Corey Collymore - 2008
Yorkshire:
Jacques Rudolph - 2011 - England-qualifying?
Gideon Kruis - 2008

 

[gettingbetter]

Nice read.

 

[Goughy]

Andrew Hall, Nicky Boje, Boeta Dippenaar, Garnett Kruger, Claude Henderson, HD Ackerman, Francois du Plessis, Martin van Jaarsveld, Ryan McLaren, Justin Kemp, Neil Dexter, Grant Hodnett, Dale Benkenstein, Greg Smith, Jacques Rudolph, Deon Kruis, Charl Willoughby. Friedel de Wet didn't play this summer after all but would be in the same boat.

A number of these such as may be Henderson, Smith or Benkenstein may have been in the UK long enough to qualify as residents now.

 

[Uppercut]

Without doubt, although thats not the only reason people bare the misery of an English winter..

Put it this way, I take with me on a night out in South Africa, what I earn in an hour in England..

If I was to take my SA earnings on a night out in England, it would take me over two days to have enough money

Hmm, maybe i won't need to save up quite as much as i thought to take a year out of uni and go to Safrica.

 

[Richard]

A number of these such as may be Henderson, Smith or Benkenstein may have been in the UK long enough to qualify as residents now.

I did wonder about that. IIRR, they've often been going back to SA to play in Franchise cricket in the winter (certainly both Benkenstein and Henderson played in 2006/07, maybe among others), and even those who haven't (like Kruis) have sometimes been going back for family reasons. I don't think Smith or Hodnett ever played Franchise (or Provincial) cricket though so they'd only be going back for family reasons.

TBH, I rather hope none of them will be residence-qualified, as much as they're quality players, I'm increasingly becoming averse to such short-term residence qualifications. I'd much prefer something which restricts it to those who moved over at a very young age - 10 years, say. That'd basically mean that you'd need to move over in your early teens or younger to have a chance of a real career. Basically, it cut-out those who move simply because they've gone-off their country and want a change. I don't like birth qualifications, but 10-year or similar residence would do me fine.

 

[kingkallis]

Take a look @ the northants team and you will understand!

Its hightime ECB start placing a limit on using of foreign players!

 

[TT Boy]

Returning to this again, with the knowledge that hopefully the end is in sight for the Kolpak player, I've just had a quick look at a few contractual details that I can find-out for certain. I presume nothing is going to enable the ECB to force contracts to be terminated, so it'll just be a case of refusing to allow any more applications from now on and waiting for existing contracts to run-out. From what I can tell, these are SAfricans with no connections whatsoever to the UK apart from their counties and hence would either have to retire, go to the ICL or go back to Franchise cricket: Andrew Hall, Nicky Boje, Zander de Bruyn, Boeta Dippenaar, Garnett Kruger, Claude Henderson, HD Ackerman, Francois du Plessis, Martin van Jaarsveld, Ryan McLaren, Justin Kemp, Neil Dexter, Grant Hodnett, Dale Benkenstein, Greg Smith, Jacques Rudolph, Deon Kruis, Charl Willoughby. Friedel de Wet didn't play this summer after all but would be in the same boat.

The below are different:
Andrew Strauss, Nick Compton, Michael Lumb, Matt Prior, Jade Dernbach, Gareth Berg, Kevin Latouf - I'd describe these as Brits with South African heritage. If they wanted to be South African, they could've been, but they have lived in the UK for much or most of their lives and are now more British than SAfrican.
Nic Pothas, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Craig Kieswetter - aiming for or achieved British citizenship, having already had British or EU heritage, despite being patent SAfricans originally.
Dawid Malan, Tim Groenewald, Ant Botha, Neil Carter - South Africans with British heritage (or birth in Malan's case) and will always remain qualified even if they don't actually aim to play for England (all bar Malan are patently not good enough anyway).
Ryan ten Doeschate, Alexei Kervezee - Dutchmen with SAfrican connections.
Riki Wessels - I actually don't know about him. Something tells me Kepler married an Englishwoman, and if that were true obviously Riki would be half-English and thus eligable for England. But I may be completely wrong here.
Chad Keegan - appears to have given-up the game.
Garry Park, Stephen Moore - not sure what the situation is with either of these two either, but think Moore is England-eligable, whatever his background.

Not all Kolpak players are South Africans - there are a handful of West Indians too, as well as the odd Zimbabwean, plus an Australian. Being bored out of my skull earlier today I looked through some contractual details and this is what I could find:
Derbyshire:
Wavell Hinds - 2008
Greg Smith - 2010
Charl Langeveldt - 2009
Dominic Telo - 2008 - England-qualifying?
Durham:
Dale Benkenstein - ?
Gloucestershire:
Grant Hodnett - ?
Anthony Ireland - 2009
Kent:
Martin van Jaarsveld - ?
Justin Kemp - 2009
Ryan McLaren - 2010 - England-qualifying?
Neil Dexter - ?
Lancashire:
Francois du Plessis - 2008
Leicestershire:
Hylton Ackerman - ?
Jacques du Toit - ?
Claude Henderson - ?
Jermaine Lawson - 2008?
Dillon du Preez - ?
Garnett Kruger - 2009
Northamptonshire:
Lance Klusener - ?
Nicky Boje - 2009
Johannes van der Wath - 2010
Andrew Hall - 2010
Nottinghamshire:
Andre Adams - 2009
Somerset:
Zander de Bruyn - ?
Alfonso Thomas - 2008
Charl Willoughby - ?
Surrey:
Pedro Collins - 2009
Sussex:
Murray Goodwin - ?
Corey Collymore - 2008
Yorkshire:
Jacques Rudolph - 2011 - England-qualifying?
Gideon Kruis - 2008

Don’t know how to multi quote so here goes…

Riki Wessels mother and Kepler’s wife, Sally Wessels is an Australian – Believe Kepler met Sally during a Kerry Packer World Series Cricket convention back in the late 1970s.
As for Riki his Australian/South African, born in Aus, educated and raised in South Africa, he just happens to work in the UK.

Ryan ten Doeschate is also South African first, Dutch second; ten Doeschate’s dream (as of the 2007 World Cup) was to represent the Proteas.

Neil Dexter is also of British heritage (holds a British passport), he came to the UK to do an economics (?) degree at Kent University and was additionally ‘invited’ over by Graham Ford who aside from working with Kent, has a cricket academy in KwaZulu-Natal.

Dominic Telo does indeed want to try and qualify for England but he should probably try and get out of Derby’s second team before he has such grandiose ideas. Telo like VB van Jaarsveld was allowed over here because both men hold Portuguese passports (VB’s wife is from there).

Ryan McLaren won’t be England qualified until 2011 at the earliest I believe. Same goes for Rudolph and both men are apparently not returning to the Eagles for this season; Rudolph is undergoing surgery and McLaren wants a ‘rest’.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Take a look @ the northants team and you will understand!

Its hightime ECB start placing a limit on using of foreign players!

Its illigal under EU law to do so. Why do you think they let it get this bad? Also if Australia sign a trade agreement with the EU then we may well see an even bigger influx of players into county cricket. Especially given how English cricket seems to be in awe of the abilities of Australian cricketers (even crap ones) just because they are Australian.

 

[GIMH]

What did Pollock play as, was he a Kolpak?

 

[steds]

What did Pollock play as, was he a Kolpak?

Indeed.

 

[Richard]

Don’t know how to multi quote so here goes…

Easy enough.

Riki Wessels mother and Kepler’s wife, Sally Wessels is an Australian – Believe Kepler met Sally during a Kerry Packer World Series Cricket convention back in the late 1970s.
As for Riki his Australian/South African, born in Aus, educated and raised in South Africa, he just happens to work in the UK.

Wessels, then, is playing as Kolpak player?

Ryan ten Doeschate is also South African first, Dutch second; ten Doeschate’s dream (as of the 2007 World Cup) was to represent the Proteas.

Yes, I know that, but he never looked likely to make it over there and is now committed to playing for Holland. How much, if any, South African domestic cricket did he play?

Neil Dexter is also of British heritage (holds a British passport), he came to the UK to do an economics (?) degree at Kent University and was additionally ‘invited’ over by Graham Ford who aside from working with Kent, has a cricket academy in KwaZulu-Natal.

So Dexter is here to stay.

Dominic Telo does indeed want to try and qualify for England but he should probably try and get out of Derby’s second team before he has such grandiose ideas. Telo like VB van Jaarsveld was allowed over here because both men hold Portuguese passports (VB’s wife is from there).

Ryan McLaren won’t be England qualified until 2011 at the earliest I believe. Same goes for Rudolph and both men are apparently not returning to the Eagles for this season; Rudolph is undergoing surgery and McLaren wants a ‘rest’.

Those three should be interesting then. Telo isn't a Kolpak player evidently, then, he's an EU-passport player. Which means he'll be able to play regardless.

 

[Richard]

Its illigal under EU law to do so. Why do you think they let it get this bad? Also if Australia sign a trade agreement with the EU then we may well see an even bigger influx of players into county cricket. Especially given how English cricket seems to be in awe of the abilities of Australian cricketers (even crap ones) just because they are Australian.

No, not at all. The ruling has been altered and the ECB can now stop Kolpak signings. The only problem from now on should be EU-passport players (who have always been relatively rare) or those who are British in heritage only but are still qualified to work in the country because of that heritage. There's been quite a few of them.