Zim Cricket

[Goughy]

As some may know, myself and my wife move around a lot.

We are looking to pull some strings to move to Zim but one condition must be met and that is cricket related.

Im 32 yrs old. I have a few years (tops ) of good cricket left in me. Will I as a white Englishman (though travelling on a US passport) be able to find a club to play good quality cricket in fine surroundings?

Or is politics heavily involved? Will I enjoy the cricket etc?

Id hate to move all that way with cricket being part of the reason and finding out that it isnt a realistic option to play good quality cricket on nice grounds and socialise afterwards.

If people or people know others and are not comfortable posting an answer here then they can email me at goughy at cricketmail dot net

 

[Days of Grace]

Why would a white guy like yourself want to live in Zimbabwe?

Surely that's almost the worst place in the world for you to go.

 

[Goughy]

Why would a white guy like yourself want to live in Zimbabwe?

Surely that's almost the worst place in the world for you to go.

6 reasons.

1. Ive always (from a small boy) had a passionate interest in the place
2. Zim/Rhodesia was pretty much the core of my undergrad and what I wrote my dissertaion on.
3. We would be paid by, housed by and protected by a large multinational org.
4. Once you see the red dirt of Africa it is in your soul forever (more poetic and romantic than I usually am)
5. Its a place in crisis and an opportunity to be on the cutting edge of history with all the diehards
6. Its my last and only remote possibility to play FC cricket.

oh and to add, the living would be pretty easy. Big house, pool, house staff etc.

 

[Indipper]

6 reasons.

1. Ive always (from a small boy) had a passionate interest in the place
2. Zim/Rhodesia was pretty much the core of my undergrad and what I wrote my dissertaion on.
3. We would be paid by, housed by and protected by a large multinational org.
4. Once you see the red dirt of Africa it is in your soul forever (more poetic and romantic than I usually am)
5. Its a place in crisis and an opportunity to be on the cutting edge of history with all the diehards
6. Its my last and only remote possibility to play FC cricket.

oh and to add, the living would be pretty easy. Big house, pool, house staff etc.

 

[Chubb]

As some may know, myself and my wife move around a lot.

We are looking to pull some strings to move to Zim but one condition must be met and that is cricket related.

Im 32 yrs old. I have a few years (tops ) of good cricket left in me. Will I as a white Englishman (though travelling on a US passport) be able to find a club to play good quality cricket in fine surroundings?

Or is politics heavily involved? Will I enjoy the cricket etc?

Id hate to move all that way with cricket being part of the reason and finding out that it isnt a realistic option to play good quality cricket on nice grounds and socialise afterwards.

If people or people know others and are not comfortable posting an answer here then they can email me at goughy at cricketmail dot net

I've considering spending some time in Zim myself- hopefully in the next few years I will be able to spend a southern summer or more out there. I was thinking I could do some teaching and cricket coaching at a school or a sports club.

I have no real first-hand knowledge of club cricket in Zimbabwe. But I reckon that most clubs would love to have a player like yourself. The vast majority of Zimbabwean cricketers just want to play cricket and don't care about politics or race, and would be very enthusiastic about having someone with your experience join them. The one club not to join is Takashinga which I've heard has big ZANU and ZC connections. But other clubs wouldn't have any objections to a white player- most of them probably still have white guys on the books, and as soon as you bowl at them they'd see how good you are.

Where it might get more complicated is at a higher level- I don't know if you'd make a provincial side (my hunch would be yes) but I know from the experiences of the Minor Counties batsman James Cornford in 2002 that provinces come under heavy pressure not to select "Englishmen". Cornford topped his province's averages in 2001-02 but was told when he returned in 2002-03 that he would not be welcome in the side again, due to outside pressure- not pressure from players themselves.

Grounds are another problem entirely. There used to be a lot of very nice grounds in Zim, but many have gone to rack and ruin with the crisis. However, there are still good grounds around in the cities- some clubs will play at the international grounds in any case. I believe, though can't confirm, that the Old Boys teams (Old Hararians etc.) play at the school grounds which should still be in a good condition. In the country, there aren't many farmer's sports clubs around anymore, and in any case their facilities were usually quite "rough". have a look at the Google Earth map of harare- you can see how many grounds there still are, particularly in the vicinity of the HSC itself.

I reckon that you'd have a good time in Zimbabwe but please bear in mind that my opinions are based on second-hand accounts and may no longer apply to Zimbabwe today.

 

[Goughy]

^ Rather than quote the whole thing.

Thanks great answer and really helpful.

I really want to go (and have done for the longest time) though certain things ie cricket need to be right before I drag the family out there (the wife kind of likes the idea as well).

 

[Goughy]

Why would a white guy like yourself want to live in Zimbabwe?

Surely that's almost the worst place in the world for you to go.

Though you are right in one regard. The worst racism Ive experienced for being in an interracial marriage has come from white Zims.

We wouldnt really 'fit' with any group there.

 

[Langeveldt]

Agreed with a lot you have said, but give Zimbabwe a few years to recover.. it's the most fantastic place with some amazing people, but surely you can hold it off for a few years? The cricket you speak of just doesn't exist at the moment, you can't even buy gasoline to fill a car up unless you go on the black market.. Don't forget that a number of the traditional provinces have been broken up and replaced with hand picked "yes men"..

I myself am looking to work in Zim at some stage, but not for a number of years until we can be sure that the recovery which to be honest hasn't even started yet, is well under way..

As for racism, I find far more racism alive and kicking in SA, but don't forget the goverment is still in an unpredictable stage and you never know what might happen. The MDC now control the police though which is a huge bonus.

Zim is also massively reliant on SA for everything from Power to Fuel.. And SA as you know isn't in the most stable of times.. Even with our problems, Zimbabwe is still a byword for incompetance, poverty, and everything we are hoping SA doesn't become..

What happened to Namibia? Surely that would be ideal for a young family..

I can hitch you up with a few white Zimbos who are still active in those kind of circles that you speak of, let me know what you need to find out..

Love the way you couldn't stay out of Africa forever, it's impossible..

 

[Craig]

Move to Kenya, you will have plenty of cricket chances there. According to Chris Froome, who became the first Kenyan-born to ride the Tour de France (in cricket circles he would count as a Kolpak or not since his grandparents are British, Hak [or it was Mitchell] said he was a Kolpak so good enough for me), the place isn't that bad, and obviously that he is white, racism was never an issue for him and he went to mixed schools etc. A lot of the problems came down to triblism then racism.

I guess the same problems in South Africa are the same in any African country (crime etc.), but you will probably be living in a fortress anyway, and you can have all the house as you need.

That said I have no idea on the place and have probably talked out of my arse, so I'll leave it to our resident ex-pat Kenyan who is in London ATM.

 

[Flem274*]

Goughy to play for Zimbabwe test side imo.

 

[andyc]

Just go to China already

 

[brockley]

Good luck goughy will look out for your name in the logan cup.
I think it starts in april.
Altho most of the players are dark skinned got to do with quotas.
Maybe you should try new zealand to crack it

 

[Flem274*]

Good luck goughy will look out for your name in the logan cup.
I think it starts in april.
Altho most of the players are dark skinned got to do with quotas.
Maybe you should try new zealand to crack it

Dion Ebrahim tried. Currently plays for Taranaki, a provincial side in the Central Districts "state" area.

Colin de Grandholmme got into Auckland though, currently averages sub-20 in List A I think.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Speaking of Zim cricket, Brendan Taylor will be playing for North Melbourne this year in the Melbourne Grade Competition.

 

[Craig]

Speaking of Zim cricket, Brendan Taylor will be playing for North Melbourne this year in the Melbourne Grade Competition.

So has he given up on cricket with Zimbabwe and has come to Australia for good or is it just for the summer? Would be cool if you get to bowl to him.

 

[Goughy]

Does anyone know anything about these clubs?

 

[Langeveldt]

Does anyone know anything about these clubs?

Takashinga are a Harare based club that have always had the best players and facilities in the country.. Flower and Olonga played there IIRC.. I'm not sure how far the politicization of the game in Zim has spread to Takashinga though.. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be the most succesful club in the country still if they didn't do everything the board and ZANU cronies told them to..

Oh and BTW I'm going back to SA on Sunday so let me know if you come back to the area at all.. Still think you and the wife should consider Namibia though..

 

[brockley]

Takashinga only has black players.
Heard the old hararians side is pretty good.
Anyway wish you luck goughy need some white players in zimbo cricket,hope to see your name in a logan cup team.

 

[Chubb]

Takashinga
They only select black players. Their facilities are very good because they have a lot of government connections. Their players have been given "special treatment" by ZC in the past. Steer clear of them.

Bulawayo Athletic Club
This lot should a decent side- they'll play at a sports club in Bulawayo, obviously, so their facilties should be decent

Kadoma Sports Club
Kadoma's in the middle of nowhere. I don't know anything about it today, so I can't really comment, though I know a few years ago Ed Rainsford used to hitchhike from Kadoma to Kwekwe because the Kwekwe side had better facilities.

Old Hararians
They'll be a strong side, and I suspect they'll have good facilities. One of the clubs I would look into.

Harare Sports Club
Ditto- they'll play at the HSC itself.

Alexandra Sports Club
Bulawayo, I think. Don't know much about them-n fact its a sports club means likely to have decent facilities

Kwekwe Sports Club
Kwekwe's an isolated but large town- it wouldn't be my first choice as a place to live in Zim, but they will play at the ground that occasionally gets used for ODIs and tour games, so their facilites should be decent. Incidentally, Kwekwe is not an African name- it was originally a Portuguese trading post, Que Que.

Old Malvernians
Don't know much about them.

Royal Cricket Club
Ditto

Queens Sports Club
Will play at the test ground in Bulawayo, I think. Possibily the best side in the second city. May have mixed them up with the Athletic Club, but either side would be a good bet in Bulawayo.

Emakhandeni
Unknown

Mabvuku
Unknown

Mbizo
Unknown

Mutare Sports Club
City near the Mozambique border- nice mountains round there. They will probably play at the ground used for ODIs and tour matches

Uprising
Unknown


Ask the guys on the forum at that site about clubs- many of them are in Zim itself and know a lot more than I do.