SA Domestic History

[SeamUp]

Very interesting post . the first non Anglo named top cricketers i saw/remember where Bacher, Kirsten ,Kourie ,LeRoux Madsen (Danish) Seef , Yachad and of course Van der Bijl, plus Basil D Oliveira,

Just a small example but these 2 played in our first test series in 1889.







Actually want to put a list of the early SA cricketers & where they were born. See when the reliance of outside SA-born ended.

 

[Marius]

Interesting that the names suggest almost all the players were of English/British descent, whereas since readmission there would appear to be an equal mix with those who are Afrikaans, (plus obviously they growth in coloured, Asian and African international players). Is that a specific evolution in cricket in South Africa or reflecting a wider demographic change in the country?

I wrote something on this a few years ago. Here is an extract:

Cricket in South Africa used to be almost the sole preserve of white English-speaking South Africans and Afrikaner cricketers were uncommon.

In the final series that South Africa played against Australia before its banishment from Test cricket in 1970, there were only two non-Anglo white South Africans that played. These were the Jewish Ali Bacher and the Egyptian-born Greek, John Traicos. In that series not one Afrikaner played for South Africa (it should be remembered that only whites could be selected for South Africa at the time). Fast forwarding to the 1980s the situation had not changed very much. In the 19 unofficial Test matches that were played in the 1980s by South Africa versus various ‘rebel’ teams, only four Afrikaners were ever picked: Adrian Kuiper, Corrie van Zyl, Allan Donald, and Kepler Wessels.

However, in the 1990s, there was a veritable explosion in the number of Afrikaners playing cricket for South Africa. Five Afrikaners (Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje, Adrian Kuiper, Allan Donald, and Tertius Bosch) played in South Africa’s first Test against the West Indies at the end of the country’s exile in 1991. During the 1990s a number of Afrikaners, such as Fanie de Villiers and Cronje, were fixtures in the side. In the current side three Afrikaners – Morne Morkel, Faf du Plessis, and AB de Villiers – are regulars in the Test side and there are numerous Afrikaners playing franchise cricket and on the fringes of the Test side. In fact, since South Africa returned to the international game in 1991, an Afrikaner has always been in the Test XI.

Why were Afrikaners a rarity in the game before the 1990s? White Afrikaners were not, in general, interested in cricket and there are probably two reasons why this is so. Cricket is often seen as a quintessentially English game. Tensions between white English-speaking South Africans and Afrikaners were high for much of the 20th century which may have contributed to Afrikaner disdain for the game (ironically Afrikaners embraced another English game, rugby union, with gusto). In addition, South Africa was the Bangladesh of world cricket for the first half of the 20th century. Winning teams are teams that are well supported. Once the country began to become competitive in international cricket (for South Africa this was restricted to games against the ‘white’ Commonwealth of England, Australia, and New Zealand), Afrikaner interest piqued. Afrikaners would have begun attending matches, following games on radio, and in the press, and most importantly begun playing the game and began to encourage their sons to play the game. Instead of passing a rugby ball to his young son in his garden, an Afrikaner father would perhaps begin bowling to him. As Afrikaners began playing the game in the 1950s and 1960s there was an explosion of Afrikaners into the South African game thirty years later. This is not a sound scientific explanation but speculation. However, it is unlikely to be far off the mark.

Another reason is that Afrikaans incomes caught up with English incomes in about the 1950s, which could also have contributed to more Afrikaners playing cricket, a fairly expensive game to play, given all the equipment that is needed.

 

[SeamUp]

I wrote something on this a few years ago. Here is an extract:



Another reason is that Afrikaans incomes caught up with English incomes in about the 1950s, which could also have contributed to more Afrikaners playing cricket, a fairly expensive game to play, given all the equipment that is needed.

Adrian Kuiper is an interesting one. From a farming family in Afrikaansville of Western Cape but went to Bishops (Anglican English school in Cape Town) and all the men in the family go there. When did they get anglocised and was Afrikaans his first language growing up? You wouldn't think so listening to him speak and I played against his nephew James.

 

[SeamUp]

Just a small example but these 2 played in our first test series in 1889.

View attachment 44549

View attachment 44548



Actually want to put a list of the early SA cricketers & where they were born. See when the reliance of outside SA-born ended.

This came as a surprise to me seeing so many Afrikaans roots in 1890s playing with British Sirs, Generals & Majors

 

[Stefan9]

It would also have been influenced by which provinces were dominant. Before the 1990's the provinces who were dominant were more English speaking while since the 1990's we have seen the rise of northerns/titans to the dominant province. Being based in Pretoria it had a more Afrikaans flavour.

 

[Northerner]

Non Anglo name team from the 70s and 80s.

1 Rushmere or Yachad
2 Wessels
3 Seef
4 Kirsten
5 Pienaar
6 Kuiper
7 Madsen
8 Kourie
9 Le Roux
10 Van Zyl or Snell
11 Van der Bijl,

forgive my ignorance, how is Allan Donald classed as an Afrikaaner, its an Anglo name, could it be he was half Afrikaans half British ?

 

[Dendarii]

forgive my ignorance, how is Allan Donald classed as an Afrikaaner, its an Anglo name, could it be he was half Afrikaans half British ?

He's Afrikaans because that was his home language. While names generally give a good indication, it's not a foolproof method. Another prominent example from a different sport would be Victor Matfield, who is Afrikaans, despite his English sounding name.

 

[SeamUp]

[/QUOTE]

Non Anglo name team from the 70s and 80s.

1 Rushmere or Yachad
2 Wessels
3 Seef
4 Kirsten
5 Pienaar
6 Kuiper
7 Madsen
8 Kourie
9 Le Roux
10 Van Zyl or Snell
11 Van der Bijl,

forgive my ignorance, how is Allan Donald classed as an Afrikaaner, its an Anglo name, could it be he was half Afrikaans half British ?

Rushmere definitely Anglo. So is Snell.

The Kirsten's were obviously English-speaking. For interest we largely associate the Dutch, Flemish, French Huguenots and Germans with the Afrikaaner. But there were quite a few German settlements in the English Eastern Cape and they became anglocised. Take today, Breetzke being an example and same for Kirsten's.

Other Non-anglo surnames that come to mind..some before 70s/80s
Xenophen Balaskas
Clive van Ryneveld
Peter van Der Merwe
Peter Heine
Ali Bacher
Peter Carlstein
Dennis Gamsy
Grahame Chevalier
Gavin Pfuhl
Andre Bruyns
Peter Swart
Hylton Ackerman
Simon Bezuidenhout
Peter De Vaal
Anton Ferreira (I've seen Portuguese & Dutch?)


Somewhere along the line the Donald family married into Afrikaans & then the kids grew up Afrikaans being a predominantly Afrikaans province the Orange Free State.

Kourie was a Lebanese family?

 

[Northerner]

Rushmere definitely Anglo. So is Snell.

The Kirsten's were obviously English-speaking. For interest we largely associate the Dutch, Flemish, French Huguenots and Germans with the Afrikaaner. But there were quite a few German settlements in the English Eastern Cape and they became anglocised. Take today, Breetzke being an example and same for Kirsten's.

Other Non-anglo surnames that come to mind..some before 70s/80s
Xenophen Balaskas
Clive van Ryneveld
Peter van Der Merwe
Peter Heine
Ali Bacher
Peter Carlstein
Dennis Gamsy
Grahame Chevalier
Gavin Pfuhl
Andre Bruyns
Peter Swart
Hylton Ackerman
Simon Bezuidenhout
Peter De Vaal
Anton Ferreira (I've seen Portuguese & Dutch?)


Somewhere along the line the Donald family married into Afrikaans & then the kids grew up Afrikaans being a predominantly Afrikaans province the Orange Free State.

Kourie was a Lebanese family?
[/QUOTE]
Snell and Kirsten surnames are German, Rushmere sounds Dutch to me, but may be you are right .

 

[Dendarii]

Snell and Kirsten surnames are German, Rushmere sounds Dutch to me, but may be you are right .

Snell is Cornish (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snell_(surname)), and Rushmere is an English place name (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rushmere). I don't think Dutch uses the "sh" combination very often, if at all.

 

[Northerner]

Snell is Cornish (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snell_(surname)), and Rushmere is an English place name (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rushmere). I don't think Dutch uses the "sh" combination very often, if at all.

Snell is also a German surname found in Bavaria also on wikipedia, but i accept i was wrong about Rushmere,

 

[Marius]

Non Anglo name team from the 70s and 80s.

1 Rushmere or Yachad
2 Wessels
3 Seef
4 Kirsten
5 Pienaar
6 Kuiper
7 Madsen
8 Kourie
9 Le Roux
10 Van Zyl or Snell
11 Van der Bijl,

forgive my ignorance, how is Allan Donald classed as an Afrikaaner, its an Anglo name, could it be he was half Afrikaans half British ?

Madsen is also an Anglo name.

While you can, generally, tell someone's home language from their name, it isn't foolproof, like Allan Donald. I, myself, am an example, my first name and surname are Afrikaans, with my father being Afrikaans and my mother Anglo, but it's called "mother tongue" for a reason, and my brother and I grew up speaking English at home and went to English-medium schools. I'm pretty fluent in Afrikaans but it's not my home language.

 

[Northerner]

Madsen is also an Anglo name.

While you can, generally, tell someone's home language from their name, it isn't foolproof, like Allan Donald. I, myself, am an example, my first name and surname are Afrikaans, with my father being Afrikaans and my mother Anglo, but it's called "mother tongue" for a reason, and my brother and I grew up speaking English at home and went to English-medium schools. I'm pretty fluent in Afrikaans but it's not my home language.

Madsen is a Danish, name, 100%, their may be the odd Madsen in the UK, the Danes did invade England and some may have settled there, Danish minister for war was Vilhelm Madsen, Nicolas Madsen Danish footballer, Morten Madsen a Danish motocross racer,

 

[Marius]

Madsen is a Danish, name, 100%, their may be the odd Madsen in the UK, the Danes did invade England and some may have settled there, Danish minister for war was Vilhelm Madsen, Nicolas Madsen Danish footballer, Morten Madsen a Danish motocross racer,

Fair enough, think Madsen was from Natal, and there was some settlement from Scandinavian countries in Natal.