Tour Special South Africa 2012: Ons gaan in die Kaap ... - kon HCVV

Two captains on a strip:
Tonny Staal & Hidde Overdijk
An interview by JACOB-JAN ESMEIJER
They are sworn friends, they are
classmates, they even made their
maiden century on the same day in
2011 and they love sending Tweets and
playing a game of FIFA on any console.
No wonder the nicknames Knabbel and
Babbel (the Dutch version of Chip and
Dale) were given to them… But there is
a huge responsibility for the captain and
vice captain ahead when they lead the 13man
squad both on and off the Capetonian
cricket fields. “Fun, everlasting friendship
and playing some proper cricket are our
team objectives.”
It will be a massive experience in their
early years as HCC cricket players to be
away from home to play the best game in
the world. Under totally different circumstances,
that is. “In Holland, we’re used
to play on artificial strips. It’s a different
game than playing on turf”, says captain
Staal (15). “Not all Dutch clubs have
turf wickets. But when we play on grass,
batsmen will play of the front foot most
of the times. That will be a different story
in Cape Town where fierce bowling and
rock hard strips will tell us that the game
is a different league in a country where
cricket is one of the main sports. A great
challenge for the entire team facing some
genuine pace under a blistering sun! Our
cricket can only improve in the two weeks
of cricket that’s ahead of us.”
Vice captain Overdijk, also 15 years of
age, adds: “We are very united team.
We know each other through and
6 TOUR SPECIAL SOUTH AFRICA December 2011
Tonny Hidde
through. Not only during the soccer
season we see each other a lot, but also
in our free time we catch up and enjoy
each other’s company. Our strengths are
definitely the good atmosphere and the
will to win. We aim to win every match
we play and we have all the artillery
to do so. But playing school and club
teams in South Africa will be a real tough
challenge. They play cricket as soon as
they’re able to walk, and in Holland it’s
the soccer ball that’s dominant. It’s going
to be a test of character as well: how
will our bowlers reply when a batsman
takes him on? Or when a batsman scores
less runs then he is used to? At these
moments, a captain a vice captain should
help teammates out and motivate them.
Therefore, the tour will then be more
than ‘just’ cricket.”
“We became Holland’s U15 champions
last year, which was the icing on
our cricketing cake”, Tonny adds. “But
playing a local Dutch team or a South
African club team is a huge difference.
We do have a well-balanced side with
proper pacers as Floris de Lange and
Douwe Schoemaker. As a spinner, Folkert
Beerens has put a lot of effort in his
bowling and has had a great season!
Daniel Trijzelaar, Pieter de Buck, Hidde
and I hope to be able to contribute with
the bat. Laurens Jan Lagas is very experienced
with the gloves. But also to other
players will do the talking with either
bat or ball. I prefer to bat first when we
win the toss, but it also depends on the
weather and the strip we’ll play on.”
It goes without saying that ‘Knabbel &
Babbel’ as well as the rest of the touring
squad are counting the days before
they finally jump on that plane to South
Africa. Tonny: “It’s going to be a massive
experience, and I think that I can speak
for all my team mates that we feel very
privileged being part of this tour. I hope
it will make us realize that not everything
in life is as logical as it seems. We hope
that with the special Zuid Afrika Sport
container project, we’ve been able to do
something back for our fellow sporting
friends in the Cape region.”