New year, same result for Rollers

If the West Coast Rollers had ‘catch better’ and ‘win more games’ on their New Year’s resolutions list, it didn’t take very long to break it.

After winning 95% of our matches last season, this campaign has been the complete opposite, with a five-wicket pasting at Western Province Cricket Club making it three defeats in four.

On this occasion a lack of runs and (at least) six dropped catches proved our undoing, with this particular author culpable in half of those.

Taking first strike on a goodish track, the Rollers lost Ryan Cooper (11) and Michael van Dewenter (10) early on, before a 40-run partnership between Bryan Bowler and Cornell Keulder got us back on track.

Once again, Matt Hart-Davis proved impossible to get away, getting both Bryan (31) and Cornell (22), before Hannes Moore (5) missed a straight one and Izak de Beer skied the spinner to the wicket-keeper (after the most classy 11 runs you'll ever see).

But we still had Jarryd van Wyk in the shed, and he paced his innings beautifully to finish unbeaten on 43, adding 48 for the seventh wicket with Ruan de Jongh (12*) to give the visitors a below-par 167 to defend.

And we started well enough, with Big Mike (2/31) getting both the openers, while Cornell was bowling with some pace at the other end and should have picked up a wicket but for an apparent bump-ball (or something like that ...).

Then the drop catches, including putting down Brian Kitshoff three times en route to an unbeaten 90. In between that, Tom Stapylton-Smith was unlucky not to get more than his 1/30, while the fielding was so bad that even the FCA’s favourite prostitute, Nic Slabbert (5-0-39-1), let a swear word out after a third catch was put down off his bowling.

But, as Jacques Labuschagne rightly pointed out afterwards over some cold beers and brandies, it’s still a great day out at one of the best cricketing venues in the world.

WPCC vs Rollers - January 2026.pdf

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