Veterans Cricket in South Africa has come a long way since 2018 when a group of friends participated as the Rhinos at the inaugural Over-50s World Cup in Australia. Subsequently, the Proteas Veterans have participated at Over-40s, 50s and 60s Cricket World Cups, going on to win the Over-40s World Cup held in the Western Cape earlier this year.
There are now 12 provinces with established veterans cricket structures, with teams participating in age-group inter-provincial tournaments and club championships.
The Pride is thrilled to formally welcome veterans cricket under its wing. September saw the DP World Wanderers Stadium host the first meeting of Central Gauteng Lions Veterans Steering Committee. Lions Cricket CEO Jono Leaf-Wright thanked the committee members for their dedication towards serving veterans cricket in the province. He added that this is an exciting development for CGL as it extends the cricket pipeline from schoolboys to 70-year-olds.
CGL Cricket Services Manager, Reuben Mandlazi, noted that he has seen what good veterans cricket has done for clubs in the province.
“It’s not just about bringing good players back to the game with their in depth knowledge and experience. It’s also about strengthening the administration and governance at those clubs – the effects are wide-reaching and quite frankly immeasurable.”
The 2024/25 CGL Veterans League will consist of teams of over-40’s from eight clubs, playing 56 games across the season. The winners will go on to represent #ThePrideOfJozi province at the 2025 Veterans Cricket Association of South Africa Club Championships in September 2025. Players will also be vying for places in the Lions squad that will participate at the Over-40s interprovincial tournament to be hosted by Eastern Province Veterans in Gqeberha during May 2025.
Continuing their quest for domestic dominance, Lions Cricket are proud of all those who continue to serve the game beyond their playing days, imparting knowledge inside and outside the boundary ropes, and genuinely and impactfully empowering the communities in which we serve.
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