THE GENESIS OF UWC CRICKET
Cricket has always been a feather in the cap of UWC but its road to a powerhouse has not been without struggles By Zaahier Adams
F
rom its humble beginnings when hostel students competed in an internal league, the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Cricket Club has grown into a major powerhouse not only in the Western Cape but within the greater South African cricket landscape, too. The UWC Cricket Club in its current state is a feared competitor that attracts the highest calibre of players and
14
coaches — both men and women — from all around the world, all in search of the unique “Udubs” experience. Initially, however, this was not the case. Although plenty of talented cricketers attended the university, their allegiances lay elsewhere. It was particularly difficult to get the students living at home in the Western Cape to align themselves with the University’s cricket.“We were stuck in the unfortunate
position where it was not the students’ priority to play for UWC but instead for their local club,” says former chairperson Advocate Nic Kock. “We had a lot of boys from Oudtshoorn who would play for Union Stars. As soon as they put their pen down for their last exam, they would rush back home to play for Union and then delay as long they could until they really could not anymore. They would then