The beauty of the Veterans League is not only how it has kept cricketers active for so much longer, but also how it has brought friends back together.
Proteas Veterans captain Louis Koen has mentioned how he stopped playing for 15 years before dusting his boots off, and then immediately reacquainting himself with old cricketing friends and foes.
For some though, they have never been too far from each other’s lives.
In 1989, Mario Solomons, Saleem Mukuddem, Munier Holiday and Goolam Taliep played together for Western Province Schools.
Thirty-three years later, they all made the Western Province Veterans side that took part in the Interprovincial Tournament in Johannesburg – and decided to recreate a photo from three decades earlier.
Three of them – Solomons, Mukuddem and Taliep – were then selected for the Proteas Veterans side for the Over-50 World Cup, with Holiday on the reserve list.
“To still be able to play with these guys after all this time is absolutely amazing,” Taliep says.
“Myself and Saleem have been roommates through numerous tours – school tours, club tours. The friendship and the bond that we have is something I will always cherish.”
“I will have an entire chapter dedicated to Goolam in my autobiography!” Mukuddem jokes.
Left-arm swing bowler Grant Jansen is another player from that 1989 WP Schools side that is playing at the 2023 Over-50 World Cup, which is again being sponsored by Evergreen Lifestyle.
About Evergreen Lifestyle
The 2023 Over-50s Cricket World Cup will once again be sponsored by Evergreen Lifestyle, South Africa’s premium retirement brand with seven operating villages in the Western Cape and Gauteng, and a further six in the pipeline. The business began with a vision to change the retirement landscape in South Africa, offering a partnership for life based on five key pillars: physical security, financial peace of mind, continuous care, a sense of community and exceptional hospitality.
You’ll find Evergreen’s award-winning retirement villages in the most beautiful parts of the country, at the end of sun dappled country lanes, perched on majestic mountain slopes, and within walking distance of our beaches, rivers, and wetlands. And you’ll find vibrant fun-loving communities enjoying the finer things in life – like good food, great company, lasting friendships, and a sense of belonging that is enabled by the resort-style facilities and amenities on offer.