Claremont Main Road Masjid Tribute to
Non-Racial Cricket Legends
Saait Majiet in Full Flight
Introduction
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(Includes SACOS Dream Teams)
Obituaries Saait Magiet (d. 17 July 2018) Suleiman ‘Dik’ Abed (d. 19 Jan 2018) Ivan Dagnin (d. 6 May 2018 ) Michael Doman (d. 30 July 2018)
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Tributes Yusuf “Ta Yu” Jacobs Cecil Lategan Abdurrahman “Lefty” Adams Mornay “Kulu” Maclons Rushdi Magiet Ederoos “Boeta” Behardien Brian O’Connell
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Claremont Main Road Masjid Pays Tribute to Non-Racial Cricket Legends Sunday 23 September 2018 Introduction During the past few months of 2018, some of the most iconic players to ever grace South Africa’s cricket pitches, passed away - Sulaiman ‘Dik’ Abed (19 January), Ivan Dagnin (6 May), Saait Magiet (17 July) and Michael Doman (30 July). They were part of a cohort of great sportsmen and women who played what we called non-racial sport in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s at a time when the country was in the grip of an oppressive Apartheid state. During those turbulent times, the resilience and resistance of the oppressed was tested to its full, and it was often the prowess of talented sportsmen and women, on playing fields on the Cape Flats and other townships across the country, that provided much needed respites from the political turmoil we were experiencing. Their achievements and performances kept up the spirit and solidarity of oppressed communities in this country. And because all sports were segregated along racial lines under Apartheid, it is no surprise that their achievements and talents were never afforded the national accolades and glory that they so rightly deserved during and after their cricket playing days. They played their cricket under unions affiliated to the anti-Apartheid South African Council of Sport (SACOS), whose motto was ‘no normal sport in an abnormal society’. Many of these players could have competed on the world stage if given the opportunity, but they resisted attempts to be co-opted into white cricket structures to ‘normalise’ sport in an Apartheid state. We have dedicated this booklet to paying tribute to some of these players as well as cricket administrators of that time, to celebrate their lives and sporting achievements and to show gratitude for the sacrifices they made to uphold the principles of nonracial sport and for the many years of sporting pleasure they provided to spectators.
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CMRM Pays Tribute to Non-Racial Cricket Legends
In addition to paying tribute to deceased players, we also acknowledge and pay tribute to cricket legends from that era who are still alive today. This is something we have long advocated at the Claremont Main Road Masjid (CMRM), that we should not wait for people to die to pay tribute to them, but we should do more to acknowledge, show gratitude to, and celebrate people who have touched our lives, in their lifetime. On this occasion we have chosen to pay tribute to the following seven cricket legends and administrators: Yusuf “Ta Yu” Jacobs, Cecil Lategan, Abdurrahman “Lefty” Adams, Mornay “Kulu” Maclons, Rushdi Magiet, Ederoos “Boeta” Behardien and Brian O’Connell. We express our sincere gratitude to the sterling contributions of these individuals to non-racialism in sport. In conclusion, we encourage our communities to continually strive for ways to celebrate the rich history and the achievements of local heroes so as to pass on their great legacies to future generations. We acknowledge the immense help we received from veteran sports journalist, Mogamad Allie, in preparing the curriculum vitaes of the cricket legends featured in this booklet. The Claremont Main Road Masjid is delighted to publish this tribute booklet as a remembrance and celebration of our great local cricket legends.
One of cricket’s finest all rounders, Saait Magiet CMRM Pays Tribute to Non-Racial Cricket Legends
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SACOS ‘DREAM TEAMS’ SACOS FESTIVAL 1982
WESTERN PROVINCE HOWA BOWL CHAMPS 1979/80
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CMRM Pays Tribute to Non-Racial Cricket Legends
Obituaries Saait Magiet (d. 17 July 2018) Suleiman ‘Dik’ Abed (d. 19 Jan 2018) Ivan Dagnin (d. 6 May 2018 ) Michael Doman (d. 30 July 2018)
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Saait Magiet 7 May 1952 - 17 July 2018 An all rounder in all ways imaginable – that was Saait Magiet who was denied his rightful place on the international sporting arena by the cruel system of Apartheid. As a cricketer he was equally effective as a very quick and dangerous opening bowler, as a batsman he could tear apart any attack irrespective of the situation in which he found himself and as a fielder he ranked among the game’s finest. As a rugby player he was equally good as eighth man, flank and, when the situation demanded, he could even operate effectively at scrum half or fly half. His skills and leadership qualities on the rugby fields saw Magiet being selected to captain the City and Suburban Rugby Union team in SA Cup matches under the banner of the old SA Rugby Union (Saru). He was widely regarded as one of the finest loose forwards in the Saru ranks and there is consensus that had he moved to the Green Point Track-based WP Union, he would have been a shoo-in for national colours. However, his loyalty to the Primrose rugby and cricket clubs precluded such a move from even being considered. Such was the respect he commanded from his peers that legendary Saru loose forward Edgar Siljeur was moved to comment thus when hearing about Magiet’s passing: “Saait was a great friend both on and off the field. He was surely the best and most versatile sportsman produced during the Sacos era.” High praise indeed coming from a man who himself was equally adept as a rugby player and cricketer. It was as a cricketer that Magiet won universal recognition as one of South Africa’s best during the Apartheid era.
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The fact that he was handed his first class debut as a callow 19-year–old alongside established stars like elder brother Rushdi, Braima Isaacs, Neville Lakay, Viccie Moodie, Coetie Neethling, and Owen Williams, among others, showed how highly regarded and talented he was. And it was in only his second game, away to Eastern Province, that a young Magiet provided a sign of things to come scoring a typically swashbuckling 89 and joining Gertjie Williams to register a record eighth wicket stand of 133 after Lefty Adams’ side was struggling at 151/7. He would go on to represent WP 67 times, 15 as captain, over a period of 20 years, as well as leading the SACB national team in 1987 and in 1991. While his batting statistics of 2 650 runs (including three centuries and 15 halfcenturies) scored at an average of 29.12 appear unflattering, the bouncy matting wickets and later green top and often uneven turf pitches coupled with slow outfields are major mitigating factors. As an opening bowler Magiet was devastating often ripping through the opposition with a combination of pace and swing as manifested by his 171 first class wickets claimed at a meagre average of 12.99. Paying tribute to Magiet, Vincent Barnes his former WPCB team mate, who is now Cricket SA’s High Performance manager, says the talismanic all rounder was always regarded by his team mates as the ultimate safety net. “As long as Saait was playing, we didn’t have to worry. If we lost wickets up front he would contribute with the bat; if we struggled for wickets you just gave him the ball. “The world never got to see this immensely talented sportsman because of Apartheid. A principled man who sacrificed so much for the cause of non-racial sport. He did it so that others could achieve what so many of us couldn’t. “There are so many sportsmen, myself included, who are deeply thankful for Saait’s contribution to shaping and influencing our careers. “He was without doubt one of the best cricketers I played with or saw in action and I don’t easily dish out compliments of that nature,” said Barnes.
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Cricket commentator Aslam Khota, a former Transvaal opening batsman and wicketkeeper, was often on the receiving end of Magiet’s match-winning performances. “Saait had stamina, and combined speed with craft as a pace bowler. He was a devastating stroke-maker and often changed the game in favour of his team. Opposing teams knew that you were never done until you had Saait’s wicket! “Ask all the players of that era whether they had seen a batsman strike the ball harder and further than Saait. Intimidating and brutal in execution, he knew exactly where he was aiming - not just brute strength. Wickets? Throw the ball to Saait, and he seldom gave it back.” Had his generation, and those before them, had the opportunities (including coaching, training facilities, playing against top quality opposition) Magiet would no doubt have made his mark on the international scene just as players in the post-apartheid era like Makhaya Ntini, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, JP Duminy, Hashim Amla, Paul Adams, Kagiso Rabada and others have done. While his impact on the sports fields around South Africa was immense Magiet made an equally important contribution to the sporting side of the anti-Apartheid struggle when he and brother Rushdi, turned down a lucrative offer to play for a South African Invitation XI against Greg Chappell’s sanctions-busting International Wanderers side in 1976. The stance of the Magiets, particularly that of Saait, who was widely regarded as one of the country’s top players, was crucial, coming as it did at a time when a significant number of former Sacboc players had been lured into the trap of playing ‘normal sport’ when the apartheid society was still decidedly abnormal. The role of Imam Abdullah Haron, a Primrose supporter, and Livingstone High School in shaping their political consciousness and inculcating the principles of anti-racism clearly manifested itself in their decision. The farcical sporting dispensation was part of the government’s plan to beat the highly effective international sports boycott. Had Magiet taken up the offer which came at a time when, at the age of 24, he was in his prime, his clout was such that many more would have followed and damaged WP in the same way that particularly Transvaal and Natal were decimated by defections.
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Things may also have turned out differently for the talented all rounder had he honoured a contract organized for him by another Sacboc legend, Cecil Abrahams, to play for Strathmore in Scotland. As it turned out Magiet returned the signed contract to the wrong address. Abrahams, who had by then established himself in the Lancashire League, was moved to seek an opportunity for Magiet to fulfill his rich potential after observing the all rounder at close quarters during the season he spent coaching and playing for WP as a professional in 1975. “It would be a great waste if a player with all his natural ability did not experience playing in England where his ability would show even more,” Abrahams wrote at the time. As someone who was privileged to have watched and admired Saait Magiet in his prime, whether as a cricketer or rugby player, one can only but wonder what might have been for one of South African sport’s unfulfilled giants. Unfortunately viewing Magiet’s beautifully crafted work of art was restricted to those who had the good fortune to view it at the local exhibition while it was denied the chance to be showcased in the galleries of the world. Mogamad Allie (Published in the August 2018 edition of the Muslim Views)
Saait Magiet
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Sulaiman ‘Dik ’ Abed Born 22.10.1943. Died 19.1.2018 aged 74. Sulaiman Abed, who was regarded as one of South Africa’s greatest all-rounders, was the youngest of the famous Cape Town sporting family that saw older brothers achieve fame in different parts of the world. Salie (Lobo), regarded by the late Basil D’Oliveira as the best wicketkeeper in the world in the late 1950s and 60s, and Gesant ‘Tiny’ an all-rounder, was vice-captain of the Sacboc national team on the tour to Kenya in 1958. Goolam played rugby league for Leeds, Bradford Northern and Batley in England as well as cricket for Rochdale and several other teams in the Lancashire League Dik, as he was fondly known, started a ten-season career with Lancashire League side Enfield in 1967, where he attained legendary status. In only his second year he helped the club to their first league title in 25 years and on occasion of the centenary celebrations of the Lancashire League in 1998, Abed was nominated as the club’s “All Time Great” ahead of West Indies legends Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Conrad Hunte as well as India all-rounder Madan Lal when each the League’s 14 clubs were asked to make their nominations. Abed took up Dutch citizenship in the mid-1970s and captained the national team that played at the second ICC Trophy competition in England in 1982.
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Ivan Dagnin Born 4.3.1938. Died 6.5.2018 aged 80. Universally respected as one of sport’s ultimate gentlemen, Ivan Dagnin commanded respect not only through the quality of his performances but also because of his warm and endearing personality. He starred for Western Province in the fifth centralised Dadabhay tournament, held in Kimberley in 1969-70, scoring 321 runs at an average of 64.20 on challenging wickets. This included an unbeaten 100, against South Western Districts. The lanky opening batsman, who played for Silver Crowns, Peninsula and the Wynberg Cricket Association, made his last first class appearance for WP against EP in November 1982 at the age of 44. During a long and illustrious sporting career, Dagnin started playing first-team soccer at the age of 15 and continued until the ripe age 41. He played his last cricket match at age 58. As a soccer star, Dagnin was a defender for the Lions in the Southern Suburbs, and later played a key role in the Woodsides team that won four consecutive Maggot Trophy finals in the 1960s. He was also a top badminton player.
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Michael Doman Born 25.1.1961. Died 30.7.2018 aged 57 Michael Doman will forever hold the record as the youngest player ever to represent the WP Cricket Board in first class cricket having been called up to the Howa Bowl side at the age of 17 years and 17 days in February 1978 while still in matric at Athlone High. Playing in the same team alongside experienced stars like the Magiet brothers, Rushdi and Saait, Lefty Adams, Braima Isaacs and George van Oordt was no mean feat but Doman’s form for Victoria CC demanded recognition. Unfortunately his promising career was cut short by a serious back injury in his mid20s. A talented all-round sportsman, Doman was also a provincial shot put champion at high school and was selected to the Sacos squash team in 1982 after reaching number two in the SA Squash Racquets Federation rankings.
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Tributes Yusuf “Ta Yu” Jacobs Cecil Lategan Abdurrahman “Lefty” Adams Mornay “Kulu” Maclons Rushdi Magiet Ederoos “Boeta” Behardien Brian O’Connell
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Yusuf ‘Ta Yu’ Jacobs Yusuf Jacobs affectionately known as ‘Ta U’ was an institution on the local club cricket scene. As a teenager he joined the famous Roslyns Cricket Club ( home of the Abed Brothers) in 1966 and played first team league until 1982. As an 18 year old, he played under the captaincy of Tiny Abed, who had a huge influence on teaching Ta Yu the skills of the game. It was Dik Abed however that Ta Yu admired most. The youngest of the Abed brothers, he was the consumate professional who took the game very seriously. Preparing the wicket at the Common for their home games was part of Ta U’s apprenticeship. Lobo Abed who supervised proceedings on Friday evenings insisted that sea water be used in the preparation. Being amongst the younger members in the club Jacobs remembers making endless trips to the beach with a twenty litre paint drum to ensure that the wicket was suitably prepared for Dik to exploit. Jacobs recalls playing his first game against Vineyards which included Taliep Behardien, Dickie Conrad, Colin Joshua and Yusuf Behardien. Included in the Roslyns side that day were all five Abeds - Tiny, Lobo, Babu, Goolie and Dik. In 1976 Jacobs became a founder member of United Cricket Club following the merger of clubs in the WPCA. He served the club with distinction mainly as an opening batsman and followed in the footsteps of Taliep Behardien and Armien Jabaar in captaining the side. However it was in the capacity of manager that Ta Yu will be mostly remembered. He served in this position for twenty years whilst also serving a stint as convener of selectors. During this period United became league, one day and T20 champions at Western Province. Notwithstanding being confined to a wheel chair, Ta U can often be seen at club matches at his beloved Green Point Track and still attends Exco meetings on occasions. A true legend at the club.
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Cecil Lategan Born and bred in the Claremont area, Cecil attended St Saviours Primary and Livingstone High School. He still serves on the committee of St. Saviours Anglican Church. Cecil is better known as a former official of the old City and Suburban Rugby Union but also served cricket for many years. He was an allrounder for Hands and Hearts, a club that was formed in 1892, and which functioned until 1976 when a series of amalgamations took place as the WP Cricket Board overhauled its club system. Cecil, who turned 82 in August 2018, served for many years as an administrator at Hands and Hearts as well as at the Cape and District Cricket Union until its demise in 1976. He is still active at City Park and the St. Saviour’s Church.
Abdurrahman ‘Lefty’ Adams
Better known by his nickname of ‘Lefty’, Adams is regarded as one of the true legends of SA cricket. He started off in 1952 at the age of 14 with the family-run club Pirates, based in Black River. Adams represented Eastern Province, Griquas and WP for whom he made his debut at the 1966 Dadabhay tournament in Durban. He captained the Turfhallbased Metropolitan Cricket Union and Primrose Cricket Club with great success. He also famously led WP to a Howa Bowl triumph in his farewell game against Eastern Province at Elfindale in 1980. Set to score a seemingly easy 62 for victory, the psychologist in Adams got down to business when he promised EP he would get them out for 42, his age at the time. That vow seemed like pie in the sky when the visitors were cruising at 26 without loss but Adams, after picking up a piece of paper that blew onto the pitch and reading an imaginary message, turned the game on its head when he took 6 wickets for 7 runs to dismiss a thoroughly bemused and bewildered EP for ….. 42!
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Mornay ‘Kulu’ Maclons Popularly known by his nickname of “Kulu”, Maclons first represented the Somerset West board team in 1956 at the tender age of 16. He was later chosen for the SWD provincial team that played at the 1963 Dadabhay tournament in Port Elizabeth, scoring a polished 43 out of a total of 94 in the second innings against a very strong WP side. He first gained selection to the WP Cricket Board team for the 1968 Dadabhay tournament in Cape Town and played his last provincial game against the Rest of SACBOC team in March 1976. A top class wicket keeper and middle order batsman, Maclons would probably have played many more times for WP had his career not coincided with that of two other high quality wicket keeper-batsmen in Lobo Abed and Braima Isaacs. He was part of a very strong Maitland-Parow board side that included the likes of Coetie Neethling, Viccie Moodie, the Williams brothers Gertjie and Kosie, as well as Archie Sonn, all of whom represented the WPCB senior team with distinction.
Rushdi Magiet
A former captain of the WPCB Howa Bowl team and the City and Suburban Rugby Union side, Rushdi Magiet has left an indelible mark both as a sportsman and administrator. As a cricketer, he represented WPCB as an allrounder between 1971 and 1981, captaining the team for two seasons between 1977 and 1979. He also led a powerful Primrose side that dominated the WP club scene between 1976 and 1980. He spent a season with Todmorden in the Lancashire League in 1969. After his retirement as a player Magiet continued to serve the game as an administrator, particularly at Primrose CC, where he held the position of club president. He also held several positions on the WPCB executive. He was a member of Cricket South Africa’s national selection panel between 1991 and 1999 and took over as convenor between 1999 and 2001.
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Ederoos ‘Boeta’ Behardien Ederoos, affectionately known as Boeta, is the eldest and the only survivor of the four well- known Behardien brothers - Abu Bakr, Taliep and Yusuf (Jan) being the other three - who all played for Vineyards. Taliep and their late father Ismail were top provincial cricketers. Boeta has always been involved in the administrative side of the game at Vineyards and in the late 70s with the new club dispensation in the WP Cricket Board, he continued to serve the newly-formed United Cricket Club as an administrator.
Brian O’ Connell Known as a keen student of the game, O’Connell initially played for Good Hopes and Walmers at the Green Point Track-based WP Cricket Association going on to captain the WP U21 side. With the demise of Walmers, the allrounder joined the Cape District-based Melbourne. In 1975, his astute leadership of the Cape District board team saw the selectors giving him the job as captain of a WP side that included more experienced campaigners like Viccie Moodie, Kulu Maclons and Jock Mahoney. He duly led from the front, topping the season’s batting averages, scoring two half centuries in the process as WP went on to win the SFW Trophy in the 1975/76 season. O’Connell later became a distinguished educationist, completing a Masters degree in Education at Columbia University in New York. He served as Vice Chancellor of UWC between 2001 and 2014.
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