South Africa’s Proteas Over 50s cricket team were crowned winners of the 2024 Over 50s Africa Cup.
The event was held in Windhoek from 17-20 November.
The tournament, which was sponsored by Nedbank Namibia to the tune of N$100 000, took place at three venues, namely the High-Performance Oval (HP Oval, formerly known as Doc Jubber), Wanderers, and United Cricket Grounds.
Three countries participated, namely hosts Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. South Africa won all their three matches to finish top of the log, beating Zimbabwe by 101 runs in the first match, followed by a 305-run victory over Namibia before finishing the tournament with a hard-fought 28-run victory to set up an enticing final match against South Africa Proteas.
At the end of the tournament, South African Wiaan Smit was named batter of the tournament, with Darshan Vaghmaria of Zimbabwe scooping the bowler of the tournament award.
Smit also scoped the Player of the Tournament award.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Deputy Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service Emma Kantema-Gaomas said she was happy to see the over-50 players being active, as they are not only keeping themselves healthy, but also inspiring the younger generation.
“You are aware that playing sport at your age helps us stay healthy. Living an active lifestyle like this helps you avoid lifestyle diseases, and helps deal with mental health issues. We, as a ministry, are using sport as a tool to promote social cohesion,” she said.
Kantema-Gaomas paid tribute to Nedbank Namibia and other sponsors for supporting the over-50s tournament, saying government alone cannot support all sporting activities.
She added that she was proud of Cricket Namibia for being one of the codes that has professionalised the sport, something the ministry wants all sport codes to follow.
“We have a plan as a ministry to professionalise sport in Namibia. We have started to pilot with rugby, netball and football. Rugby is halfway through there. Let’s encourage the young ones to take up sport professionally,” she said.
Meanwhile, Nedbank Namibia’s executive head for marketing and communications Gernot de Klerk congratulated Cricket Namibia, saying more companies must invest in Namibian sport because the world is showing interest in Namibia.
“We have the world flocking to our shores, as there is international interest in our country. We need to do it for Namibia. This is what Cricket Namibia has achieved. Hence, it is our pleasure to be associated with them,” he said.
He added that Nedbank is involved in many sporting activities across southern Africa, namely golf, cycling, rugby and football.
“We get to host some of the best tournaments around southern Africa, like the Nedbank Desert Dash, and Africa’s number one golf tournament in Sun City, South Africa – The Nedbank Golf Challenge. It is an honour for us to be able to contribute to these experiences,” he said.