This season promises to be a special one for Stoneywood Dyce player-coach Jan Stander as he plays his 20th year in Scotland.
South African Stander came to Scotland in 2003, playing initially for Aberdeenshire before moving to Stoneywood Dyce in 2007.
His residency in Scotland earned him a call-up to the national team in 2009 and he represented his adopted country in 16 internationals.
To add to the sentiment of the 2022 campaign, Stander has been joined by his second-cousin Du Preez as an overseas amateur at People’s Park which helps bring his cricket career full-circle.
“His dad is my cousin and is a few years older than me. He helped me out a lot in my younger days,” said Stander.
“I was still in secondary school and he would get me along to play for one of the lower university teams he was part of. I got a bit of exposure playing men’s cricket as a child.
Du-Preez Stander with a 5fer on debut… pic.twitter.com/ixH2oi57WJ
— Stoneywood Dyce (@StoneywoodDyce) April 23, 2022
“I’m delighted to return the favour and help him in his career. He gets exposure to new coaching and to see the world from a different perspective.
“I still have a picture of me giving him a Scotland shirt when he was only 10 – it was like a dress on him.
“It’s been a great journey for me so far. South Africans are very family-orientated but who would have thought we’d be playing in the same team together. It’s a special year in that sense.”
Their opening game of the season against heavily-fancied Forfarshire was washed out due to rain, with Stoneywood Dyce posting 156 all out batting first before the rain came.
They are at home again this weekend against Falkland and Stander shares the optimism of captain Jamie King, in that the club are as prepared as they ever have been for a new season.
“We’re probably as strong as we have been since we had potential players like Michael Leask 10 years ago,” he added. “Now we have Jack Lambley with great potential and Euan Davidson, who is only 20.
“Myself, George Ninan and Jon Grant have been around a while and understand what works in this league.
“But there’s no point saying we’re in the best place we have been if we don’t get the results to show it.”
Shire out in front in North-East Championship
It is an advantage for Aberdeenshire after their opening day 10 wicket win against Kinloch.
Shire succeeded where every other club failed in managing to complete their opening game of the North-East Championship of the Strathmore and Perthshire Union on the opening day of the season.
Kenny Reid’s side skittled the visitors for 102 in under 30 overs before reaching 103 without loss in 9.3 overs to take the honours at Mannofield.
With no other match completed Shire have got their noses in front and captain Reid is eager to keep that trend going when his side travel to Huntly tomorrow.
He said: “We knew the forecast and that we had to get Kinloch out quickly if we were to have any chance of completing the match and thankfully we got over the line just in time.
“The heavens opened before I’d even got my pads off at the end.
“We’re delighted with the start but it’s only one game and we know we have to build on it at Huntly.
“They’ve got some new boys in their team and they beat us every time last year so we want to show we are a better team than we showed last summer.
“Gordonians had 215 runs on the board before rain stopped play last week against them but you can’t read too much into results on the first day of the season.
“There’s a long way to go and we know we can’t take our foot off the gas.”
Gordonians and Stoneywood-Dyce’s 2nd IX, go head to head at Countesswells.