‘Love of the game kept me going’- Marizanne Kapp

When Proteas Women cricketer Marizanne Kapp’s mother told her recently matriculated cricket-mad daughter she needed to get a real job, she could never have dreamed where it would end.

Kapp, was born and bred in Port Elizabeth, and still lives in Nelson Mandela Bay with her wife – Proteas Women skipper Dané van Niekerk – and the pair were the two big winners at the Cricket South Africa awards event at the weekend.

Van Niekerk won South African Women’s Cricketer of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year, while Kapp was named Women’s One Day International Player of the Year at Saturday’s event in Pretoria.

Kapp said she felt privileged and honoured when her name was announced. “I was up against tough competition and I didn’t expect to win.

“I know the people are always so chuffed when we bring awards home so the wins for Dané and I were a good advertisement for cricket in the Eastern Cape, I think.”

She started playing cricket at Kabega Primary School, continuing with the game at DF Malherbe High School.

After school, she moved to Pretoria, playing for Northerns before returning to the Bay.

It was about three years after she matriculated that Kapp realised she wanted to make cricket a career, she said.

“I still remember my mum said to me I must get a real job because back then we were just paid per tour. It was just the love of the game that kept me going and luckily today everything has worked out brilliantly for me.”

The day after the Cricket SA awards evening, Van Niekerk and Kapp flew to England to play for the Surrey Stars in the Kia Super-league.

From there they would focus on the Proteas tour to India in mid-September, and then it would be time for the fifth season of the Women’s Cricket Big Bash League between October and December, where they would both be playing again for the Sidney Sixers.

She had been happy with her bowling over the past year.

“But I think I have let the team down a bit with the bat, so hopefully I can perform a bit better there,” Kapp said.

Van Niekerk said she had had a tough year after being out of action for six months with an injury to her femur.

“I love the game, so being away from my teammates first of all, and being away from the game, was really tough.

“So this acknowledgement means a lot to me and shows that the hard work I put in before my injuries has paid off.

“The player’s player award, I think, speaks to the trust the team has in me, which is very special.”

She was born in Pretoria, attending Centurion High School, but moved to Port Elizabeth six years ago.

Cricket became a career the minute she made the national team during the 2009 World Cup in Australia.

“Not that I thought I would do it as a job, because we were purely amateur then.

“But we had hopes we would become professional.

“So ever since that moment 10 years ago it has been a massive focus.”

She felt her leg-spinning was a match-winning skill.

“I’m not taking anything away from the other skillsets but to have a leg spinner is a definite advantage for a side.

“I think as a country we’re missing the mark here.

“We need to produce more leg spinners. [Proteas leg spinner] Imran Tahir has shown us what you can do.

“You have to have a passion for it.

“Mine came very naturally and I know for [Proteas Women teammate] Sune [Luus] it did as well.”