Roy Pienaar Explained

Roy Pienaar
Full Name:Roy Francois Pienaar
Birth Date:1961 7, df=yes
Birth Place:Johannesburg, Transvaal
Batting:Right-handed
Role:All-rounder
Club1:Transvaal
Club2:Western Province
Year2:1981/82–1985/86
Club3:Northern Transvaal
Year3:1985/86–1987/88
Club4:Kent
Year4:1987–1989
Club5:Transvaal
Year5:1988/89–1992/93
Club6:Northern Transvaal/Northerns
Year6:1993/94–1999/00
Type1:FC
Debutdate1:11 November
Debutyear1:1977
Debutfor1:Transvaal B
Debutagainst1:Rhodesia B
Lastdate1:6 November
Lastyear1:1998
Lastfor1:Northerns
Lastagainst1:Border
Type2:LA
Debutdate2:20 October
Debutyear2:1980
Debutfor2:Transvaal B
Debutagainst2:Zimbabwe-Rhodesia
Lastdate2:23 December
Lastyear2:1999
Lastfor2:Northerns
Lastagainst2:Easterns
Columns:2
Column1:First-class
Matches1:199
Runs1:10,896
Bat Avg1:34.15
100S/50S1:18/62
Top Score1:153
Deliveries1:10,388
Wickets1:153
Bowl Avg1:33.19
Fivefor1:3
Tenfor1:0
Best Bowling1:5/24
Catches/Stumpings1:81/–
Column2:List A
Matches2:233
Runs2:6,705
Bat Avg2:32.86
100S/50S2:7/47
Top Score2:135
Deliveries2:3,406
Wickets2:84
Bowl Avg2:30.66
Fivefor2:0
Tenfor2:0
Best Bowling2:4/34
Catches/Stumpings2:37/–
Source:http://cricinfo.com/southafrica/content/player/46755.html Cricinfo
Date:14 December
Year:2019

Roy Francois Pienaar (born 17 July 1961) is a South African former first-class cricketer. He played for Transvaal, Western Province and Northern Transvaal/Northerns in domestic cricket and spent the period between 1987 and 1989 in England playing for Kent County Cricket Club. In both 1983 and 1990 he won the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year award.[1]

Early life and career

Pienaar was born at Johannesburg in 1961 and educated at St Stithians College.[2] [3] [4] He was a promising youth cricketer and by the age of 14 was playing club cricket in the Transvaal Premier League. By 16 he had broken in to the Transvaal B team and in late 1979, at age 18, was playing for the Transvaal A team which dominated the Currie Cup during the late 1970s and early 1980s.[5]

After moving to play for Western Province in 1981–82, Pienaar captained the South African Universities side for a number of seasons, including against the rebel Australian XI which toured South Africa in 1985–86.[1] [5] He moved to play for Northern Transvaal ahead of the 1985–86 season and also captained the South African Defence Force cricket team and South African Cricket Board's Presidents XI during this period, the later team against another rebel Australian touring side in 1986–87.[1] [5] He played in four unofficial One Day International matches for the South Africa representative XI against the Australian XI in February 1987.[1] He was the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1983.[5]

Playing in England

Later in 1987 Pienaar first played in England for Kent County Cricket Club. He was drafted in as a replacement for injured overseas player Eldine Baptiste, initially as a temporary replacement.[6] [7] Pienaar eventually played three summers at Kent, making a favourable impression, both scoring runs and taking "important wickets" during the sides second-placed 1988 County Championship campaign.[8] [9] Knee injuries, however, limited his bowling in 1989, and Pienaar was forced to cancel his Kent contract.[5] [10] He had previously played league cricket for Pudsey St Lawrence in 1980.[11]

Following knee surgery,[10] Pienaar bowled very infrequently for the rest of his career. He had first suffered from issues with his knees at the age of 10 and these were exacerbated by the bowling workload he took on at Kent.[5] He played in the only unofficial Test match played against the rebel England side which toured South Africa in 1989–90

Later career

Pienaar had moved back to Transvaal in 1988–89 and later moved again to play for Northern Transvaal from 1993–94 until his retirement. He played his last senior cricket in December 1999.[1] He captained both sides on occasion and was again the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1990.[5] As a batsman Pienaar was considered "gifted" and used the square cut effectively.[8] [12]

During the early-1990s, Pienaar established a business making biltong. The company was sold during the 2000s, allowing Pienaar to retire in his 40s and focus on his family.[5] [9]

Notes and References

  1. https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/3/3163/3163.html Roy Pienaar
  2. http://cricinfo.com/southafrica/content/player/46755.html Roy Pienaar
  3. https://sportscorner.co.za/st-stithians-produces-another-proteas-player-in-ryan-rickelton/ St Stithians produces another Proteas player in Ryan Rickelton
  4. https://www.sacricketmag.com/st-stithians-preview-schools/ St Stithians the team to beat
  5. Hewana S (2010) Cool cricketer always kept ahead of the game, The Times, 10 October 2010. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  6. Ellis C, Pennell M (2010) Trophies and Tribulations: Forty Years of Kent Cricket, p. 140. London: Greenwich Publishing.
  7. Moss S (2006) Wisden Anthology 1978-2006: Cricket's Age of Revolution. London: Bloomsbury.
  8. Ellis & Pennell, p. 145.
  9. https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/rabada-to-follow-in-footsteps-of-great-south-africans-at-kent/ Rabada to follow in footsteps of great South Africans at Kent
  10. Ellis & Pennell, p. 148.
  11. https://www.bradfordcl.com/pages/psl-history Pudsey St Lawrence history
  12. Tennant I (2015) Trott consolidates after de Bruyn double, CricInfo, 12 january 2015. Retrieved 2022-08-12.