The South African Over-40s Proteas Veterans team won the inaugural International Masters Cricket World Cup in Cape Town. The Proteas only lost one game (New Zealand) in their group and semi-final matches, beating the pre-tournament favourites, England in the semi-finals.
Thus, they qualified for the cup final against New Zealand – the only team to have beaten South Africa, at Western Province Cricket Club on Friday 01 March 2024.
New Zealand Over-40s posted a final total of 155 all out in 42.2 overs. Seamers Dan Styer, Lundi
Mbane and Pieter Booysen took two wickets each. South Africa Over-40 replied with 156 for four in
37.4 overs. Wicketkeeper-batsman Werner Moolman hit 45 not out and opener Kyle Smit made 33.
Captain Warren Dugmore was South Africa Over-40’s top run-scorer at the tournament. He made 220 runs in seven innings. Mbane was South Africa Over-40’s most prolific bowler. He took 14 wickets in seven matches. He was included in the Team of the Tournament.
The World Cup tournament was organised by the Veterans Cricket Association of South Africa on
behalf of International Masters Cricket. It included 42 matches and was hosted at 16 clubs and
schools in and around Cape Town. Milnerton High School and Claremont Cricket Club were awarded the best school and club experience respectively. They each won a 25 inch pitch mower from Professional Lawnmowers.
The main sponsors of the tournament were Sisonke Tourism & Events Services, Devils Peak Beer Company, Vita24 and Pitchvision SA.
Significant contributions were received from Pro-Oil, OnePointFive, SM Cricket-South Africa, Twizza, Howzatt, City of Cape Town and Wesgro.
Winning the first ever senior Cricket World Cup was a proud moment for former Springbok fullback and Proteas Veterans manager, Russell Bennett, saying that the team were a special group of cricketers but more importantly, a tight group of friends, who backed each other throughout the tournament.
Chairman of Veterans Cricket Association of South Africa and Tournament Director, Roger Moult, said it was especially significant to see all three African countries walking away with silverware, Namibia beating Wales to win the Bowl trophy, Zimbabwe beating the USA to win the Plate and South Africa winning the Cup Final.
At the Closing Ceremony after the match, IMC Chairman, Stirling Hamman from Australia,
congratulated all the teams on the high standard of cricket and spirit in which all the matches were played. He paid tribute to the Veterans Cricket Association of South Africa, who staged another successful Masters tournament after the Over-50s World Cup in March 2023. The venue for the next Over-40s tournament will be announced shortly.