THE Bennett twins, Kevin and Bevan, are once again heading out onto the cricket field together, the opener against Stellenbosch, at the National Club Cricket Championship starting in Pretoria today.
They are representing United Cricket Club and the brothers will want to be in top form as they face a gruelling five-day test of their strength and stamina, and they will be relying on each other to keep their eye on the prize – next Monday’s final.
Kevin and Bevan have played together throughout the years, in school, for Border and United and have enjoyed success and heartbreak together over many cricket seasons.
Ironically, these United stalwarts are lifelong Liverpool supporters and are loving life at the top of the Premier League.
Family is a big part of the brothers’ lives and Kevin has a wife, Hayley, and a young son Micah while Bevan is currently engaged to Carmen Meintjies and will be tying the knot to his long-time girlfriend come November this year.
With their cricketing careers coming to an end in the next few years it will be interesting to see what the future holds for these Border cricket kingpins.
Although their skill is cricket, it is not their fulltime profession.
Kevin is enjoying life as a teacher at AW Barnes Primary School while he is also studying for an MBA and hopes to be doing his dissertation next year.
Bevan has been a professional cricket coach at his old school, Selborne College, since 2012 and recently opened the Selborne College Cricket Academy this month.
The academy is a one-on-one training programme and already has 20 entrants which Bevan hopes will rise to 50 by the end of the year. He runs it daily from Monday to Friday from 2pm to 6pm at Selborne.
On the cricket field the brothers have enjoyed a relatively successful season for Border and United.
Border enjoyed a top placing in the CSA Three-Day Provincial Challenge, finishing fourth out of 14 teams and United won the Border Premier League.
The Bennetts have been a part of Border at one stage or the other for over a decade and so to still be going strong in the set-up is impressive.
“It is pretty special playing together,” said Bevan.
“We know each other well but if one of us makes a mistake and runs the other out we might not speak to each other for weeks,” he says tongue-in-cheek.
This season in the CSA Three- Day Challenge Bevan played in 10 matches for Border, batting in 19 innings and Kevin played nine games batting 18 times.
Bevan was Border’s third highest scoring batsman in the series with 906 runs at an average of 25.44 which featured two tons, a 50 and a highest score of 139.
Kevin contributed 615 runs at an average of 23.53 with one ton and one half century, his top score being 111.
At age 32 the stalwarts are in the twilight of their careers and both will be key senior members in their assault at the National Club Championship.
They will hope to carry their Border form into the club scene and try and help their side win the competition.
Kevin is captain of the team and has led it with distinction this season.
Bevan made his senior Border debut in the 2001-02 season while Kevin first turned out for the Border senior team in November 2005.
“My passion is cricket and I would still like to play for Border for another three or four more seasons,” said Bevan.
“I love the game and I would play for United until I am 50 if I can.”
United bank on the twin towers
They are representing United Cricket Club and the brothers will want to be in top form as they face a gruelling five-day test of their strength and stamina, and they will be relying on each other to keep their eye on the prize – next Monday’s final.
Kevin and Bevan have played together throughout the years, in school, for Border and United and have enjoyed success and heartbreak together over many cricket seasons.
Ironically, these United stalwarts are lifelong Liverpool supporters and are loving life at the top of the Premier League.
Family is a big part of the brothers’ lives and Kevin has a wife, Hayley, and a young son Micah while Bevan is currently engaged to Carmen Meintjies and will be tying the knot to his long-time girlfriend come November this year.
With their cricketing careers coming to an end in the next few years it will be interesting to see what the future holds for these Border cricket kingpins.
Although their skill is cricket, it is not their fulltime profession.
Kevin is enjoying life as a teacher at AW Barnes Primary School while he is also studying for an MBA and hopes to be doing his dissertation next year.
Bevan has been a professional cricket coach at his old school, Selborne College, since 2012 and recently opened the Selborne College Cricket Academy this month.
The academy is a one-on-one training programme and already has 20 entrants which Bevan hopes will rise to 50 by the end of the year. He runs it daily from Monday to Friday from 2pm to 6pm at Selborne.
On the cricket field the brothers have enjoyed a relatively successful season for Border and United.
Border enjoyed a top placing in the CSA Three-Day Provincial Challenge, finishing fourth out of 14 teams and United won the Border Premier League.
The Bennetts have been a part of Border at one stage or the other for over a decade and so to still be going strong in the set-up is impressive.
“It is pretty special playing together,” said Bevan.
“We know each other well but if one of us makes a mistake and runs the other out we might not speak to each other for weeks,” he says tongue-in-cheek.
This season in the CSA Three- Day Challenge Bevan played in 10 matches for Border, batting in 19 innings and Kevin played nine games batting 18 times.
Bevan was Border’s third highest scoring batsman in the series with 906 runs at an average of 25.44 which featured two tons, a 50 and a highest score of 139.
Kevin contributed 615 runs at an average of 23.53 with one ton and one half century, his top score being 111.
At age 32 the stalwarts are in the twilight of their careers and both will be key senior members in their assault at the National Club Championship.
They will hope to carry their Border form into the club scene and try and help their side win the competition.
Kevin is captain of the team and has led it with distinction this season.
Bevan made his senior Border debut in the 2001-02 season while Kevin first turned out for the Border senior team in November 2005.
“My passion is cricket and I would still like to play for Border for another three or four more seasons,” said Bevan.
“I love the game and I would play for United until I am 50 if I can.”
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