Club brings long innings to end
Seven fountains closes doors after more than century as numbers dry up
WHILE emotions ran high, there was also plenty to celebrate when the Seven fountains Sports Club closed its doors earlier this month after being in existence for almost 130 years.
Situated just off the N2, some 25km west of Grahamstown, the club has played an enormous role in sport in the region, providing a plethora of provincial players, as well as performing with distinction in the competitive leagues of country sport.
Diminishing numbers among farmers in the area led to the club, which first played cricket in 1887, having to close down as it became increasingly difficult to fulfil its sporting commitments.
Speaking at the final function held in the clubhouse on December 3, long-serving member and former president Jenny Emslie, the only woman to serve in that role, said that while it was a sad day, it was also a time to celebrate the wonderful contribution the club and its members had made to the Albany community.
“It is very sad, but this wonderful club has served its purpose for about 125 years, so it is time to move on,” she said.
“We just hope that those who take over this special place will respect its history and take care of it.”
While cricket and tennis were the main sports at the club for more than a century, the sporting enthusiasm of the people in country areas saw them extend their activities over the years to include squash, rugby and hockey, as well as a golf section.
The first cricket matches were played in 1887, but there was a break shortly afterwards before the club restarted in 1893 and it has been going ever since.
Jenny, who married club member and farmer Derick in 1969, remembers her introduction to the early days when the post-match entertainment was as hardy as the land the farmers tilled.
“There was no clubhouse – just changing-rooms, and the bar was in the boots of cars,” she recalled. “They were not wife-friendly and there were no chips or cooldrinks for the children, just beer and brandy!”
A former Eastern Province squash player, Jenny remembers Derick promising to build a squash court if she made the EP side. Then, squash was virtually unknown to the farmers.
When that finally came to fruition, players were greeted with a construction which had a concrete floor and only wire netting as a roof – not allowing play if it rained. Eventually a wooden floor and a roof were installed and squash became an integral part of the Seven fountains offering.
“The younger folk such as Mike Bradfield, Hal Moss and Allan Starke came home from varsity where they had all been exposed to squash,” Jenny said.
“So we were on our way and for many years we had three teams in the league and a squash spirit second to none.”
Jenny recalled the many unforgettable characters who were part of the club, playing their sport hard, but then enjoying the camaraderie afterwards.
“This hall [where the farewell was held] has been the scene of some memorable functions as well as spontaneous post-tennis and cricket parties when the carpet was rolled up and the dance music turned up loud.”
In an article in The Herald in 1975, former sports writer Geoff Summerton wrote about the amazing longevity of the sporting farmers.
“Did you know that Seven fountains have had only three captains in 53 years,” he wrote, “those being DG Emslie (1922 to 1935, 1948 to 1952), AS Long (1935 to 1947) and Peter Long (1953 to 1975).
“Even more incredible is the fact that they have had only two wicketkeepers in 47 years – EG Emslie from 1928 to 1947 when he retired at the age of 68 and Martin Scheepers from 1947 to 1975.”
It is an indication of the commitment and dedication those players, and many like them, had to their sport and the club.
For the Albany district club, sadly those days are now over, but the rich sporting legacy and the spirit of those who played for Seven fountains will undoubtedly be carried forward by future generations wherever they may play.