Glen snatch title from under the nose of Stel van der Stel

GLEN COUNTRY CLUB’S men are once again Premier League Flag champions. They needed a big win in their ninth and final outing against relegated Milnerton to deny top-placed Stellenbosch van der Stel the silverware, and duly obliged, winning 14-1.

Stel vd Stel had compiled 76.5 points and enjoyed a three-and-a half point lead at the top of the 10-team standings before the start of play, and would have felt good about their prospects of going all the way as they were on their home turf for the match against Oakdale.

Stel vd Stel went on to bag the win, but their eight-point haul wasn’t enough – it left the out-oftowners two-and-a-half points shy of Glen’s overall total of 87 points. Glen began their campaign on a losing note going down to Stel vd Stel, but they then took big wins on the trot against Western Province Cricket Club and Constantia to announce themselves as possible contenders for the sought-after trophy.

Plumstead threw a spanner in the works by beating them 12-3 on home turf for their second win from four starts.

That was the last time Glen’s colours were lowered. After a hard-fought 9-6 home victory over gutsy Oakdale, they produced a scoring spree of note on the road as they thumped SA Police 12.5-2.5 before dishing out the same treatment to former champions Durbanville.

It set them up to challenge for the title, and playing their final two games on their home green strengthened their chances considerably. And they were not to be denied; first they took care of pretournament favourites, winning 10.5-4.5, before going head-to-head with Milnerton who were relegated at that stage .

Now, Stel vd Stel would have been long shots for league honours with so few players in their ranks. This is a club that a decade ago was competing in the sixth division. Yes, in 2006 the men’s first team conducted business in the lowest division in Flag. But then along came provincial player AD Fourie and he would be at the heartbeat of the 12-strong team that year in and year out won promotion.

It got them to Division One in the 2010-11 season, which they won outright. They had announced their arrival in the top league in no uncertain terms. Fast-forward to the present and one can only admire Fourie’s charges for such a fine effort, but they will be gutted.

Glen will bask in their success, and rightfully so; not too long ago the men from the Atlantic seaboard lost their top-flight status. To have rebounded from that setback and kicked on this season is a fine achievement.