My passion for this wonderful game was sparked at the tender age of four.
I had the good fortune to be carted along by my late father, to watch and follow Crescents Cricket Club. From the majestic “Queen’s Park” field to Natalspruit, (our Lords & Wanderers), from Newlands & Bosmont to the Tech fields and Lenasia Stadium.

That insatiable appetite for cricket and the undying love for this great club still burns brightly today.

I count myself really fortunate to have witnessed and played alongside some of the finest cricketers this country has produced. The likes of Hashim Abrahams, Sam Bulbulia, Amien Variawa, Tiffie Barnes, Moosa Mangera, Mansoor Abdullah, and Yaseen Begg… the list seem endless. These unfortunate sporting heroes were deprived from showcasing their talents on the world stage, because of Apartheid.

Crescents have always been at the forefront of club cricket in this province. During the brief flirt with ‘normal’ cricket in the seventies, Crescents, along with College, Kohinoor and Rangers, were the top clubs. In the eighties, we became the dominant force in local cricket and our club was spear-headed by Dr Abu Asvat. That amazing team had no less than ten players who represented the province.

In 1995, the club, and administrators of Lenz Cricket, made a bold decision to form one club of strength in the area. The decision, however well-meaning at the time, only served to dilute the strength of cricket rather than enhance it. Scores or players and administrators were lost in the system. Most importantly, the five or six clubs from Lenasia lost their identity.

In 2007, we reconstituted Crescents in the hope that we can get the club back to where it belongs within the provincial structures. Our club has grown from strength to strength over the last four years, from just one team in 2009, to seven teams currently and a membership of over 100 players.

My major concern currently is the state of junior cricket in our community. As our ex-president and mentor, the late Abu Asvat stated, “Junior cricket is the lifeblood of this game”, and without structured cricket at this level, the future of the sport looks bleak.
I want to take this opportusnity to urge schools and clubs in our area to revisit that successful period, when our junior leagues produced the likes of Imraan Munshi, Mohamed Moosajee, Hussein Manack, Mohamed Sarang, Abdul Aziz Dindar, Munchies Mangera and many others who represented the province with distinction.

The smooth running of a club of this magnitude is only possible due to the total commitment and dedication of my Executive team. With the talents of the tireless Mohammed and Zaid Majam, the meticulous Azhar Said, Tanweer Faroon, Muzammil Abed, Aslam Wadee, Riaz Gaibee and Aasif and Irfaan Mangera, as well as many others, I can safely say that the club looks good, on its way to achieving the magical ton.