Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Stipes and starter ready for July day

David Thiselton
THIS Saturday the former Natal cricketer Neville Daniels will be in the boardroom for his first Vodacom Durban July at Greyville as a stipendiary steward, while Max Fletcher Campbell will be the July starter for the first time. Chief stipendiary steward Shaun Parker will be in charge for his second July while the rest of the stipendiaries on the day will include, Ernie Rodrigues, Rakesh Jeewanlall, Steven Arendse, Timothy Nhlapo and Dirk Anderson.
The stipendiaries call all 20 jockeys into the boardroom and brief them before the big race. They request them to “be considerate” when attempting to slot in front of another horse and ask for a “clean run race in which the best horse wins.”
Daniels was a valuable member of the Natal Currie Cup team from the late 1970s until 1991. He was chosen initially as a useful left-arm spinner, but his value as a reliable middle- order batsman surpassed that in time, while his brilliance as a gully fielder is still remembered.
The mind goes back to a day in 1981 when, with the shadows lengthening at Kingsmead, Jimmy Cook unleashed a full-blooded square cut to a short rising ball from Vince van der Bijl.
A split second later there was a loud slap of ball hitting flesh and the bulky, long-haired figure of Daniels lay sprawled on the ground in the gulley.
Only when the crowd saw the slip cordon running over to congratulate Daniels and a stunned Cook bowing his head and beginning the long walk back to the pavilion did they realize what had happened.
Daniels gully-fielding was an integral part of Natal’s Currie Cup victory in that 1981-82 season which featured the notorious Kingsmead “green mamba” wicket coupled with Van der Bijl’s famous accuracy and ability to get lift and movement off a length. That is not to mention the lethal Mike Procter operating from the other end. Today Daniels’ gnarled fingers are a reminder of his role in the gully. A Maritzburg College Old Boy, he played for Natal schools cricket in 1972-73 and South African schools in 1973. He also played Natal schools rugby at fly-half in 1973. His love of racing began in his childhood as he grew up in Pietermaritzburg on a road that neighboured the Scottsville racetrack. He recalled that the cricketing fraternity in his day loved their racing. In fact in club matches some players requested to field on the boundary so they could listen to commentaries. Daniels was a stipendiary steward in Gauteng from 1998 until joining the Natal stipes team in April of this year. Jeewanlall is an architect by trade and his 20 year career in that profession included being involved in the design of the Gateway shopping mall. His love of racing started through ownership, with Grade 3 winner Syrian Sonya being the best horse he ever owned. Fletcher-Campbell has been a starter for two years. This follows 20 years as an assistant trainer to the likes of Dave Goss, Anne Upton, Duncan Howells, Paul Dennyschen and Pat Riley as well as two years as a handler at the start. Fletcher-Campbell reckoned their would be obvious nerves before the off on Saturday, it being the biggest race in the country.
He reckoned a De Kock horse would win it and fancied Irish Flame as the best among them.

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