Bosch Brothers Set to Take Over the Capital
For the first time in their careers, Corbin and Eathan Bosch are on the same side.
“I hope we play together in at least one match,” says Eathan Bosch on his brother, Corbin’s move to join the Pretoria Capitals in SA20’s season 2.
Cricket is a sport you hand down to your kids. You pass along knowledge in the backyard and in the nets. You teach your kid how to hold a bat, how to keep the head still, the right footwork and how to swing the bat.
When Tertius Bosch died, Corbin was seven and Eathan was three. He hadn't had enough time to pass his cricket wisdom to his boys. He handed it down a second way: genetics. Fast bowling is deeply unnatural. It involves running at around 23/24km/h, jumping and contorting the human body in a series of awkward ways and then propelling a leather ball with a straight arm at speeds of up to 90mph or over.
Each time a bowler does this, the body has to absorb anywhere between three and 12 times its weight on back and front foot impact. It takes a certain genetic makeup to be able to do this repeatedly and successfully professionally. Strong flexible trunk muscles, fast twitch muscle fibres in the legs and arms and a few other things found in the DNA. These are the things Tertius, one of the fastest bowlers of his era, passed down to his sons.
This newsletter is completely reader-supported. If you’re willing and able, please consider supporting it in one of two ways, leaving a tip or becoming a Patreon. Thank you so much for your time and investment.
Corbin had a four-year headstart. By the time Eathan was born, Corbin could already hold the bat the right way and his bowling showed promise. In an effort to catch up, Eathan tried his hand at the craft as soon as Eathan could run without falling over. Before long he was running in and contorting his body bowling to Corbin. One of his earliest memories involves him and Corbin contesting in legside-only backyard cricket. “Things were such that we had four slips. Funny how the world works, Corbin is a massive legside player. He is strong on his legs,” says Eathan.
The Bosch brothers crossed swords for as long as they can remember. The first thing they did every day after school was grab cricket gear and head to the backyard. Being older, Corbin always came out on top. The duels were so epic they spilled into the early evening and were broken by their mother’s call to come inside. The jury is out on whether the brothers broke any windows going head-to-head, but there is evidence that Eathan might have broken a couple of stumps in frustration. “You never want to lose to your older brother,” says Eathan.
Despite the punishment from Corbin, who dispatched anything short or on the wrong length that he delivered in backyard contests, Eathan always came back to compete the next day, and the next and the next. When the family went on holiday, Corbin and Eathan found ways to play cricket. This sibling rivalry created a template for how their careers would go.
The Bosch brothers never walked out to represent the same team. It almost happened once, at school. Corbin was in Grade 12 and Eathan was in Grade 8. Corbin was in the starting 11 and Eathan was one of the reserve players. During the match, Corbin, who was fielding at cover, and Aiden Markram, who was fielding at point, tried to cut off the same ball. They collided and Corbin came off second-best. He was substituted and Eathan came in to replace him.
In their professional careers, they have only been on the field as opponents. Corbin pursued his career first with Northerns and then Titans, while Eathan began his career with KZN Coastal before making the Dolphins squad.
“My mother gets very nervous each time we play against each other,” says Eathan. In season two of SA20, Karen Bosch won’t have her loyalties split. She also won’t have a reason to be nervous because her sons are on opposite sides. Pretoria Capitals made a dream she has had for 25 years come true.
But, playing apart has not been all bad. It allowed the Bosch brothers to both wear the shirt number that is close to their hearts. Corbin and Eathan have both worn shirt number 14 in honour of their late father, Tertius. Tertius wore number 14. Eathan, a bowler by trade, marked the top of his runup by drawing the initials TB. At Pretoria Capitals, Eathan will retain the number 14 shirt while Corbin will migrate to the number 10 shirt if it is available. If not, he will make a plan.
Tertius is a Latin term that refers to the third. Pretoria Capitals won't have two Boschs in their squad, they will have three, Corbin, Eathan, and a third, Tertius…
If you found this interesting, please share it:
You can support Stumped! by leaving a tip:
Thanks for reading. Until next time… - CS
