The Mean Machine Chronicles
A snapshot of the Mean Machine
I am fascinated by the Mean Machine, and as a result, I spend a lot of time time-travelling to discover as much as I can about the team.
At its peak, the Mean Machine’s lineup was as follows: Jimmy Cook, Henry Fotheringham, Alvin Kallicharan, Graeme Pollock, Clive Rice, Kevin McKenzie, Alan Kourie, Ray Jennings, Hugh Page, Niel Radford, Sylvester Clarke. In my piece for Nightwatchman, I focussed on Alvin Kallicharan, Graeme Pollock and Sylvester Clarke.
On the 9th of March 1985, Northern Transvaal (now Northerns) had Transvaal (now the DP World Lions) in a tight spot in the Currie Cup final. Eric Simons had produced a bowling masterclass on the green mamba the hosts had laid out at Berea Park. The pitch was so green it could have come out of New Zealand. Transvaal was bundled out for only 232.
Simons turned 23 on the day and celebrated his birthday with a five-wicket haul, 6/57 in 24.5 overs. Transvaal’s batters had looked listless. Besides Ray Jennings’ fighting half-century and Fotheringham’s brave 40, no one from the much-vaunted Mean Machine's batting lineup had done well.
Francois Weideman had neutralized the Graeme Pollock threat. Even at 41, Pollock in his wide stance at the crease made bowlers second-guess their plans. His powers had not waned by an iota. To drive that point home, Pollock scored a sensational 142 against Australia in 1987, aged 43.
He was also still incredibly popular. As they did when he was a Grey High student, the sight of Pollock slowly swinging his arms to loosen up as he stepped onto the field to bat, was met by loud cheers. Regardless of venue, crowds always roared a welcome when Pollock came in to bat. His dismissal for only nine didn’t just dampen the mood across the stands at Berea Park, it also put Transvaal on the back foot.
Transvaal also did not have Alvin Kallicharan. Kallicharan had arrived and fortified the top order in 1981. The West Indies star was a dream ‘signing’ for Ali Bacher. Bacher would have moved mountains to bring him to Transvaal. All who watched Kallicharan bat speak of how exciting it was to see him in action. Kallicharan possessed an incredible variety of shots and batted with plenty of flair.
Kallicharan was so good that Graham Gooch was keen to have him added to the English team that came to South Africa for the first rebel tour. Besides giving them a world-class batter in their lineup, this would also have suited the English team from an image point of view as they could then say they weren’t representing England. The SA Cricket Union baulked at the suggestion. They were awarding full Springbok colours to the South African players and treated the matches as ’Tests’.
Anyway, fortunately for Bacher, he did not have to move any mountains to secure Kallicharan’s services. He did get help from trusted friends.
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In 1980, Transvaal declared after putting 325 for one on the board. By the close of play on day one, Northerns were floundering on 42 for six. On the morning of day two, they were bowled out for 97. Spook Hanley was on fire. He bagged a fiver, 5/20. David Dyer put Northerns back in to bat again, this time around Clive Rice ran through the Northens’ batting lineup with a scythe. Northerns were bowled out for 173 before tea on day two.
But, this was not the same Northerns team the Mean Machine had humiliated in 1980. They were better. Mandy Yachad, Noel Day, Lee Barnard and Francois Weideman had crossed the Jukskei for more game time. Jimmy Cook stood in Yachad’s way, Jennings blocked Day’s path (though Day was good enough a batter to be selected for his batting alone), Kallicharan was the preferred number three over Barnard and Weideman had Clarke as competition.
The quartet proved to be an invaluable addition. Barnard was so valuable he captained Northerns for 60 matches. This ‘new’ Northerns team was determined to avoid a repeat of 1980. They were not about to be defeated by an innings and 55 runs in two days. This team had made it to the Currie Cup final, so they were good. They had improved. Also, the Mean Machine didn't have Spook Hanley. So, they were hopeful.
What they did not know yet was that they were playing against a team almost midway through a 60-match unbeaten run. Streaks like this do not come around often. The only first-class team with a run comparable to the Mean Machine is the dynastic Bombay team that lifted the Ranji Trophy an incredible 15 consecutive times from the 1950s to the 1970s. Bombay’s longest unbeaten run was 56 matches long. It spanned over nine years.
The Northerns’ naive hopes were crushed by Sylvester Clarke. The West Indies pacer filled the void left by Hanley. Luke Alfred described Clarke to me as a mean motherfucker. He did not mean it in a bad way. It was a compliment. At his best, Clarke was unplayable.
His almost genial run-up was deceptive. It made him look as if he would offer some tame medium pace. But, with his huge barrel chest, he generated a lot of speed. One of his main weapons was a bouncer that swerved in and followed right-handed batsmen trying to sway out of the way. Clarke enjoyed putting his bouncer to use so much that during his time at Surrey, his captain often had to ask him to bowl at the stumps, especially against tailenders, rather than terrorising them.
“I was in the dressing room when Peter Kirsten showed his bruises after having a torrid facing him - not a pretty sight,” says Colin Bryden.
According to Ali Bacher, there were two versions of Sylvester Clarke, the one that just turned his arm over and the other one, the menace. In that Currie Cup final, Northerns faced the other one, the menace. Clarke bowled rockets. He brought the ball back into the right-handers and made it go away from the left-handers. He cut batters in half.
Clarke was dominant. He bowled 11 overs and took five wickets for eight runs. Northerns slinked off the field after being bowled out for 61. The Mean Machine bowled out Northern Transvaal twice before tea on the second day to win by an innings and five runs and lift the title. Sylvester Clarke had done his job. Hugh Page cleaned up in the second innings. History had repeated itself, the Mean Machine had defeated Northerns by an innings plus runs in two days.
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Thanks for reading. Until next time… - CS
