Photo Credit: Cricket South Africa
It is with great sadness that South Western Districts Cricket (SWD) announces the passing of one of its former first-class cricketers, Nigel Brouwers, on Saturday. Nigel Grant Brouwers was born in Gqeberha on 4 September 1976 and died in Gqeberha on 3 July 2021, aged 44. His mother, Celeste, passed away on the same day.
Brouwers was educated at Gelvandale Secondary School and represented Eastern Province Schools in 1991, before he made his first-class debut for Eastern Province ‘B’ in the 1998/99 season. He soon moved north and represented Northerns in the 2000/01 season.
The hard-hitting Brouwers made his debut for SWD in the 2006/07 season – the season SWD received first-class status. In his debut match for SWD against Kei at Oudtshoorn he made his highest first-class score – 63. In the List A match that followed against the same opposition he recorded his highest list A score – 94. In a career that stretched from 1998 to 2009 he played a total of 31 first-class and 30 List A matches. He was a very under-rated slow left arm orthodox spin bowler who bagged 75 first-class wickets with his best figures of 6/57 (for Eastern Province ‘B’ vs Griqualand West ‘B’ in the 1998/99 season).
His best bowling performance in List A cricket, a format in which he bagged 28 wickets, was in his last match for SWD – vs the Gauteng Strikers at Oudtshoorn on 7 November 2009. SWD (233 all out) managed to defeat a strong Gauteng Strikers team (207 all out) by 26 runs. Brouwers, who bagged 3/16 in 8 overs, was one of the SWD heroes against a Strikers team that included the likes of Stephen Cook, Dane Vilas, Temba Bavuma, Robbie Frylinck, Shane Burger and Tabraiz Shamsi.
“Nigel played for SWD in an era where performance on the playing field was vital in our aspirations to be afforded full affiliate status by Cricket South Africa – an objective that was achieved in 2012. He produced some match-winning performances with bat and ball and was also an outstanding slip fielder,” commented Albertus Kennedy, the Chief Executive Officer of SWD Cricket.
In his tribute the President of SWD Cricket, Mr Rudy Claassen, said: “On behalf of the cricket fraternity of the SWD I would like to honour his contribution towards SWD Cricket”, he said. “Our heartfelt condolences to the Brouwers family. He will surely be missed.”
