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27 December 2021
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Story Jóhann Thormählen
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Photo Supplied
The Kovsie Annerie Dercksen is one of South Africa’s most promising youngsters and climbing the cricketing ladder.
She enjoyed every second of playing with some of her heroes and believes the exposure to international cricket will help her become a better player.
Annerie Dercksen is one of South Africa’s most promising youngsters and climbing the cricketing ladder.
Star from Beaufort West
This second-year Education student from the University of the Free State (UFS), who dreams of playing for the Momentum Proteas, represented the South African Emerging Women’s team three times in 2021.
The star from Beaufort West toured with the side to Bangladesh and also played against Zimbabwe and Thailand in One Day and T20 matches.
According to Dercksen, it is an incredible honour and privilege to be a part of a side.
She soaked up the experience and says everyone was willing to share their knowledge.
“I would have to say, sharing the field with some of my heroes and getting to work with some of the best coaches in the country are some of the highlights.”
She says each tour brought its own challenges and this helped her grow in the way she views and approaches the game.
“In Bangladesh we played against a well-established team in foreign conditions while facing a lot of spinners in spin friendly conditions. Personally, it was quite a challenge and I had to come back and work on some options, especially against spin.”
“Each tour brought its own challenges and this helped me grow in the way I view and approach the game.” - Annerie Dercksen
Coming through the ranks
The all-rounder has come through the ranks. She represented South-Western Districts at school level, played for the South African U19 side and is currently representing the Free State.
But Dercksen didn’t always dream cricket, especially not when playing ‘backyard’ cricket with her brother on the farm.
She didn’t even play for a team at school. “Until a boy from our primary school’s team got sick before a game. A teacher came to class and asked, ‘who can play cricket’, and I put up my hand.”
UFS receives exclusive copy of Pasture Science research volume
2010-04-22
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From the left are: Dr Malcolm Hensley (Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences, UFS), Prof. Brian Roberts, Ms Cathy Giesekke (UFS Sasol Library) and Prof. Neil Heideman (Acting Dean: Natural and Agricultural Sciences, UFS).
Photo: Lize du Plessis |
The University of the Free State (UFS) became the proud recipient of a copy of a Pasture Science research volume.
The 508-page volume was presented by Prof. Brian Roberts, an adjunct professor at the James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, to the UFS Sasol Library. It consists of 43 papers on his agricultural research work in the Free State from 1956 to 1975.
He said the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS had the power and expertise to lead the way in food security in South Africa and in building a sustainable society. He also stated that not enough people were taking food security seriously.
“Whatever else you regard as priority, none is more basic than support for the nation’s food producers,” he said.
The papers in the bound copy are arranged in two groups. The first section focuses on Pasture Management. “This series forms a useful overview of Pasture Science,” he said.
The section on Grassland Science covers all aspects of the maintenance, improvement and utilisation of veld and cultivated grasslands.
The second part is a series of publications arising from his fieldwork in the Free State, Eastern Cape and Lesotho.
“Having read with great interest the curriculum vitae of the Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, I felt a strong inclination to contribute somehow to the transformation process and the emerging future UFS,” said Prof Roberts.
Although he acknowledged that change could not happen overnight he was, however, positive that medium-term results could be achieved in that regard.
“One way of doing this is to focus staff and students’ attention on working towards a sustainable society, an on-going curriculum challenge which should, at an early date, replace the past preoccupation with race – an issue that has dogged progress for too long,” he said.
Prof. Roberts was a foundation lecturer in Pasture Science at the UFS 36 years ago before he left for Australia where he plays a fundamental role in land-use planning.
He is also recognised as the father of Landcare, an Australian partnership between the community, government and business to protect and repair the environment.
Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za
21 April 2010