The First Craven Week
This year we celebrate the 50th Craven Week with 20 teams of 22 boys each, enjoying the well-oiled machinery which has characterised all Craven Weeks, even the first in 1964.
That year there were 16 teams, each of 20 players.
The teams were: Boland, Border A, Border B, Eastern Province, Eastern Transvaal, Free State, Griqualand West, Natal, North Eastern Districts, Northern Transvaal ,Rhodesia, South Western Districts, South West Africa, Transvaal, Western Province, Western Transvaal.
Some names are unchanged but now there are Valke, KwaZulu Natal, Blue Bulls. Zimbabwe, Namibia, Golden Lions and Leopards.
1964 Results
Boland vs Free State, 15-11
Border A vs Northern Transvaal, 22-11
Border A vs Transvaal, 14-9
Border B vs North Eastern Districts, 16-8
Border B vs South West Africa, 19-3
Eastern Province vs Boland 8-6
Eastern Transvaal vs Rhodesia, 14-3
Free State vs Natal, 13-11
Griquas vs Border B, 21-11
Griquas vs South West Africa, 6-5
Natal vs Eastern Province, 32-16
Rhodesia vs Western Transvaal, 21-8
South Western Districts vs Eastern Transvaal, 18-6
South Western Districts vs Griquas, 22-6
South West Africa vs North Eastern Districts, 21-10
Transvaal vs Rhodesia, 18-14
Transvaal vs Western Province, 8-0
Western Province vs Northern Transvaal, 25-6
Western Transvaal vs North Eastern Districts, 19-9
Western Transvaal vs Northern Transvaal, 29-5
The best six teams were chosen to play on the last day: Boland, Border A, Free State, Natal, South Western Districts and Western Province.
The results of these matches:
Boland vs South Western Districts, 13-3
Western Province vs Free State, 8-8
Border A vs Natal, 10-9
Border A, who played in white jerseys with gold stripes, are the only team to win three matches. The Border teams was chosen from Selborne (7), Queen's (3), Dale (3), Hangklip (2), Grens (2), De La Salle College, Umtata High and East London Tech. The present day Border side is not all that different – Selborne (8), Queen's (6), Dale (6), Grens (1) and one from Stirling.. Some teams are much changed in their feeder schools – Transvaal, Northern Transvaal and Griquas for instance.
