After the initial contacts with VCC had been made late last year, Logan van Beek confirmed this week that he will play his club cricket in 2021 for VCC, aiming for a selection in the T20 World Cup squad of The Netherlands in the autumn of this year. Logan has a contract with Wellington where he took 149 First-Class wickets and bats with an average of 23.5 (high score 111*). Furthermore, like the other new recruit this week SA Engelbrecht, Logan is a very decent fielder 😉.
It’s an interesting experience to chat with Logan via Zoom. First of all, he is waiting for a plane to travel to Auckland where he will play with Wellington for a place in the final of the Super Smash, next week. In a packed stadium with temperatures >20ᵒC. As if no pandemic exists and flying is something normal, which is true in the Pacific, but hard to imagine from this end of the world.
Secondly, because he is an easy talker and happily shares some background on himself. Logan was born in Canterbury from a Dutch father (hence his eligibility for the Dutch team) and a West-Indian mother. His grandparents from his father’s side stem from big Dutch families and whilst his grandparents emigrated to New Zealand in the early 1950s, his distant relatives still live in The Netherlands.
His grandfather from his mother’s side was Sammy Guillen, a wicketkeeper who played Test matches for both the West Indies as well as for New Zealand. Logan grew up playing various sports but excelled in basketball and cricket. For both sports he represented New Zealand at an U19 World Cup, but given he does not measure 2 meters plus, progressed into professional cricket with Canterbury in 2010.
In 2012 he had a stint at HCC and in 2014 after waiting the required four years since playing for New Zealand U19, became eligible for the Dutch side. He was part of the Dutch team that played the T20 World Cup in 2014 in Bangladesh. Dutch cricket fans will remember the stunning victory versus Ireland within 13.5 overs (“this is the most incredible match you have ever seen!”), which made sure The Netherlands progressed to the Super 10. Although, in the Super 10 group of five, The Netherlands won only one out of four matches (versus England), Logan impressed with is bowling in this game, taking 3 v 9 in 2 overs.
At the age of 30 Logan wanted to give it another go with the Dutch team and at the same time take the opportunity to explore routes into a professional (non-cricket) career. Although he talked to a couple of clubs, the holistic view towards combining these two ambitions, the fact that he can play on a grass wicket, and the feeling that it would make a great fit, made Logan choose Westvliet as his 2021 home ground.
He is not unfamiliar with our ground as he played there a couple of matches in the past (with HCC, the Dutch team). From those days he also knows some senior players and coaches at our club (Tom, Tim), who without exception speak very highly of Logan.
We trust Logan and his Bulgarian fiancée Elitsa, who is in the fitness business will find their way at VCC and look forward to seeing him in Voorburg in April.
