Essex all-rounder joins Cape Town Cricket Club

Cricket365
August 28, 2014

Essex all-rounder Greg Smith will join Cape Town Cricket Club in South Africa for the bulk of the 2014-15 season.

Smith has taken 10 wickets at an average of 37.40 in the second division of the ongoing County Championship – and scored 334 runs in 16 innings, including a season-best 85 against Leicestershire at Chelmsford in May.

The 31-year-old also made several appearances alongside international cricketers Jesse Ryder, Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate – in England's premier domestic limited-overs competitions – the Royal London One-Day Cup and the Natwest t20 Blast – this year.

His key dismissal of centurion David Willey – and quickfire 22 not out – recently carried the Essex Eagles to an important four-wicket List A victory over the Northamptonshire Steelbacks.

"We are proud to announce that Greg will be joining us and will be available for CTCC from November 2014 to the end of February 2015," read a statement from the club.

"The South African-born all-rounder was a member of South Africa's Under-19 World Cup squad, before joining Derbyshire in 2004.

"There he became an established member of the Derbyshire first team squad in all versions of the game, proving his worth as a potent middle- to lower-order batsman who very usefully bowls both seam and off-spin.

"In August 2010 he even took over the Derbyshire captaincy for the final two months of the season, when Chris Rogers stepped down.

"Smith subsequently left Derbyshire for Essex at the end of the 2011 season, launching his Essex first-class career with a century against Cambridge UCCE."

Cape Town Cricket Club, captained by talented all-rounder Geoff Dodds, are the reigning champions of the region's leading 1A league, having secured six wins, two draws and just one loss earlier this year.