Doug Nielsen has spent 60 years at Old Parktonians Cricket Club, first as a player and now as a professional coach.

He describes himself simply as part of the furniture at the club, a fitting description for a man whose life has been built almost entirely around the game. Nielsen’s cricket journey began at Parktown Boy’s High School, where he was steered towards Old Parktonians by his headmaster. “The headmaster said you must join Old Park, so we joined. I must say, that Parktown Boy’s environment, it was very good. Very enjoyable and nice to come down every Saturday and play.”

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From school cricket he progressed quickly. He played Transvaal Nuffield cricket and was selected for South African Schools, touring England with the side in 1968. Banking soon became his day job, but cricket remained his focus. He joined Old Parktonians in 1965 and went on to captain the Transvaal B side in the early 1970s before being promoted to the senior Transvaal team under Dr Ali Bacher, where he played from 1972 to 1980.

Although he saw himself as a batsman, that wasn’t Nielsen’s role in the Transvaal side. “I recognised myself as a batsman, but, in the Transvaal team, I was more as a bowler.”

He was part of the Old Parktonians side that won the Premier League in the 1972/73 and 1973/74 seasons, a period he still regards as a highlight of his career. “We had top teams, top players, all the springboks played in the teams.”

He named Johnny Waite, Tiger Lance, Peter Kirsten, and Mike McCauley among the players he shared a field with. He also turned out for the Wolf Isaacs XI, a well-known invitational side, where he played alongside Australian captain Ian Chappell and his brother, Greg.

Nielsen’s move into coaching came without much fuss. In an era when provincial cricket had no formal coaches, players relied on senior figures, such as Eddie Barlow and Tiger Lance, to guide them. “As time progressed, sides wanted coaches.”

He went on to coach at a Pretoria club, a spell at Kempton Park, and later Wits Technikon, before returning home to Old Parktonians, where he coached the premier side for around a decade.

Looking back on both sides of the game, Nielsen said playing brought him more satisfaction than coaching ever did. “I liked the competition and there was very good competition.

“I always wanted to really try and perform at top level at all times.”

One regret still lingers. Political isolation during the apartheid era meant Nielsen never played for South Africa, despite believing he had the ability to do so. “I’m just sorry that I never made a national team. I think I would have made a national team had we been able to play in the national South African team.”

His playing career ended earlier than planned, cut short at 32 by chronic back trouble caused by a leg length discrepancy that went undiagnosed for years. The pain, he said, became unbearable. “I can’t tell you how sore it was. I mean, at times I couldn’t walk.”

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By the time doctors found a fix, fitting a 10mm lift into his cricket boots, the damage had already forced his hand.

Despite the injury, Nielsen’s career held plenty of standout moments. He took a hat-trick at the Wanderers, dismissing Alan Barrow, Mike Madsen, and Ted Smith in successive balls, and once hit the final ball of a Datsun semi-final for four off Mike Procter to send his side into the final. He also recalled being stitched up at Groote Schuur Hospital after cutting his knee diving to save a boundary in Cape Town, where he met Dr Christiaan Barnard, the surgeon renowned for performing the world’s first heart transplant.

These days, Nielsen’s focus is on rebuilding junior numbers at Old Parktonians.

Old Parktonians will hold a registration day ahead of the new season, offering new members a cap and shirt as part of the sign-up process. Official practices are set to begin on September 19.

For Nielsen, the goal remains simple. “I hope people come down and join Old Park. It is a very good home from home club.”

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