John Rennie

------------------------------------------------------------- * Full Name: John Alexander Rennie * Born: 29 July 1970, Fort Victoria (now Masvingo) * Major teams: Zimbabwe (since 1993/94), Matabeleland (since 1993/94). Present club team: Old Miltonians * Known as: John Rennie * Batting Style: Right Hand Bat * Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium Fast * Occupation: with storage company * Test Debut: First Test v Pakistan, at Karachi, 1993/94 * ODI Debut: 18 November 1993, v India, Indore (Hero Cup)

Biography (January 1997)

John Rennie is a prime example of a cricketer who, though endowed with fewer natural gifts than most other first-class players, nevertheless made himself into a quality player and even reached Test status through his own sheer hard work and determination. As John himself says, "As long as you show keenness and want to get out there and play, with even a little bit of talent you can start achieving."

Although born in Fort Victoria (now Masvingo), John's family moved to Salisbury (now Harare) when he was young, and he was first introduced to the game properly at Groombridge Primary School at the age of about eight. His first coach was Greg Bell, a former Midlands cricketer, under whom John thrived. He started to learn slowly, and also played with his cousin in their garden in Harare.

When in Grade 7, he moved to Hartmann House, where his coach was Mike Nash; he was then bowling off-breaks, and Mr Nash played a major part in correcting his batting technique. Hartmann House is the junior school for St George's College, where he captained the Under-13B team, making one wonder what happened to all the A team players. Robin Stokes, and for the next two years after that Bill Flower (father of Andy and Grant), gave him help and encouragement, appreciating the effort he always put into his game. Throughout his career, in fact, Bill Flower has been there as a mentor. At Under-15 level he attended the Fawns trials as a member of the Mashonaland B team; he had been badly handicapped by a bout of malaria during the term, so he had no record behind him, but he had a good trial and was unfortunate not to make the national side.

While in Form 4 he was promoted to his school second team, and then to the firsts, with Robin Stokes again as his coach. While in the Upper Sixth he captained the school team and won a place in the Mashonaland Schools team, but did not make the national side. At the age of 17 he joined Old Georgians Sports Club, his school's old boys' club and also the club of the Flower family. This was another step up the ladder for him, and at each level he came up against better players and found his own game improving as he kept working at it. Kevin Murphy was then the club captain and wicket-keeper, and he gave John a lot of help. In those days Old Georgians was a young, unsuccessful team, but this was the change radically as the Flower brothers and their youthful associates developed.

John was perhaps fortunate to be chosen for the national team's tour of England in 1993, with a depleted team which was then short of pace bowlers at the best of times. His bowling steadily improved, but he had still taken only six first-class wickets when he was chosen for the tours to India, for the Hero Cup, and Pakistan. One of his most memorable matches was his official one-day debut in the tied match against India. Entrusted with bowling at the end of the Indian innings, he restrained Azharuddin and Tendulkar to four runs an over, and then came in to bat, last man in, with Zimbabwe needing a further 12 runs for victory. He struck a superb shot, right into the setting sun; the umpires eventually signalled four, although many, even in the crowd, believed it should have been a six. In the end, Heath Streak was run out and the match was tied. His bowling figures on those tours were not remarkable, but he was becoming known for his control of the ball and his ability to move it in the air.

On his return after Pakistan, he moved to Bulawayo to work for Back Storage Company. He joined Old Miltonians, the strongest of the Bulawayo clubs, which contains most of the top Matabele players but has few reserves of quality. He had a most successful first season for Matabeleland, taking 20 wickets in their four matches.

The following season, 1994/95, was to be a major disappointment. He suffered from a back injury which not only handicapped his bowling but also interfered with his rhythm. His arm was lower and he lost the ability to swing the ball; he frequently bowled wides and no-balls. Yet such was his determination that, perhaps unwisely, he tried to play through it all and had a most unsuccessful season with the ball. On the other hand, he often made useful runs, averaging almost 30 during the season.

The following season, things began to come right again, and he was at his best in the Logan Cup final. He bowled throughout the Districts' second innings and was into his twentieth over when he dismissed their last batsman; Districts were out for 128 and John had taken six wickets. Matabeleland went on to win the match and the Cup.

With the emergence of such promising young talent as Henry Olonga, `Pom' Mbangwa and Everton Matambanadzo, it seemed as if John's international career might be over. Yet, even if the general public did not appreciate him and had written him off, the national selectors knew that he was still one of their most accurate bowlers and better suited to the one-day game than the newcomers. To general surprise, he was chosen for the one-day series against England and fully justified his place.

John has played quite a bit of cricket in England: in 1989 he played for Bewdley, in Worcestershire, and the following two seasons for Widnes in Lancashire, then in 1993 for Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire. Each time he put in some good all-round performances, gained useful experience, and also in one match scored about 130 not out, his highest score in any class of cricket. As a batsman he feels his main virtue is his ability to stay in there and bat patiently, especially in support of a specialist batsman, but he can unleash some fine strokes at times too.

John is now captain of Matabeleland, after the resignation of Wayne James, and he applies the same enthusiasm to this aspect of his cricket as well. Although he may never enjoy a prolonged Test career, he is nevertheless a very useful all-round cricketer whose determination and effort can never be questioned. -------------------------------------------------------------------

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John Rennie

John Rennie