Hans Keman
Flamingo since 1991
Left unorthodox
As with so many cricketers before him, Hans Keman's way to the cricket field was via membership of a football club where cricket was also possible, in his case the Delft Concordia from 1885. In the 1950s the Keman family moved because of the father's profession of pastor in the old Catholic church, to Haarlem and Rood and Wit became his club, although he was with ACC for a few years in between when it turned out that he could not get a permanent place in the former in Haarlem. Red and White had seven senior teams.
Around the age of fifteen, Hans developed into a type of bowler that is very rare in the Netherlands: left unorthodox. This meant that he delivered balls that are referred to in technical terms as Chinamen and Googlies. Hans did not know about the latter, of course, he only had this pointed out to him later by an Indian coach.
In 1985, back in the Netherlands after a few years in Italy, he became vice-chairman of Rood en Wit and a member of the technical committee responsible for appointing foreign coaches, among other things. The first was Bill Bourne, followed by Gary Hayes, Lee Germon and Colin Miller. Those were not the last.
Barbadian Bourne played 59 matches for Warwickshire as the opening bowler from 1973 to 1977 and was so fast by Dutch standards that after a while he asked his captain if he should not bowl medium pacers, because the slips let his projectiles slip through their hands! Bourne ended up at Rood en Wit by responding with a neat, handwritten letter to an advertisement that the Haarlemmers had placed in The Cricketer. He was not a man to mock.
When an Excelsior player made a comment about his skin colour, he moved into fifth gear on the advice of Hans, with the result that the Schiedammers were on the side for 70.
Bourne taught the Red and Whiters how to handle a one-dayer; not by chopping wildly, but by just making runs. For bowlers, they must ensure that they do not allow runs. Taking wickets was of secondary importance.
Lee Germon made it to be captain of New Zealand. He heard that election news in Haarlem, so a BBC team suddenly appeared on the Red and White field to interview him. Germon became a celebrity, captain of New Zealand on his Test debut, holding the unofficial record of the most runs (70) in an over in first class cricket and the most dismissals (238) in a career as a wicket keeper.
And, of course there was Colin Miller who in his later days, when he was already well into his thirties, joined Red and White. He was not a very good coach, but as a bowler he still stood his ground and as a tail batsman he often chased the ball so high over mid-wicket that at the neighbouring tennis court there was sometimes a sign 'Colin batting, don't play tennis.’
Hans joined De Flamingos In 1991 for which he played regularly until he was injured. From his cricket period with De Flamingos, he has fond memories of a tour to England under the captaincy of Thijs Vermeulen.
When cricket was no longer possible, golf came his way. He often tours in the wake of the cricketing Flamingos and enjoys the pleasure of admiring the library of Jean Paul Getty on those occasions, a man who in his time did not flinch when buying another masterpiece. The large and small Flamingo golf events in which Hans participates are very pleasant. In the Haarlem area, for example, there is wonderful golf in the morning, after which, fantastic cricket in the afternoon on the picturesque Bloemendaal field.
Hans is not too optimistic about the future of cricket in the Netherlands. He finds lacking the real experience, the unadulterated involvement. He has been a member of Rood en Wit since 1961 and no one is thinking about ending this membership. This club loyalty is an increasingly scarce item these days. There is a chance that the elderly will increasingly have to take the lead and that is a dangerous development.
Hans has not only stood his ground as an active cricketer, but he also contributes in other areas. In 1991, at the request of the KNCB board, he wrote the report, Cricket in the Netherlands, Trends & Developments, a thorough report, put to little use. In this he sketched a vision of the organization and structure of Dutch cricket and predicts how the differences between large and small clubs will increase.
The fact that cricket dominates his life is also apparent from his speech on his farewell from the VU University. The title is neutral: On political science: social conflicts and "politics", but in his speech Hans the Bodyline, he included the controversy of 1932-1933 that caused such a huge row between England and Australia. Hans does not deny his great passion and allowed the audience to enjoy an esprit that the title of the speech doesn’t suggest.
Hans Keman
Flamingo since 1991
