Maurits van Nierop
Encyclopedia
Maurits William Albert van Nierop (11 May 1983 – 24 September 2008) was a Dutch
cricket
er. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace
bowler, he played for the Netherlands national cricket team from 2002 until 2006, and had been named in the Dutch winter squad shortly before his death.
in 1983, the son of former Dutch international cricketer Albert Van Nierop, Maurits van Nierop first played for the Netherlands at Under-15 level in the Lombard Under-15 Challenge Cup in England
in 1996. He played for the Dutch Under-17 team in 1999, and for the Dutch Under-19 team from 1999 until 2001.
He played for the Marylebone Cricket Club
Young Cricketers from 2001 until 2003 and was the first Dutch player to play for the team. In 2002, after matches for the Dutch A side in the European Development XI Championship, he made his debut for the Dutch senior side, playing against a Kent Cricket League XI before making his List A debut against Bedfordshire
.
He played twice for the Netherlands against Denmark in July 2003, and for the Dutch A side again the following month. He played in the 2004 European Championship Division One
tournament, making his first-class
debut shortly afterwards against Ireland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup
. He also played a match against Pakistan that year.
He returned to the Dutch youth set-up in 2005, playing in the European Under-23 Championship in Deventer
. He captained the Dutch team for the tournament. He played two matches in the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup
, and returned to List A cricket in 2006 when he played for the Dutch A side in the EurAsia Cricket Series in Abu Dhabi
. He scored 60 in the second match against Pakistan A, his highest score in List A cricket.
Later that year, he made his One Day International debut against Bermuda in Potchefstroom, playing his second and final ODI three days later against Canada. He played his final first-class match, also against Canada, four days later in Pretoria
, which was to be his last appearance for the Netherlands.
and Mark Boucher
.
He stayed out when Maron went home, indicating that he would follow him home later. Reports suggested that friends he had expected to meet with did not turn up, so he headed home. At 4:45 a.m., a security guard witnessed him jump down from a wall in the Woodstock area of Cape Town and land on his head, suffering fatal injuries.
He had been named in the Dutch winter squad less than a week earlier and was thought to be in line for a comeback to the national side. He had planned to return to play cricket in the Netherlands in the 2009 season.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
bowler, he played for the Netherlands national cricket team from 2002 until 2006, and had been named in the Dutch winter squad shortly before his death.
Biography
Born in Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
in 1983, the son of former Dutch international cricketer Albert Van Nierop, Maurits van Nierop first played for the Netherlands at Under-15 level in the Lombard Under-15 Challenge Cup in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1996. He played for the Dutch Under-17 team in 1999, and for the Dutch Under-19 team from 1999 until 2001.
He played for the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
Young Cricketers from 2001 until 2003 and was the first Dutch player to play for the team. In 2002, after matches for the Dutch A side in the European Development XI Championship, he made his debut for the Dutch senior side, playing against a Kent Cricket League XI before making his List A debut against Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Bedfordshire and competing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play three-day...
.
He played twice for the Netherlands against Denmark in July 2003, and for the Dutch A side again the following month. He played in the 2004 European Championship Division One
European Cricket Championship
The European Cricket Championship is a group of various tournaments in which national cricket sides throughout Europe compete. The tournament is designed to encourage and develop the best players in countries where cricket is not a major sport and Europe's only Test cricket playing country,...
tournament, making his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut shortly afterwards against Ireland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup
ICC Intercontinental Cup
The ICC Intercontinental Cup is a cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council as part of its cricket development programme...
. He also played a match against Pakistan that year.
He returned to the Dutch youth set-up in 2005, playing in the European Under-23 Championship in Deventer
Deventer
Deventer is a municipality and city in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel. Deventer is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen Deventer is a municipality and city in...
. He captained the Dutch team for the tournament. He played two matches in the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup
2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup
The 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup was the second edition of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, a cricket competition for 12 nations from Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. All the games were scheduled for three days and were designated first class....
, and returned to List A cricket in 2006 when he played for the Dutch A side in the EurAsia Cricket Series in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
. He scored 60 in the second match against Pakistan A, his highest score in List A cricket.
Later that year, he made his One Day International debut against Bermuda in Potchefstroom, playing his second and final ODI three days later against Canada. He played his final first-class match, also against Canada, four days later in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, which was to be his last appearance for the Netherlands.
Death
Van Nierop moved to Cape Town to work in 2006, and began playing for a local club. He died in the city in the early hours of 24 September 2008. He had been out for the evening with Ryan Maron, the coach at his old club in the Netherlands. The two had dinner together and then spent time socialising a night club with members of the South African cricket team, reportedly including Graeme SmithGraeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
and Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
.
He stayed out when Maron went home, indicating that he would follow him home later. Reports suggested that friends he had expected to meet with did not turn up, so he headed home. At 4:45 a.m., a security guard witnessed him jump down from a wall in the Woodstock area of Cape Town and land on his head, suffering fatal injuries.
He had been named in the Dutch winter squad less than a week earlier and was thought to be in line for a comeback to the national side. He had planned to return to play cricket in the Netherlands in the 2009 season.