ABSTRACT
Andre Odendaal and 'Cheeky' Watson were two of a kind — although not at first sight. Andre was a cricketer, tall, angular, but after meeting the newspaper editor Donald Woods at the age of twelve, 1 thoughtful and analytical — 'different from the other kids in my class'. 2 'Cheeky' was a rugby player, strong, powerful and defined by his family's values. Andre lived in the Western Cape; 'Cheeky' was from Eastern Province. However, both were white and both defied the South African Government by playing sport with non-white teams. Andre Odendaal played provincial cricket, but in 1977 he became the first white player to play in multi-racial cricket leagues, and thereby defy the Group Areas Act, forsaking first-class facilities at Stellenbosch University for what he terms 'a life-changing experience': 3
When I joined to play for SACBOC (South African Cricket Board of Control, the non-racial cricket federation), I had no other contact with the cricket world. That was how polarised our world was. It was a choice you made that affected your entire existence ... you couldn't go back from that into your apartheid enclave.' 4
