Being named as Vice-Captain of Western Province Cricket is indeed a moment of much pride for Alan Dawson. Surely, this is a highlight of a career in which he has come back to confound his critics on numerous occasions.

Alan is a source of inspiration to all cricketers in particular and people in general. Although he, like HD Ackerman, captained Western Province Primary Schools, a career path of professional cricket was not clearly defined. Certainly during his time at SACS he was not seen as an obvious future Western Province Vice-Captain, but a determination to succeed burned strong in "Dawsie's" heart. When previous Western Province and presently England coach, Duncan Fletcher commented that "... you can measure skill and ability but you cannot measure guts ... " he was surely referring to Alan in some way.

After making his debut as an opening batsman and not being all together successful, Alan, with the help of Duncan Fletcher, made himself into a very successful provincial and international swing bowler. The emphasis was certainly on 'made himself' with teammates commenting on his hunger for hard work and determination to succeed.

As he contemplated life after school, Alan's love of nature and the outdoors made him turn to horticulture as a career. He, with the help of Brother Marc, runs a very successful gardening service, "Alan Dawson's Gardens". Marrying a cricket career with a business operation has been tough but Alan speaks of a balance that he has made both sectors of his life successful.

A committed family man, the demands of family also eat into an already very busy schedule but Alan enjoys spending time away from his hectic lifestyle with wife, Paula and young son, Timothy (20 months).

This balance which is so prevalent in his life, will surely make him the perfect advisor to HD in the Western Province setup.

Alan Dawson