Rafferty to lead South African Schools against the Chevrolet Knights

The Free State’s captain Keagan Rafferty is following in the footsteps of Protea-captains, Hansie Cronjé (1987) and Johan Botha (2000), after being named the South African Schools’ side’s captain of 2010. Rafferty experienced a excellent Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week with both the ball and the bat in hand in Bloemfontein. He was named Allrounder of the Tournament for his efforts. Cronjé and Botha was the last two players to be named captain of the national schools’ side at a Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week held in Bloemfontein.

Rafferty could not save his side from defeat in the main match of the week against Gauteng at the OUTsurance Oval in Bloemfontein. Heavy rain during the early hours this morning flooded all outfields of the venues used, but only OUTsurance Oval was able to get ready to host it’s match. It was decided that the match between Boland and Western Province will also be moved to the home of the Chevrolet Knights with both games played on a Twenty/20-format.

The defeat of six wickets against Gauteng was the hosts first loss of the tournament. No team managed to stay unbeaten during the Week. The tournament’s top batsman, Quinton de Kock (53) scored his second half-century from a mere 39 deliveries to help his to victory. De Kock was named Batsman of the Tournament. He also scored two centuries during the week. He was also well deserved included in the South African Schools’ side.  

Free State won the toss and elected to bat, but was restricted to 91 thanks to great bowling by Shaylen Pillay (2/8), David Sartor (2/11) and David Rhoda (2/19). Dante Vries, brother of Chevrolet Knights seam bowler Gino, almost swung the match for the home side by grabbing two wickets for 19 runs. De Kock however made sure with his exhilarating innings that Gauteng won.   

Boland defeated Western Province by seven wickets after rain interrupted their match and it was reduced to ten overs per side. With Jean Bredenkamp (27), Leon le Roux (26*) and Stephen Baard (26) all contributing with the bat.

Gauteng’s Keaton Jennings, the son of national u19-coach Ray Jennings, will captain the Colts-side tomorrow against the Free State’s provincial side. The South African Schools’ side will take on the Chevrolet Knights who have seven players in their squad who has represented the national schools’ side.

Rain in the early morning

The teams:

South African Schools’ side: Keagan Rafferty (St. Andrew’s, Free State – captain), Sahil Bissoon (Glenwood, KwaZulu-Natal), David Bunn (St. Alban’s College, Northerns), Quinton de Kock (King Edward VII, Gauteng), Josh Dolley (Westering, Eastern Province), Johan du Preez (Stofberg, Easterns), Grant Edmeades (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province), Chad Fortune (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province), Duanne Olivier (Centurion, Northerns), Sumanth Sunkari (Glenwood, KwaZulu-Natal), Lizaad Williams (Hugenote, Boland), Simon Khomari (St. Andrew’s, Free State – 12th man).

Manager: Pierre Hugo

Coach: Goolam Jaffer

South African Colts: Keaton Jennings (King Edward VII, Gauteng – captain), Nicholas Lockyer (CBC Boksburg, Easterns), Tyler Lortan (Maritzburg College, KwaZulu-Natal Inland), Mark Airey (Kearsney College, KwaZulu-Natal), Diego Rosier (Northern Cape, Griqualand West), Shaylen Pillay (King Edward VII, Gauteng), Brad Dolley (Grey Boys’ High School, Eastern Province), Brendan Young (Westerford, Western Province), Mzamo Cele (St. Charles’ College, KwaZulu-Natal Inland), Marcello Piedt (Outeniqua HS, South Western Districts), Corné Dry (Grey College, Free State), David Magotlane (King Edward VII, Gauteng – 12th man).

Manager: Shaheed Khan
Coach: Geoffrey Toyana

SPECIAL AWARDS

Batsman of the Week: Quinton de Kock (Gauteng)

Bowler of the Week: Duanne Olivier (Northerns)

Catch of the Week: Sumanth Sunkari (KwaZulu-Natal)

Best spirit of the Week: Keagan Rafferty (Free State)

Allrounder of the Week: Keagan Rafferty (Free State)

Cricketer of the Week: Quinton de Kock (Gauteng)

Keagan Rafferty

And then there were … none …

Due to rain all the games at Gray College on the final day of the Coca-Cola Khaya Mojola week were cancelled. The organizers felt that they need to play the games that were considered 1-4 play-offs so they converted them to 20/20 games and played them at the better irrigated Outsurance oval, home of the Chevrolet Knights.

Boland vs Western Province

The first match of the day was between Western Province and Boland. Boland is often considered the poor cousin to the more favoured WP but they have produced some amazing players in the past and besides for being outclassed by Gauteng yesterday they have been extremely impressive in the tournament. Western Province, on the other hand, are a little lucky to be in this game because Northerns were actually a better team but they came up against the two top teams in the tournament and lost.

Boland won the toss and sent Western Province in to bat. They managed to score 71/2 off 10 overs in a rain affected innings. Their openers got them off to a good start with Givon Christian hitting 25 off 29 balls. The rest of the team chipped in with double figures, one only wonders what they might have scored if it was not for the rain. Boland’s power is actually in their batting and not bowling and they knocked off a revised total of 87 (10 overs) in 9.4 overs with the loss of 3 wickets. It looked as if it was a close game but truthfully Boland had the game in complete control and could have done it sooner if they needed to. Boland scores 150+ runs in both of their previous 20/20 games so this chase was not daunting for them at all. Their top batsmen were Jean Bredenkamp 27 (14 balls), Leon Le Roux 26* (25 balls), Stephen Baard 26 (16 balls).

Free State vs Gauteng

This match was truly against the top two teams in the tournament. It was a game that people spoke about and hoped for from day one and when Gauteng had their hiccup on day three when they rested some of their players it looked as if it was not going to happen. Gauteng easily beat Boland, which was unbeaten until then, and earned their way to the main game.

Free State batted first and everything went terribly wrong. The only partnerships that were worth talking about were the first wicket partnership of 35 and the sixth wicket of 26 otherwise it was not a great scorecard to look at. Brett Hall hit 21 off 21 balls and Simon Lisene and Thabo Masheshemane chipped in with 14 and 12 respectively. On the other hand most of Gauteng’s bowlers took wickets; David Sator took 2 for 11, Shaylen Pillay took 2 for 8, David Mogotlane took 1 for 16, David Rhoda took 2 for 19 and Keaton Jennings took 1 for 9. Free State were bowled out for 91 runs.

In response Gauteng started brilliantly and Quinton de Kock made up for his last disastrous innings by scoring 53 off 39 balls. He actually didn’t need to score a run today and he still would have been top scorer of the week.  He opened the batting with Yasser Cook who impressed the Gauteng selectors in his brilliant innings yesterday. After the opening stand it was hard for Free State to get back into the game but they certainly tried by taking 3 wickets in a short space of time. Gauteng moved from 63/1 to 70/3 before Keaton Jennings, who slipped down the batting order to come in at 3, steered his team to victory with 20 off 27 balls. Gauteng won by 6 wickets with 9 balls to spare. Dante Vries gave Free State some hope with his 2/19 supported by Dwaine Calder (1/13) and Simon Lisene (1/6).

SA Schools and SA Colts

I’m not sure what the line up is going to be for the SA Schools team or the SA Colts because that will only be announced this evening during the award ceremony of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola week but I am sure that most players will come from the Free State, Gauteng, Northerns and Boland. Northerns and Free State had the better bowlers of the tournament and Gauteng and Boland had the better batsmen.

In the end there were no unbeaten teams in this year’s tournament. The local team made their supporters proud and managed to hold their unbeaten status to the last day. Well done boys.

Free State and Gauteng to lock horns in main match on the last day of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week in Bloemfontein

The host of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, the Free State, is the only unbeaten side at the tournament. It is only their opposition tomorrow, Gauteng, which could bring their unbeaten streak to an end. Free State will play against a very strong Gauteng team in the main game of the week at OUTsurance Oval .

Gauteng recovered from their earlier setback against KwaZulu-Natal Inland on the third day by convincingly beating Boland by 120 runs. Boland shared the honours with Free State as the other unbeaten side at this prestigious event, till today.

Gareth Oliver (67), Robert Farina (61*) and Shaylen Pillay (53) all scored fifities for Gauteng, while Quinton de Kock the week’s prolific run scorer was bowled for a first-ball duck. He was caught by Cobus Langenhoven off the bowling of Lizaad Williams with the very first delivery of the match. The spin bowler of Gauteng, David Magotlane grabbed three wickets for only seven runs.

The Free State defeated Northerns in a tight encounter after restricting them to a mere 93 runs. The hosts won the toss and elected to bowl and left-arm seam bowler Dante Vries (3/25) causing most of the damage with the ball in hand. His captain, Keagan Rafferty also bowled well picking up two wickets conceding mere 17 runs.

The Free State’s batsmen struggled against Northerns’ fast bowler, Duanne Olivier who sent three batsmen packing conceding 20 runs in the process. He could have picked up a five-wicket haul if two catches had not been dropped off his bowling.  Simon Khomari (28) was once again the stalwart with the bat for Free State.

Mark Airey helped his team, KwaZulu-Natal to a 20-run victory over neighbours KwaZulu-Natal Inland. He scored 93 runs which included ten fours and grabbed his second five-wicket haul of the tournament. He conceded 48 runs with his leg-spin.

Other players who came to the fore once again were Grant Edmeades (67*, 3/20), Neels Bergh (96), Chad Fortune (3/30) and Xander Pitchers (76). 

The fixtures for tomorrow are:

Free State vs. Gauteng (OUTsurance Oval)

Boland vs. Western Province (Johan Volsteedt Oval)

Easterns vs. KwaZulu-Natal (Vossie’s Field)

Eastern Province vs. Northerns (CUT Oval)

Border vs. North West (Windmill Park)

South Western Districts vs. Griqualand West (Grey – Shooting Range)

KwaZulu-Natal Inland vs. Mpumalanga (Grey – GCB)

Limpopo vs. Namibia (Casa Parentum)

Scorecards of the fourth day of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week

Gauteng 243/7 (Gareth Oliver 67, Robert Farina 61*, Shaylen Pillay 53, Keaton Jennings 37; Jean Bredenkamp 3/29, Lizaad Williams 3/47); Boland 123 (Leon le Roux 35, Manrich Kotze 27; David Magotlane 4/7, Shaylen Pillay 2/6). Gauteng won by 120 runs. 

Northerns 93 (Anton Verster 24; Dante Vries 3/25, Keagan Rafferty 2/17); Free State 95/9 (Simon Khomari 28, Extras 15; Duanne Oliver 3/20, Theunis de Bruyn 2/13). Free State won by one wicket.

South Western Districts 73 (Kobus Scholtz 35; Eric Makhasana 3/9, Nicholas Govender 2/5); Easterns 74/4 (Johan du Preez 21*, Lerato Ngoepe 20; Gerswile Goliath 2/23, Marcello Piedt 2/26). Easterns won by six wickets.  

KwaZulu-Natal 212 (Mark Airey 93, Sahil Bissoon 33;  Jarred Scott 3/32); KwaZulu-Natal Inland (Nicholas Hendrie 39, Tyler Lortan 38, Suhail Razzack 31; Mark Airey 5/48, Sahil Bissoon 2/50). KwaZulu-Natal won by 20 runs.

Western Province 251/6 (Givon Christian 70, Grant Edmeades 67*, Wade Cupido 53; Brad Dolley 2/34); Eastern Province 141 (Lionel Vaaltyn 52, Grant Edmeades 3/20, Chad Fortune 3/30). Western Province won by 110 runs.

Mpumalanga 235 (Neels Bergh 96, Conrad Viljoen 48, Roger Arendse 35; De Wet Coertzen 3/35); North West 239/7 (Theunis van Wyk 94*, Danielo Blignaut 55; Roger Arendse 4/38). North West won by three wickets.

Namibia 154 (Glen Foxcroft 54, Wian van Vuuren 28; Leonard Killeen 3/18, Enkosi Nonyukela 3/32); Border 157/8 (Mkhululi Calana 50, Brad Hensburg 40; Gerhard Lotter 2/0, Glen Foxcroft 2/28). Border won by two wickets.

Limpopo 173 (Dewald Joubert 37, Extras 33; Hermias Nieuwoudt 2/14, Dylan McKenzie 2/29); Griqualand West 175/4 (Xanders Pithers 76, Gihahn Cloete 42*; Tian Koekemoer 2/37). Griqualand West won by six wickets. 

Boland and Free State stay unbeaten at Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week

Only two teams are undefeated after the third day of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week in Bloemfontein. The hosts Free State and Boland are the only undefeated teams after four games. Gauteng which is probably one of the strongest teams at the week rested their star batsman Quinton de Kock for their second twenty/20-over match of the day against KwaZulu-Natal Inland and lost by six wickets.

The Free State kept their unbeaten status by beating Western Province and North West today. Their opening batsman, Brett Hall contributing 39 runs with the bat in both matches. Dawid Pawson (41, 26b) made the main contribution in the 16-run victory over Western Province. Against North West their South African u19-player, Simon Khomari (43, 39b) recorded the most runs, while seam bowler Jamian Maarman picked up four wickets conceding a mere 11 runs.

De Kock continued his excellent batting form of the first two days with a 63 runs in his team’s first match of the day against Northerns at the OUTsurance Oval. He scored two centuries in his two other matches at the tournament. Theunis de Bruyn (42*, 36b) almost took Northerns home but they fell four runs short of a victory. 

The fast bowler Keagan Davids of KwaZulu-Natal demolished Gauteng’s batting line-up without De Kock. He got rid of three Gauteng batsmen for a mere eight runs. Nicholas Hendrie (56*) then took KwaZulu-Natal Inland home.

Boland defeated Border and Easterns in their two matches today. They beat Border by 53 runs and KwaZulu-Natal Inland by four runs. Boland are the only side who managed to score more than 150 runs in both their matches. If Boland win their limited over match against Gauteng tomorrow they will probably face the winner between Free State and Northerns.

The fixtures for tomorrow:

Gauteng vs. Boland (UFS Oval)

Free State vs. Northerns (Bobbies Park)

WP vs. OP (UFS Field 2)

KwaZulu-Natal Inland vs. KwaZulu-Natal (UFS Field 1)

SWD vs. Easterns (Tempe)

Border vs. Namibia (Casa Parentum)

Limpopo vs. Griqualand West (Fichardtpark)

North West vs. Mpumalanga (UFS Field 3). 

De Kock record second successive century at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week

Quinton de Kock (118) of Gauteng continued his impressive form at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week in Bloemfontein recording his second successive century on the second day of the tournament held in Bloemfontein.

The opening batsman struck one of five centuries on the second day. He and his captain Keaton Jennings (52) shared an opening partnership of 169 runs against Namibia. De Kock struck 14 boundaries of which one cleared the boundary rope. He scored the first century of the week (112) on the first day of the tournament on his birthday against Eastern Province.

Byron Haycock (102*) and Kobus Scholtz (101*) from South Western Districts caused the bowling attack of the Free State some problems sharing an unbeaten partnership of 186 runs over the second wicket. The visitors to the City of Roses reached the forced declaration with their score on 219/1.

Northerns’ David Bunn is also experiencing some good form at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week. He struck 120 runs in his team’s match against KwaZulu-Natal Inland at Grey College’s Casa Parentum. His innings included six fours and four sixes. Bunn also bowled well in his team’s first match of the week against Western Province. He picked up two wickets for 24 runs with his spin bowling in this match.

The spin bowlers at the week also had reason to smile. Sahil Bissoon of KwaZulu-Natal picked up the second five-wicket haul of the week when he got rid of Roland Mahne (22), Wihan Lubbe (22), Wian Lubbe (0), Danielo Blignaut (6) and Kamogelo Sereo (0) in his team’s match against North West. The first five-wicket haul also came from a spin bowler, Brad Dolley (5/53) of Eastern Province in their encounter on the first day against Gauteng.

In the same match the wrist-spin bowler, Mark Airey grabbed five wickets for a mere 35 runs for the best bowling performance of the day. He also scored 65 runs in his team’s innings.

Nicholas Lockyer (102) scored the fifth century of the day in his side’s match against Eastern Province. Johan du Preez (52) also weighed in with a century in Easterns’ victory. Boland’s medium pacer, Riyaad Henry got rid of four batsmen in the second innings conceding only 11 runs in his team’s victory of an innings and 78 runs over Mpumalanga.

Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week Day 1 Results and Day 2 Fixtures

SCORECARDS:

Gauteng first innings 225/7 (Quinton de Kock 112, Keaton Jennings 31; Brad Dolley 5/53, James Price 2/38). Eastern Province first innings 120/5 (James Price 36*, Luke Daniels 36; David Rhoda 2/0). Match drawn.

Western Province first innings 135 (Chad Fortune 41, Grant Edmeades 26; Duanne Olivier 4/15, Ryan Cartwright 4/31); Northerns first innings 204/7 decl. (Abel Mokhuane 58, Juan Marais 51*, Dimitri Saunders 33; Brendan Young 3/32, Grant Edmeades 2/29); Western Province second innings 46/3 (Givon Christian 29; Duanne Olivier 3/3). Northerns won on first innings.

Border first innings 66 (Brad Hensburg 29; Corné Dry 4/11, Keagan Rafferty 3/6, Dwaine Calder 2/5); Free State first innings 131/7 decl. (Brett Hall 45, Dwaine Calder 21*; Leonard Killeen 3/31); Border second innings 39/4 (Corné Dry 3/13). Free State won on first innings.

KwaZulu-Natal first innings 201 (Sumanth Sunkari 70, Dylan Browne 32; Lizaad Williams 4/20, Jean Bredenkamp 2/10); Boland first innings 125/8 (Leon le Roux 47, Jean Bredenkamp 40*; Sumanth Sunkari 3/16, Prenelan Subrayen 3/31). Match drawn.

KwaZulu-Natal Inland 280/6 decl. (Tyler Lortan 95*, Calvin Savage 65, Suhail Razzack 53; Sean Rohlandt 2/57); Griqualand West 268/9 (Diego Rosier 84*, Cheslyn Barnes 55, Gihahn Cloete 45, Rhyno Janse van Rensburg 41; Keagan Davids 3/30). Match drawn.        

Limpopo 279/4 (John Viljoen 90, Leon Tullis 80*, Tian Koekemoer 57*;  Jacques Else 2/26); Mpumalanga first innings 137 (Colin van Staden 46, Mbasa Payana 21*; Reuben Serfontein 4/20, Waldi Kamfer 2/20). Limpopo second innings 10/0 decl.; Mpumalanga second innings 73/2 (Jacques Else 55*). Limpopo won on first innings.

South Western Districts 112 (Glenton Stuurman 31, Marcello Piedt 31; Glen Foxcroft 4/7, Zhivago Groenewald 3/41); Namibia first innings 115 (Zhivago Groenewald 48; Marcello Piedt 4/34, Tyran Whitehead 3/12); South Western Districts second innings 41/3 (Byron Haycock 23; Glen Foxcroft 2/18). Namibia second innings 5/1 (Marcello Piedt 1/3).Namibia won on first innings.

Easterns first innings 185/5 decl. (Johan du Preez 56*, Nicholas Lockyer 43, Dylan Bennie 39; De Wet Coertzen 2/56); North West first innings 98/3 (Tshegofatso Mogapi 55*, Eric Makhasana 1/5). Match drawn.


Day 2 Fixtures

Easterns Province VS Easterns
Northerns   VS Kwazulu Natal Inland
Western Province  VS Griquas
Kwazulu Natal  VS North West Province
Gauteng  VS Namibia
Free State  VS South Western Districts 
Boland  VS Mpumalanga
Border  VS Limpopo

Quite a few impressed with performances at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week

Quite a few players came to the fore on the first day of the annual Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week hosted in Bloemfontein. The only century on the first day was scored by Gauteng’s opening batsman, Quinton de Kock (112) who faced 149 deliveries in his innings against Eastern Province, striking six fours and three sixes.

The spin bowler, Brad Dolley of Eastern Province took the only five-wicket haul of the day in the same match. He removed five of Gauteng’s batsman for 53 runs. Dolley is the younger brother of Warriors’ spin bowler, Corbyn Dolley.

The opening bowlers of Northerns,  Duanne Olivier (4/15) and Ryan Cartwright (4/31), were devastating as they bundled Western Province out for only 135 runs in their first innings. Olivier also grabbed three wickets for an unbelievable three runs in Western Province’s second innings.

KwaZulu-Natal Inland’s Tyler Lortan (95*) just missed out on his century in his side’s drawn match against Griqualand West. The 16 year old Diego Rosier (64*) of Griqualand West also scored an unbeaten half-century in the match. 

The host, Free State was one of four teams who managed to record victories on the first day. Their opening bolwers, Corné Dry and Keagan Rafferty, bowled Border out for only 66 runs in their first innings. Dry picked up four wickets for a mere 11 runs, while Rafferty grabbed three wickets for only six runs.

The spin bowler, Dwaine Calder also contributed with the ball as he send two batsman for only five runs back to the change room. In Border’s second innings they were 39/4 at the close of play with Dry picking up another three wickets. 

The other team’s to manage to record victories where Northerns, Gauteng and Namibia.

Sumanth Sunkari also had a good day for KwaZulu-Natal in their match against Boland. He scored 70 runs before he also got rid of three Boland batsman for only 16 runs.

Keaton Jennings Gauteng

Keaton Jennings Gauteng

Keegan Rafferty Free State

Keegan Rafferty Free State

After Lunch Scorecards for the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week Day 1

Kwazulu-Natal vs Boland

Kwazulu-Natal have just been bowled out. They got off to a terrible start due to fantastic bowling by Boland and especially Lizaad Williams who took 20/4 in 9.3 overs. At one stage they were on 32/4 before Sumanth Sunkari hit a respectable 70. Sumanth was supported by Dylan Browne (32) and Sashlin Reddy (23). Otherwise the scorecard does not look that great.

KZN Inland vs Griqualand West

KZN inland has got off to a far better start to the tournament than the KZN cousins. Currently they are on 280/6. Three batsmen have got half-centuries and Tyler Lortan looks like he might be the first centurion of the week. He is on 95 so far and the other two batsmen in the runs are Suhail Razack (53) and Calvin Savage (65). The only Griquas bowlers who managed to show some kind of form are Jaco Buys (69/2) and Sean Rohlandt (57/2).

Limpopo vs Mpumalanga

Limpopo are the other batting team that is totally dominating the opposition. They are currently 279/4. John Viljoen hit 90 off 74 balls, Leon Mark Tullis hit 80 off 72 balls and a more circumspect Tian Koekemoer is on 57 off 116 balls. Mpumalanga are really struggling with the ball but their opening bowler Jacques Else (26/2) is trying hard to get the team some kind of luck.

Western Province vs Northerns

This game shows that you cannot judge an innings until the second team bats. Western Province were bundled out for 135 with Chat Fortune top scoring with 41. Other than that only two other batsmen got double figures. Northerns bowlers Duanne Olivier (15/4) and Ryan Cartwright (31/4) completely dominated WP. They must have felt confident going into bat but now they find themselves in a difficult position on 21/3. Chad Fortune is really having a fantastic day with adding to his top score with bowling figures of 11/2 so far. This game is going to be one to watch.

Border vs Free State, SWD vs Namibia and Gauteng vs Eastern Province all started late due to wet fields

Border vs Free State

Border batted first and are on 61/5. Keagan Rafferty from the Free State has taken three wickets for only six run so far.

SWD vs Namibia

SWD batted first and are struggling on 101/8, no one really got going. Namibia’s bowlers Zhivago Groenewald (41/3) and Glen Foxcroft (3/3) have totally dominated. We should soon see Namibia’s run chase .

Gauteng vs Eastern Province

Gauteng’s batsmen have totally dominated proceedings.  There was a good but slow start by the openers Keeton Jennings (31 son of Ray Jennings) and Quinton De Kock (78 not out).  There is still a long way to go in this match and Gauteng are really taking their time. They are currently on 134/2 off 40 overs.

Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week Starts Today

Today is the start of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week in Bloemfontein. Yesterday the kids got to meet their counterparts and have team photos taken. Some of the better photos will be put on the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week Competition facebook page for everyone to view.

The players are allowed to post their own comments and pictures on the facebook page and the best posts stand a chance of winning prizes from Coca-Cola. It will be interesting to see what the kids think about the tournament and their performances. I am looking forward to seeing the new talent on display.

Today’s Fixtures:

Easterns Province              VS           Gauteng

Northerns                           VS           Western Province

Kwazulu Natal                    VS           Boland

Free State                           VS           Border

Easterns                             VS           North West Province

Kwazulu Natal Inland         VS           Griquas

Namibia                             VS           South Western Districts 

Mpumalanga                     VS           Limpopo

FUTURE PROTEAS ON SHOW IN BLOEMFONTEIN

Talent scouts will be on the prowl from 17-21 December when the cream of South Africa’s young cricketers will be showcasing their abilities at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Under-19 Cricket Week in Bloemfontein.

“Coca-Cola is one of Cricket’s oldest supporters through which  we endorse the message to the youth to perform at their best and display happy energy and  develop a healthy lifestyle.  In years to come we want all the boys that participate in the week to remember Coca-Cola as the platform where their future careers were launched, whether in cricket or whatever else he chooses,” said Bradford Ross, Senior Brand Manager, Coca-Cola.

The Under-19 Cricket Week is the flagship of Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) development programme, and most members of the current Proteas squad have gone through at least one Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week.

One of those is Wayne Parnell, who has been appointed the first ever Ambassador of the Under19 Week.  Parnell was only 15 when he started playing for the South Africa Under19 team.  He played in the Under19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006, and two years later, he captained the South African team to the final of the Under19 World Cup in Malaysia.  He was top wicket taker at the tournament, with an impressive 18 wickets, and also scored valuable runs for his side.

Parnell’s exceptional performance at the Under-19 World Cup did not go unnoticed, and in January 2009 he made his debut for South Africa against Australia in Perth.  Later that year, he became the youngest player to be awarded a CSA contract.

“I was lucky enough to play in three Under-19 Weeks,” said Parnell.  “As a result I have made friends all over South Africa. Wherever I go, I meet guys who played with me or against me.  I might not remember them but it definitely forms a bond.”

Parnell said one of the things he had learnt from the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week was that winning was not everything.

“We learnt that it was not about winning at any cost – it was about having the will to win.
“This week teach you lessons about life and about setting goals and working towards them.”

This year’s Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week will be played in Bloemfontein from Friday December 17 to Tuesday December 21 at Grey College.  The first two days will be time cricket, day 3 and 4 will be based on a Pro 20 format with the final two days competed on a limited overs basis.  There will be no ultimate winner as the week is based on players performance as opposed to winning.  The decision to run the tournament in this way was based on the selectors wanting to see the players performing at their best and how they play in different forms of the game rather than putting pressure on them to win at all cost.

If history repeats itself, a future Proteas captain could be identified during the week. The captains of the last two Under19 teams selected in Bloemfontein – Hansie Cronje and Johan Botha both went on to captain the national team.    

One young cricketer hoping to make a name for himself at the Under19 Week is Southern Gauteng captain Keaton Jennings, son of former national coach Ray Jennings.

“I think the Khaya Majola Week is a wonderful opportunity to showcase what you can do,” he said. “There will be talent scouts there, and it is an opportunity to try to get into a provincial or a franchise team.”

But Jennings – who described himself as a batting allrounder – had his feet firmly on the ground.

“I have just finished matric, and I will be studying for a BCom (Accounting),” he said.  “It’s important to have plans outside cricket – cricket is a volatile game, and an injury can finish your career in an instant.

“So while I am hoping to be able to play cricket professionally, I definitely will keep on studying.”

A South African Under 19 and a South African Colts team will be selected at the end of the week. The South Africa Under19 team will play the Knights at Outsurance Park on Wednesday December 22, while the Colts will play a Free State Invitation XI at Grey College.

 Ends:

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The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s valuable brand, the company markets four of the world’s five nonalcoholic sparkling brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light beverages, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees, energy and sports drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of 1.5 billion servings each day. For more information about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

Fixture List for the Coka-Cola Khaya Majola Week

DAY 1  Time Cricket
Easterns Province	VS	Gauteng
Northerns	VS	Western Province
Kwazulu Natal	VS	Boland
Free State	VS	Border
Easterns	VS	North West Province
Kwazulu Natal Inland	VS	Griquas
Namibia	VS	South Western Districts
Mpumalanga	VS	Limpopo
Day 2 Time Cricket
Easterns Province	VS	Easterns
Northerns	VS	Kwazulu Natal Inland
Western Province	VS	Griquas
Kwazulu Natal	VS	North West Province
Gauteng	VS	Namibia
Free State	VS	South Western Districts
Boland	VS	Mpumalanga
Border	VS	Limpopo
DAY 3 - 20/20 1st Round
Border	VS	Easterns
Boland	VS	Kwazulu Natal Inland
Free State	VS	Western Province
Gauteng	VS	Northerns
Easterns Province	VS	Griquas
Kwazulu Natal	VS	Namibia
South Western Districts	VS	Mpumalanga
Limpopo	VS	North West Province
DAY 3 -20/20 2nd Round
Easterns Province	VS	Kwazulu Natal
Boland	VS	Border
Northerns	VS	Namibia
Western Province	VS	Easterns
Gauteng	VS	Kwazulu Natal Inland
Free State	VS	North West Province
South Western Districts	VS	Limpopo
Griquas	VS	Mpumalanga