WIN FOR THE U-19 SA COLTS BUT LOSS FOR THE SA SCHOOLS TEAM IN THE COCA-COLA KHAYA MAJOLA CRICKET WEEK

The South African Schools cricket team went down by eight wickets to a Cape Cobras XI in the concluding game of the Coca-Cola Khaya  Majola Week at Newlands Cricket stadium in Cape Town yesterday.

The schoolboys batted first and made 233/6 in 50 overs with their captain Diego Rosier making 71 not out and Murray Coetzee 59.

It was never going to be enough, however, and the Cobras side passed the total for the loss of two wickets, with six overs to spare.

Western Province amateur captain, Alistair Gray was their top scorer. He made 115, off 134 balls, including 12 four and one six.He was ably assisted by Matthew Kleinveld (46) and Mohammed Yaseen Vallie (49).

The best of the schoolboys bowlers was Calvin Savage, who took 1/48 in his 10 overs.

Meanwhile, the SA Colts side beat a Western Province XI by 38 runs. They made 155/8 in their 50 overs and then bowled out the Province side for 117.

The best of the SA Colts batsmen were Yasser Cook and Taariq Chiecktey, who made 23 and 22, respectively. Senuram Muthusamy was the best of their bowlers. He took 3/17.

Scoreboard

SA Schools 233/6 (Rosier 71 not out, Coetzee 59, Bredenkamp 27; Rippon 3/45, Piedt 2/43). Cape Cobras 237/2 (Gray 115, Kleinvelt 46, Vallie 49; Savage 1/48). Cape Cobras won by eight wickets.

SA Colts 155 (Cook 23, Chiektey 22, Gous 20). Western Province XI 117 (Rhoda 2/23, Van Wyngaardt 2/14, Muthusay 3/17). SA Colts won by 38 runs.

Coca-Cola Khaya Majola SA Schools batsman, Jean Bredenkamp, (Paarl Boys' High, Boland)

Coca-Cola Khaya Majola SA Schools batsman, Murray Coetzee (Pretoria Boys' High, Northerns)

Coca-Cola Khaya Majola SA Schools bowler, Craig Kirsten (Kearsney College, KwaZulu-Natal)

Coca-Cola Khaya Majola SA Schools bowler, Craig Kirsten (Kearsney College, KwaZulu-Natal)

Coca-Cola Khaya Majola SA Schools bowler, Craig Kirsten (Kearsney College, KwaZulu-Natal)

COCA-COLA KHAYA MAJOLA CRICKET WEEK DRAWS TO A CLOSE WITH AN AWARD CEREMONY

The 69^th annual Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week came to an end in Cape Town on Tuesday with the customary end-of-tournament dinner at which the SA Schools and SA Colts teams were announced and a number of individual awards were made.

Prenelan Subrayen of KwaZulu-Natal was named captain of the South African Schools team, while Eastern Province’s Ian Herold will lead the Colts side.

Subrayen hails from Glenwook Boys’ High School and his appointment is significant as he is only the second South African of Indian descent to lead the national schools side. The first was Imraan Kahn, also of KwaZulu-Natal, who was captain of both the SA Schools and SA under-19 teams in the 2000/2001 seasons.

Khan went on the represent South Africa and there are those at the week who predict a similar future for Subrayen. Subrayen is an elegant batsman, who made several big scores at the week, and a bowler who also took wickets during the tournament.

The award for player of the tournament went to Diego Rosier of Northern Cape High School and the Griquas Diamonds team. He made two half centuries at the week, including 87 against Nambia on day one, and took 10 wickets over the four days. His feats with bat and ball also saw him being named the best all-rounder of the week.

The prize for bowler of the week went to the 2m tall Craig Kirsten of Kearsney College and KwaZulu-Natal. Kirsten’s menacing pace saw no batsmen settling in against him throughout the tournament. He took three four-wicket hauls at the week and 15 wickets in all to be comfortably the best bowler.

Pretoria Boys’ High’s Murray Coetzee was named best batsman at the week. He made one of just two centuries scored at a tournament that was dominated by the bowlers. He got 101 not out against Free State on day two and a 78 against Northwest. His elegant batting style marks him as one to watch in the future. Further, he captained the Northerns team and proved to be an eloquent speaker with plenty of confidence.

The award for best fielder went to Boland’s livewire Keegan Pietersen, while Namibia’s Shalako Groenewald was a popular choice as the player showing the best cricket spirit at the week.

“Coca-Cola’s 33^rd week of sponsoring Under-19 cricket has come to an end,” said Craig van Niekerk, Marketing Asset Manager, Coca-Cola.  “Once again there were some gems that were identified and from a Coca-Cola perspective we will be watching the boys closely over the next few years as they take that step from school boy to professional cricket.  The tournament has lived up to expectations and fulfilled Coca-Cola’s sponsorship objectives:  promote the youth and encourage them to live healthy life styles, all part of Coca-Cola’s ‘Live for a Difference” campaign.”

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, JP Kotze, Gauteng

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Kyle Simmonds, KZN

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Mark Airey, KZN

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Rudolph Cronje, WP

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Rudolph Cronje, WP

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Rudolph Pollard and Taariq Chiecktey

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Rudolph Cronje, Western Province

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Rudolph Pollard, Boland

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Rudolph Pollard, Boland, celebrates with his team mates

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Rudolph Pollard, Boland

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Sebastian Golding, Western Province

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Sebastian Golding, Western Province

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Sebastian Golding, Western Province

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Shabir Mallie, Western Province

DAY 5 OF THE COCA-COLA KHAYA MAJOLA CRICKET WEEK

The unofficial main game at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week tomorrow, 20 December, will be a local derby featuring the hosts, Western Province and Boland.

Province beat KwaZulu-Natal today to come through the week unbeaten, while Boland had a narrow win over Gauteng and, although they did lose to Easterns on day two, have enough quality in their team to deserve the honour

The week ends tomorrow, 20 December, with the announcement of the SA Schools and SA Colts teams that will playing against a Cape Cobras XI and a Western Province XI, respectively, tomorrow.

Today’s Results

Boland 140 (Cassiem 34, Pollard 27, Bredenkamp 27; Fassen 3/18, Le Roux 2/32, Rohda 2/33). Gauteng 127 (Sherrat 34, Pillay 39; Frylink 2/14, Bredenkamp 2/22). Boland won by 13 runs.

Limpopo 175 (Viljoen 64, Modiba 34, Joubert 21; Van Dyk 4/26, Rakhatla 2/7, Dry 2/26). Free Stat 108 (Du Plessis 27; Van Dyk 21, Gous 20; 4/26, Koekemoer 3/12, Wirenga 2/18, Kmafer 2/30). Limpopo won by 67 runs.

Griquas 185 (Rosier 61, Mohale 26, Arends 20; Davids 3/29, De Pavillon 2/33). KwaZulu-Natal Inland 163 (Harries 30, De Pavillon 27, Indrajith 23; Rosier 2/24, Arend 2/28, Brooker 2/32. Griquas won by 22 runs.

Eastern Province 129 (Samboer 27, Herold 26; Van Wyngaardt 4/14). Northerns 133/3 (Kok 65, Coetzee 37). Northerns won by seven wickets.

Border 215/7 (Calana 67 not out, Ferreira 38, Marais 33; Stuurman 2/25, Fouries 2/39). Northwest 98 (Notoko 4/25). Border won by 117 runs.

Western Province 162 (Cronje 34, Chiecktey 30; Airey 3/24, Simminds 3/33, Kirsten 2/27). KwaZulu-Natal 85 (Muthusamy 20; Muller 4/23, De Abreu 2/5). Northerns won by 77 runs

Namibia 73 (Liebenberg 3/13, Arendse 3/19, Schrader 2/24). Mpumalanga74/6 Poyana 20 not out; Van Vuuren 4/27). Mpumalanga won by four wickets.

SWD 164 (Gouws 43, Barnard 25, Fortuin 22; Moore 4/14, Du Plooy 2/37). Easterns 165/3 (Nhoepe 88 not out, Snyman 65 not out; Piedt 2/21). Easterns won by seven wickets.

FINAL FIXTURES

Boland v Western Province, Northerns v KwaZulu-Natal, Western Province v Easterns, Gauteng v Griquas, KwaZulu-Natal Inland v SWD, Border v Limpopo, Northwest v Mpumalanga, Free State v Nambia

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Heirich Roberts

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Jean Bredenkamp, Boland

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, John Viljoen Limpopo batsman

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, JP Kok, Northerns batsman

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, JP Kok, Northerns batsman, and Ian Herold, Eastern Province

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Murray Coetzee, Northerns batsman

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Murray Coetzee, Northerns batsman, and Ian Herold, Eastern Province

COCA-COLA KHAYA MAJOLA CRICKET WEEK – HOW THE FORMAT HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS

The Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week is unique among cricket tournaments in a number of ways, one being the way in which the format has changed over the years in order to provide the best possible opportunities for the players to display their talents and get themselves noticed by those who are at the week, on the lookout or potential talent.

At the week in Cape Town this year, as has been the case for the past few years, the teams played two “time” cricket matches, two T20 games – on the same day- and two 50 overs-a-side, limited overs games.

The idea behind this, according to Cricket South Africa’s manager of youth cricket, Niels Momberg, is to reflect the changes in the way the game is being played around the world. “We are flexible and relook at the format on a year-to-year basis,” he explains, “and the week looks the way it does at the moment because limited overs cricket is the most commonly played at this stage.  It also allows the selectors to look at the players performances in the various different formats of the game as each has subtle tactical differences.”

It was not always that way at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week. In the beginning the teams played only proper “declaration” cricket on all five days and, at one time, that was changed to allow for one two-day game, and three one day games.

Then, with South Africa’s admittance to the World Cup and the advent of one day international series, it was decided to make this a limited overs competition, with a final and a trophy awarded.

That changed again when the T20s came along, and it was decided to reintroduce two days of “proper” cricket again. And, this year, a rest day was introduced as well

That meant there could not be an overall winner anymore and the week reverted to a festival. The two sides playing the best cricket over the first four days, in the view of the SA Schools committee, are matched on the main field on the last day of the week in an unofficial “final.”

Interestingly, the captains of six of the teams present were asked which of the three formats they preferred and all said they liked the time cricket best.

Namibia- The International element in Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week

The Namibian under-19 cricket side is currently in Cape Town playing in the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week adding an international flavor to the tournament, and using the event to gain some experience ahead of their participation in the ICC under-19 World Cup in Australia next year.

Their presence, according to Shaheed Kahn, president of South African Schools Cricket, is in line with Cricket South Africa’s commitment to assist with the cricket development of our neighbours, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

“Zimbabwe usually play in our National under-19 franchise Cubs week,” Kahn explains, although this year they will be part of a tri-nations series along with South Africa and Pakistan instead.”

Zimbabwe did send teams to the under-13 and under-17 weeks, with Namibia participating in the under-15 and under-19 tournaments.

“Namibia will be going to the under-19 World Cup, so we have allowed them to include two players who are in their squad and are already out of school to play at this week,” Kahn says. “It makes them more competitive, and is in the interests of developing their game.”

Namibia manager, Scholastie Scholtz, says the trip so far has been a great experience for the players.

“There are only four or five schools that play a reasonable level of cricket in our country, and we also only have a handful of decent fields,” he says.

“While the majority of the players are from Windhoek, we have some who come from as far as 400km away. So, to get them together for a full week of tough cricket like this one has been great.

“We had to leave one or two of our top players behind, which has been a problem, but for the rest playing on fields like these and being part of the great tradition and spirit of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week has been very special.

“We have been working hard at building the number of players in Namibia and that has been paying dividends at the junior weeks already. Once those players start coming through we should do better at under-19 level too.”

The future of any sport lies in the youth, and our neighbour’s, Nambia, are no different,” said Craig van Niekerk, Marketing Assets Manager.  “The      Coca-Cola brand is also present in Namibia and if we can help increase the level of the sport in that country we are happy.”

Bredell Wessels

Coaching Clinic introduced into the 2011 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week

The Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week took on a T20 format on Saturday with all teams playing two games making it a grueling test of stamina for all.  Some rose to the occasion and notched up two wins, but equally there were some surprise losses.  With a rest day happening on Sunday, it will give the teams time to reflect as they fight to be the team to play in the final match.

Northerns, Boland, Western Province, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal all won both their games, while Free State and Eastern Province were beaten by Gauteng and Boland, respectively, and may have fallen out of the race.

The Cape Town conditions have become increasingly batting-friendly as the weather has warmed up and the batsmen dominated Saturday’s action. Two Batsmen - Murray Coetzee of Northerns and Lesiba Ngoepe of Easterns – made scores in the 70s, while Boland’s Jean Bredenkamp got a half century in each of the two matches he played. In total there were 11 half centuries scored.

There will not be any play on Sunday. Instead the players will go into disadvantaged areas around Cape Town where they will be conducting coaching clinics.

The fixtures for Monday’s limited overs matches have not been decided yet

Summarised Scoreboards:

Griquas 49 (Abrahams 2/6, Badazan 2/2, Moore 2/21). Eastern Province 50/2 (Moore 19 not out). Eastern Province won by eight wickets.

KwaZulu-Natal Inland 100/9 (Savage 31; Simmonds 2/13, Mthimkulu 2/15, Subrayen 2/21). KwaZulu-Natal 101/2 (Van Niekerk 48, Cele 34). KwaZulu-Natal won by eight wickets.

Border 170/5 (Christoffels 40, Sansom 34, Nefale 2/38). Limpopo 35 (Calana 3/2, Sansom 2/5, Nonyukela 3/7). Border won by 135 runs.

Boland 192/5 (Bredenkamp 59, Pieterson 50). Mpumalanga 99/5 (Schrader 35; Pekeur 2/17). Boland won by 96 runs.

Northerns 178/4 (Cietzee 78, Verster 48, Kgoatle 33). Northwest 128/7 (Mahne 47, Steyn 20; Verster 3/29). Northerns won by 50 runs.

Free State 119/8 (Gous 24, Du Plessis 21; Roelofse 2/17, Du Toit 2/24). SWD 90 (Gouws 28; Maarman 2/2, Dry 2/16, Van Dyk 2/22). Free State won by 29 runs

Easterns 99 (Kannemeyer 4/7, Golding 2/22). Western Province 102/3 (Chieckety 43, Mallie 21, Bedingham 20). Western Province won by seven wickets.

Namibia 62 (Pillay 3/12, Van Dam 2/29). Gauteng 65/1 (Cook 38 not out). Gauteng won by nine wickets.

Eastern Province 140/4 (Rushmere 46, Herold 38 not out). Boland 141/6 (Brendenkamp 60, Conradie 53; Samboer 2/14). Boland won by four wickets.

Gauteng 107 (Rhoda 30; Dry 4/11, Moshemane 2/16). Free State 103/8 (Roberts 42, Gous 20; Faasen 2/13). Gauteng won by 4 runs.

Mpumalanga 95 (Arendse 29; Mohale 3/29, Brooker 2/10). Griquas 98/0 (Arends 64, Richards 21). Griquas won by 10 wickets.

KwaZulu-Natal159/7 (Venter 43, Cele 32, Van Heerden 32; Ngoepe 4/33). Easterns 132/7 (Ngoepe 79 not out, Kirsten 4/15). KwaZulu-Natal won by 27 runs.

Western Province 136/8 (Golding 47, Cronje 30; Ford 2/17). KwaZulu-Natal Inland 104/8 (Harries 31, Robinson 25; Cronje 3/14, Golding 3/16). Western Province won by 32 runs.

Border 99 (Calana 32; Van Wyngaardt 4/24). Northerns 102/0 (De Kok 51, Kgoatle 43).Northerns won by 10 wickets.

Northwest 123/4 (Lemmer 55, Snyman 48; Kamfer 3/18). Limpopo 123/4 (Viljoen 44, Koekemoer 42). Match tied.

Namibia 122/6 (Van Vuuren 51, Groenewald 29; Baartman 2/14). SWD 123/7 (Droomer 36, Piedt 24; Van Vuuren 2/23). SWD won by three wickets.



The captains of the 16 teams playing in the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week in Cape Town this week spent the evening at Newlands on Saturday, soaking up the atmosphere and tradition of the magnificent stadium and picking up tips on how to be better cricketers and leaders of cricket teams.

The occasion was the annual “Captains’ Dinner”, a traditional at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week that exposes the team leaders to the thinking of captains of professional teams, and which allows them the space and time to relax together, and get to know each other a bit better off the field.

To start the players were given some inside information on the wicket and how it is prepared by the Newlands groundsman, Evan Flint.

Then it was off to the locker room where they met Cape Cobras captain Justin Kemp and current batting sensation Richard Levi, who played in the 2003 and 2004  Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Weeks, making SA schools on both occasions.

The captains spent close to an hour with Kemp and Levi and the key topic of discussion was life of a professional cricketer and what it takes to cross over from schools to first class cricket. Hard work, focus and keeping your end goal in sight, was the reply.

Then it was off to the Newlands President’s Suite where Western Province Cricket Chief Executive and eminent cricket historian, Professor Andre Odendaal, addressed them.

He told the captains that being a good leader of cricketers also involved an understanding and appreciation of the history and ethos of the game. He then went on to tell them a little about the background of the game in this country, and around the world, and how cricket was taken into the former British Empire by soldiers stationed abroad.

An interesting statistic Odendaal related was that between 1889 and 1990 there were 24 International Tests played at Newlands of which South Africa only won three. After transformation, there have been 23 International Tests of which South Africa has won 15.

Odendaal also urged the captains to get to know each other, reminding them that life is a journey and those you meet along the way must be treasured. It is not the win that is important but the journey getting there.

Boland captain Jean Bredenkamp said that walking around Newlands increased his desire to become part of the cricketing setup in Western Province. “There’s no question that I hope to play for Province and the Cobras in the years to come and seeing the inside of Newlands has only made me more determined,” he said.

For Northerns captain Murray Coetzee, coming to Newlands was a new experience. “I always dreamed, while watching matches there on TV, of one day being on that field and I have now experienced that,” he said. “My aim now is to come back, next time to actually play here.”

KwaZulu-Natal captain Prenelan Subrayen said sitting with the other captains at the dinner table was a special experience. “Most of us have played with and against each other in the past, but this was a chance to speak to each other in a relaxed atmosphere. We will still be fierce rivals when we meet on the field again, but we will be better friends once the game is over.”

Captains Dinner. Justin Kemp Meets the Northerns Captain Murray

Captains Dinner Team

Richard Levi and Justin Kemp Talk to the Captains

COETZEE KEEPS GOING STRONG

MURRAY COETZEE, the only centurion on the first two days of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola under-19 cricket week, continued his good form on day three when he made the top score of 78 (49 balls) in the morning round of T20 matches.

A second round will be played in the afternoon.

Northerns amassed 178/4 to beat North West by 50 runs.

Northerns will also have been pleased with the return to form of their SA under-19 player, Regardt Verster, who made 48 off 37 balls.

Totals were generally on the low side as teams struggled to appreciate the tactical requirements of the 20 overs game. An exception was the strong Boland side, who made 195/2 to beat Mpumalanga by 65 runs with both Jean Bredenkamp and Keegan Pietersen scoring half-centuries.

Border also made a highly respectable 170/5 in their big win over Limpopo by 135 runs.

Eastern Province and KZN Coastal confirmed the impression that they are among the strongest teams at the week with good wins over Griquas and KZN Inland respectively. It was Griquas’ first defeat of the week.

Western Province won by 7 wickets against Easterns, Gauteng were far too strong for Namibia, winning by 9 wickets, while Free State beat SWD by 29 runs.

Summarised Scorecards (Twenty/20):

Round 1:

Griqualand West 49 (Aiden Brooker 10*; Shakier Abrahams 3/6, Mbulelo Budaza 2/2); Eastern Province 50/2 (Edward Moore 19*; Jaco Buys 1/1, Aiden Brooker 1/7). Eastern Province won by eight wickets.

Namibia 62 (Christopher Coombe 13; Shaylen Pillay 3/12, Anton van Dam 2/29); Gauteng 65/1 (Yasser Cook 38*; Wian van Vuuren 1/13). Gauteng won by nine wickets.

Boland 195/2 (Jean Bredenkamp 59 (46b), Keegan Pietersen 50* (30b), Gideon Conradie 39 (29b); Mbasa Payana 1/9); Mpumalanga 99/5 (Blake Schraader 35 (25b); Arno Pekeur 2/17). Boland won by 96 runs.

Northerns 178/4 (Murray Coetzee 78 (49b), Regardt Verster 48 (37b), Lerato Kgoatle 33); North West 128/7 (Roland Mahne 47 (28b); Regardt Verster 3/20). Northerns won by 50 runs.

Free State 119/8 (Andries Gous 24, Ryan du Plessis 21; Lance Roelofse 2/17); South Western Districts 90 (Stephan Gouws 28; Jamian Maarman 2/2, Corné Dry 2/16, Johan van Dyk 2/22). Free State won by 29 runs.

Easterns 99 (Jurie Snyman 17; Dalton Kannemeyer 4/7, Sebastian Golding 2/22); Western Province 102/3 (Taariq Chiecktey 43* (39b); Alex Mohlala 1/11). Western Province won by seven wickets.

KwaZulu-Natal Inland 99/9 (Calvin Savage 34 (31b); Kyle Simmonds 2/13, Cyril Mthimkulu 2/15, Prenelan Subrayen 2/21); KwaZulu-Natal 100/2 (Jared van Heerden 48* (44b), Khalipa Cele 34 (30b); Keegan Davids 1/13). KwaZulu-Natal won by eight wickets.

Border 170/5 (Kurwin Christoffels 40, Russel Sansom 34 (20b); Tovhi Nefale 2/30); Mpumalanga 35 (Tian Koekemoer 13*; Enkosi Nonyukela 3/7, Mkhululi Calana 2/3, Russel Sansom 2/5). Border won by 135 runs.

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Day 3 Action, Corne Dry, Free State Bowler

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Day 3 Action, Johan van Dyk, Freestate, celebrates his second wicket.

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Day 3 Action, Shaylen Pillay, Gauteng

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Day 3 Action, Stephan Gouws, SWD Batsman

RESULTS FROM DAY TWO OF THE COCA-COLA KHAYA MAJOLA CRICKET WEEK 2011

The return of summer weather to the Western Cape saw the batsmen take control of the second day of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola week in Cape Town on Friday.

The total runs for all teams were far higher than on day one and the number of batsmen to make big scores increased dramatically, including the week’s first century, a superb 101 not out by Northerns’ Murray Coetzee against Free State.

Murray faced 189 balls and struck 10 fours and one six to steer his side to a comfortable win. His performance will have impressed the SA Schools selectors who will be announcing a National schools team at the end of the tournament, while his team will have staked an early claim for a place in the main game of the tournament next Wednesday (20 December).

There were a number of half centuries scored on day two, including 96 by Jurie Snyman of Easterns; 74 by Tiaan Koekemoer for Limpopo and 66 by Gideon Conradie for Boland. The others came from Heinrich Roberts (Free State); Gerhard Lotter (Namibia); Prenelan Subrayen (KwaZulu-Natal) and Jason Shield (KwaZulu-Natal Inland).

The bowlers were very much on the receiving end of the hitting onslaught, but there were some good figures. The best were from KwaZulu-Natal’s Kyle Simmonds who took 6 wickets for 27 runs against Gauteng. Diego Rosier of Griquas took 4 wickets for 13 runs against Northwest, and Marcello Piedt managed to take 4 wickets for 48 runs for SWD against Mpumalanga.

Summarised Scoreboards

Border 1^st innings 137 (Calana 43, Haynes 27, Christoffels 22; Davids 4/29, Du Pavillon 4/31). KwaZulu-Natal Inland 158/3 (Shield 62 not out, Mukausi 29, Harries 21; Sanson 2/27). KwaZulu-Natal won on 1^st innings.

Easterns 230 (Snyman 96, Muller 41, Ngoepe 26; Engelbrecht 2/30, Barends 2/33, Pekeur 2/51). Boland 139 (Conradie 66, Pietersen 22; Du Plooy 3/17, Moore 3/22). Easterns won on 1^st innings.

Eastern Province 177/8 (Lingani 45, Gailiey 36, Herold 27; Golding3/43, De Abreu 2/55). Western Province 115/9 (Norris 25, Zeeman 24, Chieckty 24; Budaza 4/22, Bukako 3/13). Match drawn.

Gauteng 150 (Sherratt 28, De Chaud 26, Pillay 27; Simmons 6/27, Reddy 2/22). KwaZulu-Natal 220/7 (Ramsaroop 40, Cele 55, Subrayen 58 not out; Rhoda 4/66, Faasen 4/84). KwaZulu-Natal won on 1^st innings.

Griquas 1^st innings 120 (Pitchers 45; Snyman 4/31, Fourie 3/25, Smith 3/36). Northwest 1^st innings 89 (Viljoen 27; Rosier 4/13, Brooker 2/9, Mohale 2/16). Griquas 2^nd innings 65/4 (Rosier 38 not out; Snyman 2/15, Smith 2/10). Northwest 2nd innings 20/1. Griquas won on 1^st innings.

Free State 128 (Roberts 53, Orros 24; Kok 4/31, Van Wyngaardt 3/32). Northerns 205/5 (Saunders 29, Coetzee 101 not out, Pike 37; Ntosha 2/27). Northerns won on 1^st innings

SWD 183 1^st innings (Gouws 37, Baartman 32, Du Plessis 24; De Jager 2/19, Zwane 2/26). Mpumalanga 170 (Liebenberg 23, De Jager 24, Arendse 66; Gouws 4/37, Piedt 4/48). SWD 2^nd innings 5/0. SWD won on 1^st innings.

Namibia 156 (Lotter 50, Erasmus 37, Vorster 22; Koekemoer 3/4, Moloto 3/18, Koen 3/29). Limpopo 178/8 (Viljoen 24, Modiba 22, Koekemoer 74, Viljoen 24, Modiba 22; Groenewald 3/25, Wessels 2/30, Van Vuuren 2/46). Limpopo won on 1^st innings.

COCA-COLA KHAYA MAJOLA CRICKET WEEK ACCELERATION PROGRAMME

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has identified six scouts whose sole purpose is to manage the CSA Acceleration Programme, and all will be in Cape Town for the under-19 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week.

The six, along with national under-19 coach, Ray Jennings, are here to keep a watchful eye on the players ahead of announcing the Franchise under-19 teams that will be playing in the National Cubs week in Stellenbosch in January.

Cricket South Africa's manager of youth development, Niels Momberg explains that CSA has implemented a coaching, mentoring and monitoring system, based on the six franchises, aimed at identifying special cricketing talent early on, and then ensuring that those players are not allowed to slip through the cracks and that their development is closely watched.

“The players receive good coaching and advice while they are at school,” Momberg says, “but there is a risk that they will go off the rails once they leave school and are no longer subjected to that discipline.  We see it as our responsibility to ensure this does not happen.”

SA Under-19 coach Ray Jennings has established a set of standards in fitness, skills and mental preparation and it is the responsibility of the six scouts to see to it that the players identified in their area stick to these. For those who do, there are regular camps, run by Jennings, at which ongoing evaluations are done.

“We start the process in the under-17 year,” Momberg says, “and once the players are on our database we try to make sure that they continue to develop until they come through to this Coca-Cola under-19 week where they will be up for National Selection for the first time.”

Momberg stresses, however, that the South Africa Schools and Colts teams that will be announced at the end of the week are selected purely based on their performances at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week alone. “A player who plays well enough at the week to be selected, and who is not in our programme, will automatically be invited to join it. At the same time, members of the programme who don’t do well enough at the week to get the nod are not discarded but remain part of the system. The idea is to cast the net as wide as possible and to make sure all the best talented is considered.”

The final SA Under 19 team that will be selected from the National Cubs week and will be the one to play in a triangular series with Zimbabwe and Pakistan in January and February 2012.

“Coca-Cola supports the Acceleration Programme as this ensures that South Africa remains one of the best cricket-playing Nations in the world,” said Craig van Niekerk, Marketing Assets Manager, Coca-Cola South Africa.  “Through such programmes we can feel assured that our property makes a difference.  No team can compete successfully on the global stage without a strong grass roots programme in place to identify talent to feed into the top structures.  Coca-Cola is proud of what has been achieved since we started sponsoring the Under 19’s 33 years ago.”  

RESULTS: FIRST DAY OF THE COCA-COLA KHAYA MAJOLA CRICKET WEEK 2011

The 1^st day of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket week was characterised by low scoring games, as the batsmen generally struggled in the chilly conditions on fields that were affected by the three days of rain experienced in the Western Cape ahead of the week.

The pitches were unpredictable for the bowlers, particularly in the morning, and the outfields were slow after the rain meaning that the sides batting first struggled and there were few big scores.

But all this changed after lunch with a number of 50s being notched up, the biggest coming from Griquas, Diego Rosier, who made 87 in his side’s drawn match with SWD. The best bowling display of day one came from Charl Van der Merwe of Northerns who took 5/20 against Western Province.

And there was a result in the one game that is rarely seen in cricket in general let alone the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week when Eastern Province and Gauteng were both bowled out for 102 runs in their first innings.

It’s impossible to say which sides are looking the best after just one day of play, but there were good wins for Boland, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Province.

Summarised Scores:

Border 1^ST innings 31 (Brockman 3/1, Frylink 3/1, Williams 2/50. Boland 1^st innings 124/9 (Frylink 33, Conradie 23; Sansom 3/16, Nqoba 2/19, Sigwili 2/48). Border 2^nd innings 122/3 (Marais 46, Ferreira 42). Boland won on 1^st innings.

Easterns 143 (Van Wyk 50, Du Plooy 45; Savage 4/19, Pavillon 3/41). KwaZulu-Natal Inland 147/8 (Shield 69, Futshane 22; Moore 2/20, Muller 2/42). KwaZulu-Natal Inland won in 1^st innings.

Eastern Province 1^st innings 102 (Samboer 29, Nortje 27; Harte 5/22, Rapelego /2/3, Pillay 2/8). Gauteng 102 (Harte 39; Nortje 5/32, Hobson 2/6, Nqweni 3/25). Eastern Province 2^nd innings 54/2 (Moore 20). Match tied on 1^st innings.

Free State 77 (Orros 40; Kirsten 4/23, Subrayen 2/2, Van Heerden 2/9). KwaZulu-Natal 34/0. Match drawn

Namibia 1^st innings 170 (Wessels 54, Van Vuuren 42, Groenewald 34; Buys 3/31, Rosier 2/45, Mohale 2/25). Griquas 209/8 (Rosier 87, Arends 50, Muller 36; Smit 4/50, Wessels 3/41). Namibia 2^nd innings 42/1. Griquas won on 1^st innings.

Limpopo 127/9 (Baloyi 51; Joubert 5/26). Mpumalanga 43/2. Match drawn

Northerns 1^st innings 142 (Van Wyngaardt 49, Saunders 21, Coetzee; Fransman 2/11, Muller 2/23, De Abreu 2/30). Western Province 144 (De Abreu 40, Chickety 30; Van der Merwe 5/20, Van Wyngaardt 3/37, Vester 2/26). Northerns 2^nd innings 13/1. Western Province won on 1^st innings.

Northwest 103 (Viljoen 30, Laher 25; Piedt 5/25, Baartman 2/12). SWD 75/6 (Stander 26; Smith 2/19, Steyn 2/23). Match drawn.

Drug Free Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week

Close to 200 of the country’s top under-19 cricketers are in Cape Town this week for the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week and the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport are using the occasion to spread the word about the dangers of steroid abuse, and to encourage the players to sign the “I play fair pledge” that the Department of Sport and Recreation has implemented.

The institute’s education manager, Rafiek Mamon, explains that they will have a team going round  to all the grounds during the week to answer questions and to provide advice to players, coaches and parents.

Tomorrow (Friday) evening they will be speaking to all the players, in groups of four teams at a time, to make sure they have the relevant information about the risks they are taking.

“Our role here is primarily educational,” Mamon says. “We will not be testing players here, although the chances are that random testing will be implemented from next year. “We will be explaining the testing process to the players, so that they know what to expect should they be chosen to be tested in the future. We will also outline the procedure to be followed if a player uses a prohibited drug for medical reasons.”

Coca-Cola endorses this initiative:  “There are increasingly serious and complex global health issues that impact on the way in which we live our lives and on the sport field there is that ever increasing need to gain the competitive edge,” said Craig van Niekerk, Marketing Assets Manager, Coca-Cola South Africa.  “Through this initiative the focus is on fair play and sportsmanship which is the message that Coca-Cola promotes.  One of the key reasons for our continued support of the game at grass roots is to promote the importance of maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle among the youth.  This forms a big part of our Live for a Difference sustainability strategy”.

Tournament director Morgan Pillay says the presence of Drug-Free sport at the event is in line with the week’s role as an educational as well as a sporting event.

“We need to prepare the best of the players who are here for a future in professional cricket, and being aware of the dangers of abusing substances, and the consequences of being caught, are certainly part of that,” he says.

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Day 1 Action, Easterns Batsman, Jurie Snyman

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Day 1 Action, Easterns Batsman, Lesiba Ngoepe

Coca Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, Day 1 Action, Northerns Batsmen, Jean-Pierre Kok