Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week: Eastern Province Players to look out for Jade de Klerk and David Rushmere

Name: Jade De Klerk

Age: 18

Team:  Eastern Province

School:  Woodridge College

Batting and Bowling Skills:  Batting: Left Hand/ Middle Order.  Bowling: Left Arm (Off Spin)

Previous Provincial weeks: Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week 2016.

How did your previous week go? I had a good week and one of my highlights was winning the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day.

Cricket Hero and why: Virat Kohli from India.  I believe that he is the best cricketer in the world and he has led his team to many victories

Non- Cricket hero: My mother Rochelle De Klerk. She has been supportive in me playing cricket from an early age and always attends my matches no matter where I play. She keeps me grounded and always wanting to do better than what I think I can.

What do you think makes a hero:  Heroes change the world, save lives, take on tasks that may seem impossible to the rest of us. So, when we think of heroes, we seldom think of ourselves.

What are your highlights of the season so far. I received my full colours for cricket. I made my first Semipro appearance against North West.  It was an unbelievable achievement.

What are you expecting from this year’s tournament?   I want to make as many friends as possible. I want to be able to gain as much knowledge from the other cricketers.

Who are the players to look out for? David Rushmere and  Keenan Smith

Name:   David Rushmere

Age: 18

Team:  Eastern Province

School: St Andrews College

Batting and Bowling Skills:  Batting: Right Hand (Top Order).  Wicket Keeper

Previous Provincial weeks: Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week 2016

Cricket Hero and why: Quinton de Kock because he plays the same role that I fill in my team and Quinton inspires me to play better cricket.

Non-Cricket Hero and why? Roger Federer because he is one of the most humble sportsmen.  He is calm and collected. He also promotes the importance of education through his foundation.

What do you think makes a hero:  Being a hero is selflessly doing the best you can in the time of need. You must lead by example so that other can believe that anything is possible if you put your mind to it

What are your highlights of the season so far: I made 104 runs off 82 balls against Grey College and 188 runs off of 82 balls against Union College.

What are you expecting from this year’s tournament?   I want to score as many runs and by scoring as many runs as possible I will be selected for SA Schools team

Who are the players to look out for? Jade De Klerk and Keenan Smith

 

COCA-COLA® KHAYA MAJOLA CRICKET WEEK HERO OF THE DAY (DAY 2)

Jade de Klerk from Eastern Province has been named the Coca-Cola® Hero of the day for day two of the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week.

The prestigious Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day award is presented on each day of the tournament in recognition of a game changing ‘hero’ moment.  Jade was selected for the award by a Coca-Cola® appointed panel of cricket experts after he ran out Muhammed Mayet from Gauteng. 

Eastern Province started their game against Gauteng well and initially had them in trouble, at 46/4. Muhammed Mayet joined Day One’s Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day, Mitchell van Buuren, at the crease, and the two began a partnership that could have easily rescued the game for Gauteng. This partnership was abruptly stopped when Jade, whilst fielding at extra cover, brilliantly ran out Mayet for 15.

Gauteng never recovered from the run out and Jade followed it up by taking three wickets in two overs including the prize wicket of Mitchell van Buuren.

The victory was even sweeter, as Eastern Province became the first team to beat Gauteng in the last four years of the tournament.

“It is a special feeling to win the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day,” said Jade, “without my team mates and their support I would not be standing here to accept the award.”

“There were a lot of good performances today, however Jade de Klerk’s runout was really special and changed the game for his team, plus with the wickets he took, he really contributed to his team winning the game,” said Robin Peterson, former Proteas player and lead judge of the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day panel at the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week.

Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola Southern & East Africa’s Senior Communications Manager: Brand Experience commented, “The Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week is Where Heroes Are Made.  Jade’s moment was really special and it contributed to his team being the first team in four years to beat Gauteng. On behalf of Coca-Cola I extend my congratulations, I can’t wait to follow his career going forward as he works towards becoming a hero of South African cricket. ”