In
October 2013 over 11 000 cricketers from over 650 schools started on their
journey to represent their respective franchise in the national finals of the
Coca-Cola®
T20 Schools Challenge. The grueling qualifiers are now over and Grey
College (Knights), St Stithians College (Lions), Waterkloof Hoerskool (Titans),
Kingwood College (Warriors), Wynberg Boys’ High (Cobras) and Westville High
School (Dolphins) will lock horns at the Tuks High Performance Centre,
Pretoria, from the 3rd to the 5th October.
The
tournament is fairly new, but it is already playing its part in Cricket South
Africa’s talent identification pipeline. Quinton de Kock is the first Protea
player to have played in the national finals – for King Edward II School and
the Lions in 2010 and 2011 – and a number of players have gone on from here to
play for the South African Schools and Coca-Cola® under-19 teams.
They include the star of the 2014 ICC under-19 World Cup, Kagiso Rabada, who
represented St Stithians College and the Lions in 2013.
The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is about making
heroes,” explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola® South Africa Marketing Assets
Manager. “This grassroots tournament is where heroes are unearthed by giving
them the opportunity to showcase their talent against top T20 schools from
around the country”.
ENDS
ABOUT FINALISTS
GREY
COLLEGE
For Grey
College, based in Bloemfontein, this cricket season has been exceptional.
Not only is the school representing the Knights in the national finals this
weekend, but the school emerged as the winner of the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Hero
Challenge winning a fully installed outdoor gym to the value of R200 000
with 199 pupils competing a 5 drill programme in the allotted 30 minutes.
As Free
State champions, Grey then went on to play Noord-Kaap, the winners of the
Griquas region, to determine who the representative of the Knights franchise at
the national finals would be, in a match won comfortably by Grey.
ST STITHIANS
St Stithians will represent the Lions for the second year in
succession. The school qualified after winning the Johnny Waite Knockout
beating St John’s College in the final game.
T20 cricket is a key part of the schools cricketing
calendar. In preparation for the tournament St Stithians have played as many
T20 games as possible including against Hoërskool Menlopark, Wits University
and the University of Johannesburg.
WESTVILLE BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL
Westville Boys’ High School will
be making their third consecutive appearance at the national finals of the
Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge representing the Dolphins.
Westville Boys’ High School won
the KwaZulu-Natal Coastal region playoff and went on to beat the KZN Inland
champions, Hilton College, by 19 runs in the franchise final.
Key to their tournament
preparation has been a focus on multiple fielding drills, as well as practicing
specific strokes for the Coca-Cola® T20 matches, like hitting over the
top and reverse sweeping.
WYNBERG BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL
Wynberg Boys’ High School will
represent the Cobras franchise at the national finals of the Coca-Cola® T20
Schools Challenge.
Wynberg Boys’ High School beat
Paul Roos Gymnasium, the Boland provincial champions, by 4 wickets in the
regional final.
Wynberg’s focus has been on
ensuring that their bowlers are focused, as players need to hone in right from
the very first ball in T20 cricket.
Wynberg played in the national
finals in the 2010/11 season with an experienced team and believes this team
has the same qualities.
WATERKLOOF HOERSKOOL
Waterkloof
Hoerskool beat EG Jansen in a reduced overs match to reach the national finals
for the second year in succession. Waterkloof managed 106 runs in
10 overs and bowled EG Jansen out for 37 runs.
Waterkloofs
strategy is to play aggressive attacking and positive cricket.
Waterkloof
were beaten by Rondebosch Boys’ High in the final last year.
KINGSWOOD
COLLEGE
Kingswood
College beat Selborne College to represent the Warriors in the national finals
of the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge.
In a
tightly contested regional final Kingswood won the toss and elected to bat
first notching up 124/9. Selborne lost by a mere 2 runs. The
highlight of the game came from Jerome Bossr who scored 58 not out in 44 balls
including three 6’s in a row in the last over.
ABOUT
THE TOURNAMENT
Coca-Cola®
T20 Schools Challenge National Finals
Date: 3rd – 5th
October 2014
Venue: TUKS Cricket Grounds (Fields – Oval
A, Cricket B, Cricket C)
Match Programme
Each team will play each other in a preliminary round
The two teams that gain first and second position will then
contest the final.
In the event of a no result in the final, the team that
finished first after the conclusion of the preliminary round shall be declared
the winner.
Fixtures
|
DAY
|
DATE
|
TIME
|
TEAM
|
TEAM
|
VENUE
|
|
Friday
|
3 October
|
AM : 09h30 - 12h30
|
Cobras
|
Knights
|
Tuks Oval
|
|
Friday
|
3 October
|
AM : 09h30 - 12h30
|
Titans
|
Warriors
|
Tuks B
|
|
Friday
|
3 October
|
AM : 09h30 - 12h30
|
Dolphins
|
Lions
|
Tuks C
|
|
|
|||||
|
Friday
|
3 October
|
PM : 14h00 - 17h00
|
Warriors
|
Cobras
|
Tuks C
|
|
Friday
|
3 October
|
PM : 14h00 - 17h00
|
Lions
|
Titans
|
Tuks Oval
|
|
Friday
|
3 October
|
PM : 14h00 - 17h00
|
Knights
|
Dolphins
|
Tuks B
|
|
|
|||||
|
Saturday
|
4 October
|
AM : 09h30 - 12h30
|
Cobras
|
Lions
|
Tuks B
|
|
Saturday
|
4 October
|
AM : 09h30 - 12h30
|
Titans
|
Dolphins
|
Tuks C
|
|
Saturday
|
4 October
|
AM : 09h30 - 12h30
|
Warriors
|
Knights
|
Tuks OvAL
|
|
|
|||||
|
Saturday
|
4 October
|
PM : 14h00 - 17h00
|
Dolphins
|
Cobras
|
Tuks Oval
|
|
Saturday
|
4 October
|
PM : 14h00 - 17h00
|
Knights
|
Titans
|
Tuks C
|
|
Saturday
|
4 October
|
PM : 14h00 - 17h00
|
Warriors
|
Lions
|
Tuks B
|
|
|
|||||
|
Sunday
|
5 October
|
AM : 09h30 - 12h30
|
Titans
|
Cobras
|
Tuks Oval
|
|
Sunday
|
5 October
|
AM : 09h30 - 12h30
|
Warriors
|
Dolphins
|
Tuks B
|
|
Sunday
|
5 October
|
AM : 09h30 - 12h30
|
Knights
|
Lions
|
Tuks C
|
|
|
|||||
|
Sunday
|
5 October
|
PM : 14h00 - 17h00
|
1st Place
|
2nd Place
|
Tuks Oval
|
