Richardt Ackerman leads Waterkloof Hoerskool to the Cricket South Africa Schools T20 Challenge Title for the second time

Hoërskool Waterkloof the Titans franchise representatives won the 2020 CSA Schools T20 title, beating SACS of the Cape Cobras by 15 runs in the final at the Tuks Oval on Sunday.

It was Waterkloof’s 2^nd title – they won the tournament in 2011 – and they were good value for their victory in high quality final that saw 357 runs scored – the most in the 11 finals held since the competition was first staged.

Waterkloof batted first and after a slowish start their middle order, led by Hardus Coetzer

And Richardt Ackerman, ignited the innings and they eventually got to 186/6 in their two overs. Coetzer ended up on 77 not out, off 54 balls and he struck eight fours and a six . Ackerman made 28 off 12 balls.

It was always going to be a massive task for SACS, but they gave it full go and were up with the run-rate for most of the innings. They lost a flurry of wickets in the last few overs, however, and ended up 15 runs short. When Daniel Smith (50) and Kai Curran (46) were at the wicket their chances looked good. They put on 78 for the second wicket, before Smith was run out by a brilliant throw from the boundary and SACS were chasing the game from then on.

It was Ackerman who did the damage with the ball for Waterkloof. He took 4/17 in his four overs and he was named the man of the match for that performance, along with his 28 not out.

Waterkloof’s SW Kemp made 45 in the final, taking his tally for the week to 206 runs. He was named the batman of the tournament and, as he also took wickets in all of Waterkloof’s games, he was also the player of the tournament.

Oscar Welsh of SACS took 15 wickets over the four days and was given the bowler of the tournament award.

Summarized scores

Final

Waterkloof 186/6 (SW Kemp 45, Hardus Coetzer 77 not out, Richardt Ackerman 28 not out). SACS 171/9 (Daniel Smith 50, Kai Curran 46, Kaden Solomons 32; Richardt Ackerman 4/17, Hardus Coetzer 2/26). Waterkloof won by 15 runs. Man of the match – Richardt Ackerman (28 not out and 4/17).

Morning games

St Stithians 151/5 (Jody de Sousa 38, Liam Mostert 37). Graeme College 127 (Garwin Dampies 3; Thomas Winter 2/16, Liam Mostert 2/6). St Stithians won by 24 runs.

Queens 125/7 (Nhlanhla Ntleko 39, Andlile Ngobeni 27; John Lovemore 2/14). Grey High 123/7 (Nicholas Keevy 30, James Hofmeyr 30, Lucky Ntleko 2/22). Queens won by 2 runs.

Kearsney 150/8 (Cade Carmichael 37; Hernus Marais 2/13). Waterkloof 112/9 (SW Kemp 29; Matthew McMurray 3/16). Kearsney won by 38 runs.

St Andrew’s 107/9 (Reeza Alexander 28; Matthew Klusener 2/18, Michael Levitt 2/12). SACS 109/6 (Daniel Smith 38; Richard Barnes 2/17). SACS won by 4 wickets.

Waterkloof from the Titans and SACS from the Cobras make the final of the Cricket South Africa Schools T20 Challenge

Waterkloof, representing the Titans franchise and the Cape Cobras region’s SACS will meet in the final of the CSA Schools T20 Challenge at the Tuks main oval on Sunday afternoon.

They booked their place in the competition’s prestige showdown by winning both of their games on Saturday and, with a game to go, they are joint leaders of the points table and cannot be passed, irrespective of the results of the final cross-pool games on Sunday morning.

Waterkloof beat the defending champions, St Stithians by four wickets in a thriller on Saturday morning, and followed that up with a convincing, 61-run win over Grey High in the afternoon.

SACS beat Kearsney in the morning and then eliminated St Stithians from the competition, beating them by 15 runs in the afternoon.

The victories meant that SACS and Waterkloof were the only teams to win all four preliminary games on the first two days and they are deserving finalists

SACS’ off spinner Oscar Walsh returned the best bowling figures of the day – 5/20 in his four overs against Kearsney in the morning game, he took a further two sticks against SACS in the afternoon.

There were four half centuries scored in the day. The top score came from Reuben du Toit of St Stithians, who made 81 against Waterkloof. Nicholas Keevy was 61 not for Grey High against Graeme College, Kearney’s Cade Carmichael was 75 not out against Queens and Nhlanhla Ntleko got 59 for Queens in the same game.

Day 2 Scores

Morning Games

St Stithians 160/7 (Reuben du Toit 81, Mohammed Manack 31; Richardt Ackerman 2/28). Waterkloof 164/6 (SW Kemp 34, Richardt Ackerman 40 not out). Waterkloof won by four wickets. Man of the match Richard Ackermann Waterkloof (40 not out and 28/2)

St Andrew’s 113/5 (Gerrit Badenhorst 43 not out, JD Bruwer 20; Lucky Ntleko 2/25). Queens 81/8 (Lethabo Gulwa 21; Liam Doherty 2/6, Matthew Davids 2/24). St Andrew’s won by 32 runs. Man of the match Gerrit Badenhorst St Andrw’s (43).

Kearsney 100 (Cade Carmichael 47; Oscar Welsh 5/20). SACS 106/6 (Michael Levitt 26; Joshua Stocks 2/18, Matthew McMurray 2/23). SACS won by 4 wickets. Man of the match Oscar Welsh SACS (5/20).

Graeme College 84/8 (Garwin Dampies 29; Nicholas Keevy 2/10, Eli Thorne 2/26). Grey High 85/2 (Nicholas Keevy 61 not out). Grey High won by 8 wickets. Man of the match Nicholas Keevey Grey High (61 and 2/10).

Afternoon Games

SACS 137/6 (Matthew Klusener 39, Kai Curran 31). St Stithians 122/9 (Billy Van Zyl 38, Mohammed Manack 23; Oscar Welsh 2/15, Nathan Ansell 2/15). SACS won by 15 runs. Man of the match Matthew Klusener SACS (39).

Waterkloof 172/7 (SW Kemp 46, Christiaan du Toit 40, Harus Coetzer 34; George van Heerden 3/33). Grey High 111 (Nichols Keevy 33, George Van Heerden 28; Hernus Marais 2/10, Simeon de Bruyn 2/17). Waterkloof won by 61 runs. Man of the match George va Heerden Waterkloof (28 and 3/33).

Queens 127/7 (Nhlalhla Ntleko 59, Lethabo Gulwa 26; Asande Ngawase  2/27). Kearsney 131/3 (Cade Carmichael 75 not out). Kearsney won by 7 wickets. Man of the match Cade Carmichael Kearsney (75 not out).

St Andew’s 140/7 Liam Dohery 42, Tristan Wylie 31 not out, Sello Sesing 26; Aphiwe Mnyanda 4/13). Graeme College 128/9 (Garwin Dampies 45; Tristan Wylie 3/25). St Andrew’s won by 12 runs. Man of the match Liam Dohery St Andrew’s (42).

Western Province Women’s Coach advocates for cricket grassroot development

South Africa is a nation that celebrates and is passionate about sport, yet thousands of children have limited access to playing sport they are passionate about. Sport is more than just a game, it allows young boys and girls to engage in teamwork, discipline, tolerance and the value of fair play.

Claire Terblanche, Head Coach: Western Province Women and Girls Pipeline,  sat to discuss the beauty of grassroot development and what it potentially means for a budding cricketer in an age of pursuing a healthy mind, body and psyche. 

Before Terblanche became a respected cricket coach, she watched from the side-lines as a little girl until she took it upon herself to go for that she wanted, bowling and batting in the streets of her neighbourhood. She says, “I was drawn to cricket because of the contention between opponents, the possibility to establish friendships, travelling to places I have never been to and meeting new people. I hold the game of cricket in high regard as it taught me lessons about life that helped me navigate through the good and the misfortunes that life had handed me.”

When asked about her love for coaching Terblanche said, “Everything I did revolved around cricket and the progression into this role was a natural one for me. My passion for helping people grow helps me maintain my desire to be in an environment I really enjoy.”

Terblanche reiterates that effective coaching cannot be achieved without functional development at a grassroot level. “It allows for the holistic growth of kids. It allows for them to enjoy the game, develop faster and retain what the kid has learnt through the beautiful game. Subsequently, as they mature as players who are open to learning and the fun related to learning, even at pro-level.”

KFC Mini-Cricket provides several inclinations for development including:

Physical development

The reality is that the current breed of players are well built and tall, even at a mini-cricket level it seems the kids have a sturdy physique in early development. Coaches need to monitor the kids closely as childhood growth spurts can cause varying difficulties when players are still so young. Another element to consider for grassroot development physique is the approach of their coaching drills at practice and on match day as all the kids want to do, is play. In principle, the more the kids get outside to run around and play in a safe environment, the healthier their bodies will be for the next stage of the cricket pipeline.

Intellectual development

In the early stages of development, coaches need to use the cricket language more often when on the field. The language needs to be instilled at the grassroot development level as there’s opportunity to make this engaging and helps retain the kid’s attention while learning about the beautiful game. The more coaches speak the cricket language the easier it becomes for players to develop their own frame of reference; this will ensure that they take their ownership within their own space and establish their own approach in their pursuit of playing cricket either professionally or socially.

Emotional development

The reality is that kids at any level of the pipeline need to be nurtured alongside being coached about the skills involved in cricket. Additionally, trust between player and coach goes a long way to connecting emotionally as there are more factors that could affect the development of a player which are not related to their physical or mental wellbeing. Coaches need to create a space that can allow for players to express themselves in all human facets. Sensitivity to their non-verbal cues such as their body language should be taken seriously to mitigate the emotional expression and development at an early age.

Terblanche was asked why she supports KFC Mini-Cricket Provincial Festivals, she said “ Besides giving back to the community of cricket, taking the WP Senior Women to spend time with budding cricketers is a brilliant way to help kids understand the game of cricket and a lovely opportunity to encourage kids to immerse themselves in making friends, even with their provincial heroes. It is a good initiative to socialise kids and allow for the programme to impact them in one way or another.”

The KFC Mini-Cricket programme remains one of the largest national grassroots development programme in South Africa and offers kids with the critical building blocks for learning cricketing basics and entrenching a love for the game. The programme allows volunteer coaches at schools to offer a cricket sporting programme, even with basic fields and facilities.

Paarl Gimnasium win to represent Cobras franchise in 2019 Coca-Cola® Schools T20 Challenge National Finals

Paarl Gimnasium beat South Africa College High School (SACS) and Langenhoven Gimnasium at the Cobras franchise final of the Coca-Cola® Schools T20 Challenge. The Cobras franchise consists of three unions Western Province, Boland and South Western Districts. The franchise final took place in a round robin tournament format.

Paarl Gimnasium played against SWD representative, Langenhoven Gimnasium, in the first match of the day. The Paarl bowlers put a lot of pressure on the Langenhoven Gimnasium batsmen and managed to bowl them out for 65. The pick of the bowlers were Juan Wilson 3/9, Pieter Rossouw 2/6 and Bradley Davids 2/8. Paarl took no time to knock off the runs to win by 9 wickets. Jandre Burger scored 37 runs before being bowled by Jaden Dyssel.

The second match of the day was between Langenhoven Gimnasium and South Africa College High School (SACS). SACS won the toss and sent Langenhoven in to bat. Langenhoven Gimnasium batted better than in their previous match but were still not able to convincingly put SACS under pressure.

Langenhoven Gimnasium scored 93 for 7 in their 20 overs with Matthew Klusener being the pick of the bowlers with 2 wickets for 15 runs. SACS chased the total down for the loss of 2 wickets in the 14^th over Daniel Smith was not out for 46 runs and Michael Levitt scored 41 runs.

The final match of the day was between Paarl Gimnasium and SACS where the winner of the match would be the Cobras champions and subsequent franchise representative. Paarl Gimnasium won the toss and sent SACS in to bat.

Paarl Gimnasium captain, Johan Smal, knew how important it was to win the toss, “We knew that SACS is a team that is good at chasing down totals so we sent them in to bat to put them out of their comfort zone and see if we can control them to a reasonable total.”

SACS got off to a great start and after 10 overs they were on 82/2 and they looked like they could go on to hit a massive total. However, Paarl Gimnasium improved their game and took wickets on a frequent basis reducing SACS to 149/8 in their allotted 20 overs. SACS only managed to score 69 runs and they lost 6 wickets in the final 10 overs.

Paarl Gimnasium batted sensibly in their run chase and were ahead of the run rate from the first over of the day. Even though they lost a couple of wickets they were never in trouble eventually winning by 8 wickets with 4 balls to spare. Once again Jandre Burger, 73 not out, was the pick of the batsmen. He batted throughout the innings and marshalled his team to victory.

SACS opening bowler Anda Dilima and Langenhoven Gimnasium wicketkeeper Jedhli Van Briesies were selected and will form part of  the Coca-Cola® All-Star team that will play at the National Finals in Pretoria. These players will get an opportunity to meet the other qualifying teams, have coaching sessions with Paul Harris and play against a Cricket South Africa selection side as a curtain raiser to the final of the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge.

Paarl Gimnasium will represent the Cobras and will join the other five franchises winners and the two schools that qualified through the CSA Focus School programme at the competition’s National Finals at the University of Pretoria from the 15^th to 17^th March.

Results

Langenhoven Gim 65 all out (Juan Wilson 3/9, Pieter Rossouw 2/6, Bradley Davids 2/8) vs Paarl Gimnasium 67/1 (Jandre Burger 37)

Paarl Gim won by 9 wickets

Langenhoven Gim 93/7 (Matthew Klusener 2/15) vs SACS 94/2 (Daniel Smith 46*)

SACS won by 8 wickets

SACS 149/8 (Michael Levitt 45, Daniel Smith 30, Jandre Burger 2/14) vs Paarl Gimnasium 154/2 (Jandre Burger 73*)

Paarl won by 8 wickets

Coca-Cola Schools T20 School Profile: Rondebosch Boys High School: Cobras Representative

History in the tournament

-         Rondebosch have been the Cobras representatives on many occasion but last won the tournament in 2013.

-         Since 2013 they lost in the Provincial Finals in 2014 to Paul Roos and to Wynberg in 2015.

Road to the National Finals

-         Rondebosch had only one scare in the tournament and that was against the Primrose Hub where Rondebosch scores 180 run and Primrose managed to get to 165.

-         En route they played against the Western Cape Sports School and limited them to 120. They chased the score down in 15 overs with the loss of only 2 wickets.

-         In their Provincial Semifinal they limited SACS to 109/9 and were on 35/1 in 5 overs when the rain stopped play. The managed to beat SACS by a coin toss.

-         In the Provincial Finals they played against Bishops and limited Bishops to 105/7 in their 20 overs. Rondebosch were on 58/0 when the rain came down and they won on better run rate.

-         In their first Franchise final they played against Outeniqua and scored 147/6. This score was too much for Outeniqua and they were bowled out for 82.

-         In their final Franchise match they played against Paul Roos and bowled them all out for 59. Rondebosch chased it down for the loss of 2 wickets.

Potential Heroes

-         Michael Moore is a fast bowler that has developed a lot in the last couple of years. He is considered one of the fastest bowlers in the Western Cape. He is only in grade 11 so he will also be back in the tournament next year.

-         Justin Broad is an number 3 batsman that comes in and builds an innings so others can play around him. He is often there at the end of the game to see his team through.

-         Guy Sheena is our off-spinning all-rounder and number 6 batsman. He changes the pace of the game and before the opposition knows it he get 4 overs done very cheaply. When he comes into bat he bats very quickly and find boundaries easily. He can take the game away from the opposition.

Prospects for the Coca-Cola T20 Schools Challenge National Finals

-        Their biggest strength is in the depth and variety in their bowling attack. They have a genuine quick bowler, a couple of medium pace bowlers, a right arm spinner and a left arm spinner.

-        To do well in the tournament their top four batmen will have to do well enough to allow their bowlers to bowl to a good target or if their bowlers restrict the opposition, the batsmen will need to make sure that they chase down the total.

-        “The team is not focused on the results but instead we want to focus on our procedures so that if we do our procedures correctly we should get positive results. We don’t want to pressurize the boys so we are going to get the boys to enjoy themselves,” said Jaco Zeeman Rondebosch High School’s sports administrator.

Proteas Players Post 1994

-        HD Ackerman

-        John Commins

-        Andrew Puttick

-        Gary Kirsten

To engage with the tournament online, search #WhereHeroesAreMade on Twitter or visit @CocaCola_ZA and @OfficialCSA