Five Players to Watch: Wildeklawer T20
The newly branded Wildeklawer T20, previously known as the North/South T20, hosts some of the finest schools’ cricketing talent from across South Africa.
This year, 16 of the top teams will again battle it out for the title, currently held by Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, one of the three hosts alongside Hoërskool Waterkloof and Die Hoërskool Menlopark.
As with past tournaments, the team at SuperSport Schools Plus took on the challenging task of naming five players to watch during the upcoming four days of cricket, set to commence on Thursday afternoon, 16 October, across the Jacaranda City. Here are the five players to keep an eye on:
Troy Gordon: King Edward VII School (KES)
In his most recent outing, KES‘s mainstay with the bat and captain, Troy Gordon, has found form at just the right time. His purple patch started when he led the Johannesburg Invitational XI to the St John’s College (Harare) Rams T20 title, where, in three consecutive outings, he raised his bat for half-centuries, boasting a highest score of 84.
However, it was at the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week that Gordon reached his pinnacle, especially in the 50-over clash with Clifton, where he produced a spectacular T20-like innings. His unbeaten 109* against the side from KwaZulu-Natal came from only 64 deliveries, a massive statement just a little more than a week before he makes his appearance in Pretoria. In his three innings at the Michaelmas Week, Gordon scored 260 runs without being dismissed.
Daniel Bosman (Rondebosch Boys’ High)
As one of South Africa’s most exciting young talents, Daniel Bosman has the makings of a great cricketer. Following his inclusion in the South African u19 side for the Youth Test against England early in 2025 and his selection to travel to Zimbabwe, also with the National u19 side, Bosman will be a key figure in Rondebosch Boys’ High‘s bid to dethrone Affies as champions.
When discussing Bosman, batting is the first aspect that comes to mind, although his right arm off-breaks could also play a vital role for his side, especially on the batting-friendly wickets up in the northern part of the country, with batsmen looking for the ball to come onto the bat. At 17 years old, his experience in national colours will no doubt come in handy, too.
Taine Havemann (Durban High School)
Taine Havemann is the younger brother of Jared Havermann, also an all-rounder who enjoyed great success, primarily as a leg-spin bowler for Durban High School (DHS). The younger Havemann bowls right-arm medium-fast and is a hard-hitting middle-order batsman. He has played a leading role in helping DHS win back-to-back Clifton T20 Tournament titles, which feature the top 10 boys’ schools in KZN plus other invited teams – this year, Waterkloof and St John’s College (Harare).
Havemann’s batting prowess came to the fore at the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week when DHS successfully chased down St David’s Marist Inanda‘s 270/9. Havemann scored 79 and, together with Josh van Biljon (82), added a crucial 126 for the third wicket. With his clean striking and his pace, Havemann can change the outcome of a match, especially in the shorter formats of the game.
FG Botha (St Andrew’s School)
Since the start of the Switch School SA20 competition in 2024, FG Botha, of St Andrew’s School, has made it clear that he is one of the best T20 batsmen at the schoolboy level in South Africa. His half-centuries against Grey College in the final for the Free State crown, and then the final of the Regional meet-up between the best from Free State, Northern Cape and North West, proved this. Apart from his undeniable talent with the willow, he’s also a regular wicket-taker with his leg spin bowling.
It will be the third time that Botha travels to Pretoria as part of the St Andrew’s side competing in the tournament. Alongside players like Reuben van Aarde, Andrew Sobiech, and Naudé Botha, the side from Bloemfontein brings exceptional balance to the table, a balance that could well see them lift a trophy by the end of the fourth day.
Rico van der Walt (Hoërskool Waterkloof)
Rico van der Walt, Hoërskool Waterkloof‘s wicketkeeper/batsman, is another exceptional 17-year-old talent. He was recently named in the Titans Khaya Majola side, just a year after he had represented the union at the CSA u16 National Week. Looking at his stats for 2025, it comes as no surprise that he makes the list of the five to watch.
Across the 46 matches Van der Walt has played over the calendar year, he has racked up an astonishing 1 871 runs at an average of 47.97. He has scored seven half-centuries and five centuries in a year where he tops the runs scoring of all the teams at Waterkloof by nearly 200 runs. However, it’s his strike rate of 121 that stands out.
Bearing in mind that these stats are across all formats, Van der Walt’s aggressive nature, combined with batting-friendly conditions, could spell more danger for opponents, especially alongside hard-hitting captain, Riley Miller, in the middle order.
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