Five players to watch at Westvaal North-South tournament
If the 2024 Westvaal North-South T20 cricket tournament for schools is anything like the year before, it promises to be another cracker of a week.
Follow all the action live on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)
The tournament runs from Thursday, 10 October, to Sunday, 13 October.
With an abundance of talent and stars about to be born, we take a closer look at five players who may hold the key to their respective teams’ success. To pick only five proved a challenge in itself.
Beni Hansen (Wynberg Boys High):
Already a well-known name around the country, Wynberg Boys High’s Beni Hansen will be one to keep an eye on. Hansen burst onto the South African schoolboy cricket scene in 2023 with a dominant display at the Khaya Majola Week. His consistent performances with the bat saw him scoop the Player of the Tournament award.
Still in Grade 11, Hansen went on to lead the SA Schools side in their one-off match against the South Africa Schools ‘A’ side, more commonly known as the Colts side, which was also selected at the week and represented the Southern Superstars in the Cubs Week in January this year.
Hansen’s batting prowess and stroke-making ability will play a pivotal role if Wynberg wants to advance further than the dangerous Pool C.
Marcus “Master Blaster” Bakker (Waterkloof):
Known for his destructive nature, especially in the shortest format of the game, Waterkloof’s Marcus Bakker will be a prize wicket to any team coming up against the defending champs, even more so with the possible absence of Wian Ruthven due to an injured hand. Bakker’s insane innings of 169* from only 66 balls, when he smashed an astonishing 19 sixes, will be fresh in the memories of those who played in the 2023 tournament.
However, Bakker’s batting is not the only threat. His highly-skilled left-arm spin has seen him bag 37 wickets throughout 2024 and is a weapon which might come in very handy as the Pretoria pitches start to deteriorate over the four days of cricket. He also brings a wealth of experience having already played, like Hansen, in the Khaya Majola and Cubs Week.
Jorich van Schalkwyk (Affies):
Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool’s Jorich van Schalkwyk has been in a rich vein of form this year. Boasting over a thousand runs, including a record-breaking 240, which saw him become the Affies player with the highest individual score in the school’s history, the talented right-handed batsman has scored his runs at a healthy average of 60,41.
He looked especially impressive during the SA U19 Emerging tour of Zimbabwe last month, scoring 189 runs, at an average of 94,5, and a couple of fifties in the four matches he played. His off-break spin bowling has also been a huge asset to Affies. Van Schalkwyk has claimed 14 scalps in the 22 matches he played for Affies this year and achieved a four-for on the Zimbabwean tour.
Charl Prinsloo (Hoërskool Centurion):
Charl Prinsloo has been the sole contributor to Hoërskool Centurion’s run tally in 2024. He, too, boasts a magnificent record of well over a thousand runs for the year. Normally batting at four in the longer formats, Prinsloo swaps his role as anchor of the innings to the aggressor in T20s, where he opens the batting, a move that has proved fruitful for the young batsman and his side.
In the four T20s he has played this year, he has scored a total of 208 runs at an average of 69, including a mammoth 135 against Prestige College and a classy 73 against the powerful Waterkloof, upping his normal strike rate of 97,69 to a whopping 230. Like Bakker and Van Schalkwyk, he’s also a handy option with the ball, which could see him contribute even more during the four days.
Daniel Bosman (Rondebosch Boys High):
Being the youngest of the five and still in Grade 11, Rondebosch’s Daniel Bosman has nevertheless shown that he can punch at the same weight as the above-mentioned four big names. He also toured Zimbabwe with the U19 Emerging squad, alongside Van Schalkwyk, and has experience at provincial level having played for Western Province at the 2023 CSA U16 National Youth Week.
The young all-rounder’s shot-making ability and calmness under pressure have been major weapons in the Rondebosch arsenal. However, his right arm medium pace holds the key for his side, having the ability to take a wicket at exactly the right time, which might prove pivotal as Rondebosch also has to battle it out in the difficult Pool A.
Fixtures:
Day 1 – Thursday, 10 October:
13:30:
Menlopark vs Paarl Boys High – Camp Discovery
St Andrews (Bloem) vs Grey High School – Sinoville
Hoërskool Centurion vs SACS – Affies Oval
Jeppe High School for Boys vs Westville Boys – Harlequins
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) vs Wynberg Boys’ High – CBC Old boys
Potchefstroom Volkskool vs Grey College – Waterkloof
St Stithians College vs Northwood – Pretoria Old Boys
Waterkloof vs Rondebosch – Menlopark
Day 2 – Friday, 11 October:
09:00:
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) vs Potchefstroom Volkskool – Camp Discovery
Wynberg Boys High School vs Grey College – Sinoville
Waterkloof vs St Stithians College – Affies Oval
Rondebosch vs Northwood – Harlequins
Grey High School vs Paarl Boys High – CBC Old Boys
St Andrews (Bloem) vs Menlopark – Waterkloof
SACS vs Westville Boys High – Pretoria Old Boys
Jeppe High School for Boys vs Hoërskool Centurion – Menlopark
14:00:
Potchefstroom Volkskool vs Wynberg Boys High – Camp Discovery
Grey College vs Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies)
Rondebosch vs St Stithians – Affies Oval
Northwood vs Waterkloof – Harlequins
Menlopark vs Grey High School – CBC Old Boys
Paarl Boys High vs St Andrews (Bloem) – Waterkloof
Hoërskool Centurion vs Westville Boys High – Pretoria Old Boys
Jeppe High School for Boys vs SACS – Menlopark
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