Gauteng early favourites to be crowned champions of Khaya Majola Week
The unofficial defending champions of the Khaya Majola Week, Western Province, will face the hosts Eastern Province during the opening day of this year’s annual cricket week hosted by Makhanda.
Catch all the action live on from the Khaya Majola Week on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).
Western Province defeated KwaZulu-Natal by 146 runs in the main match of last year’s edition in Stellenbosch. Last year was WP’s first appearance in the main match since 2019.
It was only the third main match since 2012 that Gauteng was not in action in this prestigious game. It will however be difficult to stop this year’s side from Gauteng.
It might be one of the most experienced provincial squads to ever take part in the Khaya Majola Week. They boast in their bowling attack fast bowler, Kwena Maphaka, who made his debut for the South African A-side in Sri Lanka earlier this year. The team’s bowling attack also includes spin bowler, Sipho Potsane, who will like Maphaka also represent South Africa at the ICC u19 World Cup next year.
The SA u19 captain, David Teeger, together with the left-handed opening batsman, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, and Richard Seletswane, will form the backbone of the team’s batting line-up. All of them are national u19-players with Pretorius also being one of the rookies for next year’s SA20 with the Paarl Royals.
Seletswane will be attempting to make the SA Schools side for the third year in a row. The first player to do so since Thulani Ngxoweni (Selborne College) won his third cap back in 1996. It will make him only the 37th player to do so since the first SA Schools side was picked back in 1940.
Add last year’s SA Colts’ captain, Thebe Gazide, to the mix as well as SA u19 fast bowler Esa Aihevba and you have a very formidable team.
Gauteng will start their campaign off against Boland. There is however a spanner in the works which could have an impact on their campaign. All SA u19 bowlers must sit out two of their side’s three matches during the tournament.
Boland’s captain, Riley Norton, will be in a race to make the SA Schools side to add his name to a special group of 14 sportsmen who have represented both the cricket and rugby national schools’ sides. Norton represented the SA Schools rugby side earlier this year. He is only in grade 11 and could also attempt to make the side’s next year.
The Groups & Pools:
Platinum Group
Pool A: Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal Inland, Free State, Boland.
Pool B: Western Province, Titans, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Province.
Gold Group
Pool A: North West, Border, Mpumalanga, Kei.
Pool B: Easterns, Garden Route Badgers, Northern Cape, Limpopo.
The fixtures:
Day 1 | 16 December 2023
Western Province vs Eastern Province (Somerset Field)
KwaZulu-Natal Inland vs Free State (Lower Field)
Gauteng vs Boland (Knowling Field)
Titans vs KwaZulu-Natal (Gane Field)
Garden Route Badgers vs Northern Cape (Marais Field)
Border vs Mpumalanga (Cuylerville)
Easterns vs Limpopo (Salem)
North West vs Kei (Manley Flats)
Day 2 | 17 December 2023
Gauteng vs Free State (Somerset Field)
Eastern Province vs Titans (Lower Field)
Western Province vs KwaZulu-Natal (Lords Field)
KwaZulu-Natal Inland vs Boland (Gane Field)
North West vs Mpumalanga (Knowling Field)
Border vs Kei (Marais Field)
Garden Route Badgers vs Limpopo (Cuylerville)
Easterns vs Northern Cape (Salem)
Day 3 | 18 December 2023
Gauteng vs KwaZulu-Natal Inland (Somerset Field)
Titans vs Western Province (Lower Field)
KwaZulu-Natal vs Eastern Province (Knowling Field)
Free State vs Boland (Marais Field)
North West vs Border (Salem)
Easterns vs Garden Route Badgers (Kingswood College III)
Mpumalanga vs Kei (Cuylerville)
Limpopo vs Northern Cape (Manley Flats)
