Jeppe braced for Switch Schools SA20 challenge
Jeppe is raring to go and eager to test their skills against some of the nation’s top T20 sides at the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two Final Showdown, from 4-7 March in Pretoria.
The Black Caps, who will represent the Central Gauteng Lions region, put together an outstanding qualifying campaign that was built on their team’s all-round abilities. No single player dominated for them in the preliminary rounds, but all departments contributed to their victories at different moments.
“I think the boys are ready. I think we’ve got a full-strength squad. Our batsmen are in a good space, and we’ve got a nice mixture of spin and pace in the bowling department,” Casey Arnold, the Jeppe Director of Cricket, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
In preparation for the tournament, Jeppe held a handful of alignment camps, where they reiterated their blueprints. They also played a warm-up match against the Clifton T20 champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof, to be exposed to a competitive match situation and test their readiness.
“We tried to simulate a match situation against a good team,” Arnold explained. “They played really nicely against us, so we’re really happy with our preparation. We gave our bowlers jobs under pressure.”
That match was played on Jeppe’s old first team field, and there was a good reason for that choice. It offers more pace and bounce than their other fields. The Tuks Main Oval, where they will play some of their games, also offers pace and bounce.
“We’re expecting it to be a little bit more lively than our bottom field. That’s why we chose it for the preparation,” Arnold said.
He and head coach Craig Templeton will lead a squad that has engineered Jeppe’s transformation into a formidable cricket-playing school. In recent years, the school has won the Johnny Waite title and finished in the super-tough Wildeklawer T20.
The Black Caps will be led by their inspirational captain, Ryan Young. He has been outstanding for them with the bat, and he exhibits tactical nous in the middle of the park. Zizi Mkhize and Lincoln Casais are the other batsmen to look out for in the side. Both have produced sterling performances for the Black Caps over the past 18 months.
While it is easy to look at that trio as Jeppe’s stars with the bat, players like Aiden Reyneke, Vegas Scott, Daniel Keating, Phemelo Sekopane, and Ethan Ferguson have all played their part in either batting the Black Caps to victory or rescuing the side from a sticky situation. Many of those players also possess all-round talent and have taken crucial wickets, too.
Keegan Cockburn, who is enjoying a brilliant run of form with the ball, will spearhead the bowling attack. Jeppe’s experienced campaigners – Reza Ayob, Shreshth Kumar, and Goolam Ahmed – will help to provide them with control of the middle overs and at the death with their skilful bowling.
“I think we’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Arnold said. “I think our biggest challenge is that we still have to play St. John’s in a 50-over match while trying to prepare for 20 overs. So, we’ve tried turning our training into hybrid sessions. But that’s why we try and keep our blueprints as simple as possible,” he concluded.
Jeppe tackles Graeme College in their first match on Wednesday, 4 March. In the afternoon, they face Affies on the Tuks Oval, when they’ll learn whether their focused preparations paid off or not. They complete their group assignments against Selborne College on Thursday, playing on the Tuks Oval again.
Then, the playoffs follow, from Friday, 6 March.
FIXTURES
Wednesday, 4 March
Jeppe vs Graeme, Tuks E, 09:30
Jeppe vs Affies, Tuks Oval, 14:00
Thursday, 5 March
Jeppe vs Selborne, Tuks Oval, 14:00
Squad: Reza Ayob, Goolam Ahmed, Lincoln Casais, Keegan Cockburn, Ethan Elliott, Ethan Ferguson, Daniel Keating, Shreshth Kumar, Zizi Mkhize, Aiden Reyneke, Vegas Scott, Phemelo Sekopane, Ryan Young.
Director of Cricket: Casey Arnold, Coach: Craig Templeton
- Player Profile – Josh Wilkie (Selborne College) - 2026-02-26
- Jeppe braced for Switch Schools SA20 challenge - 2026-02-26
- Rejuvenated Selborne ready for Switch Schools SA20 Final Showdown - 2026-02-26
