Player Profile – Xavier Coetzee (Hans Moore)
In 2024, Hoërskool Hans Moore‘s talented top-order batsman, Xavier Coetzee was at his best in a memorable year for the boys from Benoni.
Astonishingly, it was, also, the first year that Coetzee earned a call-up to an Easterns’ side, deservedly claiming a spot in the union’s Khaya Majola team.
He was a can’t-leave-out inclusion after a highly successful season during which the grade 11 learner scored over 1 500 runs, which included an outstanding double-century against Hoërskool Rustenburg on Potchefstroom Volkskool’s Oval at the annual Potchefstroom Gimnasium Cricket Festival.
His cricket journey started at the tender age of five. Unlike many others, Coetzee immediately recognised cricket as his first love and he decided to seriously pursue the game.
With the support of his parents, whom he credits as the biggest reasons behind his recent successes, he made encouraging strides.
“My parents have always been very supportive,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus. “They were always willing to make sacrifices to make sure I could fit in loads of practice in their already busy schedule to give me the best chance to succeed.”
Along with his parents, he named his academy coach, Tennant Watson, and his school coach, Paul Amorin, as important influences. They, in turn, offered up high praise for Coetzee.
Amorin, without hesitation, described Coetzee as having a Jack Russell mindset. “His mental strength during the last couple of years has been on another level. His never-say-die and free-spirited attitude allows him to cope under pressure,” he explained.
Watson, who’s been working with Coetzee the longest, summarised his charge’s game perfectly. “His work ethic at training is something to behold. That carries through to his on-field performances.
“He’s a 360-degree type of player, which allows him to score all around the ground, and the fact that he hits the ball so sweetly keeps his strike rate right up there.”
Interestingly, his double-century is not Coetzee’s favourite memory. Instead, it comes from the Fain Noodvaal semi-final between Hans Moore and Hoërskool Menlopark in November 2024.
Playing away, in Pretoria, he and Warren Minnaar spearheaded Moories to a historic victory, which propelled them into the final of the competition. A week later, Hans Moore was crowned the Fain Noordvaal champion for the first time in the school’s history..
“That has to be my favourite memory,” he shared, “and knocking a side like Menlo out as the underdogs just left a very sweet taste in my mouth.”
His dream is to go all the way and play professional cricket. “I want to make it as a pro, not for the fame nor the money, but just to see the elation on their [his parent’s] faces, knowing that all their hard work and sacrifices were worth it,” Coetzee concluded. That comment demonstrated his humility and the hunger that drives him to make it to the next level.
An exciting 2025 lies ahead for Coetzee. He has his eyes set on another Khaya Majola Week and, perhaps, topping his 2024 performances. His hot bat will, no doubt, deliver loads of entertainment for Hans Moore and cricket fans alike.
