Border teens seek to keep momentum

The Border U15 cricket team left for Stellenbosch on Wednesday as they prepare to take part in the 2018 Momentum U15 Cricket Week which gets under way on Friday and ends next week Tuesday.

A diverse group of 13 players, representing six different schools from around the Border region were selected for the week and will be aiming to impress against some of the best U15 cricketers from around the country.

Four players, including team captain Adam du Plessis from Selborne College, played for the team during last year’s U15 week, and they will be aiming to pass their experience on to the other players.

Akhona Ratyana from Hudson Park High, Amangile Twani from AM Tapa Senior Secondary and Tyler Stagg, also from Selborne, are the other three players to have competed for the U15 side at the national champs.

“On selecting our teams on this basis it gives us a chance to select players for the same week twice, so this gives the team a bit of experience, and these players can help the other players in the side prepare for what they are going to face,” said Border services manager Deon Muller.

“So I am sure they will play an important role during the week and they will be seen as the key players who need to lead the way by performing well.”

The team is coached again this year by Border’s Shannon Musto, who will be doubling up as he did last year by coaching the U17 team as well.

He will be backing his team to impress over the five days of action and hopefully pick up some big scalps along the way.

“It is our belief that they will be able to give a good account of themselves over the week,” said Muller.

“We want the players to go and perform at their utmost best, because regardless of what happens, as long as they know they have given their all that is all that matters.”

The team gets their week started against KwaZulu-Natal on Friday in a time (declaration) cricket match, before taking on Boland on day two, also in time cricket.

The rest of the week’s fixtures, which include two T20s on Sunday and two one-day games on Monday and Tuesday, will be decided based on the teams’ performances over the week.

We want the players to go and perform to their utmost best