St Andrew’s to exact that masterstroke

St Andrew’s College are aiming to put in a big performance at the upcoming Coca-Cola Schools national finals in Pretoria after they became the Warriors representatives over the past weekend.

After persistent rain over the entire weekend meant no cricket could be played, St Andrew’s took on Hudson Park in a bowl out and managed to triumph in the end, sealing their ticket to Pretoria.

They will now look to take that momentum from an unbeaten T20 campaign into the national finals that get under way on Friday. “I think it’s part of tournament sport that something had to be done to decide a winner, so we knew it could come to a bowl out. I am just happy we came through and made it to the finals in Pretoria,” said St Andrew’s first team coach, Carl Bradfield.

“It has been a good tournament in terms of limited-overs cricket. On the day I guess it comes down to who can cope with the pressure of a tournament and execute their skills.

“So anything can happen.” The last time St Andrew’s made the national finals was in 2015 and now that they are back, they will be eager to impress.

“With the nature of the game and T20 cricket you never know when or if you’re going to qualify. So I think it is just about perseverance and keeping at it and believing they can do it, and one day you get there, so it worked out,” said Bradfield.

“There is a lot of excitement and a lot of energy and the guys have been longing for this opportunity, and I think they are going to enjoy every minute of it.”

The team will, however, be aiming to come away with the title and they will be going all out to get that result.

“The guys have had moments in the team where they have been under pressure and needed to pull through and have done it.

“So there is no reason why they can’t go to the nationals and pull through,” said Bradfield.

“But it still remains to be seen. So we will see how the guys respond to the pressure of being in the actual tournament itself.”

The finals get under way on Friday morning and will conclude by Sunday afternoon. St Andrew’s squad: Nicholas Brotherton, James Mullins, Guy Rushmere, Callum Francis, Matthew Schaefer, Nicholas Barlow, Luke Danckwerts, Ryan Ford, Nicholas Frances, Liyama Dotwana, Lilitha Lubengu, Thomas Vermaak, Malcolm Macgregor.