Border hone their firepower
The Border U19 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week team concluded their match preparations this week after playing against the Border Academy and Border U17 teams on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Border U19 coach Andre de Beer has backed match practice as the team’s main focus in the buildup to the Coke Week, and they have played a number of games, culminating with the 50-over and time (declaration) matches this week.
“We have been playing alright. There have still been one or two hiccups, but we are constantly working on them, and I think everything will be sorted by the time we get to the week,” said De Beer.
“We have a lot of room to improve, but these games have highlighted the things we need to work on, and I believe it has made us much better prepared for what we are going to face in Cape Town.
“The results haven’t been important, just seeing how the guys play, and we have had a few great individual moments, but what I would like to see is a big team performance, just to get that team spirit that I need going.”
The team has been training and playing together since it was named in October, and the guys have been getting used to each other.
Selborne College’s Matt Dewar will be captaining the team and, having experienced last year’s Coke Week, where the Border side made it to the main game of the week, he will have the perfect experience with which to lead his team.
“The captain, Matt Dewar, has to take control as soon as they walk on to the field. I am backing him. He is a quality cricketer and is a very good leader,” said De Beer.
“So with him on the field there is good discipline, the guys know what to do, his field placings are good, so he is a really good cricketer and I have full faith in him to do well as captain at the week.
“I believe he has the talent to make the SA Schools or Colts team and the Warriors Cubs week team by the end of the week.”
Border will face a tough introduction to the week as they take on hosts Western Province and last year’s champs Gauteng in time (declaration) cricket games on the first two days.
“I believe that if we want to be the best we have to beat the best, so to draw Western Province and Gauteng in our first two games is a great way to see where we stand in respect to the bigger unions,” said De Beer.
“For us as a small union playing against a big union I just want to see us compete. I would love to win both games, but if we have a draw or a loss I want it to be a strong performance in a draw or a very close loss to make sure we have given our everything.
“But I believe the standard of cricket that we play is good enough to beat them, so it is just about putting that performance together on the day.”
The team will then play against Northern Cape and Mpumalanga on day three in two T20 encounters.
“Those games are must-win for us. We can’t go in and throw a result away there,” said De Beer.
“So if we can get a win in one of the time crickets and a draw, along with the two wins in the T20s, that will put us in a strong position to play in the main game of the week.”
The team has one final training camp before they leave next Friday for the Coke Week.
They will be training at Selborne College on Wednesday and Thursday.
“I think we are basically ready. Everything is in place and there are just a few final things to work on during the camp to get us to 100%,” said De Beer.
“We will then finish things off on Thursday with a nice team braai to make sure that the team spirit is as high as it can be when we head off on Friday.”