Blenkinsop to lead Rhodes University at Ussa Week

Rhodes University Cricket Club has announced their 14-man squad travelling to Johannesburg to compete in the University Sports SA Week cricket tournament B Section.

The side was relegated from the B Section in 2017 as the club hit an all-time low.

However, since then the club has come full circle as they achieved immediate promotion in 2018 and will be looking to try to surprise a few big teams in 2019’s B Section.

David Blenkinsop leads the team after taking the reins from Sean McQuillan earlier in the season.

The second-year allrounder finished the first half of the Grahamstown Cricket Board season with 12 wickets and 125 runs in the first month and the former Khaya Majola Week player will be hoping he can take that form with him to the Highveld.

Second-in-command will be Nicholas Zimmerman, who starred with the bat in the club’s promotion tournament in 2018 where he averaged over 50.

He has a strong history of age-group Eastern Province representation, having played with the likes of Matthew Breetzke and Lutho Sipamla.

Other players to watch include former provincial agegroup players Lelethu Cekiso (Eastern Province), Njabulo

Shabalala (Eastern Gauteng) and Brian Ngugi (Mpumalanga), who will all be looking to do their part with the ball.

There will only be four members of the squad who will be playing their first Ussa tournament.

This includes in-form

Rhodes Second XI Daniel Berndt, who scored a total of 264 runs across three matches this season.

The team depart for Johannesburg on November 29 and their first match will be on December 2.

Rhodes squad: Daniel

Berndt, David Blenkinsop (captain), Lelethu Cekiso, Aiden du Toit, Ryan Harley, Sean McQuillan, Matthew Menear, Brian Ngugi, Njabulo Shabalala, Lukhanyo Tshongweni, Bradley van Heerden, Simon Webster, Timothy Westwood, Nicholas Zimmerman (vice-captain).