Cobras Cubs failed to reach final because of league loss to Titans

NOT sticking to the tournament rules did not cost the Cape Cobra Cubs a place in the Cricket South Africa ( CSA) Under-19 final in Stellenbosch recently, losing to the Titans in the league phase did.

This emerged after an investigation by the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) led by incoming chief executive Nabiel Dien at the instruction of his president, Beresford Williams.

Williams wanted to know why the Cobra Cubs had not progressed to the final after topping their Pool B Section. Dien, who steps down as the WPCA general manager at the end of the month, made contact with CSA youth cricket manager Niels Momberg on Thursday and was informed of all the facts, including the reasoning behind docking the Cape side two points for not batting an African player in the top three in the match against Zimbabwe.

An error in judgement on behalf of the Cobras coaching staff was the reason for not abiding by the rules.

The tournament rule for the annual 50-over tournament in the Western Cape in the second week of January stated clearly that the six local franchises – the SA Under- 17s and Zimbabwe made up the eight teams – field no less than three African players and that one of them bat in the top three, while a second player of colour had to be in the top six.

The batting rule was rescinded later in the week, but the Cobras never got the two points back that had been docked. Not that the lost points made any difference at the end of the day, losing to the Titans sealed their fate.

The Cobras lads, it is believed through a source close to the team, had been left downhearted by the events that played out and it was clear to see in their sudden downward spiral in performances as they went on to lose two games on the trot, the last against the Dolphins in a play-off match for third and fourth place.

The Cape side had won their first three games on the trot, ending up topping Pool B on a superior run-rate to secondplaced Titans.

The Lions, who ended top team at SA Schools Week in December as the unofficial champion side again after defeating WP for a second year in a row, went on to beat the Titans easily to clinch a hattrick of titles.

Dien, who assumes the role of CEO from Andre Odendaal on February 1, is a champion of transformation and he is determined to make sure his franchise continue the search for untapped talent in the previ- ously disadvantaged communities. “It was an unfortunate situation that played out for us at Cubs week – not sticking to the transformation imperatives – but am satisfied that our coaching staff made an innocent mistake. So we have rested the matter,” Dien said.

Siphamandla Mavanda, one of the three African players in the Cape Cobras team, has a lot to feel aggrieved about. He had openly told the coaching staff he did not want to bat at three because he was a middle-order batter. It was not surprising then that when he went in to bat at three in the match against the Warriors, he went out for a royal duck.

Another player, Murray Commins of Rondebosch, will feel deflated after not making the SA Under-19 squad that will tour Bangladesh in April and play a series of one-day internationals. He top-scored for the Cobras with 156 runs at an average of 78 with a highest score of 99 not out achieved in the win over Zimbabwe SA U19 team to Bangladesh: Sibonelo Makhanya (Dolphins, DHS – captain), Okuhle Cele (Dolphins, Glenwood), Tony de Zorzi (Lions, KES), Aaqil Ebrahim (Cobras, SACS), Dayyaan Galiem (Cobras, Rondebosch Boys), Dean Foxcroft (Titans, Menlopark), Brandon Glover (Lions, St Stithian’s), Conor McKerr (Lions, St John’s), Rivaldo Moonsamy (Titans, St Alban’s), Wiaan Mulder (Lions, St Stithian’s), Ryan Rickelton (Lions, St Stithian’s), Lesego Senokwane (Lions, St Conrad’s), Kyle Verreynne (Cobras, Wynberg Boys), Sean Whitehead (Knights, St Andrew’s Bloem), Lwandiswa Zuma (Dolphins, Maritzburg College).