UJ will be heading to Potchefstroom for the inaugural Varsity Cricket tournament with one thing on their mind – to strike gold and return to Johannesburg with the trophy.
Captain Neels Bergh will put his Mining Engineering course to the test and strike gold in Potch with his balanced team of youth and experience.
“We are going there to win it and not just make up the numbers. The key to winning it will be for us to express ourselves and have fun because, in T20 cricket, if you don’t have fun, you won’t be successful.
“Our preparations for the tournament couldn’t have gone any better and we are all really excited for what lies ahead. We have a good mix of youth and experience with five first years in the team, who we are very optimistic about, given that some have represented the SA Under-19 side. The more experienced players have helped the younger ones nicely, so there’s a good vibe in the team.
“A tournament like this, where some of the games will be televised, is going to be an exciting experience for the players who haven’t played under such conditions before. It will provide everyone with valuable exposure and will be a great stepping stone for everyone to further their careers,” he told varsitysportssa.com.
Bergh is expecting a high scoring tournament and feels the wickets will get slower as the week progresses but has vowed to take each game as it comes as they look to “stay in the moment” and not get carried away with all the hype and excitement.
Varsity Sports is known to provide new innovations and have introduced a Power Play Plus Over to the tournament which provides the batting side with an opportunity to double all the runs scored in that over, however, if a wicket is lost, five runs will be deducted from their score.
“The Power Play Plus Over is a great innovation that can change the game, especially in the middle overs where things tend to get boring, it will keep the players and the crowd going and I’m really looking forward to using it.
“Using the over will come down to the game situation and I don’t think there will be any bad bowlers who can really be targeted this tournament, so it’s going to come down to taking your chances when the opportunity presents itself,” he added.
The 21-year-old batsman, who bowls the odd over of leg spin, was able to get valuable insight from former Proteas, and current Lions player, Neil McKenzie who provided the entire team with words of encouragement.
“We will take it game by game and the vibe we have off the field will be transferred onto the field. As soon as we get to the tournament, it’s all up to us. We have our own destiny in our hands and we the hold the key to the way we want to play.
“I just want to wish all the teams well for the tournament and hopefully we can keep the crowd entertained by playing a good brand of cricket,” he stated.
