Assupol-backed Tuks, who have won Varsity Cricket in the three of the four years, remain hungry to be the best.
So don’t expect the team to rest on their laurels from Monday in Potchefstroom. It is going to be business as usual when they take on Maties in their first Varsity Cricket encounter (at Senwes Park, from 14:00). One thing is sure. No player will lack motivation as Tuks is celebrating a ‘Century of Excellence’.
The one thing head coach Kruger van Wyk kept on emphasizing in the build-up to the tournament is that in Varsity Cricket, played in the T20 format, there is never such a thing as an easy game.
What undoubtedly counts in Tuks’ favour is that seven of last year’s winning team is still playing – there is no substitute for on-field experience.
Neil Brand still being the team’s captain can be compared to the team having the proverbial ace up its sleeve. Last year Brand distinguished himself as a match-winner without equal. Hardly a game had gone by in which he did not contribute with bat or ball in hand and he has rightfully been rewarded with a full-time contract with the Titans.
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During last year’s Varsity Cricket tournament he scored 300 runs at an average of 42.9 and took nine wickets. His best performance was in the final against NWU where he scored 59 runs facing 57 balls.
Ruben Trumpelmann, who is Tuks’ cricketer of the year, has fine-tuned the art of impacting on the outcome of any game. During one of this week’s warm-up games, he impressed with the ease with which he is able to hit sixes. He can wreak even greater havoc with the ball in hand.
Francois van Heerden who this season scored 188 runs in the Northerns Cricket Premier League qualifiers as well as 853 runs in the Premier League is a batsman who can win matches for his team on any day.
At the beginning of last year, Nkosinathi Msiza had a sit-down conversation with Van Wyk in which he explained his goal is to become a spin bowler who is feared by any batsman. Through hours of hard work in the nets, he has managed to do so.
ALSO READ: Varsity Cricket down the years…
An impressive statistic about Tuks’ dominance of Varsity Cricket is that since 2015 three of the team’s players went on to play for the Proteas. One of them, Aiden Markram, even captained the national side. Lungi Ngidi and Heinrich Klaasen are also currently in the Proteas squad heading to India.
In the 2015 Final Tuks managed to beat Maties by five wickets; 2016 they were victorious against UWC winning by 21 runs. Last year the team managed to beat NWU by five wickets which could be seen as revenge for the defeat they suffered in 2017 against the team from Potchefstroom.
Tuks squad: Neil Brand (captain), Bonga Chepkonga, Ruan de Swardt, Donovan Ferreira, Sean Gilson, Rubin Hermann, Modiri Litheko, Kundai Matigimu, Nkosinathi Msiza, Jiveshen Pillay, Ruben Trumpelmann, Francois van Heerden, Nico van Zyl, Aron Visser.
Coach: Kruger van Wyk
Tuks start their Varsity Cricket defense against Maties (14:00, Senwes Park). While updates will be available on Varsity Sports’ social media platoforms, tickets for the tournament are available on the Varsity Sports App or here: https://varsitysportsa.plankton.mobi/.
By Wilhelm de Swardt (TuksSport Media)
