Eight university teams will battle it out for top honours in the third edition of Varsity Cricket
The third season of Varsity Cricket gets underway on 30 January 2017 with the final being played on Saturday, 4 February at Senwes Park. Eight universities will go head-to-head in a T20 tournament, as each team faces their seven opponents before the top four progress to the semi-finals and final. The three venues including Senwes Park, Puk Oval & Ibbies Oval, will play host to the one-week tournament once again.
Proud sponsors of this competition, Steers and FNB, will continue their partnership with Varsity Cricket as they promote South African sports at university level. An FNB Best Bowler and a Steers Best Batsman will be awarded after each match and then an overall best bowler and batsman at the end of the tournament.
Defending Varsity Cricket champions, University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks) will be joined by hosts North West University (NWU-Pukke), Stellenbosch University (Maties), University of Johannesburg (UJ), University of Western Cape (UWC), Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and University of Free State (Kovsies). The University of Cape Town and Central University of Technology will lock heads to secure the eighth and final spot when they face each other in a play-off match on 1 December.
The winning team will not only win the first prize of R19 800, but will also represent South Africa at the 2017 Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals, as 2015 and 2016 champions, Tuks, have done. The Pretoria side won the international tournament in 2014 and 2015. They came close to making it three from three in the 2016 edition of the global showpiece but were outsmarted by the eventual champions, Sri Lanka, in the semi-final.
The Power Play Plus over, an exciting Varsity Cricket innovation, will feature again at the 2017 instalment. All runs scored within this over will be doubled and added to the team’s extras.
However, should a batsman lose his wicket during the Power Play Plus over, five runs will be deducted from the batting side’s score.
Cricket fans can also look forward to viewing a number of televised matches, which will be broadcast live on SuperSport. These include both semi-finals and the final.
Ticketing info:
Daily tickets will be available through the Varsity Sports website, the Varsity Sports App and a point of sale.
- R20 for tickets purchased at the gate or pre-sold
- R10 for tickets purchased via the Varsity Sports website or App
The 2017 edition of Varsity Cricket promises explosive action in an experience that fans won’t forget. Paperopus.com Get ready to #ShowYourColours as you spur on your favourite university.
