Club cricket kicks into gear

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KNYSNA NEWS – The 2022/23 season of SWD club cricket got underway last weekend with the first round of fixtures in the SWD T20 Competition, with the Knysna Cavaliers earning two wins from their first two games to top Pool A.

The SWD T20 Competition is the annual precursor to the start of the 50-over club cricket season.

As in previous years, the competition was divided into eight different regionalised pools of either three or four clubs each. Pool A featured the Knysna/Plett clubs – Knysna Cavaliers, Plettenberg Bay Pioneers, Pirates United and Kranshoek Cobras.

With the first round of games played all over SWD on Saturday 1 October, Pool A's matches were played on the Knysna High School sports fields and on Sunday 2 October in New Horizons.

Cavaliers vs Pirates

Cavaliers won the toss, choosing to bowl first. Pirates were in trouble at 31-3 after 10 overs, but top-scorer Trevano Thorne (29 runs) helped get the side to 93 before they were all out. Irvin Campher nabbed the last three wickets for Cavaliers with a hat-trick to secure a five-wicket haul for only 15 runs in 3,3 overs as Cavaliers' best bowler.

In the run chase, JP Ellis (30) and Keenan Vieira (29*) helped them secure a four-wicket victory. Jehustian Prinsloo was Pirates' bowler of the day, taking three wickets for 11 runs in 3,3 overs.

Cavaliers vs Pioneers

Pioneers won the toss and chose to bowl, and, like their Pirates counterparts earlier in the day, Cavaliers struggled at first. After being at 35-2 after 10 overs, Cavaliers reached 94-7 in 20 overs with Ellis and Hayden Sweet scoring 18 runs each.

Eden Tarentaal and Garth Bock grabbed two wickets each for Pioneers.

PHOTO GALLERY: SWD club cricket last weekend

Former Zimbabwean international Mark Vermeulen top-scored for Pioneers with 22 runs, but they could ultimately not get over the line and were restricted to 65-8 in 20 overs, and Cavaliers won by 29 runs.

Blake Linder was Cavaliers' best bowler, taking three wickets for 10 runs in four overs.Keenan Vieira plays a back-foot defensive shot for the Cavaliers.

Pirates vs Pioneers

In the last Saturday game Pioneers chose to bat first, but were met with a strong Pirates bowling performance. Jacques Ahrense top-scored for Pioneers with 15* but his side was held to 69-8 in their innings. Justin Meyer, Justino Koopman and Jade Titus took two wickets each for Pirates.

Titus performed in the run chase too, top-scoring with 19 runs while Thorne scored 16* to steer Pirates to a six-wicket win. Tarentaal was Pioneers' best bowler with two wickets for 15 runs in four overs.

Pioneers vs Cobras

In the only Sunday match and the only game played in Plett, Kranshoek Cobras chose to bowl first. Mbuyiseli Malanga was Pirates' saving grace with the bat, scoring 26 runs to help his side reach 79 before being bowled out. Wayne Oraai and Byron Olivier both took three wickets for Cobras.

Lester McClean top-scored with 29 runs for Cobras in their chase, to help guide them to a surprise four-wicket win over their Plettenberg Bay rivals. Tarentaal was once more Pioneers' best bowler, taking three wickets for three runs in three overs.

After the first round of games, Cavaliers lie top of the standings in Pool A, but need to beat Kranshoek Cobras this weekend to secure progression to the quarter-finals.

Thabo Dywili nudges the ball onto the off-side and sets off for a run. Photos: Blake Linder