Capp leaves for Sydney

After being on the transfer list for just 2 days, Stuart Capp was snapped up by Overandout in the New South Wales region of Australia. Capp, who had been a fairly regular member of the limited-overs Crusaders team, was hoping to stay with the team for at least one more season before spreading his wings elsewhere. However, the management team decided that it would be more beneficial for Capp to move on at his young age rather than waiting until the opportunities begin to lessen.

Capp played in 11 of the 13 one-day matches this season and averaged 36.50 with a top score of 71.

Marc Weeks on Capp’s departure, “Cappers was fun to have around, especially during practices where he was always doing something amusing. When things looked bleak on the field, he had a way of livening up the mood in the dressing room. Other than that, his progress as a one-day player has been massive, and New South Wales will definitely benefit from having him in their ranks.”

Capp’s transfer is with immediate effect and he leaves for Australia within the next 2 days.

Crusaders’ dream run comes to an end

The Crusaders’ brilliant showing in the Cup ended in round 7 at the hands of Polla at the Polla Cricket Ground.

The dusty wicket was suited for the spinners, but the openers of Polla put paid to that theory as they thrashed 186 runs for the first wicket before South was caught behind off Kotzo for 82. That was the only celebration to come to the visitors all innings as Tselane threw the bat in his unbeaten 71 off 50 balls, complementing Flint’s 132*. Ayres was the only bowler to show some good pace with 38 runs coming from his 10 overs.

The reply did not begin well as Crusaders lost Simpson in the 2nd over for a duck, followed by Jeremy in the same over for a single. Swing bowler Henno stole the match away from Crusaders as he picked up an impressive 4/40, completely demolishing the middle order. Michael Prince was the only warrior with his 80, with rookie William Downing’s 17 the next best score. Crusaders were dismissed for 148, leaving victory to Polla by 149 runs.

Prince on the Cup performance, “We’ve had an amazing run and did not expect to go further than the 3rd round. The fact that we’ve even made it as far as the 7th round – in the whole country – just shows that we’ve come a long way in the one-day front.”

The Crusaders now prepare for the BT20 tournament which begins in just 6 days.

Crusaders thrash Nigel

The Crusaders thrashed Nigel Cricket Club by 283 runs in a one-day match at the Nigel Cricket Ground on Friday night.

Captain for this match was Graeme Jeremy, and he batted first after winning the toss on a green top. The openers crafted their way at 6 an over for most of their 173 partnership, but that ended when Mokoena was caught in the deep off Brewitt for 82. Enter Jeremy and he joined Geoff Kenny in thrashing the bowling around in a swift partnership of 55. Kenny was caught and bowled brilliantly by David for 102, but the damage was still to come. 129 runs came off of the last 10 overs as Jeremy powered himself to an unbeaten 93 off just 70 balls, ably assisted by Ron Stearman’s 41. The Crusaders ended on 333/3 in 50 overs.

Nigel Cricket Club, clearly playing in the wrong division, were hammered by Greg Ransom who mopped up 5 wickets for just 5 runs. Spinner Ciaran Winder also bowled tightly for his 2/11, dismissing the home team for 50 in the 17th over.

Man of the match was Greg Ransom and he will feel delighted at his performance, knowing that he is not a 1st team regular.

Last ball victory sends Crusaders through

In a 6th round Cup match on the weekend, the Crusaders picked up a narrow victory by 2 wickets against the LTX Breakers at the T&N Smeda Stadium.

The visitors won the toss and chose to bat first on a slow wicket, conducive to the medium-pacers and spinners. There was not too much assistance for the fast bowlers of Blott and Ayres, as they struggled to get anything from the wicket. Ayres discovered early on that the key was to pitch it up and bowl straight, as he had opener McEverley trapped in front on the toe for just 5. The entire innings for LTX Breakers was an interesting one in that they were never able to get completely on top of the bowling, despite their final effort of 240/6 in 50 overs. Chris Kotzo was the best of the bowlers picking up 2/32.

Crusaders’ turn at bat began well with Prince and Simpson putting on 40 together, followed by 50 between Prince and Jeremy. The captain looked solid with his 67 which included two sixes. After Prince’s dismissal, it was up to Marc Weeks(52) and Ron Stearman(26) to steer the ship home and they were cruising along until Higgins came back for his second spell and picked up 4 quick wickets, leaving the home team with 25 to win in the last 4 overs with just 2 wickets remaining. Keeper Ahad and bowler Immelman were at the crease when the winning boundary was hit by Immelman off the final ball of the innings, sending the Crusaders into round 7 of the Cup.

Man of the match, Michael Prince, said of the victory, “In a pressure situation at the end, our lower order guys showed the BMT that we have come to expect from everyone in the team. Overall, though, it was a good effort by the boys and we’re looking strong for our next Cup tie”.

The Crusaders will play away against Polla in round 7 of the Cup.

Preview – Crusaders v Brits C.C.

In a one-day league match this week, the T&N Crusaders take on Brits Cricket Club at home. Another large victory is expected by the Crusaders and this will be an excellent opportunity for some good limited-overs match practice prior to their 6th round Cup match against the LTX Breakers this weekend.

In a change to last week’s team, John Simpson will open the batting and partner Michael Prince at the top of the order. Academy player William Downing will come in at first drop.

On the bowling front, Stephen Harding gets an opportunity to continue his good run of form this season in the limited-overs setting.

The team is: Prince(c), Simpson, Downing, Capp, Stearman, Mokoena, Ahad(wk), Harding, Fox, Immelman, Ayres. 12th: Kenny.