Matt O’Shea

Age 28; L/H bat; L/A fast

Dirk Wright-Phillips

Age 22; R/H lower-order bat; R/A medium bowler

Dirk Wright-Phillips has found his niche in one-day cricket and his nagging line and length frustrate batsmen at the beginning of innings’. 

Season 2

Wright-Phillips played only one 2nd XI match during the second season and was subsequently released on a free transfer.

Season 1

Wright-Phillips did not play much during the first season, but he did manage to play 7 limited-overs matches for the 1st XI, owing mostly to his consistent line and length. He fell away towards the end of the season in a record-breaking feat of being hit for over a hundred runs in two consecutive matches. That unsought-after record ended his season and he did not play again in both 1st and 2nd team matches.  His best performance of the season was his 2/20 in a one-day league match against Candistripers.

 

Ciaran Winder

Age 23; L/H lower-order bat; L/A chinaman

Ciaran Winder is the 2nd choice spinner for the Crusaders and often features in one-day matches when Kotzo is resting.  His bowling is more suited to the one-day format.

Season 1

Ciaran Winder played a decent roll as backup spinner for Chris Kotzo, especially excelling in the one-day matches. His chinamen spinners provided great uncertainty for opposition batsmen, but unfortunately many plays and misses denied him great hauls of wickets. In fact, his best performance all season was 2/55 which did not show his true contribution in the bowling attack. When given the opportunity, Winder has shown some skill with the bat with some valuable contributions down the order towards the end of an innings. He played mostly for the 2nd XI in friendlies, although did manage to line up in 4 one-day matches and 2 T20 games.

Mark Weeks

Age 28; L/H middle-order bat; wicket-keeper

Mark Weeks is the number 5 in the 1st XI and has maintained that position throughout his time with the T&N Crusaders.  He is a consistent batsman and has all the shots needed to score freely around the wicket.  He is a back-up wicket-keeper.

Season 1

Marc Weeks had an interesting season in that he excelled fantastically in the first-class league, but had a mixed bag in the one-day format. Weeks played in every first-class match and settled at number 5 in the batting order. He scored 2 centuries and 4 fifties, averaging 90 in the first-class league. On his debut against Gunner619, Weeks scored an unbeaten 122. In addition to his 2 centuries, he also fell in the 90’s on 3 occasions. Weeks was dropped from the one-day side after a poor showing throughout the season, although he ended the one-day league on a high with a top score of 58.

Ron Stearman

Age 28; L/H middle-order bat

Ron Stearman is the one-day specialist of the side at number 4 and scores valuable runs at number 6 in FC cricket.  He is one of the more consistent batsmen that plays for the Crusaders and usually thrashes the bowling around in all forms of the game.

Season 1

Ron Stearman has been the unsung hero of the season, contributing in most innings’ that he has played in, usually down the order. He scored one century and 5 fifties in the first-class league, which took his average above 50. He consistently put together scores in the one-day team, picking up 5 fifties along the way, this despite a poor overall showing during the season by the team. He opened the batting in some T20 matches to get the scoring off to a flyer, but only succeeded once with a fast 41 off 25 balls in a losing cause against SA Hornets.

John Simpson

Age 21; R/H bat; R/H off-spin

When Crusaders bought John Simpson, he added much-needed stability to the middle order.  Simpson bats at number 4 in the FC format and opens in the shorter format.  The move up to opener in OD cricket was prompted by his inability to increase the run-scoring tempo towards the end of an innings.  Simpson is also the all-rounder in the team and offers an excellent alternative with his off-spinners and has already won some matches single-handedly with his flighted filth.

Season 1

John Simpson may consider his first season with the squad as one of disappointment. He began so well, showing much promise in all formats of the game, but subsided towards the end of the season. At one point he provided the stability in the middle order, particularly in the first-class team. His usefulness in the one-day line-up was evident as an opener, but when he returned to the middle-order, he struggled again, eventually being left out towards the end of the season. The experience he brought to the side, though, was invaluable and he will continue to be an integral part of the middle order. He opened the batting in the T20 and scored 2 fifties. In first-class cricket he scored 819 runs at an average of 58.5, which included a top score of 152. As the all-rounder of the team, his bowling skills were monumental in adding a balance to the bowling attack. He showed control and consistency in the one-day team, picking up a best of 4/12.

Glenn Rorke

Age 24; R/H middle-order bat; R/A fast-medium

Glenn Rorke is an all-rounder and regularly plays for the 2nd XI

Season 2

Rorke played only 2 matches for the 2nd XI this season and was captain in both.  Requesting to play more regularly, he was given a free transfer.

Season 1

Glenn Rorke played very little cricket this season, this mainly due to a large pool of bowlers to select from. He played in four 2nd team matches and was captain in one of them. He also played in the final 1st XI one-day match of the season, contributing very well with a season best of 1/43. Rorke showed much promise in training sessions and will look to move that potential onto the playing field.

Gregory Ransom

Age 26; L/H lower-order bat; L/A fast-medium

Greg Ransom, at one point a star bowler for the 1st XI, has struggled to maintain fitness to make him a driving force in the 1st XI.  Ransom is a consistent bowler for the 2nd XI and continues to work on his fitness.

Season 1

Greg Ransom will consider his first season a learning curve for him. He was a consistent figure in the earlier part of the season, featuring in the bowling attack, but his inconsistent fitness lost him his place in the starting XI. He was to be the all-rounder of the team, coming in at number 7 to make some contributions, but the success of John Simpson eliminated the need for his services as an all-rounder. He played in 5 first-class matches, picking up 12 wickets and a best of 3/14. He bowled well in the one-dayers, but an influx of new talent gave him limited opportunities to establish himself in the one-day team.

Jimmy Mokoena

Age 24; L/H opener;

Jimmy Mokoena is cautious batsman and is preferred in the 1st FC XI for the Crusaders.  He opens well and supports Prince in making a good start to an innings.  Mokoena’s form in FC cricket has been average and he will look to make bigger contributions at the top of the order.

Dan Mangweni

Age 22; R/H middle-order bat; R/H off-spin

Dan Mangweni is mostly a one-day specialist, although he is yet to make a score worthy of keeping a place in the one-day 1st XI.  He is a regular captain for the 2nd XI.

Season 1

Dan Mangweni spent most of the season as captain of the 2nd XI in friendlies.  He played 12 matches for the first one-day team but could not manage more than 10 runs in 7 innings for them.  His highest score for the season was 16, coming in a 2nd XI friendly match.  He was released on a free transfer at the end of the sesaon.