Preview – Tranmere v T&N Crusaders

This week the Crusaders travel to Tranmere Cricket Ground in the Eastern Cape to take on Tranmere in their 3rd first-class fixture of the season.  After two thumping first-class defeats against the Crusaders, they will be looking to put points on the table and be competitive again. 

The Crusaders also come off a streak of 7 losses in a row, something which has caused some unrest in the Members’ corner.  Poor selections and unwise tactics has been the rallying cry of the Members as to the reason for the poor run of form.  For one, young William Downing’s selection has been criticized, never having really stepped up to the plate yet.  Downing has looked the best during practice sessions, but has been unable to transfer that form into the middle. 

With pressure from the Members, management has been forced to make some changes to this week’s team, after the first two matches had no team changes.  Steve Lothrop comes in for William Downing in the middle-order.  Lothrop’s inclusion is a surprise choice because Pete Moller has definitely shown more promise.  In an adjustment to the middle-order, veteran Marc McVeigh slots down to 6th in the batting order and John Simpson moves into the number 4 slot as he has shown solid form this season.

In the bowling department, Carlos Hibbert comes in for Tim Fox, to make his first-class debut.

Of the team, captain O’Shea said, “Two heavy losses is hard to swallow, so we had to make some changes.  This season we were hoping to be consistent in our selections so as to establish that winning formula after a fairly successful season last season, but we need to be realistic.  Carlos coming into the team has been something we had been speaking about for a few weeks, as he has shown a lot of promise in the one-day setup”.

The team is: Prince, O’Shea(c), Jeremy, Simpson, Lothrop, McVeigh, Ahad(wk), Hayward, Blott, Hibbert, Ayres.  12th: Branson.

Preview – Crusaders v NZSpringboks

This weekend the Crusaders are at home to the NZSpringboks from the Western Cape, in their 2nd round SA Cup match. The selectors have chosen to rest some of the regular players for this match, surprisingly, considering this is a knockout match.

Squad captain Michael Prince said, “We have enough talent in our squad to be able to share the load and so we have full confidence in the team that has been selected for this week’s SA Cup encounter”.

Part of those changes include Prince resting for this match, allowing his new vice-captain Matt O’Shea to take charge of his first match. O’Shea has joined the club with a wealth of leadership experience and knowledge, and it should only be a matter of time when he takes over the captaincy permanently. The left-hander will open the batting with the explosive Geoff Kenny, who gets another run at the top of the order.

Graeme Jeremy, Pete Moller and Ron Stearman retain their places in the middle-order, with William Downing coming in at number 6 in place of John Simpson. Chris Gossland will be behind the stumps and complete the middle-order at number 7.

The Crusaders have chosen to go with two spinners for this match, so Stephen Harding joins Chris Hayward in the spin-duo, and both of these teenagers have shown immense control during the opportunities they have had thus far. Blott and Ayres are resting so John Immelman and Carlos Hibbert will spearhead the attack with the new ball, allowing for O’Shea to pick up the 5th bowler role with his left-arm medium-pacers.

The teams is: O’Shea(c), Kenny, Jeremy, Moller, Stearman, Downing, Gossland(wk), Hayward, Harding, Hibbert, Immelman.

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.

 

Preview – T&N Crusaders v The Legends XI

This weekend the Crusaders host The Legends XI in their 5th round Cup match. The Legends XI, on a similar winning streak to the Crusaders, are expected to take victory and move into the next round of Cup matches as their experience and abilities outweigh that of the Crusaders quite substantially.

John Simpson seems to have settled nicely into the opener’s role, and therefore the pre-season expectation of Geoff Kenny and Graeme Jeremy opening in one-day matches has been obliterated, as Simpson joins captain Michael Prince at the top of the order.

Prince on the team, “No more messing around or tweaking with the squad. This is where experience is going to count the most as we’re up against a team that has excellent players. In light of that, we have picked our most experienced available team for this match.”

After listening to those comments from Prince, its hard to believe that Stuart Capp, down to come in at 4, is considered in the “experienced” bracket. Nonetheless he is playing well and deserves his place.

Chris Kotzo’s experience will be vital in this match, although the spinner is not optimistic, “We’re on a hiding to nothing, and I see this as an opportunity to feel a true pressure moment where we’re playing against a top-notch team. It will be fun and I hope that the fans will still come out.”

The team is: Prince(c), Simpson, Jeremy, Capp, Weeks, Stearman, Ahad(wk), Blott, Kotzo, Fox, Ayres. 12th: Immelman.

Preview – Balmoral CC v T&N Crusaders

The Crusaders travel to Balmoral Cricket Ground this weekend for their 2nd round Cup fixture against Balmoral Cricket Club. Having won their first round match easily, this should be another simple victory judging on the home team’s current poor form in their division.

Matric pupil William Downing makes his limited-overs debut in this match, hoping to transform his pre-season form into runs.

The team selected for the match is: Prince(c), Mokoena, Downing, Capp, Stearman, Simpson, Ahad(wk), Ransom, Branson, Winder, Immelman. 12th: Giles.

 

 

Preview – Crusaders v Douglasdale CC

On Friday, the T&N Crusaders take on Douglasdale Cricket Club at the T&N Smeda Stadium in the first one-day league match of the season in division 5. After a sorry performance last season in the one-day format, the Crusaders will look to improve in this discipline this season.

The is a semi-familiar one with Michael Prince at the helm, although batting at number 3 for this match. Graeme Jeremy and Geoff Kenny will open and look to continue their recent explosive form at the top of the order. Stuart Capp comes in for Marc Weeks so the latter can rest, and is joined in the middle-order by Ron Stearman. Rohana Ahad is behind the stumps for this match.

On the bowling front, Allan Blott is the only survivor from the week’s first-class match. Coaching staff feel a rest is warranted for the bowlers and so Winder, Branson and Immelman come in for Ayres, Fox and Kotzo.

Prince said about the upcoming fixture, “I don’t want to sound complacent, but we are expecting to walk this one and most of the matches this season. We were blown away last season in the one-day league and now look to experiment and build our one-day squad for next season.”

Manager, Neville Smeda offered, “While I agree that we should win the league comfortably, complacency is what will nip us in the butt if we’re not careful so we will prepare well for each match.”

The team: Jeremy, Kenny, Prince(c), Capp, Stearman, Simpson, Ahad(wk), Blott, Winder, Branson, Immelman. 12th: Giles.

 

Preview – Mighty Foxes v T&N Crusaders

This week in the first-class opener of the season, the Crusaders play against Mighty Foxes at the Spicy Wedges by McCain Stadium. The Mighty Foxes have a strong batting order and the Crusaders bowlers will need to be at peak performance if they are to bowl them out for a low total.

Some changes to this week’s team compared to last season’s regular team includes the debut of matric William Downing and the inclusion of Tim Fox in the starting eleven. Downing replaces Ron Stearman and Fox takes the place of John Branson in the bowling lineup.

There are also some shifts in the batting with John Simpson moving up to open with Michael Prince. This move places Marc Weeks in the role at number 4 to keep the batting together. Geoff Kenny has moved down to 6 where he may be better-suited in the longer format of the game.

The inclusion of William Downing over Ron Stearman has raised many eyebrows, none more so than Stearman himself, “Its disappointing. I had an excellent season in first-class last year, then to be dropped at the expense of an inexperienced teenager – that hurts.”

Prince commented on the decision to play Downing over Stearman, “With Marc Weeks moving up to 4 and Geoff still uncertain about his new role, we felt it important to add some stability in the middle order. Ron is an attacking player and looks to tear bowlers apart, but for this scenario we need someone who can consolidate. Downing has looked good in practice matches and we believe that he can fill the role. Besides, there’s no harm in taking a look and see what the guy is capable of.”

The final team is: Prince(c), Simpson, Jeremy, Weeks, Downing, Kenny, Gossland(wk), Blott, Kotzo, Fox, Ayres. 12th: Mokoena.

Preview – Crusaders v Mmabato CC

In this week’s first round Cup match at T&N Smeda Stadium, the Crusaders take on Mmabatho Cricket Club in what is anticipated to be an easy victory for the home team.

The team for the match was announced last night and it is undoubtedly a formidable mix of attacking batting and strong bowling. Geoff Kenny will enjoy his usual role at the top of the order, but will partner Graeme Jeremy and not his usual opening partner, Michael Prince. Both players showed some explosive form on tour and the hope is that they will blast the opposition attacks and get a fast start. Prince comes in at first drop, and his experience will be widely used in the upper middle order. Marc Weeks’ good limited-overs form of late has promoted him to 4 where he will hold the batting together. Ron Stearman continues at 5 and his knock on tour of 80 off just 33 balls has shown his worth as a one-day batsman in the latter overs. All-rounder John Simpson has moved down to number 6. His one-day batting form has been poor, although he has kept his place in the team thanks to his good death bowling.

Chris Gossland is the keeper, a surprise inclusion considering his miserable run of form last season. This season will be a make-or-break for Gossland as Rohana Ahad is pushing for a permanent place in the first team.

The bowling lineup is the strongest available with Allan Blott, Eddie Ayres, Tim Fox and Chris Kotzo providing the bulk. Tim Fox won the place of first-change bowler over John Branson, who himself has been also showing some consistent pre-season form. The youth of Fox is what cracked him the nod.

Stuart Capp, Rohana Ahad and John Branson can count themselves unlucky for losing out on places as they all played well in the pre-season tour of England. Capp in particular has shown maturity at a young age, moving into prime slot as backup batsman over Danny Giles.

From Prince, “We’re looking forward to our first match of the season and have selected our strongest available team in the hope that we can create some rhythm for the season. We all had opportunities on tour and now we look to build on what we learnt in England.”

New vice-captain, Graeme Jeremy remarked, “Its tough to pick a final eleven when you have fourteen or fifteen players sticking their hands up with good performances, but I think that just shows what depth we have in our squad.”

Regarding the focus for this season, Prince said, “Last season our aim was to promote in the first-class league. We were still trying to learn one-day strategies and therefore spent most of our season in the training mould in that format. This season we’ll be focusing on the one-day setup a lot more in the hope that come the next season, we will have a well-balanced outfit capable of playing in any form of the game.”

Regarding specialists, Prince added, “We have tried to move the specialist-type player out of the window and have every player be able to contribute in any format. That way we are consistent with our selections and the players can develop together in all of the setups. Examples are Tim Fox and Geoff Kenny. We classed them both as one-day specialists last season, but this season they will start for us in the one-day and first-class team – because they need to round their skills.”

The team: Kenny, Jeremy, Prince(c), Weeks, Stearman, Simpson, Gossland(wk), Blott, Kotzo, Fox, Ayres. 12th: Mokoena.

Preview – Taurus v Smeda XI

Following an exciting friendly between Taurus and Smeda XI on the weekend, the two teams negotiated to play a T20 match on Monday.  Due to both teams being out of the knockout competition, they have an opportunity to play some friendlies before the end of the season, this especially being helpful to Smeda XI who are preparing for their end-of-season tour to England.

Smeda XI have selected a team that resembles their top T20 XI. 

Prince on the friendlies, “We’re going to take the next few T20 friendlies to formulate some strategies that will be helpful in the shortest form of the game next season.  We have the players, we just need to step up the tempo.”

The team: Prince(c), Kenny, Jeremy, Stearman, Weeks, Simpson, Blott, Ahad(wk), Kotzo, Immelman, Fox. 12th: Mokoena.

Preview – Gunner619 v Smeda XI

In the final first-class match of the season for Smeda XI and in their last match under that team name, the top-positioned team take on the wooden-spooners at Gunner Cricket Ground. Smeda XI need only a draw in this match to clinch the league title, although a draw seems unlikely as they come up against a team who has been heavily beaten all season.

In the first match between these two teams, Smeda XI amassed 600/5 declared in their first innings, with centuries coming from Prince, Simpson and Weeks. Then Kotzo and Branson tore through the batsmen to ensure an innings victory.

Much of the same is expected in this match, especially considering that Smeda XI have just increased in strength all season long in the first-class format. The line-up has been consistently selected all season and even though there was temptation to tweak the side a little to give some of the other squad members experience in first-class cricket, the final decision was made to keep the tried and tested together.

This was evident as the potential team announced on Sunday is quite different from the team finalized on the eve of the match. Second XI stars Danny Giles, Stuart Capp, Rohana Ahad and Glenn Rorke were all named in the probable XI on the weekend, set to replace Jeremy, Simpson, Gossland and Branson, but the selectors decided that a winning formula should not be tampered with. The only change to this week’s team is Jimmy Mokoena coming in for Geoff Kenny. Kenny has not been able to transfer his excellent one-day skill to the longer format of the game and this has caused the selectors to retry Mokoena.

Mokoena had never failed as an opening batsman, but he was replaced because Kenny was showing such fine form in the one-day form. It has been suggested that Kenny’s attacking batting may be more useful down the order in the first-class team, but Ron Stearman currently holds that attacking option at number 6.

Branson is retained for this match despite a poor showing last week, although a plus on his side is that Immelman, the only true competitor for that 3rd bowling spot, has had numerous chances this season. Rorke was set to replace Branson for this match so as to give the young bowler experience.

Prince on the team selection, “After we won last week and going into the final match so far ahead, the idea was always to give the other boys a chance to play. But as we sat down with the selectors and coaching staff on Monday afternoon, we decided that we should give those players who have brought us where we are today first choice to play. They all want to play so we had to make some changes before finalizing the team.”

The team: Prince(c), Mokoena, Jeremy, Simpson, Weeks, Stearman, Gossland(wk), Blott, Kotzo, Branson, Ayres. 12th: Immelman.