ST ANDREW’S SCHOOL
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Saint Andrew’s T20 finals For the first time since 2013, Saint Andrew’s will represent the Knights’ region at the National Finals of the Coca-Cola Schools T20 Challenge in Stellenbosch from 24 to 26 March. Coach Gregg Hobson believes this year’s team is a more complete side than the one of four years ago, which defeated the eventual champions, Rondebosch. “In the last team we took to the finals, we relied quite heavily on our bowling, particularly our spinners, as seems to be the norm at Saints. We didn’t have a quick bowler like Gerald Coetzee and our batting wasn’t as strong as it is this year. “We relied heavily on two or three batsmen, some of them were young, so we found ourselves having to defend low scores. This season if we play well we are more capable of getting big scores because we have depth in batting, more guys that can hit the ball.” Saints qualified for the National Finals at a canter, dispatching Goudveld, who had seen off Grey College, by 121 runs in the Free State final, and then crushing Noord Kaap by 146 runs in the Knights’ final behind 115 from Garnett Tarr and 5 for 6 from
Gerald Coetzee. Against Noord-Kaap, it was the first time this season that Coetzee had bowled at full speed and it made a huge impression as the SA Colts’ fast bowler bowled four of his five victims. “Since his injury [at the end of 2016], he has maybe been a little bit hesitant to really bowl at full pace, but in the final against Noord Kaap he did bowl at full pace, which should be good for his confidence,” Hobson said. Having Coetzee, who has been measured at over 140 km/h, at full pace makes a big difference to the Saints’ team, he added: “It’s massive. It just creates so much intensity, because when he bowls like that he invariably gets one or two wickets as well, which means the whole intensity and vibe in the field is completely different. The other thing is the opposition batsmen are sometimes intimidated.” Spin, though, will be key in Stellenbosch, Hobson said, and the team’s experience from the Saint John’s College Rams T20 Festival in Harare, where spin also was key, should help his side.
Getting off to good starts played a huge role in Saints’ success in the recent provincial and regional finals and that, too, will go a long way towards determining the team’s results. Hobson said: “That’s why the start is so important, so that all the guys coming in later on can play with freedom. If we do get into trouble, we have guys who can get us out of trouble. We have guys who can bat all the way down. Even number nine and 10 are boundary hitters, which is nice to have.” The completion of the Lindsay Tuckett High Performance Centre, called the best schoolboy cricket centre in the world by Pitchvision, has played a big role in helping his players prepare for their trip to Stellenbosch, he continued. Making a winning start at the National Finals is important and Hobson is confident he has a complete team which, if it plays to its potential, could challenge for the national title. Saint Andrew’s have been drawn in a pool with Titans’ champions, Centurion, Dolphins’ winners, Glenwood, and southern focus school, Hudson Park.
The Saint Andrew’s 1st XI put in plenty of time in the school’s Lindsay Tuckett High Performance Centre in preparation for the National Finals of the Coca-Cola Schools T20 Challenge in Stellenbosch. The centre has been called “the best schoolboy indoor centre in the world” by Pitchvision, the worldwide leaders in cricket technology. AWSUM NEWS MARCH 2017
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