Assupol TuksCricket’s Senior Club
According to Assupol TuksCricket’s website, anyone is free to join the senior and junior clubs at any time of the year. To join the senior club, a payment fee of R770 is required and is payable at the reception of the Sports Centre. Seniors practice every Wednesday and Thursday of the season at the Assupol Tuks Oval in preparation for matches to be played every weekend.
There are various squads dependent on player capability and talent: Elite Squad (Tuks 1 and 2), Emerging Squad (Tuks 3 and 4), and the Intermediate Squad (Tuks 5 and 6). Notable former players include prolific South African player AB de Villiers and national rising star Lungi Ngidi.
Assupol TuksCricket’s Junior Club
The membership fee for junior cricket players (u9-u15) is R1650 for the whole season. Practice takes place every Friday of the season at Assupol TuksCricket’s Groenkloof Oval nets at UP’s Groenkloof campus. Assupol TuksCricket’s Junior Club webpage says the aim of the club is to “develop the potential and abilities of all players enrolled in the programme with the focus being on providing game time experience”.
Acceleration Programme
This programme is designed to suit the needs of the cricket player. Assupol TuksCricket’s website adds that this enables the player to “take their cricket to the next level with the help of an intensive cricket programme”. The player has the liberty to create their own package around their own personal schedule.
TuksWomensCricket
This women’s cricket club has enjoyed con siderable success on the field. TuksWomen’s Cricket says that since the 1996/1997 season, the team has snatched the Northerns women’s premier league ten times. The club has had seven international cricket players which includes current Proteas Women’s cricket players Mignon du Preez and Sune Luus.
Participation
UP’s cricket club plays both locally and internationally. In 2017, the club represented South Africa at the Universities World Cup in Sri Lanka for a third year in a row. The team finished at the top of their log in the group stages but lost in the semi-final to Sri Lanka.
Assupol TuksCricket are strong contenders at the annual Varsity Cricket competition. In 2017’s competition, the team lost to North-West University in the final. UP’s cricket team will start their first match in the 2018 competition on the opening day of 29 January, against CUT at Senwes Park in Potchesfstroom.
Assupol TuksCricket also sends teams to participate in the Northern Cricket Union (NCU) leagues. This includes the Premier League and Reserve League. In 2017, the club and the NCU made history when Assupol Tuks 2 finished second in the Premier League – after Assupol Tuks 1 who were crowned champions for the seventh year running.
In the University Sport South Africa (USSA) games, Assupol TuksCricket are also strong contenders, and won the 2017 tournament.
Illustration: Sally Hartzenberg
