KEVIN VAN DER LIST
The Tuks 1 cricket side made light work of Sinoville in their first game of the Knock Out Cup when they thumped the visitors by ten wickets at the TuksOval on 12 February.The Knock Out Cup consists of the top eight teams of last year’s Premier League, each vying for the top spot in a knock-out tournament. Tuks’s victory will see them progress to the semi-finals where a team and date must still be finalised.Sinoville managed a mere 60 runs in 38,5 overs. This total proved to be no challenge for Tuks as they finished off the game in the eighth over, scoring 63 without loss.Because of Northerns’ commitments, the Tuks 1 side was short of six players, but “Tuks blew [Sinoville] completely off the field,” said Tuks 1 coach Pierre de Bruyn. He added that the boys have been working hard and that they are mature and disciplined in what they do on the field.Opening bowler Leon Nel struck in the first over of the game and from then on Tuks managed to take regular wickets. Tuks’s brilliant bowling was coupled with outstanding fielding and a few risky shots from the Sinoville batsman who tried to relieve pressure, but which only resulted in Tuks wickets. Sinoville were unable to consolidate and were 12 for 5 in the eleventh over. Despite Sinoville’s lengthy 64-ball partnership which only yielded 15 runs, they still lost wickets. The visitors suffered another setback when one of their batters had to retire, hurt from a blow to the hand. Tuks’s leading bowler in the Premier League, Ernest Kemp, having taken 31 wickets in the league so far, had figures of 10-2-2-9. Tuks was intent on ending the game quickly when they started their innings. They smashed the ball all over the park and were soon 39-0 after five overs. The innings yielded nine boundaries to the one of Sinoville. Brothers Reghardt (28) and Anton Verster (35) scored their runs off 23 balls each. Sinoville coach Evert Laubscher put the loss down to their poor batting display and Tuks’s ability to restrict their style of play. Tuks will now look forward to the semi-final in the Knock Out Cup and five remaining Premier League matches.
Photo: provided