UP finished their pool unbeaten as they trampled over UJ by 22 runs, Burma Lads by 69 runs, Old Selbornians by nine wickets, Kempton Park by 77 runs, and NMMU by two runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method after the match was delayed by lightning.

UP then faced a similar unbeaten NWU in the final at the Tshwane University of Technology Oval on 27 April. UP won the toss and elected to bat first but got off to a rough start as opener and captain Murray Coetzee went out for zero in the first over. Sean Phillips and Tony de Zorzi got UP back on track as they made 87 and 74 respectively, forming a 148-run partnership. However, when Phillips went out in the 31st over and De Zorzi in the 38th, UP struggled to keep the run rate up, with only Heinrich Klaasen and Evan Jones making it into double figures. UP were all out for 209 in the 45th over.

UP had a strong bowling start when Lungi Ngidi bowled NWU opener Janneman Malan for five runs in the second over. Richardt Frenz and Wihan Lubbe kept the run rate high for NWU, and Frenz made 87 while Lubbe was bowled by Corbin Bosch for 45. With Lubbe out in the 20th over it seemed as though UP were back on track, but a 59 from Andre Malan, which included 3 fours and 1 six, steered them to victory by eight wickets.

When asked about the impact of the tournament on the team, Coetzee said, “It’s obviously very disappointing to make it all the way to the final and then lose. [However,] I think we can still take a lot of positives out of the week and after we get back from our break in the off-season, we’ll be working hard to win the Red Bull Championships in Sri Lanka.”

The team will have a break as the off-season approaches and will then play in the Red Bull Campus Cricket Finals to be held in Sri Lanka from 1 September.

 

Image: Provided

 

Website | view posts