KZN Academy fall just short in Gauteng quadrangular:
The KwaZulu-Natal Academy fell short at the final hurdle of an exciting quadrangular tournament against their Northerns, Easterns and Gauteng counter-parts in Pretoria recently.
Having finished the group stage of the tournament as the top ranked side, the KZN boys went into the final against Northerns hoping to finish off the tournament in style. Unfortunately for the men from the coast they couldn’t continue their good form and lost to the hosts.
“The guys fought hard and played some good cricket and I think the tournament is great prep for the Academy week that is coming up next year,” KZN Academy head coach Mduduzi Mbatha said. “Brad Porteous got a hundred and a fifty during the week and Yves Kamanzi was one of the top bowlers at the week so we had some stand out players.”
The Academy side returns to their Kingsmead base now where they join the rest of KZN’s top amateur cricketers in the build up to the much anticipated Aucor Dolphins Premier League. This competition is going to be important for the youngsters who are hoping to push for higher honours.
“I think it is going to be vital for the guys to prepare well for the DPL because it could prove to be a great stepping stone for them to push for a spot in the KZN Coastal’s team.
“It is going to be a good tournament for the guys as there is a strong mix of amateurs and professionals across all of the teams. This will provide the academy boys with a good test and provide them with much-needed experience,” Mbatha added.
The Academy side is also going to be helping out with the preparation of sides for the upcoming Africa T20 Cup.
“We are going to be playing against Western Province in a warm up game before they go up to Pietermaritzburg for the Africa Cup.
“It has been a busy period for the guys and we are happy with how they are coming along, we want to see the guys pushing for spots in the Coastals team on a regular basis,” Mbatha commented after his first year at the helm of the Academy.
Mbatha and the powers that be at KZN Cricket are currently in the process of selecting the new intake for 2019 ahead of their Academy Week that will take place in March.
The post KZN Academy fall just short in Gauteng quadrangular appeared first on Hollywoodbets Dolphins.
Fill in the form below to have your blog featured on MyDurban – we will post a snippet and title link to your new blog posts.
Submit and get free press releases here: MyPR Free Press Release | Meet the Durban Bloggers.
