With four senior men’s teams, two women’s teams and up to 120 juniors, Somerset West Cricket Club (SWCC) is certain the youth will take maximum advantage of the opportunities and exposure the club has to offer.
With about a month before the start of the 2022-’23 club cricket season, SWCC’s home base at Radloff Park is already abuzz with activity daily.
The men’s teams practise Tuesdays and Thursdays, the women’s teams on Mondays and Wednesdays, and juniors on Fridays and Saturdays, and some schools also use the grounds on weekdays.
“Our core focus is definitely to develop juniors through participation. We want them to have fun in a healthy and competitive environment,” said first team captain and deputy chairperson Larry Morkel.
The club offers mini cricket for juniors aged five to eight years old, and age group cricket for those under-9 to under-14 players.
“There’s lots of opportunities for the juniors and we try to get the best out of them to grow,” he pointed out. “
This is an all inclusive club where we welcome new players, juniors, seniors and women, and we have the resources, training nets, clubhouse and all facilities and experience to ensure the best environment for cricketers and their supporters.”
Level 3 coach James Albanie is also the coordinator for juniors, and other coaches include level 2 coach Dylan Lucas and level 1 coaches Matthew Dickenson, Jan Rademan and Wiehann Meyer.
The SWCC senior men’s first team gained promotion at the end of last season, returning to the 1B League this year.
Asked what his expectations were for the season, Morkel said the ultimate glory will be to win the league.
“Realistically, we want to cement ourselves as a competitive team in this league and build on what we achieved last season. The core team remains together and the guys are ready,” Morkel explained. “We have several friendlies lined up this month with games against Hermanus, Green Point and Stellenbosch cricket clubs to prepare us for the season,” he said.
SWCC will be sponsored by Chill Beverages for the season – under the banner of Score Energy Drinks for the senior teams and Bashews cold drinks for the juniors.
They have also secured participation in the CPL 11 – The Cape Town Premier League – thanks to sponsors Asquare Forklifts.
Club captain Alexa Jooste said the two women’s teams have a motto this season: “When we team up, we are incredibly powerful. As long as everyone leaves the field richer and more in love with the sport we adore, the rest will fall into place!”
The women’s first team have retained Faye Tunnicliffe as their captain and also boast six Western Province youth players in the squad.
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For more information on the senior men’s teams, contact Jamie Ferreira on 072 841 0922 and for more on the women’s teams and juniors, contact Alexa Jooste on 061 652 4596.
