THE u/19 cricketers of the Grey High School in Gqeberha face the biggest challenge of their careers.
They will represent the province in the North-South Tournament which starts tomorrow in Pretoria.
Pool matches in the T20 format will take place on the first two days, followed by the play-offs and finals on Saturday and Sunday.
The tournament has grown in stature since it started in 2018. It has become bigger and better and is a really special fixture on the national school cricket calendar.
The 16 teams will play in four different groups before advancing to the play-offs.
Grey is in a tremendously tough group, Pool D, and it will take a huge effort to beat very strong opposition.
The Grey boys have the talent and ability to make an impact as a team and as individuals. The names of players who perform at this competitive tournament will definitely go into the notebooks of influential people in South African schools’ cricket.
The Gqeberha side has produced plenty of fine performances this season leading up to the tournament.
They beat Selborne College by five wickets when Teun Kloppenberg and Tristan Grundling batted beautifully.
Likhona Gcora and Nathan Howell impressed with the ball in that match.
There was a nail-biter against Graeme College when Grey won by one wicket. Xander Elkington was the hero in this one when he took 4/20 with the ball.
Grey lost in the first innings against Rondebosch but beat Pinelands and Dale College very easily. Joel Maree caught the eye with an unbeaten innings of 86 runs against Dale.
This past weekend the players were involved in the annual Cricket Bash at the Pollock Oval of Grey High.
The Bash saw 72 Grey players ranging from u/14 to the first team, compete in some thrilling T20 matches.
This was excellent preparation for the u/19s as the matches were played in the same format as the Pretoria tournament.
Menlopark, Paarl Boys’ High and St Andrew’s College from Bloemfontein are the teams with Grey in Pool D.
Grey will start their campaign against St Andrews on the Sinoville field. The match starts at 13:30.
The players from Paarl Boys’ High compete in the tough Western Cape league and must be regarded as serious contenders to go all the way in the tournament.
They tackle Grey on Friday morning from 09:00 on the CBCOB field. In the afternoon, at the same venue, Grey will play against the Pretoria side Menlopark, starting at 14:00.
Menlopark will have home ground advantage and can approach the tournament with a lot of confidence after being the runners-up last year.
They also have one of the most dangerous batsmen in the tournament, Steve Stolk, in their lineup.
The national u/19-opener is a potential match winner with his impressive stroke play. The Grey bowlers are in for a huge test of their skills and temperament when they face the Menlopark star.
