Tiger Titans triumph in Knysna
CANDICE BRADFIELD
THE Tiger Titans U15 team beat two of the three schools they played against in their fourth tour to the Knysna Cricket Festival last weekend.
They won their match against Bridge House by 74 runs with Luxolo Siko scoring 26 runs and Jesse van Rensburg taking 5 wickets for 22 runs.
They beat Wynand Cricket Academy by 5 wickets with Joshua van Rensburg scoring 57 by the time he retired, Xolani Tokwe making 33 runs and Luyanda Lwalweni taking 1 wicket for 9 runs.
| TOGETHER AS A TEAM: The Tiger Titans U15 side won two of the three matches they played at the Knysna Cricket Festival last weekend and have also excelled in local matches of late Picture: CANDICE BRADFIELD |
The team left last Thursday in their new tracksuits for their much anticipated trip to Knysna. The team was accompanied by coaches Duzi Mkalipi and Gladman Xali.
Joshua van Rensburg and his brother Jesse, who are 14 and 13 respectively, joined the Tiger Titans in February this year and were very excited about the Knysna tour.
"It is nice to be part of a developing team,” said Joshua.
Before going on the trip Joshua had played five games for the first team and Jesse had played two each for both the U13 and U15 teams. The brothers recently moved to Ndlambe from Johannesburg where they had played for a variety of schools as a result of being homeschooled.
Titans founder Ross McCreath said the festival was a well run, exciting and competitive tournament where the team gets to mix with boys from all over the Western Cape in a spirit of good sportsmanship.
"The value of this tournament is that it is for all the boys a first chance to experience most things for the first time, including a road trip, staying together away from home for three nights in a hostel, eating out at restaurants together with their opponents, and generally working together as a team and cementing their love of cricket and the Tiger Titans,” he said.
He said it was always great to see the excitement when they leave and their happiness and pride when they return, having learnt so much on the trip.
"We are very proud of their wonderful team spirit and exemplary behaviour, both on and off the field, as well as the compliments the coaches Duzi and Gladman received from everyone. Well done Team Tiger Titans!”
The Tiger Titans 1st XI took on Station Hill 1st XI in a Grahamstown Cricket Board B League match in Bathurst last weekend, beating them by 5 wickets.
Station Hill won the toss and chose to bat first. According to McCreath they battled to create a solid partnership and after 20 overs were bowled out for 127 runs with great bowling from the Titans pace unit of Africa Draai, Zukisani Simanga, Mandla Siko and Bongani Ntukela, who all chipped in with wickets.
The Tiger Titans openers put on an opening stand of 74 with Masixole Mkrakra scoring 42 and Zukisani Simanga a quickfire 34. McCreath said that although 5 wickets fell the team always looked in control.
On September 29 the Titans 1st XI crushed the Early Birds by 357 runs in a home game in the Grahamstown league. On the same day the Titans U15A team took on the St Andrew's U15B team in Grahamstown and won by 6 wickets.
This weekend the 1st XI will take on the Rhodes Shrews in Grahamstown.
