Experience key for Kings in Boland T10

The Stellenbosch Kings

The Stellenbosch Kings, who boasts a strong blend of experience and youthful exuberance, will be one of the six newly formed teams that will compete in the inaugural Boland T10 tournament.

This groundbreaking tournament will be the first of its kind in the Boland club structure and is already much talked about. The Kings will be looking to stake a strong claim for the title after managing to assemble what seems to be a very competitive squad.

Proteas test opener, Pieter Malan, will anchor the batting and although the Kings are yet to announce their captain, Malan’s mere presence in the squad will bolster both their leadership- and batting departments. Allrounder, Aya Gqamane, the Kings’ second marquee player along with Malan, will give the men from the Eikestad a further boost. Gqamane skillful death bowling expertise is well known around the country whilst his fielding, both in the inner ring and on the boundary, is world class.

Former SA under 19 batsman, Ethan Cunningham was one of the Kings’ pre-selected players whilst Boland Colts batsman, Josh Brown, will be another key member of their batting line-up. Seam bowler Peter Cyster and off spinner Rayyaan Rhode will be looking to keep the run-rate intact and take wickets in order to create scoreboard pressure.

Coach Noor Rhode, himself a very experienced mentor, showed his hand by selecting club veterans like Timothy Cornelissen, Morne de Vries and Lindley Hendricks during the draft process. An indication that they feel experience is what’s needed in this, the newest and shortest format of the game.

Says Rhode: ‘’We have mixed feelings of excitement, nerves, and focus. We are looking forward to the thrill of competition, adrenaline that a tournament of such a nature can offer. We are happy with the players that we managed to draft and believe that our team will be a force to be reckoned with. Our squad has a good balance of skill and experience. We are looking forward to giving a good account of our skills and abilities.’’

The Kings will get their tournament underway with a Cape Winelands Derby against the Paarl Rocks on Monday, 2 September 2024 at Boland Park at 20h00.

Squad: Pieter Malan, Aya Gqamane, ⁠Ethan Cunningham, Riyaad Henry, Peter Cyster, Divan Swanepoel, Josh Brown, Peter Minnis, Laurens Smit, Rayyaan Rhode, Lindley Hendricks, Dylan Ross-Watt, Timothy Cornelissen, Morne de Vries, Ruben de Bruin, ⁠Andre Hanekom, Curt Oliver
Coach: Noor Rhode
Assistant coach: Donovan Hendricks