Strategic West Coast Blues ready to stake a claim in Boland T10

The West Coast Blues

THE West Coast Blues is our third featured team of six participating in the brand new and exciting Boland T10 tournament which gets underway on Sunday 1 September 2024.

The Blues looks like a strong unit on paper with the likes of Goldrush Boland spinners Imraan Manack and Shaun von Berg as well as rookie Blayde Capell all marquee players. Their fourth marquee player is Nathan Engelbrecht, a top order left-handed batsman who is also an accomplished wicketkeeper. The Blues also drafted a host of experienced club veterans including Tommy Kannemeyer, Horatio Cornelissen and Devon Smith who will all have vital roles to play.

The inclusion of youngsters such as Basil George, Johan Wege, Thandani Majebe and Ernwill Afrika, means the Blues have found a nice balance between young and experienced players. Manfred Mentoor, who played a pivotal role in the assembling of the squad, says they had a clear plan from the beginning.

He said: ‘’We had a clear strategy when we went into the draft evening. We wanted to get the best players first but also some players that hail from our region. We had about six possible picks for each round and played around with different scenarios and luckily, we got about five players which we set out to get from the outset. The excitement in the squad is palpable with all the players, including the pros, very excited to play with players that they may not have necessarily heard about before the tournament. So well done to Cricket Boland for initiating a tournament like this which is a great platform for previously unknown or little-known players to become household names.’’

The Blues will be coached by former Boland fast bowler Anwell Newman and captained by off spinner, Manack, who along with Von Berg will play crucial roles in the spin bowling department.

The Boland T10 commences this weekend when the Northern Raiders take on the Overberg Indwe on Sunday night whilst the West Coast Blues will take on the Wellington Wolves on Monday in their tournament opener.

WEST COAST BLUES: Shaun von Berg, Blayde Capell, Imraan Manack ©, Nathan Englebrecht, Tommy Kannemeyer, Johan Wege, Krisnan Oosthuizen, Horatio Cornelissen, Devon Smith, Thandani Majebe, Riaan Smit, Jacean Klaase, Ernwill Afrika, Basil George, JJ Lambrechts, Jevondre Jacobs, Charlton Villet.

Coach: Anwell Newman

Assistant coach: Shane Summers