MARK WARD
Rondebosch clinched the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) Premier League title in their final fixture of the season.
This achievement is a sweet victory for player coach Sean Hendrieck who can forget his 2019/2020 disappointment and finally lift the title after beating Green Point with a bonus point three-wicket win at the Green Point Track on Saturday.
Hendrieck, who has been coaching at the club for the past seven seasons, is ecstatic about his young guns’ achievement and attributes their success to the fighting spirit of both young and experienced players in the camp.
“It’s somewhat surreal that we are champions because this season has been a bit of a shaky campaign in comparison to last season when I thought we should have won the title.
“During the 2019/2020 season we were 14 points ahead and heading towards winning the title but a boardroom issue popped-up which denied us the title. But for now, barring any boardroom decisions, we are the champions, and we will celebrate this achievement with passion. Needless to say, it’s been a challenging, hard season.
“If you had to ask me at the beginning of the season if we would win the league, I would have told you no. But as the season progressed we became more consistent and that is what pulled us through,” said Hendrieck as champagne corks popped around him.
As matters stand, Rondebosch are in an unassailable position on the log with 77 points from 22 games; Western Province Cricket Club are in second place on 68 points and Durbanville on 67 points. Both Durbanville and WP will play their last fixtures on Saturday.
Needing a bonus-point win to secure the title on Saturday, Rondebosch’s determination was evident from the outset.
They skittled Green Point out for 162 in just 36.2 overs, with Morne Pentz (3/36) and Cameron Fraser (3/30) taking the lion’s share of the wickets. All-rounder Andre Odendaal also showed off his prowess by taking 2/19 in eight overs.
Needing to reach the winning target within 40 overs to gain the bonus point, Rondebosch’s run chase got off to a shaky start when Hendrieck (5) lost his wicket with the score on just 8. Jordan Neil (26), Hendrieck’s opening partner and John Cronje (7), however, steadied matters with a partnership of 40 for the second wicket.
But it was only when captain Lennert van Wyk (29*) and Schaughn van Greunen (48) came together to set up victory with a six-wicket partnership of 75 runs that the title beckoned.
Meanwhile, the axe has fallen on Rylands and Primrose after they ended in 11th and 12th spots respectively. They will now be relegated to the Western Province First Division.
