Patchy season for Brakpan’s United
United Cricket Club’s Eastern Premier League One XI’s 2017/2018 season came to an abrupt end on April 7 at Willowmoore Park in Benoni.
The team, who finished fourth after the league stage of the competition, was gifted an opportunity to turn an average season into a spectacular one after the powers that be at the Eastern Cricket Union pushed them into the play-off semi-finals against league runners-up Benoni Northerns Cricket Club.
Third-best Alberton Cricket Club was barred from playing in the play-off semi-final after not meeting the required Cricket South Africa (CSA) transformation targets in league matches.
Could the Brakpan-based team upset the applecart and book a spot in the play-off final against number one side Kempton Park?
Unfortunately for skipper Justin Gamble and head coach Henk van der Kruit, there was not much to write home about from their second chance semi-final clash.
Gamble won the morning coin toss and asked his opposite number Kurt Francis to bat first.
It proved to be the wrong move as Northerns smashed their way to a score of 279/5 in their 50-over batting innings.
Also read: United will play in Saturday’s semi-final
Opening bowler Rynard de Lange had the fielding team excited from the very first delivery when he bowled former United man and Benoni Northerns opening batsman Vaughn Humphrey, but that was where the excitement would be nullified.
The other Northerns opener Ernest Kemm and another former United player Rian van der Merwe got together at the wicket and established a 178-run partnership that set the tone for the rest of the innings.
That partnership alone was more than Gamble’s men could muster with the willow in their reply.
United’s best bowling figures came from de Lange, expensive with figures of 2/63 in nine overs.
Also read: Alberton defeat means slim play-off chance for United
An excellent knock from number three batsman Eden Links (52 runs from 78 balls) gave United slim hope, but a lack of runs from the teammates around him saw the side all out in 37.4 overs, a five-wicket win for Northerns and the end of the road for United.
“It was the same story with the bat, unfortunately,” said Gamble.
“No partnerships and successive wickets meant we were never really in the chase.
“In the field we let a few early chances go down.
“Ernie and Rian really made us pay for that in the end.
“Overall it was quite an up and down season for us.
“We were very good in patches, very bad in patches and quite average in others.”
Asked what he would like to see from the Premier XI next season, Gamble said: “I would like us to be more clinical and consistent going forward to beat the top clubs more often.
“We tend to be too conservative in the bigger games.
“Hopefully we can keep our squad together and build from there.”
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