THE Hollywoodbets.net Crusaders may have only won one of their five games at the Momentum National Club Championships in Pretoria recently, but the competition served as a vital learning curve for the Durban North team. Having claimed the KwaZulu-Natal Castle Premier League crown for the seventh time in eight years, the Good Guys captain, Michael Alexander, said the champs was an opportunity for the young team to play the best teams in the country.

“Though we only one of five games I think it was an eye-opener for the team which was young and inexperienced. We obviously wanted to start the tournament well but it was not to be; but I thought we played for the badge and we were positive even in situations where we on the backfoot. The team was never despondent, we always tried to our best.

“I think one of the reasons we were successful last year was that we still have a very traditional, old-school club cricket environment and our guys are very close. We did have a few injuries leading up to the tournament. We lost the services of Jesse Smit but these champs served as a learning curve,” said Miller.

Alexander said after a long season, the team would now focus on rebuilding.