In October 2013 over 11　000 cricketers from over 650 schools started on their journey to represent their respective franchise in the national finals of the Coca-Cola T20 Schools Challenge.　

The gruelling qualifiers are now over and Grey College (Knights), St Stithians College (Lions), Waterkloof Hoërskool (Titans), Kingwood College (Warriors), Wynberg Boys’ High (Cobras) and Westville High School (Dolphins) will lock horns at the Tuks High Performance Centre, Pretoria, from the 3^rd to the 5^th October.

The tournament is fairly new, but it is already playing its part in Cricket South Africa’s talent identification pipeline. Quinton de Kock is the first Protea player to have played in the national finals – for King Edward II School and the Lions in 2010 and 2011 – and a number of players have gone on from here to play for the South African Schools and Coca-Cola under-19 teams. They include the star of the 2014 ICC under-19 World Cup, Kagiso Rabada, who represented St Stithians College and the Lions in 2013.

The Coca-Cola T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes,” explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa Marketing Assets Manager. “This grassroots tournament is where heroes are unearthed by giving them the opportunity to showcase their talent against top T20 schools from around the country”.

Waterkloof Hoërskool beat EG Jansen in a reduced overs match to reach the national finals for the second year in succession.　　 Waterkloof managed 106 runs in 10 overs and bowled EG Jansen out for 37 runs.

Waterkloof

’s strategy is to play aggressive attacking and positive cricket. They were beaten by Rondebosch Boys’ High in the final last year.