Tuks cricket team wins second consecutive world title
Shortly after the Assupol TuksCricket team successfully defended their world title as the winners of the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals for the second year in a row, the club had heard the bad news that their successful coach resigned to go overseas.
The Assupol TuksCricket, who played as Team South Africa, successfully defended their world title as the winners of the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals for the second year in a row when they beat England in the final in Dehradun, India on Saturday, 24 October 2015.
The team lost their first match against Sri Lanka on the first day of the tournament, but bounced back in an incredible way to become world champs once again.
After this shaky start they beat UAE and Pakistan in the group games to qualify for a spot in the semi-finals where they beat India to secure their spot in the final.
In the final, the Tuks team won the toss and elected to bowl first. They restricted England to 120/9 in their 20 overs. Vincent Moore was the best bowler for Tuks taking three wickets in four overs for 28 runs.
The men from Pretoria won the match by eight wickets to ensure that they kept their title as the number one university team in the world.
The Tuks batsmen understood their task and scored the winning runs in the seventeenth over. Aiden Markram top scored with 67 to become man of the match in the final. He was also awarded the title for best fielder of the tournament and Murray Coetzee was man of the series.
Unfortunately, this excellent achievement coincided with bad news for TuksCricket. Shortly after their return to South Africa, Pierre de Bruyn, Head of the Assupol TuksCricket programme and head coach of the team, announced his resignation from the University of Pretoria’s Cricket Club. He has accepted a position as second team Head Coach and elite skills coach for Leicestershire County Cricket Club in the UK, and takes up employment there in February 2016.
De Bruyn joined TuksSport as Head of Programme and Head Coach of the Assupol TuksCricket Club in February 2010. During his tenure, the Club achieved the following:
- won the NCU Premier League and NCU Knock Out Competition for five seasons
- won the NCU T20 Competition and the Momentum National Club Championships for three seasons
- won the USSA Cricket Tournament three times
- won the inaugural Varsity Cricket week in 2015
- was crowned world champions at the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals in 2014 (London, UK) and in 2015 (Dehradun, India)
- was awarded the NCU Club of Excellence award five times
- was awarded the TuksSport Club of the Year award four times
- was awarded the TuksSport Team of the Year award twice
- was awarded the Team of the Year award at the Gauteng Sports Awards twice
Under De Bruyn’s leadership, many TuksCricket players were able to chase their dreams and take their cricket careers to the next level. The hard work and dedication De Bruyn put in at Assupol TuksCricket earned him the TuksSport Coach of the Year award in 2013, 2014 and 2015. In October 2015, he was also named Coach of the Year at the Gauteng Sports Awards.
