Four teams say no to games against Seshego Cricket Club
PanSolutions Eagles and Nashua Aces made the decision following the disruption of the Capricorn T20 final, played at the Polokwane Cricket Club on Sunday, 13 October and Phoenix and Potties Old Boys Cricket Club followed suit.
POLOKWANE – Four cricket clubs in the Limpopo Premier League will begin the upcoming season with one fewer fixture after taking a decision not to play Seshego Cricket Club.
PanSolutions Eagles and Nashua Aces made the decision following the disruption of the Capricorn T20 final, played at the Polokwane Cricket Club on Sunday, 13 October and Phoenix and Potties Old Boys Cricket Club followed suit. This, after members of the Seshego Cricket Club protested by sitting on the pitch of the B Field claiming unfairness from Limpopo Impala Cricket (LIC).
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According to Seshego’s Chairman, Tshepo Semenya, the protest stems from a game that was forfeited on 22 September between Seshego and Eagles due to an unprepared cricket field. In a captain’s report, in Review’s possession, Eagle’s stated that the field was unprepared and that Seshego only had seven players and ‘the field was not prepared as it should be and the game was then forfeited by Seshego’.
There were also no stumps available and it is the home club’s responsibility to make sure there is equipment available. In response, Semenya says Seshego is not responsible for the field being prepared or not, but that the union is responsible for booking fields for development clubs.
Semenya says the game should have been replayed and wanted it to be played on Sunday, with the winner then advancing to the final. On Monday, 14 October, Eagles released a statement saying the club would never play against Seshego in the premier, promotional and Capricorn District league.
Club Chairperson, Dewald Wetterman says Seshego’s behaviour was “disrespectful” and “disgraceful”, adding that if the club is not banned from all leagues, they would gladly send full points for every game which they are fixtured to play and urged other clubs to do the same.
“We feel embarrassed that our spectators and club members had to see the immaturity by senior members of Seshego. Their players know better,” he said.
Eagles and Aces ended up playing a friendly with both clubs agreeing that no Capricorn winner would take part in the T20 finals on 20 October.
In response, Seshego Cricket Club issued a statement saying the stance the club has sought to take is as a result of mismanagement and continued bias against the club from LIC and not against any club.
“It is with great sadness that it had to take such magnitude for our cries to be heard. There have been and continues to be many an occasion when Seshego Cricket Club may have been in the wrong. This is not one of those occasions. We are steadfast in our conviction to be heard and if it means that teams will choose to not play against Seshego, we will gladly collect the points and trophies knowing that our moral fibre has not been tainted,” their statement read.
Review spoke to LIC’s CEO Tommy Phiri who said an investigation into the reasons that might have influenced these particular concerns is ongoing.
Asked whether LIC was worried that the season was marred by some of the biggest clubs in the province not playing against each other, Phiri said they would not be worried until all facts had been exhausted through discussion with all relevant members of the affected clubs.
