Passionate cricket followers from Pietermaritzburg and KwaZulu-Natal should brace themselves for a bumper cricket season.
The exciting atmosphere has been experienced ever since local outfit AET Tuskers was promoted to the elite Division 1 league.
A lot is expected from the local glamour boys as far as the matches, ticket sales, marketing and community involvement are concerned. If all these elements fall into place before the official start of the season, the City of Choice can look forward to a feast of top cricket.
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Recently, the KwaZulu-Natal Inland Cricket Union celebrated a successful year at its second annual general meeting.
Having started operating on its own for the first time, the union can be proud of its achievements, with KZN Inland obtaining affiliate status and the AET Tuskers being promoted to Division 1 at the first attempt.
President of KZN Inland Cricket Union
The president of KZN Inland Cricket Union, Shaun van der Byl expressed his delight at the achievements of the union in its first year.
As a new organisation we were learning all the time, but we exceeded our expectations in our first year. The highlight must be the performance of the AET Tuskers in gaining promotion … The stadium [Oval] will be undergoing some changes with the installation of stadium seats, a new scoreboard, and general upgrades. I must thank the CEO and his team for a wonderful year and reflecting a profit in our first financial year.
CEO of the union, Jason Sathiaseelan said, “I am extremely happy with the success of KZN Inland in my first year as CEO. The financial position of the union reflects a sizeable profit whilst the AET Tuskers, under the guidance of head coach Grant Morgan, has gained promotion to Division 1.
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“Our stadium is 135 years old, and we are focusing on upgrading the stadium now that we are operating on our own. The process has commenced, and we want to have a stadium that people will be proud of. We are looking forward to welcoming the best teams and players to the AET Pietermaritzburg Oval.
The contribution from our partners has ensured this success. AET Security have contributed immensely as team and stadium naming rights partner whilst Iconis, Kaneez Catering and GNA Wealth Management joined the Tuskers family as associate sponsors.
“All our partners have made significant contributions in different areas of our business and we are indeed grateful for their support.”
The AET Pietermaritzburg Oval will welcome back international cricket with the women’s one-day international between South Africa and New Zealand on September 28, while the AET Tuskers will open their Division 1 campaign against the DP World Lions on September 20, in a one-day match.