The defending champions, Union Stars, were on the winning side for the sixth out of seven finals in the Sedgars SWD Premier League competition and in the process retained their title as champions in the SWD.
At the back row are: Chris Andries (Team Manager), Geoffrey Pêrel, Brendon Louw, Enver Venter, Marcello Piedt, Nelson Setimani, Gurshwin Rabie, Merlin Masimela, Jacques Campher, Sammy-Joe Avontuur and Goliath Ewerts (Team Official) Front row: Pieter Stuurman, Leroi Bredenkamp (captain), Justin Jordaan and Mario Jansen
Union Stars, who fielded no less than nine players with provincial first-class experience, took the honours with a five-wicket victory in a one-sided final against NMMU George.
Union Stars, who won the toss, restricted NMMU to 99 all out (34.5 overs) after the batting side were rattling at 12/4. Wiaan Oosthuizen (31) and Timo Smuts (24) batted really well for the George students and contributed to the best partnership of the day – 44 runs for the 5th wicket. The Union Stars bowling attack of Marcello Piedt (2/29 in 10 overs), Nelson Setimani (3/27 in 7 overs), Mario Jansen (2/27 in 10 overs) and Justin Jordaan (2/1 in 0.5 overs) all recorded impressive bowling figures.
Union Stars, by their own admission, demonstrated a poor application in charging down a modest total and reached the winning target (100/5) after 26 overs. Geoffrey Pêrel (28) made a good contribution whilst Wiaan Oosthuizen (3/27 in 7 overs) continued his form as the top wicket taker in the 2015/16 edition of the SWD Premier league. Gary Wagner also contributed with figures of 2/11.
Union Stars will now carry the SWD flag during the Cricket South Africa Momentum National Club Championships that will be hosted in Pretoria between 22-26 April 2016. They will be very keen to improve on previous performances.
The summarised scorecard:
SWD Premier Leauge Final: Union Stars vs NMMU George
NMMU 99 all out (Wiaan Oosthuizen 31, Timo Smuts 24, Marcello Piedt 2/29, Nelson Setimani 3/27, Mario Jansen 2/27, Justin Jordaan 2/1)
UNION STARS 100/5 (Geoffrey Pêrel 28, Wiaan Oosthuizen 3/25, Gary Wagner 2/11)
Union Stars won by 5 wickets
