South Western Districts Cricket, on Monday, revealed the final squad for the 2024/25 season. The Garden Route Badgers had a disappointing 2023/24 season and on top of that there three top batsmen, Jean du Plessis, Blayde Capell and Jhedli van Briesies will join Division 1 team’s next season.
Du Plessis, who also captained the team will move to the Warriors in Gqeberha, Capell, who spent three seasons with the Oudtshoorn based team has been contracted by Boland whilst van Briesies, a product of the Hubs development program, will join the Titans in Pretoria. The experienced bowler, Marcello Piedt, will leave the Southern Cape after he was contracted by the Tuskers at Pietermaritzburg. The Tuskers has been relegated to division 2 after a single season in the top tier.
The Badgers has however contracted six newcomers for next season. The new acquisitions are the former SA U/19 captain and middle order batsman, George van Heerden from the Warriors, former SA U/19 wicketkeeper/batsman Luke Beaufort (from the Knights) and fast bowlers Hlompho Modimokoane (from the North West Dragons) Lifa Ntanzi (from the Dolphins). Opening batsman, Yaseen Valli, who played for the Badgers in the 2021/22 season will return to the Southern Cape after he was contracted by the Tuskers. Kyle Jacobs, who previously played for the Warriors and represented the Badgers in the latter half of the past season was rewarded with a professional contract. Good news is the top-order batsman, Ruan Terblanche, who was unavailable for most of the previous season due to ankle surgery will stay with the Badgers.
In his response, the head coach Gurshwin Rabie, said “We have contracted a well-balanced side, ensuring that we cover all our bases in terms of the different skill sets, for us to be able to compete for promotion during the upcoming season”. “We can all agree that we had a below average season based on the results during the past season and the upcoming season will give us an opportunity to rectify our mistakes and put the name of the Garden Route Badgers ‘up in lights”, he said. He concluded that the coaching staff have identified key areas for improvement and together with the group of newly contracted players, along with the players remaining in our squad, we will look to improve and give a proper account of ourselves and we would like to do so in every competition”.
“We have confidence with the squad assembled for the forthcoming season”, said SWD CEO Albertus Kennedy. “We trust to improve on key areas that required strengthening to reach our objectives,” Kennedy commented.
The contracted squad is:
SIX GUN GRILL SWD CONTRACTS FOR 2022/2023:
Luke Beaufort, Khwezi Gumede, Kyle Jacobs, Thomas Kaber, Hlompho Modimokoane, Pheko Moletsane, Lifa Ntanzi , Kelly Smuts, Ruan Terblanche, Yaseen Valli.
HIGH PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS
Jarred Jardine, Tyrece Karelse, Sintu Majiza, Liyabona Malife, Heath Richards and Keenan Vieira.
CAPTION: Hlompho Modimokoane
