After a croquet game between the captains of all the teams partaking, Team South Africa were put in to group 2 with the West Indies, Bangladesh, and the hosts, the UK. During the group stages South Africa convincingly won all three their matches to end at the top of their group.

21 July - SA vs Bangladesh: SA won by 114 runs
22 July - SA vs UK: SA won by 7 wickets
23 July - SA vs West Indies: SA won by 56 runs

After ending top in their group Team South Africa played against the defending champions, India, in the semi-final at the Kia Oval on Saturday 26 July. SA won the match by 5 wickets, with 5 balls to spare qualifying for the Final against West Indies,. The West Indies beat Australia earlier that day to go through to the final.

South Africa really found their flow early in the first innings, with Johan Wessels taking the game by the scruff of the neck and posting his second consecutive 50 runs, finally finishing on 61 from 40 balls helping South Africa score a formidable 188.

In return, the Windies lost an early wicket but showed great resilience to get their run rate back up. Cassius Burton put in a fine display reaching a half century but was eventually stumped by Klaasen for 55 runs. Then South Africa seized control as Vincent Moore took 4 wickets and Corbin Bosch  3 wickets. The Windies put on a fine performance to the last over but were 40 runs short, finishing up on 148/9.

Victorious South African Captain Theunis De Bruyn said of the tournament,”The whole experience has been fantastic. It’s been great to meet all the guys from around the world and it’s been a pleasure playing against them. We were very proud of being chosen to represent our country and to lift the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals trophy here at The Kia Oval was unbelievable.”

The South African captain had further cause for celebration as he was voted the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals Player of the Tournament having scored 209 runs with an average of 52 runs on the way to victory.  His team mate Johan Wessels was voted Player of the Final for his 61 off of 40 balls in the final hitting 6 fours and 3 sixes.

TuksCricket Head Coach, Pierre de Bruyn, “We are the best in South Africa. We represented Africa at the campus cricket world finals and beat the best on the globe to confidently say we are now the best in the world,”

An extract from an article by Rohan Vyavaharkar, from Red Bull UK

“Win. One word. The only word.

Over a hundred young cricketers who believe in the gospel of victory all started the search for their holy grail at Wormsley Cricket Ground over a week. The pilgrimage ended at the Oval Cricket Ground in London on Saturday.

And ultimately, there was just one set of disciples that stood separated from the others.

However, unlike scriptures that prescribe the word of one or a few, next year, another tome will be written again.

South Africa earned the right to be crowned the World Champions of Red Bull Campus Cricket by playing clinical cricket. That’s the most precise word to describe the way the Assupol TUKS played from the moment they got here.

At the draw ceremony, the Pretorians were the most sharply dressed team and generally ruffled feathers with their rather professional looking set up. It was clear they meant business.

Over the three days of the group stages, they went about demolishing their opponents. First in the firing line was Bangladesh, then the home team Leeds/Bradford MCC and finally the West Indies’ Jamaica Intercollegiate who they would beat twice on the way to the title.

It would be fair to say that the TUKS didn’t win too many postcard friends, but it would be even fairer to say they won everyone’s admiration. Their methodical manner meant they didn’t panic even when the Jamaicans launched a last ditch counter measure hitting spree or they didn’t wilt under pressure when India caused them problems in the semis or continued diving  and sliding on the field against a hapless Bangladesh who was going to get nowhere close to their target.

If this comes to set the bar for the level of cricket and resolve to win Red Bull Campus Cricket then its worthy to say that the global tournament has found worthy ambassadors.”