Assupol TuksCricket 2016/2017 Season in Review 

Assupol TuksCricket enjoyed a proud and memorable 2016/2017 season for both individuals and teams.
 
The season kicked off with the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals which took place in Colombo and Galle, Sri Lanka. Assupol TuksCricket qualified to represent South Africa at the Universities World Cup for a third year running. The team ended top of the log after the group matches and played against the hosts, Sri Lanka in the semi-finals and lost that game. Assupol TuksCricket Head Coach, Kruger van Wyk said, “Sri Lanka treated the team to the friendly people, unique cultural experiences and world class facilities – both on and off the field. It was a privilege to be a part of the tournament even though it was disappointing that we didn't defend our title. I am proud of the team in the manner that they conducted themselves and their growth throughout that week.”
 
While participating in the University competitions, the Club had to still focus on the NCU Leagues and competitions to ensure that they retained their three titles. This year, the NCU Premier League changed from 60 over matches to 50 over matches and the Union replaced the NCU Knock Out Competition with a two-day competition called Time Cricket. All of the three NCU Competitions were competitive and it was encouraging to see the players handling pressure in tough situations and making the club proud. 

After a gruelling season filled with lots of cricket, Assupol TuksCricket won the NCU Premier League for the seventh year running. The club has now qualified to represent the Northerns Cricket Union in the Momentum National Club Championship Qualifiers which will begin in April where they will play against the Premier League winners from Mpumalanga, Easterns and Limpopo to secure a spot to represent the Titans in the Momentum National Club Championships at the end of April 2017.

For the first time in the history of the club and the NCU, Assupol Tuks 2 finished second in the NCU Premier League, making TuksCricket the first club in history to have teams finishing in first and second place the competition. It took an incredible effort from the club this season with 36 athletes playing for Assupol Tuks 1 and 45 athletes playing for Assupol Tuks 2 during the course of the season. 

Van Wyk mentioned, “Apart from our succeeding in all the competitions, we also want to ensure that we produce more holistic individuals not just cricket players, we also want to have a positive impact on the growth of our students and staff. The synergy within the club inspires us to help each other reach our personal and collective goals. The coaches within the setup are more than just knowledgeable and committed cricket personnel, they strive to help players improve and help them to reach their full potential.”

 In the Premier League, Dylan Ross-Watt took 25 wickets thus making him the leading wicket taker for Tuks while Gerry Pike was the leading run scorer, scoring 552 runs. 

Assupol TuksCricket managed to defend their title in the NCU T20 competition for the fifth year running when they beat CBCOB by 8 wickets in the finals which took place at SuperSport Park. 

The new competition called the NCU Time Cricket Competition, took place over three weekends and Assupol Tuks 1 won this competition.

Congratulations are also in order for the Assupol Tuks 3 team who won the NCU Reserve League this season and the Assupol Tuks 7 team who were victorious in the NCU Third League.

Part-time Captain Sean Phillips of the Assupol TuksCricket first side, shared his experience about the NCU Competitions “The 2016/2017 season was a great success once again for the team and players. Lots of opportunities were seized by most of the players. This is visible in the amount of senior provincial, franchise and international players that were produced by the Assupol TuksCricket system. This meant that there was room for young, upcoming talent to step up. It is usually challenging for young talent to come into the system and live up to the culture of winning that we have at Assupol TuksCricket, what we have achieved would not have been possible without them. “

“Assupol TuksCricket dominated the NCU Premier League and proved once again that the team reaps the rewards of their hard work. The NCU T20 competition was very exciting and there were individuals who embraced the opportunity. Every team member played their part and this was evident again in the final against CBCOB. Every player pulled their weight and the team showed incredible character.  The NCU Time Cricket competition was a new experience for many players across the country. The Assupol TuksCricket brand of cricket was displayed in this competition and the teams hard work payed of as they remained unbeaten in the competition and ended first on the log.”
“We can now look back at the season that has come to an end and gladly say that we are very satisfied with our performances. We worked extremely hard to finish at the top of the log in the NCU. We continued to build on our winning culture and made all players, coaches, management and directors proud. We have grown a lot as players and we look forward to seeing what the team can achieve going forward.”

Another highlight this season was Assupol TuksCricket’s participation in the Varsity Cricket Competition which took place in Potchefstroom in January 2017, this always proves to be a tough competition. In 2017 university teams in the country raised the standard of cricket. Assupol TuksCricket fought their way to the final with a young and relatively new team. After an exhilarating match, Pukke were crowned the 2017 Varsity Cricket Champions.

Reflecting on the tournament van Wyk said, “Naturally, it was a big disappointment to lose in the final but we look forward to what lies ahead. I have no doubt that this young Assupol TuksCricket team is going to grow from strength to strength. They have shown such a lot of character throughout the tournament. What I appreciated most about the players was their resilience and competitive spirit throughout the competition.”

The University Sport South Africa national teams for 2017 were selected after this year’s Varsity Cricket tournament. Assupol TuksCricket players Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Migael Pretorius and Lungi Ngidi were selected for the national side and Thomas Kaber was selected as a non-travelling reserve.

Assupol TuksCricket Club Captain, Tony de Zorzi, shared his Varsity Cricket experience, “This year was my first Varsity Cricket tournament. The crowds and the overall vibe was great. The competition breeds an exciting cricket culture especially for youngsters and gives players an opportunity to showcase their talent on television. The competition was a roller-coaster ride for us but the boys played well, especially in the final were we fought right to the end. We have learnt a lot from the tournament and hopefully we will use what we have learnt in the next year.”

During the 2016/2017 season, Assupol TuksCricket produced a record number of cricketers that progressed to the next level of representative cricket. TuksCricket had: 
•    5 Protea Players
•    3 Protea Women’s Players
•    2 South African u/19 Players
•    4 Players in the National Academy
•    5 USSA players
•    9 Titans Franchise Academy players
•    5 Titans Cubs Players
•    1 Lions Cubs Player
•    1 Dolphins Cubs Player
•    6 Africa Cup Players
•    5 Unlimited Titans Players
•    6 Northerns Senior Provincial Players
•    1 SWD Senior Provincial Player
•    1 Easterns Senior Provincial Player
At the 2016 TuksSport Annual Awards Assupol TuksCricket were the recipients of the TuksSport Team of the Year Award.
Looking back at the season van Wyk discussed the importance of setting the benchmark with their training methods, work ethic and the development of players and enjoying success within all competitions that we participate in. “We’ve had some tough challenges with the players’ turnover throughout the season. In the end, we are very proud of all our players and staff members who sacrificed a lot of time and hard work to have a successful year.”
“We have a very professional and committed administrative department, who ensures that the club functions at an optimal level and that we can wholly focus on cricket and the betterment of the players and teams. They say that trophies are not only won on the field, but in the offices as well. I would like to thank all of our staff members at Assupol TuksCricket for their continuous hard work and commitment.”
“It’s a humbling experience to be able to look back at this memorable season, it is something we will never take for granted. At the end of the day, we value our club and University and it is an honour to represent the University of Pretoria with its rich and proud history.”
“Assupol TuksCricket would like to congratulate all teams that participated in all the competitions and thank all players and staff for their commitment to the club on and off the field. We would also like to wish the team going to the Momentum National Club Champs Qualifiers all the best."