Jeppe Quondam Cricket Club proves their love for cricket at CGL virtual awards

The Central Gauteng Lions (CGL) hosted a virtual awards evening recently where Jeppe Quondam Cricket Club, and other players, were rewarded.
Lauren Borchers, Jeppe Quondam Cricket Club secretary, said the club’s, chairperson, Dean Laing, was nominated as an alternate board member to the CGL board at the ceremony.
He has also been appointed to the stadium, pipeline, club council and disciplinary committees in the CGL.
Borchers was also nominated to the ethics committee and the marketing, commercial and communications committee at CGL.
“Our Premier League team also represented the Lions franchise at the Momentum Multiply T20 Champs for 2019.”
The tournament unfortunately rained out, according to Borchers.
However, she said this was the second time the club represented the Lions at this tournament since being inaugural winners of the tournament in 2017.
She said the club’s Premier League A team was in the running to win the league, a few points behind one of their biggest rivals, just before lockdown.
“Unfortunately, lockdown meant a different end to the league and the point’s allocation did not go in our favour.”
Borchers affirmed the club’s drive and passion will be on top next season.
“We are very much a family-orientated club, where each player considers another his brother or sister,” said Borchers.
Due to this, she said the club most looks forward to being out in the middle, all practising together.
As the lockdown continues, she said club members have stayed in touch in various ways.
“Life as we know it basically came to a halt. Now would have been our off-season where players committed to winter sports or off-season training.”
She said the club’s WhatsApp groups are hardly ever quiet.
“The drive to play and the spirit of each member and their commitment to this sport and our club has kept cricket alive, same as it does every off-season,” said Borchers.
For now, Borchers said the club only trains with regards to fitness and technique.
“Coaching, like everything else, had to be restructured and our players attending private coaching are very luckily being coached virtually by their amazing coaches, most of who are also members of our club,” said Borchers.
To the club, she said cricket means everything.
“We all seem to live and breathe cricket, catch a bunch of cricketers together at any given time and trust me, it is all they can talk about for hours sometimes.”
Cricket is the livelihood of many of the players, according to Borchers, either in terms of playing or coaching.
“Sports as a whole will have a new take on things, one just has to keep faith that everything will work out just the way the universe and ‘mother cricket’ plans,” said Borchers.

Jeppe Quondam Cricket Club received the following awards:
• Black Widow T20 winners
• President’s League Limited over A League winners
• Fair Play award for the second season in a row
• Black Widow Batsman of the Tournament: Matthew Smit
• Black Widow Bowler of the Tournament: Siyabonga Mahima
• Senior Provincial Men’s Cricket Players’ Player of the Year: Ari Karvelas
• South African Deaf Cricket National Representative and Deaf Cricket Player’s Player of the Year: Shani de Jager