Three wins out of five at Club Champs
Aching bodies and tired minds – the result of five days of top-class, high quality cricket played by Benoni Northerns Cricket Club’s (BNCC) Premier team at the Momentum National Club Championships, in Pretoria from Wednesday, April 22 to Sunday, April 26.
The club, flying the flag for the Eastern Cricket Union, bettered their performance from their debut Club Champs campaign in 2013 where they won two matches.
This year the team went one better and won three out of the five fixtures in their pool (all three wins came at Irene Villagers Cricket Club).
BNCC defeated United Cricket Club East London by 38 runs on Wednesday, April 22, followed by a three-wicket win over Durbanville Cricket Club on Saturday, April 25.
On Sunday, April 26, the team totally outplayed Union Stars Cricket Club with a mega 118-run victory over their South Western District opponents.
Defeats came against the University of Johannesburg (UJ), by 133 runs, in Laudium, on Thursday, April 23, where the team’s batting order put up a less than convincing display.
They experienced their second loss the following day, Friday, April 24, in Sinoville, where they were defeated by eventual finalists Crusaders Cricket Club by 29-runs, despite a valiant chase from skipper Kurt Francis, in particular, who lost batting partners in a big-hitting stand of 62 not out in 54 deliveries.
Northerns’ stand-out player during the tournament was undoubtedly the talented 21-year-old left-handed batsman JP Kok, who scored 75 runs off 59 deliveries in the win against United and two back-two-back centuries in the weekend victories over Durbanville and Union Stars.
His first ton, a memorable 115 not out off 116 balls, was the perfect demonstration of solid, straight batting combined with excellent boundary striking.
His second century, 104 off 116, was perhaps not as fluid as the first, but was equally as impressive as he was forced to grind it out at the crease.
It was no surprise then to find Kok at the top of the overall Club Champs batting standings.
His 334 runs in five innings, at an average of 83.50 (33 fours and five sixes), earned him a cash prize at the closing prize-giving ceremony on Sunday night.
He also found himself in the overall Club Champs “dream team”.
BNCC leg-spinner GC Pretorius was the ninth best bowler in the tournament.
Pretorius picked up nine wickets for 160 runs in the four innings which he bowled at an average of 17.78 at a strike-rate of 24.33.
Veteran Northerns all-rounder Mark Robey found himself 12th on the Club Champs most valuable player (MVP) list with a combined bowling, batting and fielding score of 62.99 points.
Opening batsman and off-spin bowler Ernest Kemm, who played just three matches before flying out to the United Kingdom on Friday night, was also excellent with the ball as he achieved 14.57 bowling average.
His value to the team with the willow cannot be overlooked as he averaged 40.0 (124 runs in three innings).
The culmination of the tournament was an emotional one for 28-year-old Levon Shields, who drew the curtain on a 22-year career with BNCC.
Shields started playing junior cricket for Northerns at the age of six years old and has been an important top-order batsman for the club for numerous seasons.
After taking a break during the 2012/2013 season, the player missed Northerns’ debut Club Champs in 2013 and was therefore extremely determined to win the Easterns Premier League this season and bow out with a Club Champs experience this year.
Click here for a gallery of images taken during the tournament.
Other Club Champs articles/blogs:
Representing the region at club champs
Northerns open club champs with a win
Northerns defeated despite valiant chase
Northerns win second match at Club Champs
VIDEO BLOG: Sports journalist faces league-winning bowlers in the nets
