Cricket is the big winner at Battle of the Roses
The Eastern Cricket Union’s third edition of the ‘franchise’ T20 Battle of the Roses cricket tournament was played at Sahara Park Willowmoore from Friday, April 21 to Sunday, April 23.
Players from the union’s club sides were drafted into various franchise teams in a bid to create camaraderie in the region.
Eight men’s teams battled in Benoni over the weekend with the final coming down to an intense encounter between last year’s champions and tournament favourites Calypso Brothers, and the underdog Rising Stars (a pre-selected team of u-21 players).
Tumelo Bodibe, Lesiba Ngoepe and Mangaliso Mosehle, professional franchise players who cut their teeth at Easterns, represented the Calypso Brothers team over the weekend.
It would be the young Rising Stars, however, who would rip the script up to win the tournament on the main oval on Sunday, April 23.
Also over the weekend, in a first for the tournament, four women’s teams fought it out at United Cricket Club’s Hosking Park in Brakpan for a place in the final at Sahara Park Willowmoore’s main oval on Sunday morning.
The Jets and the Calypso Sisters would meet in the final and it would be the Jets who would go on to claim the inaugural trophy.
At the opening function on Friday night Easterns’ general manager Leonard Rajagapaul said: “The Battle of the Roses tournament allows us to celebrate our victories of developing the game from junior level right through to senior men’s cricket and women’s cricket.”
Rajagapaul said the tournament was just the beginning of what is still to be an exciting year for Easterns cricket.
President of the union Gary Corin thanked all the role-players who helped make the tournament a success.
“There have been private sponsors and there has been a great government sponsorship from the City of Ekurhuleni.
“It is just fantastic that through cricket we can express ourselves as a community.
“We can take young people and keep them busy under the African sun and evening skies in a sense of fellowship.”
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