Hat-trick of the Week (7 March 2016)

1. Varsity Cup at alternative venues?
The postponement of the FNB Varsity Cup have left fans, coaches, players and their teams with little else to do than wait. Wait for better days, wait for a shining light or wait for the Varsity Cup board to make a decision on the future of this year’s tournament.
The student protests on campuses all over the country and the deliberate pitch invasions at the Shimlas NMMU game in Bloemfontein have caused havoc. According to Varsity Cup management, the situation is still volatile. Students safety should be the main priority at all times. This is all good and well, but it remains an absolute disgrace that tournaments of such high stature should have to play second fiddle. Sports has always brought our country together. The amount of revenue lost is massive, not to mention the future interest in the tournament that goes backwards with each passing week of no action. A suggestion might be to play the remaining matches at alternative venues; sharpen up security and let sports win at the end of the day. Olën Park in Potchefstroom could be a suitable venue for Pukke games, Newlands for Ikeys games and Ellis Park for UJ’s games.
This might be the only solution if protests continue – which might be the case in this volatile pre-election landscape.
2. Lions take the One-Day title:
Potchefstroomers can be proud of the Lions Momentum One-Day Cup team that took the title convincingly after beating the Cobras by 8 wickets in the final. The Lions also had a number of great games in Potchefstroom with victories over the Knights and Dolphins, to name just a few. North West’s Rassie van der Dussen and Nicky van den Bergh also played their part in the fantastic victory. North West Cricket members can definitely hold their heads high, together with their Gauteng Cricket Board brothers.
3. Volkies is kookwater:
Daar was lanklaas ‘n krieketspan wat my so opgewonde gemaak het soos Volkies se eerstekrieketspan. Dit is veral verblydend om ‘n span te sien met so baie opsies in beide die kolflys en boulaanval. Cobus Crowther is veral ‘n rare spesie as ‘n ekonomiese wegbreekbouler wat ook gereeld paaltjies neem. Ruan von Abo is ‘n uitstekende kolwer en paaltjiewagter, terwyl Herman Prinsloo en veral David Crowther hierdie jaar uitgestyg het. In verlede naweek se wedstryd teen E.G. Jansen het hulle van ‘n moeilike posisie teruggeveg en die wedstryd gewen. Volkies moet hierdie groep koester en weet dat hulle iets baie spesiaal het.