United CC VIII from the Benoni/Springs LastManStands franchise have won the 2019 LastManStands South Africa Championships.
United CC VIII, who were ranked 27th in the world before the tournament on March 21-24 at Marks Park Sports Club in Johannesburg, went on to prove that rankings are just a number.
United cruised through their group matches and met one of the stronger teams in the quarterfinals, Jager Rebels from Bloemfontein.
They managed to overcome Jager Rebels easily, winning by 65 runs.
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United posted 145 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of three wickets after winning the toss and electing to bat first.
Jager Rebels choked in their chase, scoring only 80 runs in 16 overs and a loss of eight wickets.
United had a tough draw in the semifinals, drawn against Rebels from Johannesburg, which is the number one ranked team in the world.
Their ranking didn’t faze United, who went into the game guns blazing.
United won the toss and decided to bat.
They scored 147 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of five wickets.
In return, Rebels only managed to score 102 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of four wickets, which saw United storming into the finals.
Mark Pearse of United steered his team to victory, scoring 50 runs from 24 balls.
Justin Gamble made magic with the ball, getting two wickets in his four overs and only conceding 14 runs.
The final posed to be even tougher as United were to take on Tanks Plumbing from Pretoria, the number three ranked team in the world.
Tanks Plumbing won the toss and elected to bat first.
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They scored 119 runs from 19.3 overs with the fall of all eight wickets. Shaun Fourie of United came to the party with the ball, taking three wickets from his four overs and only conceding 19 runs.
Gamble added to the downfall of Tanks Plumbing, taking two wickets in his four overs and conceding 15 runs.
United chased down the score easily, scoring 120 in 15.3 overs and only losing three wickets.
This saw United crowned as the champions of LastManStands South Africa Championships 2019 and winning the prize money of $4 000 (approximately R56 000), which will cover their entrance fee to the LastManStands World Championships 2019 in Sydney, Australia, in December.
It is also worth mentioning that Gamble and Pearse were picked as the best bowler and batsman of the tournament respectively.
Benoni/Springs LastManStands administrator Owen Chitsinho says: “It was a marvel to see the team from Benoni/Springs taking the championship.
“The boys played well, they deserved to win and it will be nice to watch them play in Australia.
“All I can say is make us proud boys, see you in Australia,” says Chitsinho.
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