With the sudden ending of the 2019/20 season due to Coronavirus, the various Northerns club cricket leagues were halted just before the end of what had been yet another highly competitive season across the various divisions and age-groups for both men and women.
The mighty Assupol Tuks First XI again showed their strength in depth and quality, as they walked away with the Premier League title for the men. Tukkies would have been eyeing a double with the T20 crown, but the final with CBCOB never materialised, and they had to share the trophy.
In the women’s Premier League, it was Irene Villagers who were the dominant force, with the Premier League and the Women’s T20 League their reward for consistency. TUT Second XI won promotion into the Premier League for women, while the Moot Firsts were crowned champions of the Promotion League in a campaign that saw them win 12 of the 18 matches they played.
The Irene Villagers victory in the Women’s Premier League was part of a comprehensive season for the club as a whole. Their junior programme also saw success at Under-15 level, and their highly efficient administrative programme saw them also secure the 2019/20 Club Cricket Incentive Score Card award as a club.
The 2017/2018 season saw Northerns Cricket Union introduce the NCU Clubs incentive scorecard to influence good behaviour and promote positive change. The scorecard seeks to incentivise clubs for their good governance and those which exceed basic delivery requirements off the field.For their consistency, Irene Villagers were awarded with a first prize, followed by Sinoville CC and Defence CC, who shared second spot.
Irene were bested into second place in the Clubs of Excellence category, with Police Cricket Club being handed this honour. In third place, behind Irene Villagers, was the Tshwane University of Technology.
“It was another fantastic season of club cricket across the board at Northerns, and we are proud of the continued support and commitment to the game at all levels within the Union,” Charlotte Serwadi, the Cricket Services Manager commented.
“We commend all those clubs that have secured silverware and merit awards for their performances on and off the field, and we hope that all of our club cricketers will be raring to get the season started with new focus and energy,” she added.
