As cricket around the country prepares for what is hoped to be a return to action before the end of the year, Northerns Cricket Union have been busy in the off-season, with several coaching appointments in the development structures, after a rigorous interview process.

“Finalising the appointments was challenging, because we had many excellent candidates interviewed, but sadly we could only appoint one candidate in each position,” Charlotte Serwardi, the Cricket Services Manager at Northerns explained.

The Northerns development structure is recognised as one of the most consistent pipelines in South African cricket, with many players working their way along the production belt, and ultimately becoming Proteas and Momentum Womens Proteas.

“One of our big aims is to bridge the gap between the Academy and the Senior Provincial side. It’s vital to build a very strong working relationship between the two coaches heading those programmes,” Serwardi added.
Thus, Thabang Kumalo has been appointed as the under-19 and Academy coach, but will also be the Provincial assistant coach, working alongside head coach Mark Charlton.

“Mr Kumalo will be assisting Mr Charlton with the Senior Provincial team for another season as the Senior Provincial Assistant Coach. We also welcome Tumi Tlokotsi, who will take charge of the under11 and under13 Framework teams. He will join us at the beginning of September, and we extend a warm welcome to him.”

Once cricket does get going, it promises to be a hectic and exciting period, so getting these structures in place puts Northerns in the best position to hit the ground running across all the age group levels.

We would like to congratulate all our appointed coaches, and wish them all the very best for the coming season,” Serwardi concluded.

Appointments:
U/11 & U/13 Framework Coach – Tumi Tlokotsi
U/15 & U/17 Framework Coach – Onke Mtsiba
U/19 & Academy Coach – Thabang Kumalo
U/19 Girls & Womens Coach – Martelize Van der Merwe
ETA Senior Provincial Coach – Mark Charlton