Ken Borland

Assupol Tuks sent their Momentum National Club Championships title hat-trick ambitions blaring out all over the fields of Pretoria as they hammered Western Province champions Cape Town CC by 104 runs on day two at Sinovich Park yesterday.

Former SA U19 star Murray Coetzee put aside months of frustration due to a broken wrist as he stroked a brilliant 111 off 127 balls to stake his claim for further chances in a powerhouse batting unit.

Coetzee stroked 10 fours, mostly down the ground, as he set up the game with Aiden Markram in an opening stand of 99 off 136 balls after Tukkies chose to bat first.

Markram, the captain of the world champion current SA U19 side, continued to impress at senior level as he compiled a classy 59 off 71 balls.

Tukkies coach Pierre de Bruyn said Coetzee’s performance showed the quality of the 20-year-old both on and off the field, having been a late call-up to the squad after regular captain Theunis de Bruyn withdrew due to illness.

“Murray’s had a really frustrating second half to the season but one thing about this kid is that he went through his rehab and really worked hard. He had to sacrifice a lot and he had to get back in line.

“He got his opportunity because of Theunis withdrawing and he used it. Murray’s a quality cricketer and truly professional in his ways, he puts in a lot of effort on and off the field.

“He showed he’s a very mature cricketer because he had limited preparation but still managed to construct an innings like that after not playing competitive cricket for three or four weeks. It showed his quality,” De Bruyn said after the game.

With Johan Wessels adding 52 off just 57 balls, the University of Pretoria posted a formidable 287 for six, and with the all-round attack he’s blessed with, De Bruyn was always confident his team would make it two wins from two games.

A top-class opening burst from Gerhard Linde and Sean Nowak ensured that Cape Town CC were always behind the required run-rate and a brilliant run out by Graeme van Buuren saw them slump to 34 for three in the 13^th over.

Tertius Gouws (2-30) was an accurate third member of the pace trio yesterday and Tukkies also fielded a quality spin trio in Van Buuren (2-31), Ruben Claasen (10 overs for 30) and Markram, and there was never a hint of the pressure being released.

Tom Main scored a bright 51 off 55 balls with three sixes, while Marc de Beer made a defiant 47 down the order, but a Tukkies victory was never in doubt.

The robust Linde was the best of the student bowlers with two for 19 in seven overs.

Results

Section One: NMMU PE Madibaz 312-4 (Ed Moore 137, David White 53, Peter Furstenburg 51 not out) NWU Pukke 186 (Wimpie Viljoen 43) NMMU PE Madibaz won by 126 runs. Crusaders 351 (Jared van Heerden 54, Riaan Minnie 56, Sean Dixon 121; Jan Frylinck 7-35) West End 266-8 (Xander Pitchers 113 not out, Jan Frylinck 46) Crusaders won by 85 runs. University of Jhb 254 (Lee Gruskin 55, Harry van Straaten 44; Philippus Cronje 4-50) University of Free State Kovsies 120 (Harry van Straaten 4-26) University of Jhb won by 134 runs.

Section Two: Tukkies 287-6 (Aiden Markram 59, Murray Coetzee 111, Johan Wessels 52) Cape Town CC 183 (Tom Main 51, Marc de Beer 47) Tukkies won by 104 runs. United CC 236-9 (Bevan Bennett 47, Kevin Bennett 53; Jurie Snyman 4-40) Kempton Park 237-4 (Wesley Marshall 97, JC Fourie 99) Kempton Park won by 6 wickets. NMMU George 119 (Niel Botha 5-30) Maties 123-3 (Mark van Heerden 47 not out) Maties won by seven wickets.

The University of Pretoria’s Assupol Tuks, who have won the title for the last two years, made a triumphant start to the Momentum National Club Championships yesterday when they beat Kempton Park by 39 runs.

Tukkies, who were sent in to bat at the Tshwane University of Technology Oval with rain imminent, made an impressive 258 for eight as their innings was cut short by one over.

Gerry Pike (7) and Aiden Markram (18) were dismissed cheaply in the testing early conditions, but Tian Koekemoer laid a solid foundation with his half-century.

As the clouds cleared, Man of the Match Sean Dickson and Graeme van Buuren, who was the star of last year’s title run, made merry as Tukkies seized control of the match.

Dickson was in sublime form as he cruised to 70 off 76 balls, while Van Buuren was once again in great touch as he collected 58 not out off just 43 balls.

Medium-pacer JC Fourie was the best of the Kempton Park attack, bowling 10 tight overs for just 31 runs.

The Kempton Park chase was rocked early on by the loss of three early wickets to each of the impressive trio of Tukkies pace bowlers, Sean Nowak, Gerhard Linde and Corbin Bosch, as they slumped to 38 for three.

But Fourie and Grant Thomson arrested the slide as they added 81 for the fourth wicket off 103 balls. It left the Easterns champions needing 140 off 17 overs, but that became highly unlikely when Thomson was caught, skying spinner Tertius Gouws, on the brink of his half-century.

The Titans bowlers, whether pacemen or spinners, were impressively on target and they restricted Kempton Park to 219 for nine in their 49 overs.

Fourie went on to a classy century, reaching three figures with an outrageous paddle for four off Nowak, and finished unbeaten on 103 off 139 deliveries.

The on-song trio of Nowak, Linde and Bosch took two wickets apiece.

Results

Section One: West End 141 (Etienne Gerber 4-18). University of Jhb 132-2 (Harry van Straaten 50) University of Johannesburg won by 8 wickets (D/L target 132 in 43 overs). NWU Pukke 296-8 (Grant Mokoena 88, Righardt Frenz 56, Wihan Lubbe 58) Crusaders 238 (Riaan Minnie 42). NWU Pukke won by 60 runs. NMMU PE Madibaz 246-8 (Ed Moore 60, David White 101) University of Free State Kovsies 240-9 (Jacobus Dreyer 70, Leus de Plooy 71) NMMU PE Madibaz won by six runs.

Section Two: Tukkies 258-8 (Tian Koekemoer 50, Sean Dickson 70, Graeme van Buuren 58 not out). Kempton Park 219-9 (JC Fourie 103 not out, Grant Thomson 49). Tukkies won by 39 runs. University of Stellenbosch 251 (Emile Kriek 97) United CC 101 (Niel Botha 4-9) University of Stellenbosch won by 145 runs (D/L). Cape Town CC 203 (Matthew Norris 74). NMMU George 171. Cape Town CC won by 35 runs (D/L).

Momentum’s tremendous support for South African cricket continues with the last official fixtures of the 2013/14 season when the National Club Championships are held in and around Pretoria from today to Monday.

Northerns Premier League winners Assupol Tukkies are the defending champions and will be aiming for a hat-trick of titles, as well as the R50 000 prizemoney for the winning club.

The University of Pretoria may be bringing a new-look side to the club championships – missing nine of last year’s triumphant squad – but they remain in impressive form and full of confidence.

Tukkies not only won the Northerns Premier League in convincing fashion but are also on their way to London in July as South Africa’s representatives in the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals, having beaten the University of Stellenbosch 3-0 in the local T20 finals in Pretoria two weeks ago.

But Tukkies coach Pierre de Bruyn says his team cannot afford to rest on their laurels this week, with Maties one of their main challengers in Section Two of the competition.

“We’ve won the last two club champs and have been unbeaten in both, which means there’s a lot of pressure on us this year. We’ll have to start from scratch and put the Red Bull competition behind us, which was a different format anyway.

“We’ve set the benchmark the last couple of years in the club champs, but the teams chasing us are meeting that now and we need to be even better. The other teams are getting closer and closer and it will come down to who plays the better cricket on the day. Every day is highly important and we can’t afford any slip-ups, you can’t have any bad days,” De Bruyn told The Pretoria News yesterday.

The other teams in Tukkies’ section are Cape Town Cricket Club (WP), Kempton Park (Easterns), Madibaz George (SWD) and United, the Border champions, while the sides competing in Section One are Crusaders (KZN), Madibaz PE (EP), North-West University Pukke, University of Free State, University of Johannesburg (Gauteng) and West End from Griquas.

The Tukkies squad has been boosted by the presence of all-rounder Graeme van Buuren, the Titans’ Newcomer of the Year award-winner, and the hero of the University of Pretoria’s triumph in last season’s National Club Championships.

The triumphant SA U19 captain, Aiden Markram, as well as Corbin Bosch, the fast bowler who took four for 15 to win the Player of the Match award in the ICC Junior World Cup last month, are also in the Tukkies squad, but the hard-hitting Theunis de Bruyn has been forced to withdraw due to illness.

Left-arm paceman Vincent Moore is also unavailable as he does not play in the Northerns league, but Tukkies do have the services of experienced non-students like Sean Nowak and Gerhard Linde, both of whom are pace bowlers.

The Tukkies quest for a hat-trick of titles begins today against Kempton Park Cricket Club, the club champions from Northerns’ franchise partners Easterns, at the Tshwane University of Technology Oval.

Competing teams

Section 1: Crusaders (KZN), Madibaz PE (EP), NWU Pukke (North-West), University of Free State (Free State), University of Johannesburg (Gauteng), West End (Griquas).

Section 2: Cape Town (WP), Kempton Park (Easterns), Madibaz George (SWD), Tuks (Northerns), United (Border), University of Stellenbosch (Boland).

Tukkies squad: Aiden Markram, Gerry Pike, Tian Koekemoer, Sean Dickson, Heinrich Klaasen, Graeme van Buuren, Johan Wessels, Tertius Gouws, Sean Nowak, Ruben Claasen, Gerhard Linde, Corbin Bosch, Murray Coetzee.

Fixtures

Today: Section 1 – West End v UJ (Mamelodi Oval); Pukke v Crusaders (Memorial Park); Madibaz PE v UFS (Tuks Oval). Section 2 – Tukkies v Kempton Park (TUT Oval); Madibaz George v Cape Town CC (Sinovich Park); Maties v United (Irene Villagers).

Tomorrow: Section 1 – West End v Crusaders (Memorial Park); UJ v UFS (Tuks Oval); Pukke v Madibaz PE (St Albans). Section 2 – Tukkies v Cape Town CC (Sinovoch Park); Kempton Park v United (Irene Villagers); Madibaz George v Maties (TUT Oval).

Friday: Section 1 – West End v UFS (Laudium Oval); Crusaders v Madibaz PE (Mamelodi Oval); UJ v Pukke (St Albans). Section 2 – Tukkies v United (Sinovich Park); Cape Town CC v Maties (TUT Oval); Kempton Park v Madibaz George (Irene Villagers).

Saturday: Section 1 – West End v Madibaz PE (St Albans); UFS v Pukke (Groenkloof); Crusaders v UJ (Laudium Oval). Section 2 – Tukkies v Maties (Irene Villagers); United v Madibaz George (TUT Oval); Cape Town CC v Kempton Park (Sinovich Park).

Sunday: Section 1 – West End v Pukke (Mamelodi Oval); Madibaz PE v UJ (Tuks Oval); UFS v Crusaders (St Albans). Section 2 – Tukkies v Madibaz George (TUT Oval); Maties v Kempton Park (Sinovich Park); United v Cape Town CC (Irene Villagers).

Monday: Final – Winner Section 1 v Winner Section 2 (SuperSport Park).