Wits cricket team add a feather to their hat of achievements with more individual accolades for the team.
The Wits cricket team is celebrating more recognition this week with bowlers Matthew Lovatt and Hendrichs Macheke both receiving call-ups to prominent sides in the country. This follows last week’s maiden call-up for former Wits player, Nandre Burger, to the Highveld Lions.
Lovatt, a third-year accounting student, received the invitation to play for the University Sports South Africa (USSA) team on Monday, March 12. He told Wits Vuvuzela that he was delighted with his maiden call to the team, saying it had been a long road to success. “I am very very excited.The past few years I’ve been struggling with injuries, had a hip operation in 2016, and I thought that was the end of it. So it’s been very very tough,” he said.
Last week Macheke was invited to play for the Gauteng Strikers, a feeder academy for the Highveld Lions.
“Big achievement for me, feeling good about that,” he told Wits Vuvuzela.
The accomplishments of the team have been credited to coach Garnet Kruger who started his stint with the team last year after replacing Neil Levenson.
“I’m just trying to bring some fresh life to Wits, a bit of a more cricket culture, fitness type of thing. I know it’s difficult for the students”, Kruger told Wits Vuvuzela.
Success for the team has come both on and off the field with bowler Farhaan Sayanvala taking seven wickets for two runs this past week against Florida Cricket Club.
“We all got to the game and we all decided, ‘Look, it’s cloudy, it’s cold, let’s just go to Jollies, have a few drinks, a couple of pizzas. Let’s try get the game over with’,” said Sayanvala. “We won the toss and chose to bowl. And then we were all just pumped and then I got a wicket in the first over, and then from there, I don’t know, they just collapsed,” he said.
The team is third on the League B log, behind Delforce and Glen South.
FEATURED IMAGE: Wits cricket club coach Garnet Kruger (middle) at practice with the team at the Walter Milton Oval. Photo: Tshego Mokgabudi
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