Congratulations to the 1st XI cricket team and their management who have been promoted to Premier 2 after a great season. Their captain Kavinda Dharmawardane has put together this report:
As a team, the Newlands College First XI tracked very well in the Term 1, 2018 season. Out of 9 games, 8 were won, while the last was abandoned. The team finished at the top of the league, with 34 overall points. While there were some tough moments throughout a few games, the boys always fought through it and worked hard to come out on top.
A few noteworthy performances came from a mix of senior and junior players. Two stand out performances with the bat were from Faaiz Yusuf and Matthew Nel, who scored 101 (85) and 120* (146) respectively. Both batters showed great skill and patience, and contributed proficiently to the overall efforts of the team. A few other batsman scored half centuries through the season as well – Ryan Collins scoring 2, both in tough games. Dillan Thiagarajah and Kavinda Dharmawardane also scored half centuries. The batting was a strong point of the season, with three of our players being within the top 6 highest run scorers in the league. The top bowler for this season was Matthew Nel, who picked up 19 wickets in the season, his best being 5-18 from 10 overs. Other bowlers contributing well with the ball were Jori Stobba Overend and Faaiz Yusuf, who collected 12 wickets each over the season.
Overall, this season was a promising and successful one. The team worked efficiently together, with great support for one another. The coaching staff, management and school also worked tirelessly to ensure the season went well, and were strong driving factors behind the team’s success. The First XI will hope to carry through their efforts through to Term 4, where we will face tougher competition in Premier 2.