CRICKET NEWS - South Western Districts Cricket revealed the final squad for the 2024/25 season  this week. 

The Garden Route Badgers had a disappointing 2023/24 season and on top of that three top batsmen, Jean du Plessis, Blayde Capell and Jhedli van Briesies joined the Division 1 teams for next season.

Du Plessis, who also captained the team will move to the Warriors in Gqeberha, Capell, who spent three seasons with the Oudtshoorn-based team has been contracted by Boland whilst Van Briesies, a product of the Hubs development program, will join the Titans in Pretoria. The experienced bowler, Marcello Piedt, will leave the Southern Cape after he was contracted by the Tuskers at Pietermaritzburg. The Tuskers has been relegated to division 2 after a single season in the top tier.

The Badgers has however contracted six newcomers for next season. 

The new acquisitions are the former SA u.19 captain and middle order batsman, George van Heerden from the Warriors, former SA u.19 wicketkeeper/batsman Luke Beaufort (from the Knights) and fast bowlers Hlompho Modimokoane (from the North West Dragons) and Lifa Ntanzi (from the Dolphins).

Opening batsman, Yaseen Valli, who played for the Badgers in the 2021/22 season will return to the Southern Cape after he was contracted by the Tuskers. Kyle Jacobs, who previously played for the Warriors and represented the Badgers in the latter half of the past season was rewarded with a professional contract. 

Good news is the top-order batsman, Ruan Terblanche, who was unavailable for most of the previous season due to ankle surgery will stay with the Badgers.

Head coach Gurshwin Rabie said, "We have contracted a well-balanced side, ensuring that we cover all our bases in terms of the different skill sets, for us to be able to compete for promotion during the upcoming season.

"We can all agree that we had a below-average season based on the results during the past season and the upcoming season will allow us to rectify our mistakes and put the name of the Garden Route Badgers up in lights," he said.

Rabie added that the coaching staff have identified key areas for improvement and together with the group of newly contracted players, along with the players remaining in our squad, we will look to improve and give a proper account of ourselves and we would like to do so in every competition."

SWD CEO Albertus Kennedy added that Badgers are confident with the squad they had assembled for the forthcoming season."We trust to improve on key areas that require strengthening to reach our objectives."

The contracted squad members are:

Luke Beaufort, Khwezi Gumede, Kyle Jacobs, Thomas Kaber, Hlompho Modimokoane, Pheko Moletsane, Lifa Ntanzi, Kelly Smuts, Ruan Terblanche and Yaseen Valli.

High performance contracts:

Jarred Jardine, Tyrese Karelse, Sintu Majiza, Liyabona Malife, Heath Richards and Keenan Vieira.

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’