CRICKET NEWS - The 44-year-old Michael Eksteen from Pacaltsdorp United Cricket Club was elected as the new president of South Western Districts (SWD) Cricket at the company's annual general meeting held in Oudtshoorn on Saturday 29 July.
Eksteen, who was elected as a non-independent director in March, became the vice-president in April. He will succeed the long-serving president, Rudy Claassen, whose tenure at office came to an end at the AGM on Saturday.
The tenure of office of two independent directors, Warren Muller (lead independent director) and Aubrey Mokoka (chairman of the audit and risk committee) has also come to an end.
Loyiso Shoto and Jean-Pierre Rossouw were appointed as new independent directors. Carlos Koeberg was re-elected as a non-independent director while Mornay Stuurman and Clyde Avontuur were elected as new non-independent directors.
In his outgoing presidential address, Claassen highlighted the trophy success of the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers, who won the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Division 2 One Day Cup after an epic battle against the Tuskers in Pietermaritzburg.
He highlighted the success of women's cricket in the province and the elevation of the women's team to the Top 6 competition and commended their performances.
The contribution by Tazmin Brits and the support from Miceala Andrews, Jané Winster, Haroline Rhodes and Annerie Dercksen, to name a few, were heart-warming.
Other notable performances and achievements during the past season include:
• Tazmin Brits and Annerie Dercksen were selected for the Proteas Women's team that participated in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, that was hosted in South Africa in February, and Tazmin Brits received further recognition when she was included in the ICC Team of the Tournament.
• Marianna Breedt was selected for the SA Schools Girls' Fillies team, which was selected upon conclusion of the CSA u.19 National Week in Bloemfontein in December 2022.
• Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Miceala Andrews, Jané Winster and Asakhe Nyovane were all invited to the CSA Women's Academy intake.
• Umpires André Olivier and Kerrin Klaaste were included in the CSA Reserve Panel for umpires.
In 2019, the members' council approved a concept to investigate moving the headquarters to George. This process was slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic. In March this year, George Council gave the green light, and SWD hopes to be ready to host warm-up matches in George with the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.
During the past season, SWDC started to establish a new brand name, namely the Garden Route Badgers. The company hopes that this brand will become a strong entity in the South African Sport industry.
Claassen also paid tribute to the anchor sponsor, Six Gun Grill, and associate sponsor Daisy Business Solutions for their ongoing support.
In his address as newly elected president, Eksteen thanked the affiliate and associate members for their trust and support in him to lead the organisation.
"I am very honoured to be at the helm of this ambitious organisation and will work very hard to reach the desired strategic objectives of SWD Cricket and to take to company to new heights," he said.
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