CRICKET NEWS - South Western Districts (SWD) Cricket has confirmed the appointment of Wynand de Ridder as the new head coach of the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers’ professional women’s team for the 2025/26 season.
The 44-year-old De Ridder will take over from Martelize van der Merwe, who had been the coach for the past three years and was pivotal in the team’s successful transition and elevation to one of six fully fledged professional teams in the country.
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De Ridder, who matriculated from Langenhoven Gymnasium in Oudtshoorn, holds a Cricket South Africa Level III coaching qualification and has a coaching career that stretches over more than 20 years, including a stint as a consultant with the national Kenyan team.
For the past four years, he was employed as the Colts, Academy and u.19 coach for the Garden Route Badgers, with whom he achieved numerous successes – including his appointment as head coach of the Southern Superstars, the Western Cape team, for the Cricket South Africa u.19 Cubs Tournament.
De Ridder’s big assignment will be to ensure the desirable performances of the Badgers’ professional women’s team and to make sure they stay in the professional women’s echelon of only six teams.
SWD Cricket’s president, Michael Eksteen, congratulated De Ridder on his appointment.
“This appointment is recognition for the professional work ethic and dedication Wynand has shown towards SWD Cricket and must be an inspiration for local coaches to advance via the pathway.”
He also paid tribute to Van der Merwe. “Martelize coached our women’s team in exciting and challenging times, and her contributions during the past three season will be recorded in our annals as one of the success stories in the advancement of women’s cricket,” he said.
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