GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Six Gun Grill SWD spin bowling hero, Sean Whitehead, won the prestigious SWD Player of the Season Award at their Annual Awards Ceremony that was held at De Opstal Country Estate on Saturday evening.

Miceala Andrews, who excelled for the SWD Women’s team and who was selected for the SA Emerging team that played Thailand, where she also performed exceptionally well, won the SWD Women’s player of the Season award.

Whitehead was SWD’s top bowler in the Division 2 Cricket South Africa in both the four day and one-day formats. In the Four-Day series he was the bowler with the third most dismissals 32 – including a ten-wicket haul (10/32 against the Eastern Storm) and in the one day format he was the top wicket taker – 11 wickets with a best analysis of 7/13.

Miceala Andrews was selected for the SA Emerging Women’s team that played Thailand in Potchefstroom in September 2021. The versatile Andrews was SWD’s most successful bowler and batter in both the limited over and T20 formats. 

The Six Gun Grill SWD Women’s team for winning Pool A of the CSA Inter-provincial women’s tournament (both Limited over and T20) and succeed to get promotion to the Top 6 in 2022/23 won the Award as Provincial representative team of the season. The team also received the Simon Swigelaar Floating Trophy for their outstanding achievements.

Special Merit Awards were awarded to Bazil George who was selected for the SA Colts team upon completion of the Khaya Majola Week that was held in Potchefstroom during December 2021, Levin Muller, Bazil George and Grant Esau – who were all selected for the CSA Rutal Team as well and Andrews and Jané Winster (for their inclusion in the Emerging SA Women’s team).

Sean Whitehead

Several members who were involved in various capacities within the SWD Cricket structures who passed away during the past year were honored with a Roll of Honor Award. 

They were:

• Louis Francois Linde: 11 December 1957 – 31 July 2021 (played for Ladismith CC), 
• Koos Nortje: 25 December 1962 – 4 September 2021 (played for OudtshoornDefence CC), 
• Japtha Julies: 10 April 1961 – 7 September 2021 (Groundsman at the Bridgton Sport Grounds), 
• Jacques Campher: 10 July 1992 – 4 October 2021 (SWD officiating Scorer), 
• Hennie Konstabel: 17 April 1950 – 3 November 2021 (member of Western Hope CC), 
• Francois Isaac April: 29 May 1946 – 12 November 2021 (rendered Hospitality services to SWD Cricket), 
• Levesto Moses Calvyn le Roux: 13 December 1968 – 18 November 2021 (SWDC BoD member), 
• Henrico Denver Saayman: 29 September 1990 – 9 January 2022 (player at Melkhoutfontein CC) and Sydney Andrew Plaatjies: 10 February 1944 – 10 February 2022 (Union Stars CC member)

Two employees, Ranwill Claassen (the Head Coach at the D’Almeida Hub: 10 Years) and Merlin Masimela (the U/16 Framework Coach: 5 Years) received a Continuous Service Certificates.

Rhupino Plaatjies (Harlequins Forces CC) who was the top-wicket taker was the Premier League player of the season, Roopesh Raveendran (Mayflower CC) won the award for the Promotion League Division 1 and Thurston Wessels (Union Stars CC) for Promotion League Division 2. 

Leroy Nortje who excelled with both bat and ball for George won the award as Reserve League Player of the Season, Ethan Coeries (Pacaltsdorp United) the T20 player of the season and Haroline Rhodes (Union Stars) – who scored the forth most runs in the Women’s League and taking the most wickets – received the Award as Women’s Player of the Season. 

Annelie Minny (from Mossel Bay CC) was the Women’s T20 league player of the season.
Bradley Manewill (Intellectually Impaired Player of the Season), Bazil George (High Schools Player of the Season), Marianna Breedt (Girl’s Player of the Season), Javier Philander (SWD Scorer of the Season), Kerrin Klaaste (SWD Umpire of the Season), Angelo Buch (from Melkhoutfontein CC – the Club Groundsman of the Season), Grant Esau (Rural Player of the Season) and Keenan Viera (Colts team player of the Season) were the respective category winners. 

Union Stars received the Blue Flag Status Award from Cricket South Africa and the club was also the winners of the SWDC Operational Excellence and Fair Play Awards.

Other achievements that were recognized are:

• Most Runs in u/15 Promotion League: Simamkele Ndukwana (Thembalethu Hub)
• Most Runs in u/15 Super League: Lee-Jaydin Pieters (D’Almeida Hub)
• Most Runs in u/19 Promotion League: Thabo Dywili (Thembalethu Hub)
• Most Runs in u/19 Super League: Arend Blom (Oakdale Agricultural High)
• Most Wickets in u/15 Promotion League: Unathi Khitshini (Thembalethu Hub)
• Most Wickets in u/15 Super League: Hanno Neethling (Oakdale Agricultural High)
• Most Wickets in u/19 Promotion League: Anaxolo Khitsini (Thembalethu Hub)
• Most Wickets in u/19 Super League: Zandré Conradie (Oakdale Agricultural High)
• Batter of the Season: Women Twenty20 League: Annelie Minny (Mossel Bay CC)
• Bowler of the Season: Women Twenty20 League: Rusha van Wielingh (Plettenberg Bay Pioneer CC)
• Batsman of the Season: Twenty20 League: Ethan Coeries (Pacaltsdorp United CC)
• Bowler of the Season: Twenty20 League: Grant Simpson (George CC)
• Batter of the Season: Women League: Mochelle May (Riversdale CC)
• Bowler of the Season: Women League: Haroline Rhodes (Union Stars CC)
• Batsman of the Season: Reserve League: Christo Sander (George CC)
• Bowler of the Season: Reserve League: Blake Linder (Knysna Cavaliers CC)
• Batsman of the Season: Promotion League Division 2: Calton Rasmus (Masakhane CC)
• Bowler of the Season: Promotion League Division 2: Wayne Oraai (Kranshoek Cobras CC)
• Batsmen of the Season: Promotion League Division 1: Curnol Thorne (Pirates United CC)
• Bowler of the Season: Promotion League Division 1: Ricardo Majola (Pacaltsdorp United CC)
• Batsmen of the Season: Premier League: Todd Walker (Knysna Cavaliers CC)
• Bowler of the Season: Premier League: Rhupino Plaatjies (Harlequins Forces CC)

The respective league and club winners also received their trophies. They were:

• U/15 Promotion League : Thembalethu Hub
• U/15 Super League : Oakdale
• U/19 Promotion League: Thembalethu Hub
• U/19 Super League : Oakale
• Women’s League Winners: Union Stars
• Women Division 2 T20: Mossel Bay
• Reserve League Winners: Harlequins C
• Promotion League Division 2 Winners: Union Stars C
• Promotion League Division 1 Winners: Pacaltsdorp United
• T20 Knock-Out Competition: George
• Premier League Winners: Knysna Cavaliers

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