GOOD Hope Cricket club wicketkeeper and Border senior-provincial team captain Abongile Sodumo believes their 2013 Momentum Club Championships campaign has revived their hunger for success.
Good Hope became the first all-black African team to win the Border Cricket Super League and advance to the national competition.
Good Hope disappointingly won only one of their five matches at the national tournament which has gone on to produce some of the top cricketers in the country.
Sodumo, who was Good Hope’s second highest run-scorer with 150 runs behind Chevrolet Warriors’ batsman Vuyisa Makhaphela (196), said the week was an eye opener.
“This year’s tournament was a great learning curve for the boys especially those who went to the tournament for the first time.
“In actual fact the tournament has just revived the hunger within the team to do even better than we did last season, starting here at home.
“The boys now know the standard of cricket at the tournament and what is expected of them in the future,” said Sodumo.
At the tournament, Good Hope lost their opening game by 62 runs to Kofsies before going down to finalists Mecer NMMU by nine wickets.
The Thembela Mbada-led team then bounced back with a hard-fought one-run victory over St Patricks College .
Good Hope’s leading wicket-taker and Border senior-provincial team fast bowler Lucky Phangabantu, who finished with 11 wickets, was instrumental in the victory getting the last wicket with the last ball as St Patricks searched for two runs .
Makhaphela, the only centurion for Good Hope (116), believes the tournament saw bowlers struggle more than batsmen.
“The tournament was very tough, especially for bowlers because the ball came onto the bat quite well .
“The pitches were quite flat but bowlers like Lucky (Phangabantu) and Thembela Mbada did well with the experience they have.
“I think had we won our first game, we would have had a lot of momentum going into the second game against NMMU.”
Having had to play the senior player at the tournament, Makhaphela believes now that the foundation has been laid this year and Good Hope will be aiming higher next year.
Good learning curve for Good Hope
Good Hope became the first all-black African team to win the Border Cricket Super League and advance to the national competition.
Good Hope disappointingly won only one of their five matches at the national tournament which has gone on to produce some of the top cricketers in the country.
Sodumo, who was Good Hope’s second highest run-scorer with 150 runs behind Chevrolet Warriors’ batsman Vuyisa Makhaphela (196), said the week was an eye opener.
“This year’s tournament was a great learning curve for the boys especially those who went to the tournament for the first time.
“In actual fact the tournament has just revived the hunger within the team to do even better than we did last season, starting here at home.
“The boys now know the standard of cricket at the tournament and what is expected of them in the future,” said Sodumo.
At the tournament, Good Hope lost their opening game by 62 runs to Kofsies before going down to finalists Mecer NMMU by nine wickets.
The Thembela Mbada-led team then bounced back with a hard-fought one-run victory over St Patricks College .
Good Hope’s leading wicket-taker and Border senior-provincial team fast bowler Lucky Phangabantu, who finished with 11 wickets, was instrumental in the victory getting the last wicket with the last ball as St Patricks searched for two runs .
Makhaphela, the only centurion for Good Hope (116), believes the tournament saw bowlers struggle more than batsmen.
“The tournament was very tough, especially for bowlers because the ball came onto the bat quite well .
“The pitches were quite flat but bowlers like Lucky (Phangabantu) and Thembela Mbada did well with the experience they have.
“I think had we won our first game, we would have had a lot of momentum going into the second game against NMMU.”
Having had to play the senior player at the tournament, Makhaphela believes now that the foundation has been laid this year and Good Hope will be aiming higher next year.
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