Knights (cricket team)

Knights (cricket team)
Chevrolet Knights
Chevrolet Knights.png
Coach: South Africa Sarel Cilliers
Captain: South Africa Boeta Dippenaar
Colours:      Blue      Gold
Founded: 2003
Home ground: OUTsurance Oval
Capacity: 20,000
Official website: Chevrolet Knights

The Chevrolet Knights is the name used by the combined Free State cricket team and Griqualand West first class cricket teams in South Africa. The team previously competed as the Diamond Eagles. The home venue is OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein.

The combined team plays in the SuperSport Series and also in the MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Twenty20 limited over competitions.

Contents

Squad

Players with international caps are listed in bold.

No. Name Nat Birth date Batting Style Bowling Style Notes
Batsmen
7 Ryan Bailey South Africa 7 September 1982 (1982-09-07) (age 29) Right-handed Right arm medium pace
9 Rilee Rossouw South Africa 9 October 1989 (1989-10-09) (age 22) Left-handed Right arm off break
17 Reeza Hendricks South Africa 14 August 1989 (1989-08-14) (age 22) Right-handed Right arm medium-fast
64 Dean Elgar South Africa 11 June 1987 (1987-06-11) (age 24) Left-handed Left arm slow
77 Boeta Dippenaar South Africa 14 June 1977 (1977-06-14) (age 34) Right-handed Right arm off break
All-rounders
8 Ryan McLaren South Africa 9 February 1983 (1983-02-09) (age 28) Left-handed Right arm medium-fast
16 Shadley van Schalkwyk South Africa 5 August 1988 (1988-08-05) (age 23) Left-handed Right arm medium-fast
24 Johan van der Wath South Africa 10 January 1978 (1978-01-10) (age 33) Right-handed Right arm medium-fast
25 Alan Kruger South Africa 16 February 1981 (1981-02-16) (age 30) Right-handed Right arm medium-fast
26 Dillon du Preez South Africa 8 November 1981 (1981-11-08) (age 30) Right-handed Right arm fast-medium
?? Charl Pietersen South Africa 6 January 1983 (1983-01-06) (age 28) Left-handed Left arm medium-fast
?? Obus Pienaar South Africa 12 December 1989 (1989-12-12) (age 21) Right-handed Left arm fast
?? Con de Lange South Africa 11 February 1981 (1981-02-11) (age 30) Right-handed Slow left-arm orthodox
Wicket-keepers
21 Adrian McLaren South Africa 21 April 1980 (1980-04-21) (age 31) Right-hand bat —
44 Morne van Wyk South Africa 20 March 1979 (1979-03-20) (age 32) Right-hand bat — Captain
Bowlers
0 Thandi Tshabalala South Africa 19 November 1984 (1984-11-19) (age 27) Right-handed Right arm off break
60 Victor Mpitsang South Africa 28 March 1980 (1980-03-28) (age 31) Right-handed Right arm fast-medium
?? Gino Vries South Africa 10 April 1987 (1987-04-10) (age 24) Right-handed Right arm fast-medium

Champions League Twenty20

Qualification and 1st Round

Diamond Eagles finished 2nd in the 2009 Standard Bank Pro20 and became eligible to play in the 2009 Champions League Twenty20. The team was placed in Group B with Australia New South Wales Blues and England Sussex Sharks. The team lost their first match against the New South Wales Blues and was not able to make even 100 runs and stayed on 91/9 but the second match went for a tied with Sussex Sharks in which the scores were tied at 119/7 (Sussex) and 119/4(Eagles). Eagles managed to clinch the Super Over. in the Super Over Eagles scored 9/1 while Sussex were knocked of the first two balls by Cornelius de Villiers and the Man of the Match was awarded to Rilee Rossouw.

2nd Round

After some twists and turns Eagles somehow made it to the next round where they were placed in League A with Australia New South Wales Blues , England Somerset Sabres and  Trinidad and Tobago. they were counted as a lost to blues as their previous result and won against the Somerset Sabres but lost against the Trinidad side in a must win match. CJ de Villiers again performed well in the game against Somerset CCC. They were unable to qualify for the semis but gained respect and earned themselves 7th out of 12 teams.

Honours

  • SuperSport Series (1) - 2007–08 ; shared (1) - 2004–05
  • MTN Championship (2) - 2004–05, 2005–06, 2010–11
  • Pro20 Series (2) - 2003–04, 2005–06

The Chevrolet Knights is the most successful cricket team since South Africa decided to use a franchise system for all domestic competitions.

External sources

References

  • South African Cricket Annual – various editions
  • Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – various editions
v · First-class teams in South African domestic cricket
Franchise teams
Cape Cobras • Dolphins • Knights • Lions • Titans • Warriors
Provincial association teams
Boland • Border • Eastern Province • Easterns • Free State • Gauteng • Griqualand West • Kei • KwaZulu-Natal • KwaZulu-Natal Inland • Limpopo • Mpumalanga • North West • Northerns • South Western Districts • Western Province
Namibia, Rhodesia and Zimbabwe have also competed in major South African domestic competitions


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