Team Talk - HD Ackerman

November has been a busy month for the guys with 3 four day games and one day nighter complete and 1 more 4 dayer to come.

We started our Supersport Series campaign against EP in Port Elizabeth and o what a start ,a victory to us by a very comfortable margin. There was runs for Gibbs, Ackerman and Smith and the spin twins Adams and Henderson bowled us to victory. It was just the sort of start we needed to the four dayers as only 1 team falls out of our group when it comes down to the Super Eights.

More good cricket followed when we travelled to East London for 100th time in the past 5 seasons to face Border ,finalists in the past 2 seasons. Runs in this match were spread about evenly with Gibbs, Ackerman, Puttick, Prince and Johnson all getting a few but the bowlers were again superb in bowling out Border twice on what was a very batsmen friendly pitch.

Two out of Two was a great start to the four day series and the scenes in the dressing room after the victory showed what a sort of team that this young WP team were developing into......a very happy one. The pro, Johno(Neil Johnson) led the after match celebrations and made sure everyone had difficulty in getting up for the early morning team swim.

Natal were next on the list in the four day programe but a selectorial headache lay in store as Gary, Jacques and Rodger were joining us after their international one day series against New Zealand. Not one player deserved to be left out but Claude, Ashwell and Putters (Puttick) were the unfortunate ones. The game ended in a draw with Jacques showing his class in both innings with scores of 99[aaaahhh] and 83. The six bonus points we took out of the game assured us a place in the super eights and left natal fighting for theirs.

It's such a pity I have to end this colomn on a sour note but unfortunatly the one dayer against the same opposition led to another loss for us in the one day competition which means for us to make the semis is going to take some brilliant cricket in the last six remaining fixtures, however I know this team is capable of just that and with all your support at the home games I am sure we will achieve it.

Anyway this weekend sees us play the high riding Easterns at home in the last of the group four dayers and we hope to see you all there!

Your captain HD Ackerman.