Indoor cricketers put EP among nation’s best

Eastern Province’s indoor cricketers underlined the province’s growing strength by returning from the Indoor Cricket South Africa (ICSA) Overs Inter-Provincial Tournament in George with medals from four of their five teams.

The week-long tournament, staged at the Triumph Indoor Arena, brought together the country’s leading masters players in the Over-30, Over-40 and Over-50 age groups, with Eastern Province fielding five teams across the championship and plate competitions.

Leading the charge was the province’s Over-30 Championship side, which claimed the national title, while the Over-40 Plate team added a second gold medal.

The Over-50 Championship side secured silver after reaching the final unbeaten before narrowly missing out on the title, while the province’s Over-50 Plate team completed the medal haul with bronze.

The results represented one of Eastern Province’s most successful showings at the annual tournament and highlighted the province’s ability to compete consistently across multiple age groups.

Eastern Province indoor cricket administrator Wessel Wolmarans described the campaign as one of the province’s strongest in recent years.

“To have four of our five teams finish on the podium is something we’re extremely proud of,” Wolmarans said.

“It shows the quality we have throughout the province and the commitment of everyone involved.”

Apart from the Over-30 side’s gold medal exploits, he also mentioned the Over-50 Championship side’s run to the final as one of the tournament’s highlights after the team went unbeaten throughout the round-robin stages before suffering its only defeat in the title decider.

“They played outstanding indoor cricket all week.

“Unfortunately, the only game they lost was the final, but they can be incredibly proud of what they achieved,” he said.

Wolmarans said the performances across the various age categories reflected the depth of Eastern Province’s indoor cricket structures, with success spread across both the championship and plate competitions.

“It’s not just one team performing.

“We’ve got players competing and succeeding across different age groups and divisions, which says a lot about the depth we’re building in Eastern Province,” he said.

He also praised the efforts of the province’s coaches, selectors, managers and volunteers, saying their work behind the scenes played a vital role in the successful campaign.

“A result like this doesn’t happen by chance,” Wolmarans said.

“The coaches, selectors, managers and volunteers put in countless hours preparing these teams, and they deserve a tremendous amount of credit for what was achieved.”

These performances have also been rewarded at national level, with one member of EP’s Over-30 Championship-winning side earning South African selection for a national tour to be held in February 2027.

Trials squads for the national Over-35, Over-40, Over-45, Over-50 and Over-55 teams have also been named and feature several EP players across the age groups.

These squads will compete in various trial matches in the coming months, with final national squads being selected thereafter to represent SA at the Overs World Series in India next year.

For Eastern Province, the tournament served as further evidence that the province’s masters programme continues to grow from strength to strength, with four medals from five teams highlighting its competitiveness on the national stage and providing further encouragement for the future of indoor cricket in the region.