SWD Cricket's contracts for new season

GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS – SWD Cricket on Monday announced the 15 men who will make up the union's squad for the upcoming 2022/23 season.

Plettonian Jean du Plessis has been included in the squad once more.

Du Plessis' inclusion in the squad will see him don the SWD colours as a contracted player for the seventh consecutive season.

He will play alongside his club teammate Marcello Piedt - the duo both ply their trade in the SWD Cricket club structures under the auspices of the Plettenberg Bay Pioneers Cricket Club. They represented Pioneers in the final of the 2021/22 SWD Cricket Premier League where they lost out to Knysna Cavaliers.

The Premier League champions, Knysna Cavaliers, will also have a few representatives in the SWD squad this season. Opening batsman Blayde Capell and record-breaking SWD Player of the Season Sean Whitehead both played their club cricket for Cavaliers during the title-winning 2021/22 campaign - Capell and Whitehead will both be playing their second season in SWD colours.

Cavaliers have one more representative in the 15-man SWD squad - SWD Colts Player of the Season Keenan Vieira, who was rewarded with a high-performance contract for SWD off the back of a phenomenal debut season with the SWD Colts. Vieira also enjoyed a successful with the Cavaliers during which he played seven games and scored a total of 277 runs at an average of 55,40 with a top score of 92* against George Cricket Club.

Jean du Plessis

The new SWD squad also includes Matthew Christensen, a former SA U/19 and Warriors opening batsman who played for Western Province in the CSA Colts competition the past season and will now move to Oudtshoorn. Other changes see the departure of Renaldo Meyer who will be playing Division 1 next season for the North West Dragons - he was replaced by Herschel America. Opening batsman, Yaseen Vallie has retired from cricket to take up a job opportunity in the UK, and Leus du Plooy will also not be available for SWD this season.

"Leus has been great for us the past summer and although his departure leaves a massive void it also provides opportunity for other batsmen to make the step-up," said SWD CEO Albertus Kennedy, who is also excited for the season that lies ahead. "We have confidence with the squad assembled for the forthcoming season. We trust to improve on key areas that required strengthening to reach our objectives."

Keenan Vieira