The highly anticipated Nashua Junior Franchise competition began with a bang at the High Performance Oval, showcasing the U14 players’ competitive cricket skills. This marked the start of the Nashua Junior Franchise, with the U14 matches commencing at the HP Oval, while the U19 category is set to start at Untied Cricket Ground on May 10th.
The U14 matches displayed exceptional skills, highlighting the best young cricket talent in Namibia competing at a high level. Cricket Namibia provided a unique broadcasting experience for youth cricketers, with Saturday’s games broadcasted live with full commentary.
The opening game on Friday, 26th April, between the KFC Wildcats and the Stadio Jets, saw the Jets clinching victory by 8 wickets. The Stadio Jets won the toss and elected to bowl, restricting the Wildcats to 89 runs all out in 16.3 overs. The Jets chased down the target in just 13 overs, finishing with 92 runs for the loss of only 2 wickets. The match saw Alex Parker awarded the Yellow cap for leading run-scorer with 36 runs not out, while JW Junias claimed the Pink cap for leading wicket-taker with 3 wickets for 6 runs in 2.3 overs. Max Fourie from the Stadio Jets was named Player of the Match.
Saturday, 27th April, featured two games at the HP Oval. In the morning game, KFC Wildcats posted the highest total of the tournament so far, scoring 193/3 in 20 overs against the Asburton Eagles, who were bowled out for 65 runs in 10 overs. Gillmer Horn’s 77 runs and Janco Duvenhage’s 53 runs propelled the Wildcats to a dominant victory by 128 runs. Gillmer Horn became the new Yellow cap holder for the leading run-scorer.
In the afternoon game, Stadio Jets continued their winning streak by defeating the Ashburton Eagles by 7 wickets. Markus van Heerdn was named Player of the Match for his impressive 42 runs from 33 balls.
The weekend concluded with Stadio Jets defeating KFC Wildcats by 21 runs on Sunday. Although KFC Wildcats fought hard, Stadio Jets’ solid batting performance secured their victory. The Sunday standout performers included JW Junias, Markus Van Heerden, and Max Fourie from the Stadio Jets, and Gillmer Horn and Joss Zondagh from KFC Wildcats. Lucas Kruger became the new Pink cap holder for the leading wicket-taker, while Markus Van Heerden became the new Yellow cap holder for the leading run-scorer.
Stadio Jets finished at the top of the log table with 12 points, winning all three of their games. KFC Wildcats secured 4 points with one win, while the Ashburton Eagles are yet to secure their first win and sit at the bottom of the table.
The U14 Nashua Junior Franchise continues on the 24th of May, while the U19 tournament kicks off on the 10th of May at United Cricket Ground.
U14 Nashua Junior Franchise: Top 5 Batters
| Player | Team | Mat | Runs | 4’s | 6’s | 50’s | HS |
| Markus Van Heerden | U/14 Stadio Jets | 3 | 132 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 67 |
| Gillmer Horn | U/14 KFC Wildcats | 3 | 112 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 77 |
| Janco Duvenhage | U/14 KFC Wildcats | 3 | 81 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 53 |
| JW (Johannes Willem) Junius | U/14 Stadio Jets | 3 | 64 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 55 |
| Gerhard Genis | U/14 KFC Wildcats | 3 | 50 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 26 |
U14 Nashua Junior Franchise: Top 5 Bowlers
| Player | Team | Mat | Overs | Runs | Wkts | BBF | dots |
| Lucas Kruger | U/14 Stadio Jets | 3 | 6 | 24 | 5 | 6/ 2 | 27 |
| JW Junius | U/14 Stadio Jets | 3 | 5.2 | 24 | 4 | 6/ 3 | 18 |
| Francois Siepker | U/14 Stadio Jets | 3 | 8 | 47 | 3 | 15/ 3 | 25 |
| Nicklai Van Vuuren | U/14 KFC Wildcats | 3 | 6 | 46 | 3 | 11/ 2 | 12 |
| Gerhard Genis | U/14 KFC Wildcats | 3 | 7 | 75 | 3 | 4/ 1 | 9 |
Points Table
View full scorecard:
Game 1: KFC Wildcats vs Stadio Jets
Game 2: KFC Wildcats vs Ashburton Eagles
Game 3: Ashburton Eagles vs Stadio Jets
Game 4: Stadio Jets vs KFC Wildcats
