The 2023 Chronicle

21 October

U15A vs Clifton: Benjamin Heuer 108 (80 balls) Third XI vs Clifton: Thomas Kuhn 104 (56 balls)

Six Michaelhouse boys represented themselves and our school at provincial level. Congratulations to Murray Baker and Cameron Strudwick for their selection for the KZN Inland U19 team, which played at the Khaya Majola Week in Makanda. Nathan Hoatson was selected as a non-travelling reserve for that team. Ethan Muir, Nicholas Baker, Hayden Hewlett and Radhesh Jhilmeet represented the KZN Inland U16 team. There is no game quite like cricket – it mirrors life. You can wait the whole day to bat and go out first ball because you made a mistake or received a ball that was unplayable. But you will have another chance next week. You can drop a catch because you were distracted, but you will have another chance at a catch if you just keep playing. You can be dropped because you haven’t bowled well, but as soon as you believe in yourself, you find form, bowl well and get selected for the team a few weeks later. You may have a bad day and let your team down and they lose. You may be the star performer for a day and help your team win, or perhaps they still lose! Any way you look at it, you will see that life and cricket are one and the same. Our boys are blessed to have the chance to learn from this magnificent game, as it teaches us all such invaluable life lessons. In everything that we do, we have a vision of Michaelhouse cricket that underpins how we practice, how we coach, how we learn and how we play the game: For all boys to understand the values and life lessons that cricket gives – patience, discipline, trust, friendship and determination. For each boy to have fun and to feel like he is contributing to his team’s success. For all boys to have developed a love for the game, so that they continue playing it after school. To encourage boys to focus on their strengths while working through weaknesses . We are also very blessed at Michaelhouse to have the most stunning facilities available to play this wonderful game, and even more so to have some very skilful and dedicated cricket coaches. There were some magnificent individual performances in this team: from the brilliant fast bowling attack of Thomas Mitchell, Michael Thornton and Luke Jankowitz to the spin twins of Nathan Hoatson and Cameron Strudwick, and of course the thousand run season of the captain, Murray Baker, who lead from the front all year. Congratulations must go to Murray Baker (the players’ player of the year and batsman of the year), Cameron Strudwick (captain for 2024) and Nathan Hoatson (the player of the year and bowler of the year), who ended 2023 by representing their province at the Khaya Majola week. But it was not only individual performances that allowed for this team’s success; rather, it was made possible through a team effort that helped the boys change their fortunes and subsequently the results. The turnaround was started by the brilliant coaching staff and a change within the boys themselves. Behind the scenes the coaching staff of Mr Cele, Mr Zuma and Mr Mortimer drove and inspired

21 October

18 November First XI vs St Charles: Murray Baker 102 (65 balls) MICHAELHOUSE 5-WICKET CLUB 2023 DATE: DESCRIPTION: 28 January Third XI vs Maritzburg College: Thomas Kuhn 6/34 in 6 overs

24 February

First XI vs Maritzburg College: Nathan Hoatson 7/15 in 9.1 overs U15C vs Hilton: Harry Porter 7/5 in 3.5 overs Second XI vs St Charles: Graham Wynne 5/38 in 9 overs U17 Red Team vs Uplands College: Harry Vickery 5/19 in 6 overs First XI vs Cornwall Hill: Cameron Strudwick 5/17 in 8.4 overs First XI vs Pretoria Boys: Michael Thornton 5/15 in 4 overs First XI vs Clifton: Ethan Muir 5/26 in 7.1 overs Third XI vs Clifton: Oliver Davis 5/10 in 3 overs U15C vs Howick: Callum Kernahan 6/12 in 3 overs Second XI vs Westville: Nicholas Baker 5/40 in 7.3 overs

4 March

4 April

30 August

30 September

3 October

21 October

21 October

26 October

4 November

FIRST XI CRICKET

COACHES: First XI: Mr Darryn Mortimer / Mr Khalipha Cele, Mr Lwandiswa Zuma y all accounts the First XI had a fantastic 2023 calendar year. However, it was a story of two halves. The first half consisted of poor results. Having played 14 matches with a win percentage of only 32%, we knew that this team was underperforming. We as players and coaching staff couldn’t quite put our finger on why this talented group of boys were struggling to get the results they were capable of. After a fresh look at the training structures, the team environment and the coaching personal, the team turned up in the third quarter to play some exceptional cricket. By the end of the second half of the year the results were painting a vastly different picture from the first half, with 12 played and a win percentage of 70%. B

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