Ernest Kemm and his team are gearing up to redeem themselves after the three-run loss in their last game and face off against the formidable opponents from the Eastern Cape.
After suffering the narrowest of defeats against the Eastern Storm last weekend, the Northern Cape Heat cricket team is looking to bounce back when they host the Eastern Cape Inyathi at the Diamond Oval on Sunday.
Ernest Kemm and his team are gearing up to redeem themselves after the three-run loss in their last game and face off against the formidable opponents from the Eastern Cape.
In a candid conversation with the DFA, Kemm reflected on the team’s recent clash against the Eastern Storm, where the Heat came tantalisingly close to victory. The match saw them bowl first after losing the toss, and restricting the visitors to 249/9 in their 50 overs.
Kemm said, “It was a very good target to try and get to, and we were happy to reach that target.” He went on to analyse the team’s performance saying, “If you look at the scorecards, all our batsmen who came in got a good start, but most of them could only score 10s and 20s.
“We lost that game by three runs, and I think it has to do with how we started the game; nobody really stayed in long enough to make a big total except for CP Klijnhans, who scored 75 from 60 balls.
“With that being said, the scoreboard could not keep ticking over fast enough. Unfortunately, everybody found a way to be bowled out, and that was our downfall,” he added.
Despite the disappointing loss, Kemm emphasised the fact that the team is taking the lessons learned from that game and working diligently to improve in future matches.
On Thursday the Heat took on the South African Emerging Team, a group of players that Kemm described as “very interesting” due to the team’s mix of SA Under-19 players, Division 2 players, and prospects from the South African National Academy, all under the age of 23.
Kemm lauded Cricket South Africa for giving the emerging team this challenging opportunity and expressed excitement about the young team’s upcoming games.
Meanwhile, the Heat also need to be cooking for Sunday’s game against the Eastern Cape Inyathi at Kimberely’s Diamond Oval. The Inyathi are one point and two log positions above the Kimberley team after a decent start to their season. The visitors will, however, be playing their first away game of their season, adding an intriguing twist to the match.
Kemm concluded, “It will be interesting to see how they will perform while away from their home ground.”
The question now is, will the Heat’s batters rise to the occasion and kick on from their starts and put up higher scores on Sunday? And will the bowlers be able to tame the Inyathi sluggers?
The answers to these questions will unfold on Sunday from 10am with Heat supporters and all cricket fans invited to the Diamond Oval, to witness what promises to be a thriller.
NC Heat vs SA Emerging – 28 September 2023, Pretoria
NC Heat 274/5 (50 overs)
Grant Thomson 90* (61 balls, 9x4s, 3x6s); Jason Oakes 54 (95 balls, 4x4s); Ernest Kemm 37 (61 balls, 2x4s). Bowling: Martin Khumalo 2/33; Liyema Waqu 2/45
SA Emerging 277/6 (49.4 overs)
Lhuan-dre Pretorius 97 (102 balls, 11x4s, 1×6); Richard Seletswane 62 (50 balls, 8x4s, 1×6); David Teeger 51 (69 balls 1×4, 1×6). Bowling: Basheeru-Deen Walters 3/48; Zakhele Qwabe 3/53
Result: SA Emerging won by 4 wickets (with 2 balls remaining)
