Falcons leave the nest
With the U13 Cape Premier League little more than a month away, the Knysna Falcons franchise announced its squad that will make the trip to Durbanville for the tournament.
The U13 league will feature teams from the six franchises that were involved in the inaugural CPL earlier this year, which was launched as a branch-off of the existing leagues in Gauteng (Lenasia Premier League – LPL) and KwaZulu-Natal (Durban Premier League – DPL). Both the LPL and DPL will have their own U13 leagues too, and the top two from each of the three tournaments will come together and face off in the Champions League.
The six franchises – Atlantic Pirates, District Sixers, Cape Vikings, Dromedaris Dragons, Hoeri Kwaggo Bulls, Knysna Falcons – weren't required to have an U13 team in the first edition of the CPL, but after the success of the inaugural senior tournament all six franchises have been tasked with selecting their own squad. Knysna Falcons, which is owned by Knysna Primary School, is the first and only franchise in the three tournaments to be owned by a primary school.
Selectors for the squad however didn't restrict their field of vision to only Knysna when looking for players, choosing U13 players from George and Plettenberg Bay as well. Knysna Falcons have selected a squad of 17 players which will be coached by Maurice White, one of the coaches of the U13 team at Knysna Primary. "I am looking forward to the challenge that lies in wait," said White. "We've got a strong squad and I think we will do really well. It'll be great for us to make it the Champions League, but at the end of the day it's all about making sure the boys enjoy their cricket."