Victoria Cricket Club middle order batsman Marco Wyngard, 25, was in superb form with the bat and smashed back-to-back 50s to help his side beat Tygerberg by 65 runs, in a WP Cricket Association(WPCA) division 1A two-day fixture, in Ravensmead, on Saturday.
Wyngard played a pivotal role in his side’s victory, scoring 50 off 67 balls and 61 off 48 balls in both innings.
A day later, Victoria got their WPCA Grand Challenge one-day cup off to the perfect start, beating Rondebosch by 50 runs. Wyngard continue where he left off from Saturday, and scored 84 off 87 balls.
In Vics’ WPCA division 1A two-day fixture, they were in the driving seat going into day two by 59 runs. Last weekend, captain Robert van der Ross won the toss and chose to bat. His decision paid off as his side posted 206 in their first innings.
Wyngard was top scorer for his side and was supported by Gareth Dreyer who scored 47 runs. In reply, Tygererg were dismissed for 167 runs with Imran Qayyum the chief destroyer taking 6/69 in 25.2 overs.
At the end of day one, Victoria were 20/0 in their second innings with a lead by 59 runs.
On Saturday, Victoria added another 200 runs to their total setting Tygerberg a daunting task of 259 runs for victory. However, the hosts were dismissed for 194 runs.
“Tygerberg started off well on day one but our opening bowlers held their nerve and managed to get us a breakthrough which led to a slight collapse in their middle order. The plan was to score over 200 in our second innings and put them under pressure,” said Wyngard, who scored his third consecutive 50 and hopes he can kick on to get over 100.
“I was happy with that knock of 56 runs against Avendale because it was my first game back after a four week injury layoff. That performance put my season back on track and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come for the rest of the season. I’m really pleased with my efforts so far as I have only batted thrice since my return and have managed to get 50s in all three innings,” he said.
Coach Viv Veldsman said after he assessed the wicket before the game they knew it would be harder batting second and took full advantage of winning the toss.
Victoria are having a good start to the WPCA division 1A with three wins and one draw against UCT. They beat Montrose and Avendale by eight and 10 wickets respectively and are second on the log behind Milnerton.
Veldsman said the season is going well and were two wickets short from beating UCT.
“We were a bit unlucky against UCT because we dominated most of the game but lost an hour of play on the second day. One of the factors that contributed to our victories was the enjoyment and positive culture within the team. The great thing is that everyone contributed in an innings with us not relying on one or two players,” he said.
Last year, Vics got relegated from the WPCA premier league after they finished second last – with one win, a draw and seven defeats.
However, they did go on to be crowned 2015/2016 WPCA Grand Challenge champions.
This was after they beat Western Province on the Duckworth- Lewis method after they posted 197/8 in their 50 overs. WPCC were 87/4 in 27 overs when the rain came.
Velsman said they went back to the drawing board to see where things went wrong.
“I always believed we had the talent but luck did not go our way in the two-day format.
“Looking at the team now, there is a good blend of youth and experience.
“The goal is to defend our title and finish in the top four of the two-day format,” he said.
