Kingdom of the Zulu’s top stars receive Cricket South Africa recognition

While much of the focus of Wednesday’s Cricket South Africa Day will be on tonight’s CSA Awards Evening, this morning’s CSA Award Breakfast in association with KFC saw a strong KwaZulu-Natal flavour amidst the list of winners of the year’s amateur cricket awards.

The lavish awards breakfast at Killarney Country Club in Johannesburg commemorates the accomplishments of the growing talent in the country as CSA continues to drive its vision of making cricket a truly national sport of winners.

Leading the charge for the Kingdom of the Zulu was KwaZulu-Natal Inland star and Sunfoil Dolphins squad member Kyle Nipper who walked away with the coveted CSA Provincial One-Day Cricketer of the Year Award.

The 27 year-old former Maritzburg College pupil’s 279 runs with the bat and 13 wickets with the ball saw him finish second on both the list of most runs scored and most wickets taken during the provincial 50-over competition, seeing him a thoroughly deserved recipient of the award.

“It is a great honour to pick up an award like this,” Nipper said shortly after receiving his award.

“It has been a couple of long years of hard work and I am really happy that I could be rewarded with an award like this.”

It was a morning of achievement for Dinesha Devnarain as she clinched CSA’s first ever Women’s Provincial Cricketer of the Year award for her outstanding work as both captain and coach of the KwaZulu-Natal Coastal team while Ragini Moodley clinched the KFC Mini-Cricket Coach of the Year accolades.

“CSA Day is the highlight of our cricketing calendar. It brings the entire cricket family together as we celebrate the diversity of our nation and salute not just our super stars but those who have overcome adversity in all its forms to achieve great deeds,” said CSA President, Mr Chris Nenzani.

“I would like to congratulate all our award winners. Your successes are well deserved and will serve as an inspiration not just to yourselves to set the cross bar even higher but also to those who will be inspired by you to follow in your footsteps in the years ahead.”

2015 CSA Breakfast Awards winners:

KFC Mini-Cricket Coach of the Year –                                                       Ragini Moodley (KZN)
CSA U15 Player of the Tournament –                                                       Jade de Klerk (Eastern Province)
CSA U17 Player of the Tournament –                                                       Aaqil Ebrahim (Western Province)
CSA Girls U19 Player of the Tournament –                                             Micaéla Andrews (SWD)
Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week Player of the Tournament –                Matthew Christensen (Western Province)
Coca-Cola U19 Cricketer of the Year –                                                      Janneman Malan (North West)
Coca-Cola Schools T20 Cricketer of the Year (2014) –                         Marco Lombard (Eastern Province)
Coca-Cola Schools T20 Cricketer of the Year (2015) –                         Dean Foxcroft (Northerns)
CSA Deaf Cricketer of the Year –                                                                                Sivesh Poonsamy (Gauteng)
CSA Intellectually Impaired Cricketer of the Year –                            Eldrich George (Eastern Province)
CSA Rural Cricketer of the Year –                                                               Mkhululi Calana (Border)
Momentum National Club Championship Player of the Tournament – Keegan Petersen (Boland)
CSA Student Cricketer of the Year –                                                         Murray Coetzee (Tuks)
CSA HUB Coach/Administrator of the Year –                                         Ikgomotseng Mothoa (Northerns)
Pitch Vision Semi-Professional Coach of the Year –                            Enoch Nkwe (Gauteng)
CSA Women’s Provincial Cricketer of the Year –                                  Dinesha Devnarain (KZN)
CSA Provincial T20 Cricketer of the Year –                                              Devon Conway (Gauteng)
CSA Provincial One-Day Cricketer of the Year –                                   Kyle Nipper (KZN Inland)
Sunfoil Three-Day Cup Cricketer of the Year –                                     Dale Deeb (Gauteng)