Western Province Cricket Association shower praise on Laura Wolvaardt

Cricket South Africa awards while picking the South Africa batter Laura Wolvaardt for special praise. Wolvaardt bagged as many as three awards, winning Cricketer of the Year, ODI Player of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year, during the virtual award function on Saturday (July 4).

Nick Kock, President of WPCA, congratulated all the winners and nominees in their respective categories.

21-year-old Wolvaardt scored 382 runs at average of 54.57 in one day internationals during the season. She also scored 94 runs from two innings at a strike rate just under 150, during the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia. She is now the youngest female player to win the top award.

“Laura continues to represent Western Province and South Africa with aplomb. She exudes professionalism way beyond her age of just 21 years old. We couldn’t be prouder of her achievements and how Laura continues to inspire young girls who are starting out playing cricket,” said Kock.

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Claire Terblanche, Western Province coach, congratulated Wolvaardt and T20 Player of the Year nominee Nadine de Klerk.

“We are just so proud of both Nadine and Laura. Nadine, for being nominated at such a young age, is fantastic. She has done a lot of hard work through the years and this nomination was a testament to that hard work. We are looking forward to seeing her momentum grow as she grows,” said Terblanche.

Nadine de Klerk on a roll after picking a wicket. © Getty Images

“Laura, our WP stalwart, her deserved wins are yet another testament to all the hours of work she has put in over the years to intensify her game. She remains a lover of the game and humble in her pursuit of excellence. Laura is always one to just have fun and really enjoy her batting and her drive to keep hitting the ball is what is going to be a positive influence for her, for years to come. It is a proud moment for WP Women and myself as coach that we can celebrate these players’ achievements and hope to celebrate more with them in the future,” she added.

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Clinton du Preez, Cricket Services Manager at WPCA, thanked all the players for their contributions over the season.“I want to congratulate all our award winners; we are so proud of Laura and Jono and Ruth and Brindley are two of the most dedicated coaches at WP and we thank them for their contributions. I’d also like to acknowledge and thank all the other Hub Coaches and management structures for the support and role they play within the success of the RPC program.”

“Finally, I want to thank the coaches involved with Jono and Laura’s development as they play a critical role in the careers of those players and the unselfish work done by mini-cricket coaches and how valued their contribution is with the development of young cricketers.”

“Finally, credit must go to WP Women’s coach Claire Terblanche, WP U19 and Academy Coach Gurshwin Rabie, WP Men’s Senior Provincial Coach Paul Adams and Cobras Coach Ashwell Prince who continue to give cricketers opportunities to shine and express their talents on the big stage. We have a very proud history at Western Province and with coaches like them in place, we continue to produce national players every single year,” du Preez concluded.