The Diamond Eagles (formerly known as the Gestetner Diamond Eagles and the Good Year Eagles) has played in the Standard bank Pro 20 series since the formation of the franchise system in South Africa in 2003. This team represents the Central Cricket Franchise with two shareholders namely Free State Cricket and Griqualand-West Cricket. The team play their games at the Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and at the De Beers stadium in Kimberley.
The Diamond Eagles won the Standard bank Pro 20 Series in 2003/04 and in 2005/06 and lost in the final to the Nashua Cape Cobras in 2009.
Legendary Players
A number of international players played for the Eagles in this format over the last 6 years. Boeta Dippenaar captains the side that was coached by Corrie van Zyl until April 2009. Other internationals include Loots Bosman, Thandi Tshabalala, Johan Van Der Wath and Nicky Boje who captained before Dippenaar. Jacques Rudolph, Roger Telemachus, Johan Louw, Victor Mpitsang and Morne van Wyk complete the number of players in recent competitions. Previous players that played for the franchise are Gerhardus Liebenberg (current convenor of selectors) and Alan Donald (Warwickshire Bowling coach).
The Eagles has stepped up to semi final level every season and are currently fielding a very young side with SA U/19 players like Rilee Rossouw and Dean Elgar. Reeza Hendricks , CJ De Villiers and Thandi Tshabalala also features in the SA A side and the emerging players side
Last season’s Statistics:
RM – Ryan McLaren
SS – Shadley van Schalkwyk
DP – Boeta Dippenaar
CDL – Con de Lange
TT – Thandi Tshabalala
RB – Ryan Bailey
CJ – CJ DE VILLIERS
DE – Dean Elgar
JC – Jandre Coetzee
.jpg)
The Season in short:
The Eagles lost their opening match to the Nashua Dolphins in Bloemfontein but struck back at the Wanderers against the Lions. Dillon du Preez took three wickets as the Gestetner Diamond Eagles edged past the bizhub Highveld Lions by eight runs in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.
The Lions ended their innings on 148 for seven after needing 21 runs to win off the last two overs of their innings.
The penultimate over was bowled by Du Preez who first had Dane Vilas (44) caught at cover by Boeta Dippenaar before he had Cliffe Deacon caught at long-on by a diving Ryan McLaren to leave the Lions needing 12 runs off the last over.
Seamer McLaren held his nerve to concede only three runs off the last over to secure victory for the Eagles.
Next up the Eagles demolished the Cape Cobras by 88 runs as Adrian Mclaren scored 61 of 42 deliveries for an opening stand of 110 with Morne van Wyk.
The Eagles were also far more clinical in the field than the Cobras, with Shadley van Schalkwyk pulling off a fantastic one-handed, leaping catch at deep mid-off to dismiss Richard Levi (1) off De Villiers.
Van Zyl and Justin Ontong (4) were both deceived by Van Schalkwyk slower balls and, once Puttick dragged medium-pacer Ryan Bailey into his stumps, there was no more hope for the Cobras.
De Villiers finished with three for 15 and Van Schalkwyk two for 12, while left-arm spinner Elgar took two wickets in the 14th over.
The Eagles lost their next two games with 6 wickets and 16 runs against the Titans and the Warriors respectively before beating the Warriors again in the first semi-final with 9 wickets. They travelled to Port Elizabeth for the second leg that was washed out completely. The next day the Warriors was on song and beat the eagles by 10 wickets to force a third leg semi-final.
A thriller was up from the start and both teams slumped to 97 runs each enforcing the super over.
Left-arm seamer Jandre Coetzee's slower balls posed too many problems for the Warriors in the decisive over as Davey Jacobs, Robin Peterson and Craig Thyssen could manage just five singles between them.
Coetzee was an unlikely hero for the Eagles, having not been used previously in the competition this season, but he also starred in the Warriors' normal innings with three for 19.
The eagles where beaten by a star studded Cape Cobras in the final but managed to get their invitation to the Champions League in October 2009.
|
Eagles batting averages
|
|
Player
|
Mat
|
Inns
|
NO
|
Runs
|
HS
|
Ave
|
BF
|
SR
|
100
|
50
|
0
|
4s
|
6s
|
|
D Elgar
|
8
|
6
|
2
|
203
|
47
|
50.75
|
186
|
109.13
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
15
|
5
|
|
MN van Wyk
|
10
|
9
|
2
|
269
|
89*
|
38.42
|
213
|
126.29
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
34
|
5
|
|
AP McLaren
|
6
|
6
|
1
|
134
|
61
|
26.80
|
115
|
116.52
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
9
|
6
|
|
HH Dippenaar
|
10
|
9
|
2
|
176
|
53*
|
25.14
|
176
|
100.00
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
21
|
1
|
|
RT Bailey
|
10
|
8
|
2
|
112
|
39
|
18.66
|
110
|
101.81
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
8
|
4
|
|
D du Preez
|
10
|
8
|
2
|
82
|
26
|
13.66
|
73
|
112.32
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
2
|
|
T Tshabalala
|
9
|
2
|
1
|
10
|
6*
|
10.00
|
11
|
90.90
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
RR Hendricks
|
7
|
4
|
1
|
28
|
14
|
9.33
|
28
|
100.00
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
SC van Schalkwyk
|
10
|
3
|
1
|
18
|
10
|
9.00
|
27
|
66.66
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
CJD de Villiers
|
10
|
6
|
3
|
24
|
7*
|
8.00
|
29
|
82.75
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
CD de Lange
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
8
|
8
|
8.00
|
8
|
100.00
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
RR Rossouw
|
4
|
4
|
0
|
21
|
11
|
5.25
|
32
|
65.62
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
|
R McLaren
|
8
|
4
|
0
|
12
|
8
|
3.00
|
16
|
75.00
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
|
J Coetzee
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1*
|
-
|
2
|
50.00
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
LL Bosman
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
AK Kruger
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
AR Swanepoel
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Eagles bowling averages
|
|
Player
|
Mat
|
Inns
|
Overs
|
Mdns
|
Runs
|
Wkts
|
BBI
|
Ave
|
Econ
|
SR
|
4
|
5
|
Ct
|
St
|
|
D Elgar
|
8
|
3
|
5.0
|
0
|
21
|
3
|
2/6
|
7.00
|
4.20
|
10.0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
|
J Coetzee
|
2
|
2
|
8.0
|
0
|
48
|
5
|
3/19
|
9.60
|
6.00
|
9.6
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
CJD de Villiers
|
10
|
10
|
32.5
|
1
|
205
|
14
|
5/12
|
14.64
|
6.24
|
14.0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
|
T Tshabalala
|
9
|
9
|
23.0
|
0
|
161
|
4
|
2/25
|
40.25
|
7.00
|
34.5
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
|
D du Preez
|
10
|
10
|
31.0
|
1
|
225
|
9
|
3/25
|
25.00
|
7.25
|
20.6
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
SC van Schalkwyk
|
10
|
10
|
27.0
|
0
|
196
|
6
|
2/12
|
32.66
|
7.25
|
27.0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
|
RT Bailey
|
10
|
7
|
16.0
|
0
|
119
|
7
|
2/25
|
17.00
|
7.43
|
13.7
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
|
R McLaren
|
8
|
8
|
26.5
|
0
|
206
|
5
|
2/17
|
41.20
|
7.67
|
32.2
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
|
AR Swanepoel
|
2
|
2
|
5.0
|
0
|
39
|
0
|
-
|
-
|
7.80
|
-
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
CD de Lange
|
2
|
2
|
5.0
|
0
|
44
|
0
|
-
|
-
|
8.80
|
-
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
|
LL Bosman
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
0
|
0
|
|
HH Dippenaar
|
10
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
0
|
|
RR Hendricks
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
0
|
|
AK Kruger
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
0
|
0
|
|
AP McLaren
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
0
|
|
RR Rossouw
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
0
|
0
|
|
MN van Wyk
|
10
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|