GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers' hopes of winning a trophy this season and earning promotion to Division 1 next season are hanging on by a thread. With Northern Cape Heat lying in wait this weekend, victory is now their only option.

The Badgers will welcome the Heat to the Recreation Ground in Oudtshoorn on Saturday for their first fixture of the year in the CSA Division 2 Four-day Competition.

Having earned a win, a draw and one loss in their first three games of the season, the Badgers are currently fourth on the log. 

As things stand victory for the Badgers is non-negotiable if they are to earn significant enough points haul in order to keep their trophy and promotion hopes alive. 

While the team hasn't always shone, individual players have. Jean du Plessis (493 runs) is the top run-scorer in the competition while Thomas Kaber (21 wickets) is the top wicket-taker. 

The Badgers' left-hand opener, Blayde Capell, is also one of the top performers in the four-day competition and has scored the third-most runs – 453 runs at an average of 90,6 with a top score of 179 and two centuries and two half-centuries.

The Badgers will however be without Kaber this weekend who was drawn into the SA20 league as part of the MI Cape Town franchise whilst opener Ruan Terblanche is still recovering after ankle surgery.

Pheko Moletsane, who also recovered from injury during the first half of the season, made a welcome return against Limpopo Impala and will now be the front-line spinner on the Oudtshoorn track.

The Badgers' squad for the weekend is:
Jean du Plessis (captain), Blayde Capell, Matthew Christensen, Khwezi Gumede, Pheko Moletsane, Kelly Smuts, Jhedli van Briesies, Sintu Majiza, Marcello Piedt, Keenan Vieira, Jarred Jardine, Herschel America, Tyrece Karelse, Hanno Kotze, Kyle Jacobs and Liyabona Malife.

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