Breed Confident as WSB Western Province Aim to Keep Winning Momentum in Paarl

Following a comfortable four-wicket victory over Renault Potchefstroom North West Dragons at WSB Newlands on Sunday, the Boys in Blue are eager to make it two from two when they take on their neighbours at Boland Park in the Cape Derby.

The match is scheduled to start at 18h00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport TV.

One of the standout stories from Sunday’s win was the T20 debut of 26-year-old all-rounder Josh Breed, who featured alongside fellow debutant Mbulelo Dube.

Breed, who made his List-A debut last season against the Dafabet Warriors, reflected on what he described as a “special and proud” moment representing Western Province in the shortest format.

“I was super excited,” said Breed. “I’ve been speaking to coach Rory [Kleinveldt] a lot about potentially playing, so I felt like I was well prepared.

“I’d done quite a lot of white-ball preparation, so I was nervous the first ball that I bowled and the first ball that I faced, but after that the nerves settled and it was good fun.”

Breed also recalled a particularly emotional moment when he received his debut cap from former Claremont Cricket Club teammate, Matthew Elsworth.

“Receiving that cap was so special,” he shares. “I mean, Maddy, who gave me my cap, I’ve known him now for 10 years, and he was a senior player at Claremont when I joined.

“I got to skip for him, and he’s been one of the most supportive people in my journey. So, when I heard he was coming down, that was quite emotional, but it was awesome.”

Breed praised Western Province’s strong all-round performance in the win over the Dragons and says he is confident the team will carry that form into the clash in Paarl.

“I think it’s going to pose a completely different challenge, conditions-wise,” said Breed.

“It’s quite big there, and it’s usually known to be a bit slower and to assist spin, but we’ll have to wait and see what the deck looks like on the day.”

He added that the squad is in a positive space heading into the fixture at Boland Park.

“We’re in quite a good space going into Boland Park. Boland is one of those sides where you know exactly what to expect, but they still execute their plans well,” he adds.

“So, we’ve identified the areas where we believe we can capitalise.”

WSB Western Province Squad:

Juan James, Joshua van Heerden, Beuran Hendricks, Edward Moore, Jody Lawrence, Josh Breed, Valentine Kitime, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Bongile Mfunelwa, Kyle Verreynne (w/k-captain), Daniel Smith (w/k), Jiveshan Pillay, Dane Paterson, Oliver Whitehead, Raeeq Daniels, Asakhe Tsaka, Liyema Waqu.