SA20 has launched the rain SA20 Derby Series, a set of standalone fixtures between leading South African cricket schools, and named mobile network operator rain as title sponsor of both the new series and rain Schools SA20, the league’s national schools T20 competition.
The Derby Series opens on Tuesday, 22 September, when Menlo Park hosts Waterkloof in a day/night match. Twenty-six schools take part, playing home and away in alternate years. There is no log and no cumulative path to a title – each fixture stands on its own. Some of the pairings go back decades; others are new, put together on the strength of the cricket between the schools.
The national competition
Rain Schools SA20 gets under way this week in its third season, with more than 500 schools entered. The competition is open to boys and girls and runs through provincial and then regional rounds to the rain Schools SA20 Finals Weekend, where the national titles are decided. Jeppe High School for Boys and Queen’s High School are the defending champions.
The winning schools in each competition receive a full scholarship, funded by SA20 with the South African Cricketers’ Association, for a promising Grade 7 boy and girl to attend the school. It covers annual school fees, hostel fees and additional costs.
What the two properties do
“Rain Schools SA20 is a national pathway – it finds and develops the country’s best young players and crowns one champion each season,” said SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith. “The rain SA20 Derby Series is something else entirely: it’s about giving a school and its community a day they’ll talk about for years, built on pride and mutual respect rather than a table or a trophy.”
Rain CEO Conrad Leigh said the partnership let the operator reach cricket fans early. “Cricket fans already associate rain with the Betway SA20, so extending that relationship into schools cricket felt like a natural next step,” he said. “We backed rain Schools SA20 because of what it does for the next generation of players. The Derby Series gives us something different to be part of.”
The full fixture list is at schools.sa20.co.za. All matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport Schools channel 216 on DStv, the Schools SA20 YouTube channel and SABC+.
