Cape Cobras
Cape Cobras: competitions
Cape Cobras: First-Class Cricket Competitions
Logo Tournament Wins Years
Cape Cobras: Limited Overs Cricket Competitions
Logo Tournament Wins Years
Momentum One Day Cup
1
2006–07
Cape Cobras: Twenty20 Cricket Competitions
Logo Tournament Wins Years
Cape Cobras: professional club from South Africa
Cricket in the Western Cape Province (South Africa) appeared at the end of the 19th century. Therefore, the history of the Cape Cobras began long before the appearance of the team itself. Cape Cobras Club was formed in 2004. This is a team that represents three teams simultaneously: the Western Province cricket team, the Boland and the South Western Districts. The Cobras have won the first-class 4-Day Domestic Series Championship three times over 18 years, claim the Momentum One Day Cup title once, and become champions in short matches of the CSA Twenty20 Challenge twice. The main home ground for players is the Newlands Cricket Ground with a capacity of 25,000. However, the team has other playgrounds: Boland Park in Paarl and Recreation Ground in Oudtshoorn.
Cape Cobras – the history of the first teams
The first cricket team in the Western Cape was formed in 1890. It was the eponymous club Western Province, representing the city of Cape Town. Since its foundation, the team has joined the country’s domestic cricket championship – Currie Cup (now the 4-Day Domestic Series). He played home matches at Newlands Cricket Ground. Since 1981, the team has participated in a new tournament – the Momentum One Day Cup. The Western Province team won the main championships of South Africa for a long time from the founding of the club to the present day:
- the Currie Cup (18 times) – 1st victory in 1893. Last championship in 2004;
- the Momentum One Day Cup (then Standard Bank Cup) – 5 times debut victory in 1986. Last title in 2003;
- the CSA Provincial Competitions (since 2004, 2 times) – in 2011 and 2014.
The club teamed up with another Western Cape team in 2004, the Boland cricket team, to create the professional Cape Cobras team. But the Western Province team itself has not lost its name and became one of the participants in the provincial tournament CSA Provincial Competitions since the same 2004.
The Boland is another top-notch cricket team in the Western Cape province. It was formed in 1980 in the city of Paarl. Home matches are played at the Boland Park stadium, which seats 10,000 people. The team is supported by the local Boland Cricket Board. He is responsible for the management and promotion of the club and the development of cricket in the region.
The Boland merged with the Western Province team in 2004. A new club appeared in the province from that moment, and the Boland players themselves continued to compete in the provincial CSA Provincial Competitions. The team’s only achievement was winning the short matches of the Standard Bank Cup (now the CSA Twenty20 Challenge) in 2000.
Finally, the 3rd team from the Western Cape is called the South Western Districts. It was first discovered in 1904 when the club played its first match in the Currie Cup against the Western Province team. The South Western Districts team received the status of a first-class team only in 2004. It became part of the Cape Cobras club that year and began playing in the provincial CSA Provincial Competitions in 2006.
Cape Cobras – the birth of the club
Since 2004, the home cricket format of the Republic of South Africa has been drastically changed. Eleven provincial teams have transformed into six brand new professional clubs. One of these clubs is the Cape Cobras team.
It is already easy to guess that the Cape Cobras team was formed thanks to the three clubs of the Western Cape: the Western Province, the Boland and the South Western Districts. Players participate in the country’s three main competitions. The Cape Cobras can be played at all stadiums in the province, but Cape Town’s Newlands Cricket Ground is considered the home venue.
The club’s first victory happened in 2007 in the championship of one-day matches – Momentum One Day Cup. It won 6 championship titles in just 18 years:
- the 4-Day Domestic Series (3) – in 2010, 2011, 2013;
- the Momentum One Day Cup (1) – in 2007;
- the CSA Twenty20 Challenge (2) – in 2009 and 2011.
An important statement! The 2020-2021 season was the last one for the Cape Cobras team. The CSA Cricket Council announced a reorganization of the domestic championship in March 2021. The new competition format will be divided into two divisions. The six professional teams, which have been considered the main clubs since 2004, will split up and merge with other provincial teams. It is already known that the Boland and the Western Province will represent the Western Cape in the 1st division and the South Western Districts in the 2nd division.
