Jacob Miltz will be topping off what has been a great school cricket career when he captains the Central Gauteng Lions U19 team at the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week in Cape Town in December 2018, writes THEO GARRUN.

This will be his second Coke week, after representing the province at U15 and U17 level as well, and he has already played for the SA Schools and U19 teams and is in line for re-selection at the end of the tournament

Miltz was one of the stars in last year’s Gauteng team that won the main game at the Khaya Majola Week and made the SA Schools team after getting three big half-centuries during the tournament. That led to him going to the CSA Cubs Week as part of the Lions squad.

Selection for the SA U19 squad followed, but he was one of the players who was left out of the World Cup team.

‘I was very disappointed, but if anything it made me more determined,’ he said.

He threw himself into leading his school, St David Marist’s first team, and made heaps of runs in school games as they notched up one of the best seasons in the school’s history.

‘We had a great year and didn’t lose too many games,’ he said. ‘There are three of us, myself, Jarred Jardine and Wesley van der Spuy in the Lions team and that’s a first for the school.’

Selection for the SA U19 tour to England in July provided some consolation for missing the World Cup, but Miltz wants more.

‘I’m determined to do well at the Khaya Majola Week so that I’m included in the Lions Cubs side.’

He is aware that the Lions go into the week as the defending ‘champions’ and as the team that has dominated the competition in recent years.

‘I believe we must take on that challenge and go there with the aim of dominating again,’ he said. ‘We have three SA U19 players in the team (himself, Jardine and Kgaudi Molefe) and some up-and-coming stars. There is experience and some very exciting youngsters. We have the ability, we just have to go there and do it.’

Jacob Miltz is clearly one to watch in the future, and cricket is going to be part of his life for now. He is contracted to the Lions Academy and will be studying at Wits next year.

‘My immediate goals are SA Schools and SA U19, after that I hope to break through into the Strikers, and we’ll see what comes after that.’

Look out for the name Jacob Miltz at the Khaya Majola Week in Cape Town from December 16 to 20.

Photo: Theo Garrun