The Warriors enjoyed a triumphant evening at the Eastern Cape Sports Awards.

It was an evening of triumph for the Warriors when the local cricketing franchise were named Team of the Year at the prestigious Eastern Cape Sports Awards presented by the Provincial Department of Sports and Recreation at the glitzy gala event held at the Boardwalk Convention Centre over the weekend.

‘I’m extremely pleased for the team and very proud of this achievement,’ said Warriors CEO Mark Williams in the wake of the announcement.

‘The Warriors won the Momentum One Day Cup trophy, sharing it with the Hollywoodbets Dolphins, qualifying for a semi-final spot in the RamSlam T20 competition and exceeded expectations in the red ball competition from the bottom of the table last year to narrowly miss the top spot in the Sunfoil Series.

‘We pride ourselves on working hard as a group and to have those efforts recognised is extremely rewarding,’ Williams added.

His thoughts were echoed by Warriors captain Jon-Jon Smuts.

‘The fact that this is a team award that everyone can share in is very important as it ensures that everyone gets a little confidence boost,’ said Smuts.

‘The timing of the award is also perfect for us as we are just about a month away from the start of the new season and it adds a burst of positive energy into what has already really been a good preparation period for us,’ he concluded.

The newly-crowned Eastern Cape Team of the Year will begin their 2018-19 domestic campaign with a home fixture in the Sunfoil Series against the Bizhub Highveld Lions at St George’s Park on Monday, 1 October.

Photo: Richard Huggard