Overseas ace Wian Van Zyl's form excites Chorley skipper
Chorley skipper Andy Holdsworth hopes South African overseas amateur Wian Van Zyl '“ the current Northern Premier Division leading run scorer '“ continues to prosper at Windsor Park.
The 20-year-old Paarl native has thrived in his first taste of English wickets, hitting 362 runs in his first six matches to help Chorley to sixth thus far.
The left-handed batsman is averaging 51.71 in the league having hit his first century, a knock of 134, in the winning draw with Leyland earlier this month.
He has kept up that form, making 64 in Chorley’s narrow Northern Premier League defeat to Garstang on Saturday, and adding 43 in the nine wicket T20 win at Leyland.
And Holdsworth hopes he continues to go from strength to strength as they bid to improve their title chances against unbeaten second-placed St Anne’s on Saturday.
He said: “Wian has done excellent for us, he threatened right from the start to go on and go big, he got the big hundred last Saturday and he has not looked back from there.
“He got 60 odd on Saturday and saw us through again on Sunday. He is in very good nick.”
Van Zyl joins overseas professional Gayan Maneeshan in bolstering Chorley’s side, and Holdsworth says Sunday’s T20 game showed exactly why they have gone into the overseas market.
He knows it can be a gamble he is glad it is paying off.
He said: “Last year was the first time we did it, it is different really.
“We don’t source them and we don’t know how good they are until they turn up, it is lads that pay their own way to come over, and you are taking a bit of a punt.”