PIETERMARITZBURG – Eastern head coach Geoffrey Toyana is confident his side will be on everyone’s lips come the end of the 2023/24 season.
The 49-year-old was earlier this year appointed head coach ahead of the 2023-24 domestic season.
Toyana who was the Titans’ assistant coach last season says his goal is to take the Benoni based side to the first division.
“As a coach, my previous job has been at the Lions and the Titans, two big unions, and I’ve achieved everything that a coach can achieve in those two big provinces. But my biggest motivation and challenge now, you know, is to go back to where I finished my playing career,” said Toyana.
“I want to try to push Eastern to the high division and I believe we have what it takes to do that.
“I can guarantee you or promise you that this team will be amongst the names that are going to be mentioned at the end of the season.”
Attended the Cricket South Africa (CSA) domestic season launch at Pietermaritzburg Oval over the weekend, Toyana says the team has been working hard in preparing for the new season.
Toyana started his playing career at Willowmoore Park Cricket Ground and believes he has a lot of work in front of him.
At Pietermaritzburg Oval in KZN for the 2023/24 Men’s Division 1 and 2 Domestic Season Launch. #Cricket #CSA pic.twitter.com/uvRTSc8ZDQ
— Ayanda Frances Felem (@AyandaFelemZA) August 26, 2023
“I’ve seen my team and some of the guys have come back from England and we’ve made some good connections with the team and I really believe that we’ll be competitive this year,” he said.
“But the biggest push, I mean, as I said there, you know as we come from Ekurhuleni, where there is like that O.R. Tambo airport, you know, like our big motivation is for teams to land at O.R. Tambo and go to Benoni, you know, like not land and go to Pretoria or land or go to Joburg.”
“So like that’s what drives us, I mean, like we’re very, you know, excited, you know, in what’s going to come and we are motivated and we’re looking forward to the season. We’re going to be competitive.”
