‘We’re more than a cricket team’: SOGO Rangers credit club culture for NPL success

SOGO Rangers celebrate winning the 2025-26 title at Old Georgians on Saturday.

BY SPORTSCAST WRITER HARARE – SOGO Rangers have credited their National Premier League (NPL) glory to group cohesion and collective harmony within the young Harare club.

SOGO have already bagged two titles in this competition in as many years, a massive achievement for a recently established club featuring in only its second NPL season.

The Old Georgians Sports Club-based side – coached by former Zimbabwe pace bowler Gary Brent –  sealed the 2025-26 title in style with a 224-run thumping of Methane Lions on Saturday.

Gifted 20-year-old batsman David Johnson smashed a century to complete an impressive season for the former St John’s College star. Johnson shared a 136-run partnership with the belligerent batter Jayden Schadendorf – a run-machine of note in the NPL – as the men from Groombridge posted a total of 338-4 before bowling out Lions for a measly 114.

SOGO used 22 players throughout the season, with varying success. Club chairman, Jason Maritz, attributed the success to team chemistry on top of the skills of the players.

“We are more than a cricket team, we are a family,” Maritz told SportsCast on Saturday.

“Winning is great, but it is also about the culture and growing together, learning and building on a foundation. Our goal this year was to set a new standard and we believe we have done that. The most important thing is that we had fun together.”

Maritz – a former Zimbabwe rugby youth international and later team manager of the senior Sables side – was also thankful to the club’s partners.

“Sponsors like SOGO, Alliance, MWOs – allowed this to happen and we are very grateful for their support,” said Maritz, who also featured in some of the games as a player.

Rangers, despite being a relatively young side, has a diversified player base.

Zimbabwe national team players like the club’s captain Johnathan Campbell, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers and Ryan Burl share the dressing room with such young and upcoming players as Johnson, Ben Banks and Sean Bennett.

SOGO also had some international flavour during the season, notably former South Africa Under-19 player Ethan Cunningham. The 22-year-old all-rounder, who is currently contracted to Boland in South Africa, is also eligible to represent Zimbabwe at international level through family background.

Marumani was the club’s top run-scorer in the season with 531 runs, followed by Myers on 393 and then Jarod Basson (385), Campbell (342), Schadendorf (215), Johnson (164) and Burl (107) to complete the top seven.

On the top seven wicket-taking list, Kudakwashe Macheka leads with 21 scalps with Wallace Mubaiwa in second place after taking 20 wickets. They were followed by Daniel Jackiel (15), Burl (14), Campbell (13), Banks (11) and Brandon James (9).