The Flexbrands Knights have snapped up an exciting crop of young talent as they continue to strengthen their squad ahead of their return to Division 1 in the 2026/27 domestic season.
The Free Staters had set their sights on securing the signature of Proteas captain Neil Brand, from the Titans, but he opted to join Boland. JP King also on their radar, signed with the Warriors.
Despite this, the Knights have made several key signings. Among them is former South Africa Under-19 captain George van Heerden, who joins from the Garden Route Badgers, along with promising Junior Protea Jono Bird from Western Province. Batter Wian Ruthven and seamer Nico van Zyl will make the move from Eastern Cape Iinyathi, while leg-spinner Junaid Dawood adds valuable depth and know-how to the squad.
Van Heerden, who enjoyed a standout run of form with SWD and even earned opportunities at the Warriors in the One-Day Cup, told Bloemfontein Courant he is relishing the move to the Free State.
“As a batter, it’s a great place to play with good pace in the wicket, and most importantly, it’s an opportunity to get game time. At this stage of my career, it’s all about playing as much as possible, and I’m confident this move will give me that chance.”
Left-handed opening batter Bird views the move to the Mangaung Oval as a fresh start.
“I’ve played most of my cricket in Cape Town – actually, pretty much all of it. So I feel this move will be a good challenge for me, something that will benefit me both as a person and as a cricketer. I’ve had a few struggles with injuries over the past few years that have limited my game time, but I’ve been working hard to get everything back on track.”
Ruthven, from Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria, said the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“Coming from Division Two, my main goal was always to step up to Division One. For it to happen this quickly is something I didn’t quite expect, but I’m very thankful.”
Meanwhile, it is also understood that Proteas batter Lesego Senokwane is set to return to the Knights after spending the past season with the Titans in Pretoria. He made his Proteas debut against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last year. Senokwane boasts a career-best first-class score of 205, which he notched up against his former side, the North West Dragons, in Bloemfontein – a reminder of how dangerous he can be in familiar conditions. – Morgan Piek
