New SA20 Derby Series puts schools cricket in the spotlight

South African schools cricket is set for a fresh boost after SA20 and RAIN launched the RAIN SA20 Derby Series, a new initiative designed to celebrate school rivalries while creating memorable match day experiences.

The series will feature 26 leading cricket schools in standalone fixtures, with matches played on a home and away basis in alternate years.

Unlike the national RAIN Schools SA20 competition, there will be no league table or race for a championship. Instead, each fixture will stand alone, with school pride, rivalry and community at its heart.

The first match takes place on Tuesday, 22 September, when Menlopark hosts Waterkloof in a day and night clash.

The Derby Series complements the RAIN Schools SA20, which enters its third season this week with more than 500 schools competing across the country in boys’ and girls’ competitions.

The national competition provides a pathway from provincial and regional stages to the Finals Weekend, where national champions will be crowned.

Defending boys’ champions Jeppe High School for Boys and girls’ champions Queen’s High School will return to defend their titles.

The competition also offers a significant incentive for young players, with SA20 and the South African Cricketers’ Association providing full scholarships to a Grade 7 boy and girl from the winning Schools SA20 teams, covering school fees, hostel costs and additional expenses.

SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith said the two competitions have distinct roles in developing and celebrating schools cricket.

“RAIN Schools SA20 is a national pathway — it finds and develops the country's best young players and crowns one champion each season,” Smith said.

“The RAIN SA20 Derby Series is something else entirely: it's about giving a school and its community a day they'll talk about for years, built on pride and mutual respect rather than a table or a trophy.”

For RAIN CEO Conrad Leigh, the partnership allows the company to engage with cricket supporters from the earliest stages of their journey.

“Cricket fans already associate RAIN with the Betway SA20, so extending that relationship into schools cricket felt like a natural next step for us,” Leigh said.

“We backed RAIN Schools SA20 because of what it does for the next generation of players. The RAIN Derby Series gives us something different to be part of — some of these fixtures have been played for generations, others are brand new, but every one of them means something to the schools and communities involved.”

The Derby Series matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport Schools Channel 216 on DStv, the Schools SA20 YouTube channel and SABC+.

With traditional rivalries meeting a modern broadcast platform, the new series aims to make schools cricket an even bigger occasion for players, families and communities.