Cape Town, Mar 11 (IANS): Western Province Cricket Association have named the men's and women's squads for the upcoming provincial tournaments, to be played in bio-secure environments in Kimberley and Cape Town respectively.

The men's team will be heading to Kimberley to compete in Pool D action from March 16-28 against Northerns, Northern Cape and the SA under-19 team whilst the women's team, sponsored by Mitchum, will have home ground advantage in Pool A when they take on Northerns and Gauteng from March 16-23 in Cape Town.

"It's been the longest pre-season in history, but we're just happy to be able to prepare for some competitive cricket. We've put a strong side together with some experienced players, along with some exciting young talent who are looking to make an impact at a higher level," said men's coach Paul Adams.

Women's coach Claire Terblanche said: "It's tough to not have our Proteas available and some of our senior women who weren't able to get leave from their full-time jobs for this tournament, but it's an opportunity for new leaders to step up and the opportunity for the next generation of young ladies to show that they can shine at this level. We're just excited to get onto the park again."

Clinton du Preez, WPCA Cricket Services Manager thanked the coaches for keeping the players motivated and ready for action throughout the season, despite not having any confirmed fixtures up until recently.

"It might be a shortened season but it's still an opportunity to represent your province, which I know the players will take with both hands. We wish them all good luck. We're also particularly proud that we have representatives in the SA U19 team who will be competing in our pool so I'm excited to see how the next generation take to the step up in standard," he said.