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Cape Town - The Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) and the national cricket family on Monday mourned the sudden passing of Cobus Roodt, who was the head coach of the Western Province Women's team.
He was also recently named coach of the South African Woman's Emerging squad.
Roodt suffered a heart attack while on his way to the South African Emerging squad camp in Pretoria on Monday.
It happened just a day after his beloved Western Province (WP) team ended the Cricket South Africa (CSA) National Women's Week on a high by clinching the trophy, beating Gauteng in Bloemfontein on Sunday by 38 runs.
It was the passionate and brilliant Roodt's 16th trophy while coaching Western Province the past six years (from a possible 18).
Roodt's passing has sent shock waves through South African cricket.
A beloved coach whose players often said they performed for him, he presided over a team that won four titles the past two seasons despite being in charge of a young team in a transitional phase.
"For us, his passing is an enormous loss and as a family at Western Province, our prayers and thoughts are with the Roodt family and friends as well as the players who so passionately performed with him at the helm," said Nabeal Dien, chief executive officer of the WPCA.
"Right now, we as Western Province Association are reeling from the shock, as he was a colleague and friend to many of us, and we wish to share our deepest condolences with the family at home and his many friends on the cricket field," Dien added.
Beresford Williams, President of the Western Province Cricket Association expressed his shock at Roodt's passing: "Known as a passionate, energetic and inspirational coach, Cobus was a fantastic God-fearing human being who gave so much to not only Western Province Cricket, but South African cricket as well, his loss will leave a huge hole in our cricket, but his legacy will live on forever."
Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.
