Author: captainmorgan

Clifton College visited Durban High School’s (DHS) Theobald Oval on Saturday for a 50-overs-a-side clash. In a grind-it-out performance, School came away with a hard-fought five-wicket win.

After calling the coin flip correctly, Clifton captain Tim Saulez elected to bat first.

Clifton lost Hayden Drieselmann early, but, through Byron Ward and Caleb Naicker, made good progress, with Ward playing aggressively and Naicker holding down his end. That approach brought them a 54-run partnership.

Taine Havermann ended it when he bowled Naicker for a watchful 14 from 54 balls. Unfortunately for Clifton, Ward, who has been in fine form since hitting a century against St John’s College (Harare) in the Clifton T20 Tournament, followed soon after that. He was caught by Ethan Cooper off Havermann for 43 from 58 balls, which had included five fours and a six.

When Tim Saulez followed for three, only one run later – another victim of Havermann – Clifton’s healthy 59/1 had become a less rosy 65/4.

Cristiano Borrageiro and Zach Williamson added 15 runs before Borrageiro became the second of three victims of the left-arm spin of Dhilan Naraidu, who, as he often does, took the new ball on Theobald Oval. Naraidu’s third wicket arrived the very next ball when he trapped Lawson Dinsdale in front.

While Williamson, another batsman who has found his form in recent weeks, stood firm, he was devoid of a solid partner until Blake Johnson, batting at 10, helped him add 23 for the ninth wicket.

Clifton, though, was bowled out for 131 after 45.2 overs.

The DHS bowling figures made for tidy reading. Taine Havermann, the fifth bowler introduced into the attack, captured a sparkling 4/22 from 8.2 overs. Dhilan Naraidu snagged 3/34 from 10, while captain Bayanda Majola kept Clifton’s batsmen honest and returned 1/12 from eight. Lazlo Jooste‘s contribution was a neat 1/25 from 10.

When DHS visited the crease, Tim Saulez removed opening batsman Ethan Cooper before DHS had reached double figures, and Blake Johnson’s left-arm spin accounted for Ismaeel Omar, one of DHS’s dangermen, for 14, which left School on 29/2.

Josh van Biljon and Taine Havermann settled down, though, and slowly took control of the contest. They combined for a 47-run third-wicket partnership before Havermann was caught by Ward off Johnson for 18. The problem for Clifton was that Josh van Biljon had played himself in at the other end.

Gabriel Vermeulen came on to grab a couple of sticks in two overs as DHS closed in on victory, but Van Biljon kept them going and after 40.1 overs DHS secured a five-wicket win.

Van Biljon was undefeated on 68. His measured innings had taken 105 deliveries, eight of which he had hit for four, with one other going over the boundary.

Vermeulen’s two overs brought him a return of 2/10, while Blake Johnson bowled well up front, snaring 2/28 from 10 accurate overs. Shiraz Perumal was tight, too, conceding only 21 runs from his 10, but without being rewarded with a wicket.

Kearsney College vs St Charles College

For a second time in recent weeks, Kearsney College scraped a tight victory over St Charles College. At the Clifton T20 Tournament, it was by only three runs. On Saturday, in a limited-overs match played on the AH Smith Oval, it was by just 12 runs.

The visitors, after winning the toss, opted to bowl first and made Kearsney work hard for their runs in the early going. When Rivan Moodley was bowled for Caleb Sharp for six, the home side had only 18 runs on the board in the tenth over.

Captain Jason de Gryse set a good example at the top of the order, putting his head down to score 39 from 93 balls, with four fours. Cole Young was more attacking, cracking an unbeaten 38 from 49 deliveries to continue his solid late-season form, while 20, from Nic Comrie, helped boost the hosts to 172 all out after 49.1 overs.

Keegan Vermaak accounted for De Gryse and also got stuck into the Kearsney middle-order to keep the batsmen in check. In 10 overs, he captured 5/35. The support from the opening bowlers, Rowen Rajah and Caleb Sharp, was good. Rajah knocked over 2/26 in nine overs and Sharp returned a miserly 1/17 from 10.

Vermaak and Thando Zama then gave Saints the kind of start they would have wanted. They combined for 56 runs in just over 12 overs for the first wicket before Vermaak was caught by Asher Hollister off Matthew Gorrie for 20.

Unfortunately for St Charles, Thando Zama followed four runs later, a victim of leg spinner Rivan Moodley for 33 from 38 balls. His innings had featured two sixes and three fours.

Gorrie struck a massive blow when he had Saints’ skipper Rico Honiball caught for a duck and Moodley, soon after, sent Caleb Sharp packing. When Moodley also got rid of AJ Bosman cheaply, the visitors had slumped to 72/5. They were in trouble, but Rowen Rajah and Ryan Clarke pulled them out of it.

They shared a 66-run stand for the sixth wicket before Gorrie struck for a third time to end it, removing Clarke for 29. When Rajah followed two runs later, another Moodley victim, for 39, Saints was in trouble once again, on 140/7. Within six overs, it was all over.

Aided by a run out of Dylan Leppan, Kearsney bowled out St Charles for 160. Moodley’s torrid form with the ball continued with a superb haul of 4/28 from 10, while Gorrie snared 3/46.

Interestingly, St Charles conceded 13 more extras than Kearsney, including 11 more wides. The winning margin was 12 runs.

Scores

Clifton College 130/10 (Byron Ward 43, Zach Williamson 35*, Taine Havermann 4/22, Dhilan Naraidu 3/34); Durban High School 131/5 (Josh van Biljon 68*, Gabriel Vermeulen 2/10, Blake Johnson 2/28). DHS won by five wickets.

Kearsney College 172/10 (Jason De Gryse 39, Cole Young 38*, Nic Comrie 20, Keegan Vermaak 5/35, Rowen Rajah 2/26); St Charles College 160/10 (Rowen Rajah 39, Thando Zama 33, Ryan Clarke 29, Rivan Moodley 4/28, Matthew Gorrie 3/46). Kearsney College won by 12 runs.

Two days removed from a seven-wicket win over Michaelhouse in the final of the Tuskers 100-Baller, Hilton College must have thought they were on course for another win over their great rivals when they bowled them out for only 113 on the Hart-Davis Oval on Saturday. They weren’t. ‘House, with a disciplined bowling performance, dismissed Hilton for 99 in reply.

William Russon, with a gritty knock of 49 from 143 balls, with just one four, made all the difference. His innings was worth 25 runs more than the next highest scorer in the contest, Hilton opener, Alex Pitman, whose 24 he more than doubled.

The scoring rate from both teams was glacially slow. Michaelhouse batted at 2.4 runs per over. Hilton went at only 2.12. Nonetheless, Russon’s stubborn, disciplined innings proved to be match-winning.

Graydon Leslie made a key contribution, scoring 22, but no other batsmen reached double figures in Michaelhouse’s total of 113 runs.

The only partnership of note came from Russon and Leslie, who added 38 for the third wicket. In the context of what happened, though, the 10th wicket stand of 16, between Russon and Liam O’Dwyer, which lifted ‘House from 97/9 to 113 all out was hugely consequential.

Paceman Sechaba Gude – who brought Russon’s innings to an end, after the opener had partnered every other Michaelhouse batsman – claimed 3/23 from 9.1 overs. Off-spinner Luke Campbell clamped down on the run-scoring and bagged two wickets, finishing with 2/14 from nine overs, while David Hill picked up 2/24 from 10.

Much like William Russon, Hilton opener Luke Wilson adopted a cautious approach. He and Alex Pitman scored 31 runs for the first wicket in 10.4 overs before Pitman was caught off the bowling of Ben Heuer for 24. Still, Hilton had a foundation from which to work.

Unfortunately for the home team, they lost Wilson and James Ogilby for the addition of only three more runs, which left them on 34/3 in the 16th over.

A slight recovery brought them 19 runs for the fourth wicket from Ben Erasmus and Robert Burman, but another flurry of wickets followed, with Erasmus, Burman, and Jayden Roux departing while only five runs were added, leaving Hilton on a shaky 58/6 in the 27th over.

Obakeng Motsepa and David Hill shared a 17-run stand for the seventh wicket, but Luke Mitchell brought it to an end when he had Motsepa caught for 14, the second-highest score of Hilton’s innings. Shortly after that, Hill fell, too.

At 79/8, the hosts were staring down the barrel. They needed another 35 runs to win with two wickets standing and run-scoring had been exceptionally difficult throughout the day.

Rendani Nonge, who had removed Hill, accounted for Luke Campbell, which left Michaelhouse needing only one more wicket and Hilton still 26 runs short of victory.

Ben Heuer, then, trapped Sechaba Gude LBW to claim his third wicket of the innings, which wrapped up a battling win for ‘House. Heuer led the visitors’ attack with a superb 3/15 from 9.4 overs and was well supported by Jean-Luc Rey, who snared 2/13 from 10 stifling overs.

Rendani Nonge weighed in with a couple of important late wickets and returned 2/9 from three overs.

Maritzburg College vs Northwood School

Northwood had suffered a narrow 12-run defeat against Maritzburg College when they met on Goldstone’s earlier in the season. On Saturday, the Knights visited College’s home ground again, but this time they walked away with a convincing 49-run victory.

After winning the toss, Northwood’s Kyle White elected to bat first and his top order responded well to the challenge.

David de Bruyn and Tuswa Phetha began cautiously, sharing a 36-run stand for the first wicket in 12.2 overs before de Bruyn was caught by Sam Hughes off left-arm seamer Sphamandla Dzanibe for 20.

Phetha and the new man in, Ross McGlashan, set about rebuilding the innings and did an excellent job. They put on 74 runs in 99 balls, advancing the total to 110, before Phetha’s resistance was brought to an end by Nathan Pembridge. The opener had scored 31 from 69 deliveries, having run every single one of those runs.

McGlashan and White made another useful contribution, scoring 32 runs for the third wicket, before White went out to his opposing captain, Daniel Nadasan, for 19.

Still, Northwood kept chugging along. Morgan Jones joined McGlashan and they tacked on 46 runs, lifting the Knights to 188/3 in the 47th over before McGlashan’s fine knock was ended when he found the safe hands of Luan van der Merwe from a Reece Willson delivery. He had scored 79 from 111 balls, striking five fours and two sixes.

A couple more wickets followed in quick succession as the visitors sought a late boost to their batting effort, and after 50 overs they finished on 206/6.

Reece Willson picked up 2/23 from eight, and Daniel Nadasan 2/34, also from eight, while Dom du Toit tied down the Northwood batsmen, returning 0/14, from eight, also.

College’s reply was hurt by the run out of opening batsman, Ewald Bester. That’s the fourth time that has happened this season. Then, Reece Willson, went early, also, and the Red, Black, and White was 39/2 in the 11th over.

Captain Daniel Nadasan and Karl Dedekind combined for 36 runs for the third wicket, but Northwood struck back with a double blow. First, Nadasan was caught by Connor Leclezio off Jordan Matthews for 36 from 62 balls. A run later, Dedekind followed for 22, which left the home side in a spot of bother on 75/4.

When off-spinner Ben Cilliers caught and bowled Tian Van Niekerk, College had lost half their wickets for 90 runs. They suffered a further blow when Luka Puddu became the second player to be run out in the innings. Six runs later, they were seven wickets down in the 32nd over when Cilliers grabbed a second wicket by having Luan van der Merwe caught by Morgan Jones for 12.

Maritzburg College faced a steep uphill battle. They scrambled through Dom du Toit (13) and Sam Hughes (22*) to extend their innings, but Northwood had the contest under control.

After 41 overs, College was dismissed for 157, which left Northwood the winners by a decisive margin. Ben Cilliers led their attack with a decisive return of 3/26 from 10 overs, while Jordan Matthews picked up two wickets.

Scores

Michaelhouse 113/10 (William Russon 49, Graydon Leslie 22, Sechaba Gude 3/23, Luke Campbell 2/14, David Hill 2/24); Hilton College 99/10 (Alex Pitman 24, Ben Heuer 3/15, Rendani Nonge 2/9, Jean-Luc Rey 2/13). Michaelhouse won by 14 runs.

Northwood School 206/6 (Ross McGlashan 79, Tuswa Phetha 32, Morgan Jones 23*, David de Bruyn 20, Reece Willson 2/23, Daniel Nadasan 2/34); Maritzburg College 157/10 (Daniel Nadasan 36, Sam Hughes 22*, Karl Dedekind 22, Ben Cilliers 3/26, Jordan Matthews 2/39). Northwood won by 49 runs.

St Andrew’s School continued their recent run of success against Grey College by scoring an emphatic 76-run victory at Grey on Friday in a 50-overs-a-side clash.

Saints‘ skipper Reuben van Aarde opted to bat first after winning the coin flip, and his top-order batsmen came through for him.

Opening batsman Naudé Botha anchored the winnings with an outstanding innings of 92 from 97 balls, which included 13 fours.

He enjoyed strong support from Jonathan Hickley, who struck five fours in his 45 from 65 deliveries, while Grové du Preez almost matched Hickley’s contribution, making 43 from 55 balls, including three fours.

The captain, Reuben van Aarde, added a useful 21 towards the end of the Saints’ innings, helping his side to total 250 all out after their 50 overs.

St Andrew’s might have made significantly more had their star batsman, FG Botha, who has enjoyed a scintillating season, not been run out for 10.

Jano Venter led the Grey attack with a return of 3/37 from nine overs. Juan Maree did a tidy job, claiming 2/27 in eight, and Sicelo Matayi picked up 2/48 in eight.

Grey’s reply ran into early trouble, with Pieter Smit caught behind by Naudé Botha for a duck off the bowling of Cullen Kakora, Divan Bezuidenhout bowled by Erhard Behrens for six, and Daniel Hattingh, who was outstanding on Grey’s tour of the Western Cape, also falling victim to Barends for only one.

Henru de Wet and Christian Kind put a stop to the slide, with both making half-centuries. The captain, De Wet, made 53 from 84 balls, with three fours and a six, while Kind sent six balls to the boundary and one over it in compiling 59 from 81.

Once they were dismissed, though, Grey’s challenge fell away. Jaco Prinsloo and Albert Liebenberg made it into the teens, but there was little output from the other batsmen, and Grey tumbled to 174 all out.

While FG Botha might have missed out with the bat, you can’t keep a good man down and he made his mark with the ball, snaring 3/31 from his 10 overs of leg spin.

Three bowlers chipped in with two wickets apiece. Opening bowlers, Cullen Kakora and Erhard Barends captured 2/19 from 6.1 overs and 2/33 from 10 respectively, while Nikhil Sukraj, also with leg spin, knocked over 2/27 in seven.

Scores

St Andrew’s School 250/10 (Naudé Botha 92, Jonathan Hickley 45, Grové du Preez 43, Johan Liebenberg 21, Jano Venter 3/37, Juan Maree 2/27, Sicelo Matayi 2/48); Grey College 174/10 (Christian Kind 59, Henru de Wet 53, FG Botha 3/31, Cullen Kakora 2/19, Nikhil Sukraj 2/27, Erhard Barends 2/33). St Andrew’s School won by 76 runs.

Ahead of their meeting on the Hart-Davis Oval on Saturday, Hilton College and Michaelhouse met on the Pietermaritzburg Oval in the final of the Tuskers 100-baller. When last they met in one of the shorter formats of the game, Hilton won by 19 runs in the Clifton T20 Tournament. Victory went their way again on Thursday.

Michaelhouse had performed well at the Independent Schools Cricket Festival, thanks to their improved batting form, so it was little surprise that when ‘House skipper Ethan Muir won the toss he elected to bat first. The Balgowan boys made a good start.

Muir and Victor North cruised to 23 from only 15 balls, with the captain getting after the Hilton bowlers, before North was caught by Ben Erasmus off Luke Campbell for six.

Muir and Ben Heuer advanced the total to 39, but Muir was then caught by Luke Wilson off Sechaba Gude for an aggressive 25 from 14 balls, which had included five fours.

Heuer and Nicholas Baker added 28 for the third wicket, but the scoring slowed, with their runs coming from 36 deliveries. Baker was run out for 13 and Graydon Leslie and Radhesh Jhilmeet were then kept in check, scoring only nine runs between them from 24 balls.

Off the second last ball of the innings, Heuer was run out for the innings’ top score of 41. He had smashed two sixes and struck a four while facing 37 deliveries.

Leg-spinner David Hill undermined Michaelhouse’s pursuit of runs, picking up 1/10 from his 20 balls, while Benoit Rey did a fine job, too, conceding only 13 runs from 20 balls.

Ben Erasmus gave Hilton a decent start to their reply, but, after making 10 from 11 balls, he was bowled by Luke Mitchell, with the total on 12. James Ogilby, who has been on a good run of form, managed only nine on this occasion before he was LBW to Jean-Luc Rey, which reduced Hilton to 33/2 from 39 deliveries.

Six runs later, Alex Pitman was on his way for 17, caught and bowled by Cameron Jones. Hilton was on 40/3, with 52 balls remaining. The contest was finely poised.

Fortunately for the black and white, they found in Robert Burman, batting at five, the man for the moment. Together with Jayden Roux, he guided Hilton to a seven-wicket win, with four balls to spare.

Burman struck an unbeaten 36 from 28 balls, with three fours and a six, and broke open a nail-biting contest by striking Rendani Nonge for a six, 11 deliveries from the end of their 100 balls. That big blow released the pressure that had been growing.

Roux finished with 19 not out from 24, and did a good job of rotating the strike. His partnership with Burman produced 58 runs from 48 balls.

Luke Mitchell was the pick of the Michaelhouse bowlers, capturing 1/9 from 20 deliveries, while Jean-Luc Rey was very nearly as economical, claiming 1//11 from his 20.

SCORES

Michaelhouse 97/5 (Ben Heuer 41, Ethan Muir 25, David Hill 1/10, Sechaba Gude 15); Hilton College 98/3 (Robert Burman 36*, Jayden Roux 19*, Luke Mitchell 1/9, Jean-Luc Rey 1/11). Hilton College won by seven wickets.

Westville Boys’ High cricket captain Seth Simpson delivered a dream performance to guide his team to a seven-wicket win over Durban High School in the final of the W100 Series at Kingsmead, in Durban, on Wednesday evening.

When last the schools had met, in the final of the Clifton T20 Tournament, DHS had won by 15 runs. That day, DHS fast bowler and captain Bayanda Majola struck Simpson a fearsome blow, resulting in a concussion. To add insult to injury, the ball, after hitting the Westville skipper, trickled onto the stumps and dislodged the bails.

This time, it was Simpson, with his leg spin and his bat, dictating the path of the match. He knocked over 5/11 in four overs, which helped restrict DHS to only 101 all out. Then, he followed up with an unbeaten 50 from just 34 balls, with six fours and one memorable, humungous, straight-driven six, to see his side to the title with 22 balls to spare.

On an individual note, he said of his performance: “It’s special, but I’ll keep trying to have more of these performances. I’ve had one or two in the past, but nothing as special as that. In a final, there is always pressure, but I’m looking to do that more often. That’s my goal.”

The atmosphere was lively, with large numbers of boys from both schools out to support their teams, when DHS captain Bayanda Majola won the toss and opted to bat first.

There was an early success for Westville when Heath Stott clean-bowled Ethan Cooper for five, but Ismaeel Omar and Josh van Biljon, School‘s key batsmen, settled down quickly. Van Biljon, in particular, looked extremely comfortable. He struck two fours and effortlessly clipped a ball off his pads for six.

However, he went for one big shot too many when he attempted to loft Dayalan Boyce over long-off. His shot was a little too flat and Sean McGough raced in from the boundary and dived forward to pull off a superb catch. Van Biljon was out for 15 from 10 deliveries.

The very next ball, Boyce struck again, this time with a pinpoint yorker, which cleaned out the dangerous Taine Havermann. That was a massive blow for the Griffin and it left DHS on a wobbly 31/3.

Lazlo Jooste and Ismaeel Omar steadied the innings, however, with a well-constructed 62-run partnership. They worked the ball around the wicket nicely and ran well between the wickets. It took Boyce to end their fine stand with another superb yorker, which accounted for Omar. He had faced 36 balls, struck three fours, and made 33 runs.

DHS had fallen to 93/4, but Westville skipper Seth Simpson, after a change of ends to the Friendship Pavilion side, then destroyed School’s innings.

He bowled Dhilan Naraidu for two and also knocked back Lazlo Jooste’s, Sibusiso Msibi‘s, and Bonga Maphanga‘s stumps. Jooste had contributed a well-played 26 from 31 balls. Rahul Chetty was a further victim, trapped in front, as Simpson picked up three wickets in four balls.

While Simpson did the trick with his leg spin, Dayalan Boyce made things happen with his pace, and another precise yorker took out Bayanda Majola’s stumps.

Once 93/3, DHS crashed to 101 all out after 91 balls. While Simpson snagged a five-for, Boyce finished with 4/25 from 16 balls.

In reply, Sean and Kyle McGough put on 16 for the first wicket before Bonga Maphanga bowled Sean for three. That brought Seth Simpson to the wicket. Immediately, DHS captain Bayanda Majola brought himself on to bowl. How would Simpson respond to the challenge of the man who had caused him a concussion? The answer was with courage and class.

He and Kyle McGough added 51 runs to put their team into the ascendancy before McGough was trapped in front by Majola after scoring 17 from 22 balls, with two fours.

Simpson, though, had taken charge. He and Misbah Nair added 30, with Nair contributing only one sweetly struck four. When he was caught behind by Josh van Biljon off Taine Havermann, Westville needed only five runs to win. They made it across the line without the loss of another wicket.

Remarkably, for the fifth year in succession, Westville was crowned the 1st XI champion of the W100 League.

To no one’s surprise, Seth Simpson received the Bowler of the Match, Batsman of the Match, and Man of the Match awards.

There was some pressure to continue what had been a four-year winning streak, Simpson said afterwards: “That was always in the back of my mind. It doesn’t matter at the end of the day. Winning was our focus, not focusing on other things, just doing the small things right. That was good.”

He had dominated the game, but, he had no doubt, it was a good all-round team effort that brought his side the title: “They are a special bunch of boys,” he said of his side. “I think the vibe and the environment that we have created is something so special.”

In the u15 final, DHS, twice beaten by Westville earlier in the season, turned the tables, scoring a convincing 25-run win, while the u14 title went the way of Westville, who beat Kearsney College by 36 runs.

The u16 final, between Westville and Northwood School, will be played at Northwood on Friday.

SCORES

1st XI
Durban High School 101/10 (Ismaeel Omar 36, Lazlo Jooste 26, Seth Simpson 5/11, Dayalan Boyce 4/25); Westville Boys’ High 102/3 (Seth Simpson 50*, Taine Havermann 1/15). Westville Boys’ High won by seven wickets.

u15
Durban High School 125/4 (Jeremiah Joseph 67, Yunus Limalia 2/24); Westville Boys’ High 100/5 (K. McDowell 25, Kian Govindsamy 2/16). Durban High School won by 25 runs.

u14
Westville Boys’ High 122/5 (Cameron Rudolph 43*, M. Shea 28, Ryan Staats 1/19); Kearsney College 86/6 (L. Crandon 28, Luyanda Nzuza 1/4). Westville Boys’ High won by 36 runs.

While some provinces take a definitive swing towards the winter season this weekend, KwaZulu-Natal continues with its summer derbies and there are some fantastic matches scheduled, including Hilton College hosting Michaelhouse on the Hart-Davis Oval.

It’s interesting not just because it is a traditional rivalry, it’s also because both teams’ fortunes have been trending in the right direction in recent weeks.

While Hilton got the better of Michaelhouse at the Clifton T20 Tournament in an eliminator game for a place in the semi-finals, Michaelhouse impressed at the past weekend’s Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF), scoring three wins from three matches, taking down St Andrew’s College, St John’s College, and St John’s College (Harare).

The key to Michaelhouse’s renaissance has been much better batting, led by opening batsman and captain, Ethan Muir. He strikes the ball hard and sets the tone. It has been, pretty much, a case of a good start equalling good batting from Michaelhouse. If they don’t start well, they have been, at times, somewhat fragile. Right now, though, they’re playing confidently.

Hilton, too, has had some issues on the batting front. However, much like Michaelhouse’s Ethan Muir, their captain, Ben Hockly, has led from the front and he top-scored in wins over St Benedict’s College and Woodridge College at the ISCF.

While Hilton features a versatile spin attack, they will look to their opening bowler, Sechaba Gude, to make an impact up front. He was the Bowler of the Tournament at the Clifton T20, and if he makes early inroads against ‘House, that could set the hosts up for another win over their archrivals on the Hart-Davis Oval.

Durban High School vs Clifton College 

Clifton College and Durban High School tangle on the weekend on the Theobald Oval. Recent matches between the schools have been absorbing. Clifton won at DHS in late 2024 in a T20 while School won at the Riverside Sports Club shortly after that in a limited-overs game.

After successfully defending the Clifton T20 Tournament title, DHS will be full of confidence. Clifton, meanwhile, heads into the game after delivering one of their better performances of the season last time out, when they beat St Benedict’s College by 41 runs in a T20.

Encouragingly for Clifton, they had four batsmen make significant runs in that win. Too often this season, they’ve had one batsman produce but without enough support. However, captain Tim Saulez, openers Byron Ward and Hayden Drieselmann, and middle-order batsmen, Zach Williamson and Lawson Dinsdale, have all played important knocks, so they have the ability to go big.

The rise of DHS’s fortunes this season has coincided with a return to form from opener, Ismaeel Omar. He started slowly but made a century in the semi-finals of the Clifton T20 and top-scored for School in the final.

Josh van Biljon played a magnificent knock, scoring 103 not out in a key win over Waterkloof at the Clifton T20, and he is the wicket every team wants and needs.

Taine Havermann is an outstanding all-rounder. It’s hard to keep him quiet. He and captain, Bayanda Majola, will lead the DHS seam attack. Majola’s pace up front is what won DHS the Clifton T20 final. Watch out, too, for Dhilan Naraidu. The left-arm spinner almost always makes his mark.

If it’s bowling that one’s talking about, though, Clifton’s leg-spinner Shiraz Perumal is a dangerman. He excelled at the ISCF, picking up three wickets in the T20 win over St Benedict’s and four in a hard-fought loss to Helpmekaar Kollege, the newly-crowned Johnny Waite champions, in a limited-overs clash. Left-arm spinner Blake Johnson provides a nice contrast to Perumal’s wristy trickery.

The skipper, Tim Saulez, will lead Clifton’s seam attack, with Regan Radley and Caleb Naicker also two players who could make some noise with the ball.

Kearsney College vs St Charles College

Kearsney College welcomes St Charles College to the AH Smith Oval on Saturday and theirs is a sneaky-good showdown. It brings together two very young sides, which both boast intriguing talents. Some of the players have already made a mark in 2025 and will surely become even more regular contributors in the seasons to come.

The sides met in an eliminator at the Clifton T20 Tournament and delivered a fascinating game. It came down to the last over, with Saints needing only six runs to win, but left-arm paceman, Litha Gonya, a star performer for Kearsney this season, delivered when it mattered to see his side to a three-run victory.

What has been interesting from Kearsney in 2025 is that no one player has carried the team on his back. They’ve been unpredictable in the sense that one never knows where the next big contribution is going to come from.

Their spin bowling attack, behind Gonya’s pace, has reduced a number of teams to a snail’s pace. Leg-spinner Rivan Moodley, who has also done well with the bat, enjoyed an outstanding ISCF, capturing 5/25 against St John’s College (Harare) and 4/15 against Kingswood College.

Openers, Thando Zama and Rico Honiball, the Saints’ skipper, set the tone for their side with their batting, but others, including Caleb Sharp and Connor Simpson, have had their moments this season.

St Charles has enjoyed more consistency from their bowling attack, though, with fast bowler Rowen Rajah taking the new ball. Fellow seamer, Ryan Clarke, has been very good. His season has included 6/24, including a hat-trick, in a win over Michaelhouse. Kaiyuran Naidoo offers an effective spin option, too, and Caleb Sharp has proven his all-round worth.

Maritzburg College vs Northwood School

Maritzburg College hosts Northwood on Goldstone’s on Saturday. They’ve met there once this season already, in a Schools SA20 clash, which College won by 12 runs. The Knights, though, went on to be crowned the KZN Schools SA20 champions.

Goldstone’s has played tough for the batsmen in 2025. There are seldom easy runs to come by and it has required focused application from batsmen to make important runs. That’s where College skipper Daniel Nadasan shines. If he can settle at the crease, he could have a big say in the outcome of the game.

Northwood has enjoyed a good season but they have, at times, endured batting struggles. Much will depend on their top four – David de Bruyn, Ross McGlashan, Tuswa Phetha, and captain Kyle White – who, if they play themselves in are solid. They have done much of the heavy lifting for the Knights.

College’s strength this season has been their bowling, and they have more seam options than most, but just who will step up on Saturday is anyone’s guess. They’ve enjoyed decisive returns from many sources in 2025.

Northwood will miss all-rounder and opening bowler Jamie Wimble, who is out with injury, and they will look to left-arm spinner Jordan Matthews to continue to build on a strong season, supported by off-spinner Ben Cilliers and the skipper, Kyle White.

Westville Boys’ High vs Glenwood High School

Westville Boys’ High and Glenwood meet in the weekend’s other game. The Griffin played very good cricket at the Clifton T20 Tournament and reached the final, but came up short against DHS.

That contest turned when Westville skipper Seth Simpson was struck by fast bowler Bayanda Majola and the ball then trickled onto his stumps and dislodged the bails. Simpson has, hopefully, fully recovered because he was outstanding for his side with both bat and ball throughout the event, scoring a century against Hilton College and snapping up 4/14 in a win over St John’s College (Harare).

Incidentally, Westville will have another shot at a title against DHS on Thursday evening when they meet in the W100 final at Kingsmead. It should be a cracking game.

Glenwood struggled at the Clifton T20. All season long, their challenge has been putting together an innings of substance and that issue hurt them in the T20 tournament.

There have been glimmers here and there, however, with Krian Jugoo, Kressan Pillai, Karabo Ntsieng, and Kyle Bryan contributing some decent knocks. They’ll need to put it together as a team against Westville, though, because Westville’s batting has, generally, been solid.

The Green Machine is good in the field. Seldom does an opponent’s scorecard not feature a run out, and their captain Kyle Bryan, with his accurate off-spin, is a good match for his side’s strong performances in the field.

Bandile Mbatha does it all, spearheading their bowling attack and providing a strong presence in the batting order, but he’s missed plenty of time while representing SAu19, and that, too, has impacted Glenwood’s performances.

Westville lost Tristan Delvin to injury just before the Clifton T20 and that, likewise, hit hard. He’s enjoyed a good season with the bat and an even better one with his left-arm spin. Ewan du Toit, though, still gives Westville a good left-arm spin option. (Update: Westville confirmed on Thursday evening that Tristan Delvin has recovered after hyperbaric treatment, passed a fitness test, and will be fit to play).

Dayalan Boyce leads the Westville attack. Sometimes a bit loose, he often produces wicket-taking balls, no matter how he is bowling. Opposite him, Lwandile Bulose‘s nagging left-arm seam presents opposing batsmen with a good challenge.

FIXTURES

Hilton College vs Michaelhouse
Durban High School vs Clifton College
Kearsney College vs St Charles College
Maritzburg College vs Northwood School
Westville Boys’ High vs Glenwood High

The stakes were raised in Johannesburg on Saturday, the third day of the 20th edition of the St John’s College Basketball Tournament, with places in the semi-finals up for grabs.

The eight quarterfinalists had been confirmed at the end of Friday’s action, with the defending champions, Northwood School, being joined in the last eight by St John’s College, St Benedict’s College, The King’s School Linbro Park, Jeppe High School for Boys, Pretoria Boys High School, St Alban’s College, and St Stithians College.

In a key clash on Saturday, the hosts faced a stiff challenge from a strong St Benedict’s College side, which had finished third in the American International School of Johannesburg Basketball Tournament, won by St John’s.

At the AISJ event, St John’s beat Bennies 46-36 in the semi-finals, but the  Bedfordview boys returned the favour a week later, winning 48-41.

Northwood, the emphatic winners of the St John’s Basketball Tournament title in 2024, took on St Alban’s College, while, in an all-Johannesburg match-up, The King’s School Linbro Park faced Jeppe High School for Boys. Finally, Pretoria Boys High went head-to-head with St Stithians College.

Despite playing with the pressure of home expectations, St John’s College booked their place in the semi-finals with a thrilling 49-44 victory over  St Benedict’s on court one. It was an entertaining encounter filled with twists and turns, and it gave the home supporters what they wanted.

The reward for St John’s is a showdown with Pretoria Boys High. They claimed a semi-final spot with a 22-18 win over St Stithians in their quarterfinal clash.

On the other side of the draw, Northwood delivered an ominous performance, shutting down St Alban’s College in a resounding 48-18 victory. The Knights hit their straps in the latter stages of last year’s tournament and obliterated their opposition. Might a repeat of that memorable showing be on the cards?

They’ll tackle Jeppe in the semi-finals after Jeppe scored a solid 32-21 win over The King’s School Linbro Park. Northwood and Jeppe tangled earlier in the tournament in a Group D game, with the Knights scoring a comfortable 65-45 win.

SEMI-FINAL FIXTURES

Sunday, 23 February

08:00 – St John’s College vs Pretoria Boys High
08:00 – Northwood School vs Jeppe

Top 16 Results

St Benedict’s 60-27 Alma Mater
St John’s 43-20 American International School of Johannesburg
Northwood 50-32 St George’s
St Alban’s 41-28 Parktown Boys’ High
Hilton College 34-35 The King’s School Linbro Park
King Edward VII 25-26 Jeppe
St Charles 24-42 Pretoria Boys’ High
St Stithians 32-23 Michael Mount

Top 16 Losers

King Edward VII 43-33 Hilton College
Michael Mount Waldorf 26-25 Parktown Boys’ High
St Charles 38-43 St George’s
American International School of Johannesburg 48-17 Alma Mater

Quarterfinals

St John’s College 49-44 St Benedict’s College
Northwood School 48-18 St Alban’s College
The King’s School Linbro 21-32 Jeppe High School for Boys
Pretoria Boys High School 22-18 St Stithians College

u19 Consolation 1

St John’s (Harare) 40-23 International School of South Africa

u19 Consolation 2

St Peter’s College 23-27 St Andrew’s College

u19 Consolation 3

Falcon College 30-22 Maritzburg College

u19 Consolation 4

Sacred Heart 23-50 St David’s Marist Inanda

u19 – 23rd/24th

International School of South Africa 25-9 St Peter’s College

u19 – 19th/20th

Maritzburg College 19-9 Sacred Heart

The 2025 Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF) will play host to a record 28 teams.

The 16^th edition of the popular event includes 12 high school boys’ teams, 12 primary school teams, and, in a first, four high school girls’ teams.

On Tuesday, the lineup for the boys’ high school competition was revealed at the launch of KERF in Botha’s Hill, where The Sharks‘ coach, John Plumtree, was the guest of honour.

He said he plans to attend some matches. “I sit and enjoy the games,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus. “It’s not like I come up here looking to recruit a Shark. But if I notice something, I’ll ask for a name. You can’t help that. It’s a natural thing for a coach to do.

“School rugby in this country is unreal. It’s just so well supported.”

Plumtree said KERF provides an opportunity for players to enjoy the incredible experience and fun of playing in a major festival, as well as an opportunity for them to be noticed and to advance their rugby careers.

KwaZulu-Natal’s representatives – Durban High School (DHS), Westville Boys’ High, Glenwood, and the hosts, Kearsney College – have a familiar look to them. They’re KERF regulars.

After both produced outstanding seasons in 2024, most will look to DHS, who were unbeaten at KERF last year, and Westville to carry local hopes, but Glenwood could bear watching. They had an extremely young 1^st XV in 2024 and will return with plenty of experience this year. Kearsney will, meanwhile, enjoy the services of the highly regarded Grant Bashford as their coach.

Gauteng’s reps are also familiar powerhouses: Dr EG Jansen and Hoërskool Monument, while Hoërskool Framesby will again fly the Eastern Cape’s flag. They’ll be joined by Dale College, who make a return to the festival. Renowned for their running rugby, Dale will be a popular addition to the make-up of the tournament.

There are two newcomers from the Western Cape: Milnerton High School and Hoërskool Durbanville. Last year, Milnerton was one of the most exciting teams in the country and played with a remarkable never-say-attitude that brought them, among others, wins at Bishops and Rondebosch Boys’ High. Against ‘Bosch, a team that went unbeaten at KERF, they trailed 3-33 before a stunning fightback brought them a jaw-dropping 34-33 win.

While 2024 was not a vintage year for Hoërskool Durbanville, their 2023 season was something to behold. It included a 26-25 win over Paarl Boys’ High. However, last year, Durbanville won the Cape Schools Sevens, which was part of the national High Schools Sevens Series, proudly sponsored by Toyota. That suggests there is pace and skill within Durbies‘ ranks.

Hoërskool Rustenburg, from the North West, completes the South African sides. They made their first appearance at KERF last year and were involved in one of the matches of the event against Worcester Gimnasium, going down 25-26. They were also trounced by a superb DHS team, so they will welcome an opportunity to take another crack at School on the opening day.

An exciting addition is the inclusion of Peterhouse, the brother school of Michaelhouse. Zimbabwean schools are renowned for playing an attractive running brand of rugby and they should enjoy strong crowd support.

The action happens over the Easter weekend, on Thursday, 17 April, Saturday, 19 April, and Monday, 21 April. Stott Field, the main rugby field at Kearsney, is one of the prettiest venues in the country, and the action will be streamed live on SuperSport Schools.

Commenting on the 28 teams, Kearsney headmaster Patrick Lees said he was delighted that a girls’ component had been added to KERF this year.

He noted that it is the first time that the festival will feature three divisions and highlighted its invaluable role in the development of the country’s school rugby culture and growth since the inaugural festival in 2008.

Kearsney has been a forerunner in the development of various sports at its festivals, with the Kearsney Soccer Tournament including primary schools and girls’ schools, and its iHlobo Cricket Festival including primary schools.

Lees acknowledged the immense contribution of the KERF sponsors, whose invaluable support has assisted the event to grow each year.

Kuben Chetty, the head of Standard Bank’s Commercial Banking in KwaZulu-Natal, said the bank was honoured to again partner with Kearsney and its long-running festival. “We believe that sports and education are pivotal in cultivating well-rounded individuals, fostering healthy competition, and encouraging teamwork for a prosperous future,” he said.

Halfway Ford Waterfall has also remained a major festival sponsor. Chilton Penery, COO of Halfway Group’s Auto Division, said they were privileged to again be associated with KERF, “as team sports are great platforms to mould our youth and provide a deeper purpose in life.”

The trailblazers for girls’ rugby at KERF are the u16 teams of Adams College, from Amanzimtoti, Mowat Park, from Montclair, Durban’s George Campbell School of Technology, and Richards Bay High School.

Eleven primary schools from KZN will be joined by the Harare Lions, a junior Zimbabwean club team. The KZN line-up features Chelsea Prep, Glenwood Prep, Hillcrest Primary, Highbury Prep, Kloof Senior Primary, Penzance Primary, Umhlali Prep, Westville Senior Primary, and Winston Park; as well as the uThukela team, from Bergville, and the KZN Ibutho Development side.

The Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival is renowned for its fun, family-friendly environment and there will, as usual, be plenty to keep everyone entertained. There will be a fun KidZone for the little ones, ample parking, numerous food outlets, and a refreshment tent, to ensure spectators can fully enjoy the weekend’s sporting entertainment.

BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL FIXTURES

Thursday, 17 April

08:00 – Milnerton High School vs Peterhouse
09:20 – Hoërskool Durbanville vs Dale College
10:40 – Durban High School vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
13:00 – Kearsney College vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen
14:20 – Hoërskool Monument vs Glenwood High School
15:40 – Westville Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Framesby

Saturday, 19 April

08:00 – Hoërskool Durbanville vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
09:20 – Hoërskool Framesby vs Peterhouse
10:40 – Milnerton High School vs Glenwood High School
13:00 – Westville Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen
14:20 – Kearsney College vs Dale College
15:40 – Hoërskool Monument vs Durban High School

Monday, 21 April

08:00 – Hoërskool Monument vs Milnerton High School
09:20 – Glenwood High School vs Dale College
10:40 – Hoërskool Framesby vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen
12:50 – Closing Ceremony
13:00 – Durban High School vs Hoërskool Durbanville
14:20 – Westville Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
15:40 – Kearsney College vs Peterhouse

GIRLS’ U16 FIXTURES

Thursday, 17 April

12:00 – Mowat Park High vs Adams College
12:00 – George Campbell vs Richards Bay High School

Saturday, 19 April

12:00 – Adams College vs George Campbell
12:00 – Mowat Park High vs Richards Bay High School

Monday, 21 April

11:00 – Mowat Park High vs George Campbell
12:00 – Adams College vs Richards Bay High School

PRIMARY SCHOOL FIXTURES

Thursday, 17 April

08:00 – Highbury Prep vs Kloof Senior Primary
09:00 – Penzance Primary vs uThukela Team (Bergville)
10:00 – Winston Park Primary vs Westville Senior Primary
11:00 – Hillcrest Primary vs Chelsea Prep
13:00 – Umhlali Prep vs KZN Ibutho Development Team
14:00 – Glenwood Prep vs Harare Lions

Saturday, 19 April

08:00 – Kloof Senior Primary vs Winston Park Primary
09:00 – Chelsea Prep vs Harare Lions
10:00 – Westville Senior Primary vs Hillcrest Primary
11:00 – Glenwood Prep vs uThukela Team (Bergville)
13:00 – Highbury Prep vs KZN Ibutho Development Team
14:00 – Penzance Primary vs Umhlali Prep

Monday, 21 April

08:00 – Hillcrest Primary vs Winston Park Primary
09:00 – Kloof Senior Primary vs uThukela Team (Bergville)
10:00 – Glenwood Prep vs Westville Senior Prep
12:00 – Highburg Prep vs Umhlali Prep
13:00 – Penzance Primary vs Harare Lions
14:00 – Chelsea Prep vs KZN Ibutho Development Team

Durban High School (DHS) laid claim to the Clifton T20 Tournament title on Sunday afternoon at the Crusaders Club in Durban, beating a game Westville Boys’ High by 15 runs to win the trophy for a second year in succession.

Semi-finals

Behind a superb unbeaten 104 from opener Ismaeel Omar, School booked their place in the title decider with an eight-wicket win over Kearsney College, with 11 balls to spare, in the semi-finals.

Westville, meanwhile, delivered a compelling all-round performance to romp to a nine-wicket win over Hilton College, with 8.2 overs in hand.

Both finalists made it to the title game with unblemished records. It was a tough call to make as to which team was favoured. While DHS won on Sunday, it would be a coin flip if they played again. They are that well-matched.

Final

DHS captain Bayanda Majola won the toss and elected to bat first and his openers, Ethan Cooper and Ismaeel Omar, repaid his faith in them by going hard and effectively after the Westville bowling.

They rocketed along to a hasty 39 before Cooper was caught by Kyle McGough off the bowling of Lwandile Bulose. He’d played a good knock, scoring 27 from only 13 balls, with two fours and two sixes.

Josh van Biljon, who had played one of the innings of the tournament on the same field on Friday, scoring a magnificent century in a win over Waterkloof, missed out this time, dismissed for six, which left the Horseflies on 58/2.

Ismaeel Omar and Taine Havermann regrouped and advanced the total to 93, but disaster struck when Omar, who looked in fantastic form after his ton against Kearsney, was run out. He had struck four fours in 31 balls and tallied 38 runs.

The skipper, Bayanda Majola, didn’t last long. He was bowled by his opposite number, Seth Simpson, for a single. Four runs later, Taine Havermann was caught off Ewan du Toit after scoring 17 runs, which left DHS on 101/5.

The momentum was with Westville, but Lazlo Jooste and Dhilan Naraidu stole some of it back.

They shared a key partnership, playing some big shots, but also taking ones and twos if boundaries weren’t there. It brought them 33 runs and was ended when Jooste was caught off Dayalan Boyce for 19 from 16 balls, with a four and a six.

Naraidu went on to an invaluable 29 not out from 25 balls, with two fours and a six, which helped the lower order of DHS get the total to 161/9 after 20 overs.

Opening bowler Dayalan Boyce claimed 2/22 from his four overs, while four others contributed a wicket each.

In a prescient statement, DHS Director of Sport, Nathan Pillay, declared that the first 10 overs of the Westville innings would likely determine the result. He was on the mark.

Throughout the Clifton T20 Tournament, fast bowlers had found the conditions challenging, with spinners, in general, generating far better economy rates. But, as the saying goes, “Cometh the hour, cometh the man“, and, in this instance, that man was DHS captain Bayanda Majola.

He was fired up. Charging in hard and bowling with good pace and bounce, he was rewarded with early success when he had Sean McGough caught for a single. That, however, brought Westville captain Seth Simpson to the wicket. He had been a pillar of strength for the Griffin throughout the event, delivering match-winning performances with both bat and ball.

Majola, though, struck a big blow for DHS, literally and figuratively, when Simpson ducked into a short delivery and the ball then deflected onto his stumps. He was shaken up and out for a duck. Westville, whose top order had brought them so much success, had tumbled to 8/2.

Kyle McGough and Misbah Nair added 27 for the third wicket, but Majola struck again when he had McGough brilliantly caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Sibusiso Msibi. He was swamped after that spectacular effort, with Ethan Cooper, the first player there, wrapping Msibi in a bear hug and hoisting him off his feet.

Three runs later, Westville suffered another blow when Misbah Nair mistimed a drive off Taine Havermann and offered a tame catch to extra cover. He was out for 15 and Westville was 38/4.

Two runs later, that became 40/5 when, disastrously for the Griffin, Jamie Hasselbach was run out by a direct hit from Ismaeel Omar. DHS was in the driver’s seat.

Aiden Baudach and Aarin Rasmussen were not about to give up the fight, though, and they shared a 46-run stand before Baudach fell to Bhavesh Naicker for a run-a-ball 29, which had featured three fours. Unfortunately, for Westville, Rasmussen followed on the same total, 86, caught off the bowling of Bonga Maphanga for 17.

At 94/7, Westville was in danger of being bowled out. They’re made of stern stuff, though, and Ewan du Toit and Heath Stott made DHS work hard to the end. Together, they put on an unbroken stand of 52. It wasn’t enough to get them close to DHS, but it was a case of what might have been if someone in their top order had come off.

The Westville innings ended on 146/7, with Stott on 38 not out from 23 balls, three of which he blasted for six, with another going for four. Du Toit was unbeaten on 20 from 18 balls, with a six and a four.

Majola came in for a little stick at the end. He finished with 3/31, but he had caused Westville mortal damage early on.

Bonga Maphanga returned 1/23 from four, while Dhilan Naraidu’s 0/18 from four came at a crucial time in Westville’s run chase and his economical return was an important contribution to School‘s success.

Promoting cricket and the community

Clifton’s Director of Cricket, Brandon Scullard, said in the lead-up to the tournament that he wanted to promote cricket, to bring excitement and hype to it. Goal met!

The Crusaders Club drew a fantastic crowd for the final day’s action, and it wasn’t just supporters of the schools in attendance either, Clifton’s Executive Headmaster, Clyde Mac Donald, noted with a smile. The tournament had captured the attention of the community of Durban North. Was it a success? Beyond a shadow of a doubt.

A legacy of Clifton’s Centenary, the second edition of the Clifton T20 Tournament was a worthy follow-up to the first tournament and another step forward.

Mac Donald agreed it had filled a hole that KZN cricket hadn’t realised needed filling. A three-day extravaganza of cricket featuring the province’s top boys’ schools, with some additional spice thrown into the mix from Hoërskool Waterkloof and St John’s College (Harare), with the beautiful Centenary Cup up for grabs is an enticing offering.

“The most important thing,” he said, “is this event is for the boys, and not just Clifton boys, but the boys from all the competing schools.”

Awards

At the awards ceremony after the final, Michaelhouse‘s Ethan Muir was named the winner of the Batsman of the Tournament after scoring 227 runs. His reward was a R3 000 Edgars voucher and a Red Dragon gaming hamper, worth over R1 000. The Bowler of the Tournament went to Hilton’s Sechaba Gude, who picked up nine wickets and received a similar reward.

For the second year in succession, the Coach of the Tournament went to Fabian Lazarus, of DHS, who took home a R3 000 Edgars voucher.

The 2025 edition of the tournament also delivered something that had been missing from cricket in KZN this season and that was centuries. There had been none scored in the province at 1st XI level until the tournament.

On Friday afternoon, though, Josh van Biljon (DHS) versus Waterkloof, and Seth Simpson (Westville) versus Hilton College did the trick. On Saturday, it was the turn of Riley Miller (Waterkloof) versus Glenwood. On Sunday, Ismaeel Omar, as mentioned earlier reached three figures against Kearsney and, excitingly for the hosts, Clifton, Byron Ward scored his first 1^st XI century to propel the home team to a big win over St John’s Harare.

David de Bruyn came close for Northwood, scoring 96 in a win over Glenwood, while the captain of St John’s, Connor Lovatt, blasted an unbeaten 91 in a victory over Northwood.

11th/12th playoff

It was a disappointing tournament for the Knights, but they ended it on a high in the 11^th place playoff with a 56-run win over Glenwood on the Kingsmead Oval, behind De Bruyn’s superb innings.

Trevor van Vollenstee played a starring role in the Knights’ success, too, knocking over 5/24 as the Green Machine was bowled out for 125 in reply to Northwood’s 181/8.

9th/10th playoff

With Bryon Ward smashing 10 sixes and five fours in his 59-ball 110, Clifton tallied a testing 179/6 against St John’s Harare at Northwood in the ninth-place playoff.

Then, they bowled out the Rams for 119 to win by 60 runs. Caleb Naicker, with 4/28, and Blake Johnson, with 3/27, spearheaded the host’s attack.

7th/8th playoff

Seventh place went to Waterkloof, who beat Maritzburg College by seven wickets, with 5.1 overs to spare at DHS.

Coach Cobus Pienaar‘s charges were hurt by having a match rained out on Saturday. They looked like a team that belonged in an eliminator game, at least, and there were surely some sides who felt a touch of relief that Klofies didn’t make it that far. The boys from Pretoria, though, impressed with their positive cricket.

They restricted College to 126/9, with Ricardo Crous capturing 3/20 and Jean Cloete 3/25, and they, then, made light work of the victory target. Opener AJ de Villiers led the way with 38 from 28, with four fours and a six.

Eliminators

In a gripping eliminator between the two youngest teams at the Clifton T20, Kearsney College, behind left-arm quick, Litha Gonya, defended six runs in the final over to beat St Charles College by three runs.

A rapid 67 from Aaron Blackburn and 65 from Cole Young helped Kearsney to 173/7 on the small Crusaders 2 Field, and Saints very nearly hauled that score, thanks to a cracking 42 off 14 deliveries from their skipper, Rico Honiball, who effortlessly launched four fours and four sixes.

James Bishop, though, captured 4/20 and Litha Gonya snapped up 3/23 to lead their side to an edge-of-your-seat victory.

In the other eliminator, Hilton College got one over their archrivals, Michaelhouse, scoring a 19-run win.

Batting first, Hilton totalled 152/5, led by James Ogilby‘s 52 not out from 48 balls.

Chasing, ‘House started aggressively and well. In fact, the lowest score among their top six batsmen was 17. Unfortunately, though, for the Balgowan boys, Graydon Leslie‘s 27 from 27 was their high point.

With the pressure on and balls running out, they suffered a stunning collapse, going for 129/4 to 133 all out as Jayden Roux grabbed 4/18 and Benoit Rey 3/17.

Great cricket, good competition, and wonderful support made for a feel-good event, and the live broadcast of matches on the Crusaders Main Oval on DStv Channel 216 showed that schoolboy cricket has plenty to offer, including loads of excitement. That’s not the sole domain of winter sports.

SCORES

11th/12th
Northwood 181/8 (David de Bruyn 96, Kyle Bryan 2/19, Akhil Maharaj 2/27, Elgenio Oerson 2/39); Glenwood 125/10 (Mishael Gunawardana 41, Akhil Maharaj 22*, Kenzo Mchunu 20, Trevor van Vollenstee 5/24, Jordan Matthews 2/26). Northwood won by 56 runs.

9th/10th
Clifton College 179/6 (Byron Ward 110, Cristiano Borrageiro 24, Tim Saulez 21, James Rawlings 2/30); St John’s College, Harare 119/10 (Luca Spagnuolo 36, Hayden Croxford 20, Caleb Naicker 4/28, Blake Johnson 3/27, Shiraz Perumal 2/15). Clifton College won by 60 runs.

7th/8th
Maritzburg College 126/9 (Ewald Bester 27, Deolyn Naidoo 27, Ricardo Crous 3/20, Jean Cloete 3/20); Hoërskool Waterkloof 127/3 (AJ de Villiers 38, W du Plessis 36*, Franco Schmidt 27*, Samuel Hughes 2/39). Hoërskool Waterkloof won by 7 wickets.

Eliminator
Hilton College 152/5 (James Ogibly 52*, Ben Hockly 28, Alex Pitman 28, Rendani Nonge 2/18); Michaelhouse 133/10 (Graydon Leslie 27, Ethan Muir 22, Michael Blignaut 21, Ben Heuer 20, Jayden Roux 4/18, Benoit Rey 3/17). Hilton College won by 19 runs.

Eliminator
Kearsney College 173/7 (Aaron Blackburn 67, Cole Young 65, Kaiyuran Naidoo 3/26, Caleb Sharp 2/18); St Charles College 170/9 (Rico Honiball 42, Rowen Rajah 30, AJ Bosman 29, Thando Zama 27, Caleb Sharp 20, James Bishop 4/20, Litha Gonya 3/23). Kearsney College won by three runs.

Semi-final
Kearsney College 157/8 (Keegan de Jager 61*, Cole Young 25, Bonga Maphanga 2/16, Josh Morley 2/20); Durban High School 158/2 (Ismaeel Omar 104*, Ethan Cooper 30, Taine Havermann 21*, Rivan Moodley 2/19). Durban High School won by 8 wickets.

Semi-final
Hilton College 112/10 (James Ogilby 32, Jayden Roux 25, Alex Pitman 22, Lwandile Bulose 3/20, Misbah Nair 2/14, Ewan du Toit 2/23); Westville Boys’ High 114/1 (Seth Simpson 57*, Kyle McGough 40*). Westville Boys’ High won by 9 wickets.

Final
Durban High School 161/9 (Ismaeel Omar 38, Dhilan Naraidu 29, Ethan Cooper 27, Dayalan Boyce 2/22); Westville Boys’ High 146/7 (Heath Stott 38*, Aiden Baudach 29, Ewan du Toit 20*, Kyle McGough 20, Bayanda Majola 3/31). Durban High School won by 15 runs.

Rain allowed only three matches to be played in the Clifton T20 Tournament on Saturday, but, boy, were there fireworks!

Hoërskool Waterkloof vs Glenwood High School

Waterkloof, with captain Riley Miller leading the way, launched an astonishing attack on Glenwood‘s bowlers on the Crusaders 2 field, blasting 290/4 in only 18 overs.

That’s a jaw-dropping run rate of 16.04 per over.

Before Miller made it to the crease, though, Rico van der Walt and AJ de Villiers, laid into the Green Machine‘s bowlers, rocketing their way to a 99-run partnership for the first wicket. It ended when Van der Walt was caught by Prince Shezi off the bowling of Elgenio Oerson for 45 from only 18 balls, which included four fours and four sixes.

While Glenwood might have expected some respite after his departure, the arrival of Miller opened the floodgates.

Catch the action LIVE on DStv Channel 216 or follow it on SuperSport Schools

The Waterkloof skipper spent 40 balls at the crease. More than a third of those, 14, he dispatched for six. Another six deliveries went for four. Batting at over three runs a ball, he rocketed to a breath-taking 123 not out.

Juan Swart added a marvellous cameo. In just 11 balls, the grade 9 learner contributed 35 runs, smashing four sixes and two fours as he and Miller enjoyed a 109-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Glenwood’s bowling figures made for miserable reading. Mishaela Gunawardana was the pick of their bowlers, picking up 2/43. At 10.8 runs per over, he was comfortably the least expensive of the eight bowlers employed by the Durban side.

To their credit, Glenwood went hard at Waterkloof from the start of their innings, even though their chance of victory appeared all but impossible.

Kressan Pillai was excellent at the top of the order, cracking six fours and three sixes in making 49 from only 22 balls. Krian Jugoo, in at three, also went after the Waterkloof bowlers, belting three sixes and two fours in a quickfire 26 from just 10 deliveries. Together, they added 50 for the second wicket but, after Jugoo departed on 71, matters went south quickly.

The next 39 runs cost eight wickets. Then, a stubborn last-wicket stand of 25 took Glenwood to 135 all out.

Jean Cloete wrecked the local team’s response. He was a little expensive, but his 3.2 overs brought him a decisive 5/28. Johan Liebenberg, with 3/19 from four, played his part, too, and Waterkloof exited with a spectacular 155-run victory.

Clifton College vs Kearsney College

Clifton College and Kearsney College were able to play a full T20 on the Crusaders Main Oval, but the mid-afternoon game left the hosts rueing their narrow loss to Maritzburg College on Friday after Kearsney claimed a 26-run win.

Clifton skipper Tim Saulez made Kearsney bat first, but their top three came off. Captain Jason De Gryse and Rivan Moodley made 28 for the first wicket before De Gryse was caught by Byron Ward off the bowling of Regan Radley for 16.

Moodley and Aaron Blackburn, then, took the score to 63, which was when Moodley was dismissed by Shiraz Perumal for 29 from 22 balls, which featured four fours. After his departure, Kearsney haemorrhaged wickets.

Blackburn, though, kept going. He was the seventh man out after contributing 46 runs from 39 balls, with two sixes and a four.

There was one other useful contribution, with Nic Comrie weighing in with 24 not out from just 13 deliveries, which helped Kearsney complete their overs on 142/8.

Shiraz Perumal claimed 3/23 with his leg spin, and Blake Johnson took 2/28 with his orthodox left-arm spin.

Clifton needed to bat at 7.15 runs per over to win. Litha Gonya set the home team on its heels, though, when he bowled Byron Ward when there were just three runs on the board.

Clifton made some progress through Hayden Drieselmann and Tim Saulez, but run outs of Saulez and Shiraz Perumal, either side of the dismissal of Drieselmann, were hammer blows to the host’s chances.

Wickets followed at regular intervals and Clifton never quite threatened to win. Their innings finished on the first ball of the 20th over. They were all out for 116.

Zach Williamson made 28, Hayden Drieselmann 22, and Lawson Dinsdale 20, but Saulez, with 12, was the only other player to hit double figures.

Left-arm paceman Litha Gonya, who has been enjoying a fine season, was the spearhead of the Kearsney attack, capturing 3/23 from four overs, while Rivan Moodley bagged 2/19 with his leg-spin and left-arm wrist spinner Matthew Gorrie 2/33.

Michaelhouse vs Maritzburg College

In the day’s other game, Michaelhouse, who beat Kearsney on Friday, made it two wins on the trot with a 19-run victory over Maritzburg College in a match reduced to 14 overs a side.

Playing on Northwood‘s Robin Smith Oval, ‘House scored at exactly nine runs an over to rattle up 126/3.

As he had done in the win over Kearsney, Michaelhouse skipper Ethan Muir excelled at the top of the order. He and Victor North shared an opening stand of 77 runs before North was caught by Sphamandla Dzanibe off Nathan Pembridge for 29 from 25 balls.

Ben Heuer and Michael Blignaut went cheaply as ‘House desperately chased more runs, but Muir ended undefeated on 71 from 46 balls, which included five fours and three sixes.

College’s run pursuit started well, with both openers, Tian van Niekerk and Daniel Nadasan, batting at better than a run a ball. They tallied 63 for the first wicket before Van Niekerk was out for 39, which had included five fours.

Still, College managed to up their scoring rate as Karl Dedekind launched a couple of sixes in a 13-ball stay that brought him 23 runs. He was dismissed on 84 and two runs later Nadasan was caught by Michael Blignaut off Ben Heuer for 35.

After another two runs, Luka Puddu was removed, and Luca van der Merwe followed two after that, which left College on 90/5. They made it to 107/5, but never quite managed to challenge the Michaelhouse total.

Rendani Nonge had plenty to do with that. He knocked over 3/21 in three overs.

Playoffs

On Sunday, the action will begin with a juicy traditional rivalry, with Hilton College facing Michaelhouse in the first eliminator on the Crusaders Main Oval from 08:30.

The second eliminator, on Crusaders 2, will feature St Charles College and Kearsney. Saints advanced even though rain allowed them to play only one match on the first two days. They won that one convincingly, though, cruising to a seven-wicket win over Glenwood.

If only Waterkloof hadn’t had a match rained out. One feels they would be playing for a higher position, but they’ll have to settle for a showdown with Maritzburg College at Durban High School (DHS) at 09:00 for seventh place.

At the same time, Clifton will tackle St John’s College (Harare) at Northwood, where the bat of the powerful St John’s captain Connor Lovatt will be key. They’ll dispute ninth place.

Matters didn’t go Northwood’s way and the KZN Schools SA20 champs will face Glenwood on the Kingsmead Oval for eleventh place, also at 09:00.

Both DHS and Westville Boys’ High went two for two on Friday and won their matches comfortably. At 11:30, Westville will tackle the winner of the first eliminator in a semi-final on the Crusaders Main Oval, while DHS, the defending champion, will take on the winner of the second eliminator on Crusaders 2 in the other semi-final.

The final will be played on the Crusaders Main Oval at 14:30.

The weather forecast for Sunday in Durban is cloudy, with no rain, and temperatures in the upper twenties.

SUMMARISED SCORECARDS

18 overs

Hoërskool Waterkloof 290/4 (Riley Miller 123*, AJ de Villiers 60, Rico van der Walt 45, Juan Swart 35, Mishaela Gunawardana 2/43); Glenwood High School 135/10 (Kressan Pillai 49, Krian Jugoo 26, Jean Cloete 5/28, Johan Liebenberg 3/19). Waterkloof won by 155 runs.

T20

Kearsney College 142/8 (Aaron Blackburn 46, Rivan Moodley 29, Nic Comrie 24*, Shiraz Perumal 3/23, Blake Johnson 2/29); Clifton College 116/10 (Zach Williamson 28, Hayden Drieselmann 22, Lawson Dinsdale 20, Litha Gonya 3/23, Rivan Moodley 2/19, Matthew Gorrie 2/33). Kearsney College won by 26 runs.

14 overs

Michaelhouse 126/3 (Ethan Muir 71*, Victor North 29, Reece Willson 1/23); Maritzburg College 107/5 (Tian van Niekerk 39, Daniel Nadasan 35, Karl Dedekind 23, Rendani Nonge 3/21). Michaelhouse won by 19 runs.

SUNDAY FIXTURES

08:30 – Hilton College vs Michaelhouse, eliminator one, Crusaders Main Oval
08:30 – St Charles College vs Kearsney College, eliminator two, Crusaders 2

09:00 – Hoërskool Waterkloof vs Maritzburg College, DHS (7th place)
09:00 – Clifton College vs St John’s College (Harare), Northwood (9th place)
09:00 – Northwood School vs Glenwood High School, Kingsmead Oval (11th place)

11:30 – Westville Boys’ High vs winner eliminator one, semi-final, Crusaders Main Oval
11:30 – Durban High School vs winner eliminator two, semi-final, Crusaders 2

14:30 – Final – Crusaders Main Oval