Author: captainmorgan

Durban High School (DHS) saw a very impressive 10-match winning streak halted on Thursday by Clifton College. Two days later, back on Theobald Oval, Maritzburg College felt the backlash as DHS crushed them by nine wickets in a limited-overs match.

College won the toss and chose to bat first. That decision backfired immediately.

Before two overs had been bowled, the Red, Black, and White were two wickets down, including, disastrously, Llewellyn Sutherland run out for a duck. His opening partner, Daniel Nadasan fell to fast bowler Bayanda Majola, caught by Josh van Biljon, also for a duck.

Losing their openers so quickly was bad, but it became a whole lot worse for College before they had reached double figures. Majola added two more wickets, removing  Sphamandla Dzanibe for two and Michael Gibson for four. Before the completion of the fifth over, College’s innings was in tatters on 7/4.

At last, though, captain Chad Mason and Karl Dedekind halted the carnage, keeping DHS at bay for almost 14 overs while adding 43 runs.

Taine Havemann, then, got in on the wicket-taking, trapping Dedekind in front for a stubborn 14 from 37 deliveries, which included two fours. That was the highest number of boundaries achieved by any College batsman, and it was matched by the next man in, Ryan McKean, who finished as the second highest scorer, with an unbeaten 18 from 40 balls.

Chad Mason, as has been the case so often throughout the season, was College’s highest scorer, making 22 before he, like Dedekind, was LBW to Havemann.

No other batsmen reached double figures as DHS raced through the visitors’ batting. After 32 overs. Maritzburg College was all out for only 77.

The College batting scores made for miserable reading, but the bowling figures were, for DHS, conversely, handsome. Majola led the way, capturing 4/17 in eight overs, while DHS captain Semal Pillay did a superb job, too, knocking over 3/12 in six. Taine Havemann weighed in with 2/15 in six.

School started slowly in their reply and they lost an early wicket when Ismaeel Omar was run out for a single in the fourth over.

College, though, had very few runs to protect and any partnership of consequence would end their chances of a shock victory. Unfortunately for the visitors, Jared Havemann and Semal Pillay delivered an unbroken partnership, which steered DHS to a handsome win.

After 16.3 overs, they reached 79/1, with Havemann unbeaten on 29 from 53 balls, with one four and two sixes, while Pillay struck three fours in his 28 not out off 42 deliveries. They had put on 76 runs in 85 balls.

While DHS won by a large margin of wickets, Michaelhouse trounced Northwood by 143 runs after the Knights experienced a horrible collapse while chasing 191 for victory at home.

The toss went Northwood’s way, and they opted to field first. They enjoyed early success, running out the dangerous Seb Hofmeyr for three. But Michaelhouse steadied their innings, led by opener Graydon Leslie playing a part in some useful partnerships.

The biggest of those was 56 runs for the fourth wicket between Leslie and Ethan Muir, who made 21. Leslie and Hayden Hewlett also added 40 for the third wicket, with Hewlett contributing 23.

Michaelhouse’s batting effort revolved around Leslie’s innings, however, and he worked his way to 88 before being run out, with that method of dismissal proving to be a bit of a theme on Saturday in KZN. His was the eighth wicket to fall, with the ‘House total on 177. They went on to total 190/9 from their 50 overs.

Credit to Northwood, they staged a fight-back to prevent Michaelhouse from going big. The Balgowan boys were on 140/3 after 41 overs. While they added another 50 runs in the nine remaining overs, they also lost six wickets.

Pride Buthelezi was the standout for Northwood, snapping up 3/22 in 10 tight overs. Jordan Matthews was tidy, too, conceding only 25 runs from his 10 overs, but he went wicketless. Ben Erasmus did a good job, claiming 1/31 in 10.

The Knights’ reply started slowly but steadily. They negotiated the first six overs without incident, but Ross Moller then struck to start a landslide that picked up pace, with wickets tumbling quickly. From 12 without loss, Northwood slipped to 20/5, with Thandanani Zuma doing the damage.

The Michaelhouse paceman enjoyed a spectacular day, capturing 4/12 in eight overs. Nqobani Mokoena and Kyle White held up Michaelhouse for a brief spell of just over four overs, but when Mokoena was run out that led to a further avalanche of wickets, and that stopped only when the home side was all out.

Northwood lost three wickets in the thirties, which left them on a miserable 39/8. Eight runs later, they were all for 47 after 29 overs.

Zuma was very well supported by Radhesh Jhilmeet, who returned splendid figures of 3/4 from five overs. Harry Vickery picked up 1/8, and the always tidy Ross Moller bagged 1/10 in six.

Kyle White finished on 19 not out from 56 balls. He was the only batsman to make it into double figures. Astonishingly, the Northwood innings contained not one boundary.

Summarised Scorecards

Michaelhouse 190/9 (Graydon Leslie 88, Hayden Hewlett 23, Ethan Muir 21, Pride Buthelezi 3/22); Northwood 47/10 (Kyle White 19*, Thandanani Zuma 4/12, Radhesh Jhilmeet 3/4). Michaelhouse won by 143 runs.

Maritzburg College 77/10 (Chad Mason 22, Ryan McKean 18*, Bayanda Majola 4/17, Semal Pillay 3/12, Taine Havemann 2/15); Durban High School 79/1 (Jared Havemann 29*, Semal Pillay 28*). Durban High School won by 9 wickets.

The Dolphins region Schools SA20 brought together two of the most in-form teams in KZN rather too early in the competition, with Durban High School (DHS), the winners of 10 matches in succession, hosting Clifton College, the winners of seven of their last eight, doing battle on the Theobald Oval on Thursday. It turned out to be a fascinating battle that ebbed and flowed.

Clifton won the toss and elected to bat, but way too early in their innings they were trying to work the bowling around, rather than playing straight, and it cost them.

Left-arm spinner, Dhilan Naraidu, who took the new ball, bowled superbly for the Horseflies, and he struck in the first over when he bowled Hayden Drieselmann. He was far from done. In fact, he was only getting started. The pitch was slow and the batsmen tried to play too square of the wicket off Naraidu, who did a good job of attacking the stumps and that was reflected in the manner of the dismissals he achieved.

He went on to trap Byron Ward in front and bowled Tim Saulez and Shiraz Perumal to reduce Clifton to 34/4. Opener Muhammad Malek was on his way 10 runs later, out for 15, after being caught off the bowling of Akhtar Basra.

The visitors were in serious trouble, but their middle to lower order has delivered time and again during this season and, on this occasion, it was Zach Williamson and Lawson Dinsdale who rescued their innings.

Playing calmly, they advanced the total by 50 runs before Williamson was the sixth wicket to fall. Trying to execute an extravagant scoop, he was bowled by Bhavesh Naicker for 22 from 26 balls, which, under the circumstances, was a hugely valuable contribution.

Two runs later, with the total on 96, Dinsdale followed him to the pavilion, run out by a mile after he attempted a second run, which was never on. He had weighed in with 18 from 22.

Caleb Naicker was, then, the victim of a direct hit as Clifton chased runs in an attempt to overcome their stuttering start.

After 20 overs, they had scratched and scrambled their way to just 112/9. DHS, it seemed, was on course for a routine victory.

Naraidu’s excellent four overs brought him 4/10, while Bhavesh Naicker returned figures of 1/14 from three and Akhtar Basra picked up 1/6 from two.

As well as they did in the field, though, DHS gave up too many extras. There were 28 in total – four byes, five leg byes, two no balls, and seven wides – which was the highest contributor to Clifton’s total.

School‘s run chase started poorly when they lost Lazlo Jooste in the first over, LBW to Tim Saulez. There was further early success for Clifton, with Regan Radley bowling Ethan Cooper for two, to peg DHS back to 10/2.

Cooper’s departure, however, brought together the dangerous pair of Ismaeel Omar and Josh van Biljon and they combined effectively to put their team in the ascendancy. They enjoyed a partnership of 72 before Omar was trapped in front by the leg-spin of Shiraz Perumal for 40. He had spent 52 balls out in the middle and struck three of them for four.

Four balls later, the cat was thrown among the pigeons when Van Biljon kept attacking and was dismissed, hit wicket. He had made 30 from 39, with a six and a four.

What should have been a clear and comfortable path to victory suddenly appeared murky. Perumal was making the DHS batsmen uncomfortable. They couldn’t get him away, right when they needed to up the run-scoring rate. Then, the return of Tim Saulez saw the Clifton attack clamp down further on the DHS run-scoring, and wickets fell, too.

Perumal was outstanding. He had been introduced into the attack late, the sixth bowler used, but he turned the contest on its head, snaring 4/19 while stopping DHS’s momentum in its tracks.

Still only in grade 10, following that four-for, Perumal has taken a Clifton record 59 wickets this year, beating the record of 58 previously shared by former SA u19 captain Matthew Montgomery (2017) and Josh Brown (2018).

Saulez was special, too, knocking over 2/11 in four overs. His ability to bowl deliveries of a yorker length at the death made him tough to contend with.

Good bowling was backed up by good fielding, and the composed manner in which Clifton defended a low total played a huge role in their success.

“I think we timed the use of our two KZN bowlers, Tim Saulez and Shiraz Perumal, well,” Clifton’s Director of Cricket and 1st XI coach, Brandon Scullard, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“We said to our senior players and our provincial players that they need to step up and they need to close the game out. They showed why they are u17 (Saulez) and u16 (Perumal) provincial bowlers because they bowled in the last four overs and they brought it home for us really well.”

Following the dismissal of Omar, it was astonishing how the DHS innings lost steam. It was one of those twists that makes cricket such a fascinating game. In the end, DHS reached 101/7. Only 18 runs were scored by batsmen other than Omar and Van Biljon.

Reflecting further on the game, Scullard added: “We kept it simple enough that the scoreboard pressure started to tell. When the rate got to eight, in schoolboy cricket they’re going to play a few more shots than they really should. Maybe if they had put bat on ball and run well, they could have got a bit closer.”

The Horseflies will be disappointed with how their 10-game winning streak came to an end. The game was theirs for the taking, but a disciplined performance in the field won Clifton the match.

They surrendered only 13 extras – no byes, one leg bye, zero no balls, and 10 wides – and that made all the difference at the end.

Summarised scorecard

Clifton College 112/9 (Extras 28, Zach Williamson 22, Lawson Dinsdale 18, Dhilan Naraidu 4/10, Bhavesh Naicker 1/14); Durban High School 101/7 (Ismaeel Omar 40, Josh van Biljon 30, Shiraz Perumal 4/19, Tim Saulez 2/11, Regan Radley 1/19).

Clifton College won by 11 runs.

With the Schools SA20 reaching into all corners of South Africa, there were bound to be some mismatches, and so it proved when Kearsney College faced neighbouring Hillcrest High on Wednesday.

Kearsney’s lineup looked a little different with their matriculants no longer in action, but they had plenty of players with 1st XI experience and a good number who were recently named in Dolphins’ teams for national weeks at the end of the year.

Batting first, they got off to a good start, racing to 35 in the third over, but Jonty Wiggett was then caught by Marco Chessa off the bowling of Jaydon Chaythram for 11. That brought Keegan de Jager out into the middle to join Jason De Gryse and together they advanced the total to triple figures.

It took a run out to break their partnership. De Gryse was the unfortunate victim, having scored 46 from 23 balls, at a strike rate of 200, while putting on 69 from 31 deliveries with De Jager.

That run out led to a mini-collapse, with Hillcrest adding another two wickets in double-quick time to reduce Kearsney from 104/1 after 7.1 overs to 113/4 after 9.2.

De Jager, then, stepped up to take charge and shared a stand of 40 in four overs with Nicholas Munro, but the latter was responsible for only eight of those runs.

The number three batsman pressed on and received good support from Nic Comrie. Together they added 62 from 31 balls to take the total to 215/6 in the 19th over when Comrie was caught and bowled by Travis Whiteside for 36.

De Jager continued the onslaught and steered Kearsney to 243/6 from their 20 overs. He finished unbeaten on a superb 113 from 57 deliveries, which included 14 fours and two sixes.

Conor Lowe led the Hillcrest bowlers, returning 2/35 from four overs, but his economy rate of 8.8 per over was the best Hillcrest managed.

They stumbled out of the gate in their reply, with both openers, Brendan Franzel and Seth Surgeson, falling in the first two overs. That proved to be the start of an avalanche of wickets as Hillcrest’s batsmen arrived at the crease and quickly departed.

There was no destroyer-in-chief. In fact, no Kearsney bowler took more than two wickets, but all six bowlers employed enjoyed success.

Keegan de Jager added a return of 2/1 to his undefeated century, while Blake Pugh and Litha Gonya both claimed 2/4 from three overs. Opening bowler Jason De Gryse was, in the context of the Hillcrest innings, “expensive”, taking 2/9 in three, which underlines just how much Kearsney’s bowlers overwhelmed their opposition.

Dylan Jacobson and Lienan Sawyer shared the top score of seven, but Hillcrest’s innings also included five ducks and two batsmen dismissed for a single.

They were all out for only 26, leaving Kearsney the winners by a massive 217-run margin.

Summarised Scorecard

Kearsney College 243/6 (Keegan de Jager 113*, Jason De Gryse 46, Nic Comrie 36, Conor Lowe 2/35); Hillcrest High 26/10 (Keegan de Jager 2/1, Blake Pugh 2/4, Litha Gonya 2/4, Jason De Gryse 2/9).

Kearsney College won by 217 runs.

Durban High School (DHS) faced Westville Boys’ High on Saturday, with the Griffin coming off an outstanding showing at the Westvaal North/South T20 Tournament in Pretoria, but that counted for little as School handed Westville a crushing 79-run defeat in a limited overs’ contest.

Semal Pillay and crew have been in good form, tough in the field, and disciplined with the bat, and they used that recipe to inflict a surprisingly resounding defeat on Westville.

Batting first after winning the toss, DHS posted 200/4 in their 50 overs. That wasn’t a huge score, but, on the big Theobald Oval, which also offers something to the bowlers, that set the visitors a decent challenge.

Ethan Cooper departed early, falling LBW to Dayalan Boyce at the start of the fifth over, but Ismaeel Omar and Semal Pillay, then, grafted hard to lay the foundation for the Horseflies‘ innings, putting on 67 in 16.5 overs. Their partnership ended when Omar was caught in the deep off the bowling of Tristin Delvin for 43 from 69 deliveries, which included seven fours.

Josh van Biljon and Pillay steadied the innings once more, adding 55 for the third wicket before Van Biljon was caught and bowled by the left-arm spinner, Roxton Payne, for 29.

The skipper was eventually dismissed with only an over remaining in the DHS innings. Pillay had scored a superb 87 from 137 balls, with four fours, and it took a run out to get rid of him.

At the end, Lazlo Jooste was unbeaten on 23 and Taine Havemann had seven.

Dayalan Boyce led the Westville bowlers, with 1/19 from six, while Tristin Delvin kept the DHS batsmen tied down, snaring 1/29 in 10.

In reply, Westville started smoothly enough, with Nicandro Kistna and Max Robertson sharing an opening stand of 26 before Kistna, the captain, was caught by his counterpart, Semal Pillay, off the bowling of Dhilan Naraidu for 18.

Robertson followed him back to the pavilion in the 13th over, bowled by Taine Havemann for an unusually subdued 13 from 28 deliveries. Westville was on 54/2, but that became 58/4 only seven balls later.

Naraidu accounted for Seth Simpson for 22 from 32, with two fours, while Taine Havemann had the dangerous Kaeden McAllister caught by Pillay off the first ball he faced.

From there, Westville’s innings crumbled, despite a stubborn effort from Kyle McGough. Sean McGough fell for five, a victim of Jared Havemann, who tore through the visitors’ batting with his leg spin.

Roxton Payne followed for 10, and when Tristin Delvin was out for a single in the 30th over, Westville was in serious trouble on 101/7. One over later, that had become 102/8, with Jared Havemann sending Sekou Shangase packing for a duck.

Kyle McGough and Dayalan Boyce added 18 for the ninth wicket before McGough was caught by Bayanda Majola off Jared Havemann for Westville’s highest score of 41. It had come from 61 balls and included four fours and a six.

Seven balls later, it was all over, with Boyce out for five, a fourth victim of Jared Havemann.

He led the DHS attack with a superb return of 4/22 from 8.1 overs, while his brother, Taine, also wreaked havoc, capturing 2/14 from six. Dhilan Naraidu contributed 2/30 from seven, while there was a wicket each for Semal Pillay and Bhavesh Naicker.

It was the latest in an impressive run of 10 victories on the trot for DHS, who will return many of their top performers in 2025.

Summarised scorecard

DHS 200/4 (Semal Pillay 87, Ismaeel Omar 43, Joshua van Biljon 29, Dayalan Boyce 1/19, Tristin Delvin 1/29); Westville 121/10 (Kyle McGough 41, Seth Simpson 22, Jared Havemann 4/22, Taine Havemann 2/14, Dhilan Naraidu 2/30, Bhavesh Naicker 1/14, Semal Pillay 1/23).

Durban High School won by 79 runs.

Clifton College enjoyed a strong showing at the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week and the momentum they built up there has continued in the KZN season. Fresh off a six-wicket win over Glenwood, coach Brandon Scullard‘s charges handed Northwood a 107-run defeat on Saturday at the Riverside Sports Club.

The toss went Clifton’s way and they chose to bat first in the limited-overs clash. Although they lost a wicket in the early going, they kicked on, with a number of batsmen playing themselves in and adding bits and pieces to the total while opening batsman Byron Ward played the anchor role.

He accumulated, by far, the highest score of the match, and his innings of 75 runs off 106 deliveries proved to be a difference-maker. He also showed a flair for punishing loose bowling, which was reflected in the boundaries he struck, two fours and five sixes, and the Riverside Sports Club field is not a small ground.

Lawson Dinsdale, batting ninth in the order, made a valuable 23 not out, while Tim Saulez weighed in with 21. Clifton’s innings, though, lasted only 43.3 overs. They were all out for 204.

David de Bruyn, who was brought on late, as the seventh bowler used by the Knights, enjoyed the most success, capturing 4/49 in 10 overs. Kyle White bowled with penetration and economy, picking up 2/24 in 10, while Mason Storm also did a good job, claiming 2/21 in six.

Northwood’s chances of overhauling Clifton’s 204 were struck a serious blow early in their innings, when they were reduced to 15/3, with all-rounder Tim Saulez claiming two of the three wickets.

Opener David de Bruyn and Dolphins’ u18 batsman Mfana Shange advanced the total to 38, but Shange was, then, caught off the bowling of Blake Johnson for seven.

Sixteen runs later, the visitors suffered a big blow when De Bruyn fell, caught off the left-arm spin of Clifton captain Shahzaad Perumal for 23 from 44 balls, which included three fours. His knock would turn out to be the highest score of the Northwood innings.

Kyle White and Ross McGlashan resisted for a while, but when White was LBW to Johnson with the total on 70, that dismissal was a precursor to a mini-collapse, with Nqobani Mokoena and Mason Storm exiting in quick succession as the Knights slumped to 79/8, well out contention.

Ben Cilliers and McGlashan stubbornly stood firm, taking the score to 97 before they were both dismissed on that total. Cilliers was the first to depart, LBW to Shahzaad Perumal for 13, and McGlashan followed, the last man out, for the innings’ second-highest score of 20, a victim of Shiraz Perumal.

Clifton had recorded an emphatic 107-run victory. With Northwood making less than a hundred, the Clifton bowling attack boasted some handsome figures.

Shiraz Perumal snared 3/23 in 9.3 overs, while Shahzaad Perumal tied Northwood in knots, knocking over 2/11 in seven. Tim Saulez, with the new ball, did an excellent job, capturing 2/12 in six, while Blake Johnson took 2/29 in six, and Callum Watson, the only other bowler used by Clifton, took 1/22.

Coach Brandon Scullard declared himself very happy with the way that his charges are playing at present. Their results are proof of good complementary cricket, with the team functioning well as a unit, and, with only two members of the squad in matric, they’ll be a team to watch in 2025.

St Charles College vs Glenwood High School

In Pietermaritzburg, rain began falling in the afternoon, which brought an early end to the clash between St Charles College and Glenwood High, with the contest interestingly poised.

Batting first, the Green Machine posted 182/8 in their 50 overs, led by Bandile Mbatha‘s unbeaten 42 off 60, 32 from Krian Jugoo, and 31 from Nathan Moodley.

Saints’ skipper Marcell Wellmann snared 3/38 with his left-arm spin, while Tristan Montile claimed 2/10 in five overs.

When the St Charles’ innings was brought to a premature end, they had reached 107/4 after 24.4 overs.

Cian Fortmann and Connor Riley shared an opening stand of 51 before Fortmann was caught by Ntando Soni off the accurate off-spinner Kyle Bryan for 34 from 41, with five fours. Riley, the third man out, made 25.

Bryan sent down nine overs and picked up 2/33, while Sibonelo Phewa did a fine job, capturing 1/18 in seven.

Summarised scorecards

Clifton College 204/10 (Byron Ward 75, Lawson Dinsdale 23*, Tim Saulez 21, David de Bruyn 4/49, Mason Storm 2/21, Kyle White 2/24); Northwood School 97/10 (David de Bruyn 23, Ross McGlashan 20, Shiraz Perumal 3/23, Shahzaad Perumal 2/11, Tim Saulez 2/12, Blake Johnson 2/29). Clifton won 107 runs.

Glenwood High School 182/8 (Bandile Mbatha 42*, Krian Jugoo 32, Nathan Moodley 31, Marcell Wellmann 3/38, Tristan Montile 2/10); St Charles College 107/4 (Cian Fortmann 34, Connor Riley 25, Rico Honiball 21*, Kyle Bryan 2/33). Match abandoned.

The Hilton College and Michaelhouse stayers’ teams did battle in a T20 on Thursday on the Roy Gathorne Oval in Balgowan and, when the dust had settled on a riveting contest, only three runs separated the sides, with ‘House clinching the win.

They elected to bat first after winning the toss and that worked out well for the home side as Ethan Muir and Graydon Leslie put on 59 for the first wicket in 7.4 overs. Leslie, then, departed, stumped by Alex Pitman off the bowling of Luke Campbell for 26 from 19 deliveries, five of which he dispatched for four.

Nicholas Baker and Ethan Muir teamed up for a 61-run partnership from 46 balls, advancing the total to 120 before Baker fell for 25 from 21.

Hayden Hewlett didn’t stay long, and when Muir was caught by Jayden Roux off the bowling of Jacques Olivier for 65 from 58, with eight fours and a six, ‘House had lost three wickets for 17 runs in two-and-a-half overs. That left them on 127/3 after 16.2 overs.

A rapid unbeaten 18 from James Mallett, off only eight balls, with two fours and a six, helped boost Michaelhouse to 166/5 after their 20 overs.

Simon Steyn was the most successful of the Hilton bowlers, picking up 2/18 in two, while Luke Campbell delivered a neat spell, returning 1/18 from four overs.

Needing to bat at 8.3 runs per over to win, Hilton made a strong start to their run chase, with Alex Pitman and Robert Burman sharing a hasty opening stand of 44 in four overs before Burman fell LBW to Jean-Luc Rey for 12 from nine balls.

Pitman joined him back in the pavilion a run later, caught by Radhesh Jhilmeet off the bowling of Harry Vickery for a quickfire 30 from 16 deliveries, which included three fours and a six.

Simon Steyn was dismissed with the total on 55, which left the visitors three down after 5.4 overs. In the 10th over that became 75/4 when Jayden Roux exited, caught by Hayden Hewlett of the bowling of Ethan Muir for 18.

Hilton needed to build some momentum and Ben Erasmus and Stewart Falconer joined forces to deliver it. In 9.2 overs, they boosted their side’s total by 73 runs, but they were running short of balls. When Erasmus fell, caught by Vickery off Thandanani Zuma for 49 from 41 deliveries, with four fours and a six, only 13 balls remained in the Hilton innings and they still needed 18 runs to win.

There was nothing in it. The match was balanced on a knife’s edge.

Michaelhouse struck a blow with the very next ball when the new man in, Obakeng Motsepa, was run out by a combination of Hayden Hewlett and Henry Love, without scoring.

Falconer was still out in the middle, however, and he farmed the strike to push Hilton closer to the finishing line. It came down to the last ball.

Luke Campbell, at the other end, in a desperate bid for the winning runs, was run out, with Hilton three runs short of victory, on 163/7.

Falconer was unbeaten on 45 after a 30-ball stay. He’d smashed three sixes and a four, but his valiant knock didn’t quite get the visiting side over the line.

Those two late run outs proved to be crucial in House’s win, as were extras, with the hosts conceding only six to the 13 of Hilton.

Jean-Luc Rey claimed 2/24 in four overs, while Ethan Muir lent good support with a return of 1/25 from his four.

Summarised scorecard

Michaelhouse Invitation 166/5 (Ethan Muir 68, Graydon Leslie 26, Nicholas Baker 25, Simon Steyn 2/18); Hilton College Stayers 163/7 (Ben Erasmus 49, Stewart Falconer 45*, Alex Pitman 30, Jean-Luc Rey 2/24)

Michaelhouse won by three runs.

Westville Boys’ High, who sparkled at the recent Westvaal North-South T20 in Pretoria, winning five of their six matches against elite opposition, have had four players named in the Dolphins’ squad to contest the annual Khaya Majola Week in Cape Town, from 16-20 December.

Westville skipper Nicandro Kistna, who is joined by his schoolmates, Roxton Payne, Max Robertson, and Kaedan McAllister, in the squad, is one of a number of captains in the Dolphins’ lineup, so leadership will not be in short supply.

Kistna, an opening batsman, and Payne, a left-arm spin bowler, both offer all-round options, while Robertson and McAllister are hard-hitting batsmen.

Glenwood captain Ntando Soni and Bandile Mbatha are back in the Dolphins’ squad for a second year in succession.

Soni enjoyed a spectacular Khaya Majola Week in 2023. He bagged plenty of wickets cheaply and was subsequently selected for the SA Schools side. Then, in the match between SA Schools and the SA Schools A side, he captured a five-for.

Recently, he was named the Player of the Series in the five-match limited-overs series between the SA Emerging u19 side and Zimbabwe.

Bayanda Majola, from DHS, another young SA u19 fast bowler, who can truly crank it up, and his school captain Semal Pillay, cracked the nod, too. School’s cricket has been on a strong run in 2024 and they’re two of the players that have headlined those successes.

Another returning player, and another captain, is Ross Coetzee. The Kearsney College skipper has been on a tear all year long, raking in the runs, and he recently celebrated his 100^th cap for the 1^st XI with a century in a winning run chase against Hilton College.

Cameron Veenstra, who also scored a ton in that win, is the most notable omission. But Veenstra withdrew from selection because he had signed a contract with The Sharks.

Paceman Sandiswa Yeni, a regular wicket-taker, gives Kearsney a second player in the squad.

Northwood also provides two players, including SA u19 fast bowling all-rounder Nqobani Mokoena. The Dolphins side is not going to be short of pace options! The Knights’ Mfanafuthi Shange, a top-order batsman, joins Mokoena in the provincial team.

Clifton College captain and all-rounder, Shahzaad Perumal, a left-hander, provides the team with nice balance and offers a solid bat, as well as an accurate left-arm spin option.

It’s a good-looking lineup, filled with multi-skilled players who have enjoyed strong years, and they’ll be guided by an impressive coaching and management team.

Sam Mofokeng, from the Dolphins School of Excellence, is the Head Coach of the side and will be assisted by a highly accomplished trio of Westville staff: Assistant Coach Christo Esau, who is one of a rare number of CSA level four coaches, Assistant Coach Richard Wissing, and Manager Thomas Jackson.

DOLPHINS SQUAD

Bandile Mbatha (Glenwood), Ross Coetzee (Kearsney), Nicandro Kistna (Westville), Nqobani Mokoena (Northwood), Ntando Soni (Glenwood), Bayanda Majola (DHS), Semal Pillay (DHS), Roxton Payne (Westville), Max Robertson (Westville), Mfanafuthi Shange (Northwood), Shahzaad Perumal (Clifton), Sandiswa Yeni (Kearsney), Kaeden McAllister (Kearsney)

Head coach: Sam Mofokeng
Assistant coach: Christo Esau
Assistant coach: Richard Wissing
Manager: Thomas Jackson

Grace College visited the St Charles Oval on Tuesday to face Saints in the Schools SA20 competition. It proved to be a tough outing for the Hilton school, who were well beaten in a one-sided contest, which lasted just over 17 overs.

After winning the toss, the home side sent Grace out to bat, and six ducks were testament to the dominance of the St Charles College bowlers. It began with the dismissal of Grace’s dangerman, Wian Oelofsen, to the fifth ball of the innings, bowled by SA u19 Emerging speedster Rowen Rajah.

A 25-run partnership for the second wicket proved to be the prelude to a massive collapse as Grace lost their last nine wickets for the addition of only 19 runs.

Owen Widdows tore through the Grace middle order, capturing 4/17 in four overs, while Matthew Thiselton sent down three overs, struck three times, and conceded only three runs.

After 12.3 overs, Grace College was bowled out for 44. That was never going to challenge St Charles.

Credit to Grace, they picked up a couple of wickets, but Saints cantered across the line after only 5.1 overs, having reached 45/2. Christiaan Prinsloo was the highest scorer in the match, finishing on 22 not out.

Maritzburg College kept a tight rein on the Imbali Hub when they bowled first in their Schools SA20 match. The Hub XI almost saw out their 20 overs, but were dismissed two balls before the end for 77.

College’s bowlers shared the wickets around. Seven were employed and all seven claimed at least one victim, led by Dominic Du Toit, who knocked over 3/7 in two, and Nathan Pembridge, who claimed 2/12 in four.

The Red, Black, and White made light work of their victory target, rocketing to 80/1 after only 5.4 overs to record a convincing nine-wicket win.

Opener Daniel Nadasan made 20 not out off 14 balls, and Tian van Niekerk cracked 26 off 13, with four fours and a six. But it was Luka Puddu who provided the fireworks, exploding for an unbeaten 29 from just seven deliveries, which included three sixes and two fours.

Michaelhouse faced the Sweetwaters Hub and enjoyed their home-ground advantage when they batted first. Henry Love and Hayden Hewlett scored centuries, judging it perfectly so that they both could reach triple figures.

Love finished with an unbeaten 103, scored off of 61 balls, with eight fours and five sixes, while Hewlett ended on 100 not out. He had faced 60 deliveries and sent a quarter of them to the boundary, with 12 bringing him fours and three delivering sixes.

After 20 overs, ‘House had finished on 219 without loss.

The Sweetwaters Hub offered some resistance, losing only five wickets in their innings, but they were unable to make even half of the runs that Michaelhouse had scored.

Jean-Luc Rey kept Sweetwaters quiet with a haul of 2/10 from his four overs, while it was a workmanlike performance from the rest of the host’s attack as Sweetwaters totalled 102/5.

Summarised scorecards

Grace College 44/10 (Owen Widdows 4/17, Matthew Thiselton 3/3); St Charles College 45/2 (Christiaan Prinsloo 22*). St Charles College won by 8 wickets.

Imbali Hub 77/10 (S. Gumede 18, Dominic du Toit 3/7, Nathan Pembridge 2/12); Maritzburg College 80/1 (Luka Puddu 29*, Tian van Niekerk 26, Daniel Nadasan 20*). Maritzburg College won by 9 wickets.

Michaelhouse 219/0 (Henry Love 103*, Hayden Hewlett 100*); Sweetwaters Hub 102/5 (Jean-Luc Rey 2/10). Michaelhouse won by 117 runs.

After four days of intense competition, Kearsney College dethroned Hilton College as the overall champions of the KZN Top 10 Water Polo Tournament, which is contested at u14, u15, and 1st team level.

The boys from Botha’s Hill won the 1st team title with a thrilling 8-7 victory over Hilton College in the final, played in the Chad le Clos Pool at Westville Boys’ High on Sunday.

They found themselves down by two goals in the early going, but staged a furious fightback, catching out Hilton with a couple of breakaways, to draw level and then take the lead.

There was little in it throughout, but Kearsney claimed the win, which must have been a bitter pill for Hilton to swallow. The team from the KZN Midlands had won the overall title for three years in succession, but they hadn’t won the 1st team title in that time, and Kearsney ensured the wait extended another year for Hilton.

For Blake Kruger, after a school record 176 caps, it was a fitting end to his career representing the Kearsney 1st team.

Clifton, the top KZN finishers at the Clifton Water Polo Tournament, were some way off their best, and a penalty shootout loss to Westville, plus a shock defeat to Durban High School (DHS) in Pool A put them on the back foot as they chased a semi-final place. When Kearsney beat them 5-3 in a playoff contest, Clifton had missed out on the top four.

Clifton, however, enjoyed success in the age group competitions, winning both the u14 and u15 titles.

They faced Kearsney in the u14 final, having beaten the same opposition 11-8 in their first game of the tournament on Thursday. On Sunday, Clifton delivered an impressively emphatic performance to take the title.

They came out firing. Everything they did worked, on both ends of the pool, and before Kearsney knew what had hit them they trailed 0-7. With such a big lead, Clifton was able to empty their bench, but they, nonetheless, extended their lead slightly, cantering to a 13-5 victory.

In the u15 final, Clifton again faced a team they had lost to in pool play. This time their opponent was Hilton College. It had ended 5-6 when the teams met earlier in the tournament. Once again, though, Clifton seized the initiative from the first whistle.

Hilton battled manfully to get back into the contest, but the Durban school pulled away late to run out comfortable 9-5 winners.

In the overall competition, Kearsney finished top of the pile, with 29 points, just one clear of Clifton and Hilton, who tied for second.

FIRST TEAM COMPETITION

Pool A
Clifton, Westville, Maritzburg College, Glenwood, DHS

Pool B
Kearsney, Hilton, Co-Ed, Northwood, Michaelhouse

Thursday, 10 October

Co-Ed 1-9 Northwood
Glenwood 3-11 DHS
Clifton (7) 4-4 (8) Westville
Kearsney 6-5 Northwood

Friday, 11 October

Clifton 9-3 Maritzburg College
Westville (9) 5-5 (10) DHS
Maritzburg College 6-5 Glenwood
Kearsney 7-9 Hilton
Clifton 4-7 DHS
Hilton 12-0 Co-Ed

Saturday, 12 October

Kearsney 11-4 Michaelhouse
Hilton 6-5 Northwood
Westville 12-6 Maritzburg College
Clifton 14-2 Glenwood
Co-Ed 3-7 Michaelhouse
Maritzburg College 5-10 DHS
Westville 9-4 Glenwood
Northwood 4-6 Michaelhouse
Kearsney 16-4 Co-Ed
Hilton 9-4 Michaelhouse

Semi-finals Playoffs

Michaelhouse (4) 3-3 (7) DHS
Clifton 3-5 Kearsney

Bottom Playoffs

Northwood 7-4 Glenwood
Maritzburg College 9-0 Co-Ed

Semi-finals

DHS 6-8 Hilton
Westville 5-7 Kearsney

Sunday, 13 October

Final Positions

Co-Ed 2-15 Glenwood (9th/10th)
Northwood 10-2 Maritzburg College (7th/8th)
Clifton 10-4 Michaelhouse (5th/6th)
DHS 6-9 Westville (3rd/4th)
Kearsney 8-7 Hilton (1st/2nd)

U15 COMPETITION

Pool A
Kearsney, Westville, Maritzburg College, Glenwood, Michaelhouse

Pool B
Clifton, Hilton, Co-Ed, Northwood, DHS

Thursday, 10 October

Clifton 24-1 Co-Ed
Northwood 13-6 DHS
Kearsney 6-4 Westville
Co-Ed 2-11 Northwood

Friday, 11 October

Kearsney 18-1 Maritzburg College
Westville 15-1 Glenwood
Clifton 15-0 DHS
Westville 13-1 Maritzburg College

Saturday, 12 October

Clifton 5-6 Hilton
Maritzburg College 8-3 Glenwood
Hilton 17-1 Co-Ed
Westville 6-3 Michaelhouse
Kearsney 15-4 Glenwood
Hilton 12-1 DHS
Maritzburg College 6-5 Michaelhouse
Clifton 8-2 Northwood
Co-Ed 3-8 DHS
Glenwood 4-3 Michaelhouse
Hilton 11-2 Northwood
Kearsney 14-2 Michaelhouse

Semi-finals Playoffs

Northwood 4-5 Westville
Maritzburg College 3-13 Hilton

Bottom Playoffs

DHS 4-0 Michaelhouse
Glenwood 4-3 Co-Ed

Semi-finals

Kearsney 6-10 Hilton
Clifton 5-2 Westville

Sunday, 13 October

Final Placings

Michaelhouse 9-0 Co-Ed (9th/10th)
DHS 6-2 Glenwood (7th/8th)
Maritzburg College 3-11 Northwood (5th/6th)
Kearsney 10-5 Westville (3rd/4th)
Hilton 5-9 Clifton (1st/2nd)

U14 COMPETITION

Pool A
Clifton, Kearsney, Michaelhouse, Co-Ed, DHS

Pool B
Northwood, Hilton, Maritzburg College, Westville, Glenwood

Thursday, 10 October

Co-Ed 8-7 DHS
Westville 16-1 Glenwood
Clifton 11-8 Kearsney

Friday, 11 October

Maritzburg College 4-11 Westville
Kearsney 11-6 DHS
Northwood 10-2 Glenwood
Kearsney 13-5 Co-Ed
Hilton 20-0 Maritzburg College
Clifton 18-4 DHS
Hilton 10-0 Glenwood

Saturday, 12 October

Michaelhouse 8-3 DHS
Northwood 9-10 Hilton
Clifton 19-0 Co-Ed
Northwood 10-2 Maritzburg College
Kearsney 10-6 Michaelhouse
Hilton 504 Westville
Maritzburg College 1-8 Glenwood
Clifton 19-6 Michaelhouse
Northwood (1) 2-2 (0) Westville
Michaelhouse Co-Ed

Semi-finals Playoffs

Kearsney 9-5 Westville
Northwood 10-4 Michaelhouse

Bottom Playoffs

DHS (1) 7-7 (2) Glenwood
Maritzburg College 5-11 Co-Ed

Semi-finals

Clifton 12-2 Northwood
Hilton 9-10 Kearsney

Sunday, 13 October

Final Placings

DHS 7-2 Maritzburg College (9th/10th)
Glenwood 3-4 Co-Ed (7th/8th)
Michaelhouse 3-5 Westville (5th/6th)
Northwood 3-7 Hilton (3rd/4th)
Clifton 13-5 Kearsney (1st/2nd)

STANDINGS

U14

Clifton
Kearsney
Hilton
Northwood
Westville
Michaelhouse
Co-Ed
Glenwood
DHS
Maritzburg College

u15

Clifton
Hilton
Kearsney
Westville
Northwood
Maritzburg College
DHS
Glenwood
Michaelhouse
Co-Ed

1st Team

Kearsney
Hilton
Westville
DHS
Clifton
Michaelhouse
Northwood
Maritzburg College
Glenwood
Co-Ed

Overall

Kearsney 29
Clifton 28
Hilton 28
Westville 21
Northwood 17
DHS 13
Michaelhouse 12
Maritzburg College 9
Glenwood 8
Co-Ed 6

There was a run feast on the AH Smith Oval on Saturday, where Kearsney College hosted Hilton College in a 50-over clash.

The visitors, after winning the toss, opted to bat first and, after a rickety start, piled on the runs.

Ben Hockly, who recently represented SA u19 Emerging in Zimbabwe, entertained in a brief stay, with his eight balls producing 15 runs, including two fours and a six, and Simon Steyn did his bit, making 28, but it was Charles Swart and Jayden Roux who scored the bulk of the visitors’ runs.

Swart, who struck a century against Paul Roos Gimnasium during the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week, added another one, grafting hard for 103 runs from 129 balls, with 15 fours and a six, while Roux narrowly missed out on a ton, making 90 from 97, with eight fours and two sixes.

Although Swart and Roux shared a partnership of 109, Kearsney did a good job of keeping the duo in check, with those runs coming off of 160 deliveries.

Ben Erasmus and Roux combined for 73 runs for the fifth wicket, with Erasmus hitting 22 off 20, and, in the end, Hilton posted a healthy 272/6.

Ryan Browning led the Kearsney bowling attack, knocking over 3/32 in seven, while Ross Coetzee, although he went wicketless, bowled economically to put Hilton under pressure, conceding only 35 runs from his 10 overs.

The home side started slowly in response and lost the hard-hitting Jack O’Donovan for five just before the fifth over. Keegan de Jager and Cameron Veenstra took the total to 49 before De Jager was caught and bowled by Jayden Roux for 21. That brought Ross Coetzee out to the middle to join Veenstra. They were the dangermen.

Undaunted by a stiff target, Veenstra and Coetzee went after the Hilton bowling. They spent 197 balls together and tallied 210 runs. When Coetzee was out, with seven overs remaining, he had made 111 from 106 balls, with 13 fours and two sixes, in his 100th match for the Kearsney 1st XI. The total was 259 and the job was almost done.

Hilton managed another wicket, with Matthew De Oliveira departing cheaply, but Murray Weyer struck two fours in an unbeaten 10, and Veenstra finished on 104 not out, from 111 balls, with 16 fours, as Kearsney charged to an impressive six-wicket win with four-and-a-half overs to spare.

Benoit Rey provided a spot of sunshine for the Hilton attack, picking up 2/42 in eight, but it was Kearsney’s day behind the centuries of Coetzee and Veenstra.

At the Riverside Sports Club, Glenwood elected to bat first against Clifton. It was an innings that promised more than it delivered.

Five batsmen made at least 20, but none advanced beyond the 36 scored by opening batsman Karabo Ntsieng. Their highest partnership was 45, between Ntsieng and Krian Jugoo for the second wicket, but all six of the Clifton bowlers picked up wickets.

Opening bowler Callum Watson led the way, capturing 3/46, while fellow seamer Gabriel Vermeulen knocked over 2/38. Captain and left-arm spinner, Shahzaad Perumal, snared 2/33 as Glenwood was bowled out in 48.2 overs for 217.

SA u19 paceman Ntando Soni, batting at seven, contributed 31 from 38 deliveries, while the aforementioned Krian Jugoo made 27, and Sibonelo Phewa, the number nine batsman, weighed in with a useful 23.

Clifton made a poor start to their run chase, falling to 27/3 in the early going, which included the wicket of the in-form Tim Saulez. They appeared to be in trouble as Glenwood bowled well up front. But Shahzaad Perumal produced a captain’s knock to turn the tide and he was well supported by Zach Williamson.

Together they stole the impetus away from Glenwood, with Perumal going on to a superb 102 not out, while Williamson’s valuable contribution was 59 runs. Lawson Dinsdale joined forces with Perumal to see Clifton to an impressive six-wicket victory, finishing unbeaten on 31.

Summarised scorecards

Hilton College 272/6 (Charles Swart 103, Jayden Roux 90, Simon Steyn 28, Ross Browning 3/32); Kearsney College 273/4 (Ross Coetzee 111, Cameron Veenstra 104*, Keegan de Jager 21, Benoit Rey 2/42)

Kearsney College won by six wickets.

Glenwood 217/10 (Karabo Ntsieng 37, Ntando Soni 31, Krian Jugoo 27, Sibonelo Phewa 23, Callum Watson 3/46, Shahzaad Perumal 2/33, Gabriel Vermeulen 2/38); Clifton College 218/4 (Shahzaad Perumal 102*, Zach Williamson 59, Lawson Dinsdale 31*, Ntando Soni 2/34)

Clifton won by six wickets.