Author: captainmorgan

Westville Boys’ High vs Clifton College

A superbly controlled opening partnership between Aidan Baudach and Ewan du Toit provided the defining passage of play in Westville Boys’ High‘s huge 170-run win over Clifton College in a limited-overs clash on Bowden’s Field on Saturday.

When Clifton captain Shiraz Perumal called incorrectly at the coin flip, Westville’s Kyle McGough chose to bat first in hot and humid conditions. Baudach and Du Toit then drained the visitors’ energy with a focused 118-run opening partnership in just over 30 overs.

It was eventually broken by Muhammed Malek, who delivered a tidy spell of off-spin as the seventh bowler introduced into the attack. He bowled Du Toit for a watchful 38 from 83 balls, which included only two fours.

Five balls later, both openers were out when Perumal bowled Baudach for 68. His 100-ball stay had featured nine fours. A lower-order batsman last season, the Westville wicketkeeper has been a revelation at the top of the order in 2026, consistently providing the Griffins with solid starts, no matter the format of the game.

While none of the batsmen that followed replicated the success of the openers, they all made it into double figures. Misbah Nair added some impetus, cracking two sixes and a four in a 24-ball knock that brought him 32 runs.

The skipper, Kyle McGough, added 20, while Jamie Hasselbach added a quickfire 23 not out to lift Westville to 256/7 after their 50 overs.

Shiraz Perumal was the pick of the Clifton bowlers, generating sharp turn with his leg spin and picking up 1/34 from 10 tidy overs. Muhammed Malek finished with 1/23 from seven as he and Perumal stemmed Westville’s run scoring when they joined forces.

After a hard day in the field, Clifton needed to emulate Westville by their openers providing an enduring partnership, which would allow their players to recuperate and prepare for the challenge of batting.

While they put some runs on the board quite quickly, both openers, Daniyaal Klinck and Muhammed Malek, were out within the first six overs. Klinck exited in the fifth over for 12. One run later, in the next over, Malek followed for 16, leaving Clifton on 24/2.

The visitors desperately needed to stabilise their innings. Instead, they slid to 40/5, with Jamie Hasselbach removing the dangermen, Hayden Drieselmann and Shiraz Perumal, cheaply.

Daniel Rea held up Westville for a while, flat-batting a six over long on off Misbah Nair and adding two more fours in his 19 from 26 balls, which turned out to be Clifton’s highest scorer in a disappointing innings.

The visitors were unable to stop Westville’s frequent wicket-taking successes. Once the slide had begun, it couldn’t be arrested. In only 26.3 overs, Clifton was all out for 86.

Slow left-armer, Ewan du Toit, snared 3/14 from 5.3 overs, while Jamie Hasselbach snapped up 2/12 in three. Misbah Nair returned 2/19 from five, while the other three bowlers – Kyle McGough, Lwandle Bulose, and Aarin Rasmussen – claimed a wicket each.

It was a fine win for Westville, but a disappointing outing for Clifton, who will be aiming to tap into their excellent form in the W100 on Wednesday ahead of the Clifton T20 Tournament, which takes place from 13-15 February.

Kearsney College vs Northwood School

Kearsney College hosted Northwood on the AH Smith Oval, in Botha’s Hill, on Saturday, fresh off a strong showing in a draw with Westville Boys’ High and a superb win over Glenwood in the W100.

Kearsney’s batting fired against the Green Machine in a 10-wicket win, but it faltered against Northwood after the coin flip fell in the home side’s favour.

The Knights struck early, with Ryan van Zyl getting rid of Gary Verbaan in the first over, but Rivaan Moodley and Aaron Blackburn steadied matters with a slow 22-run partnership, which took 55 balls. Once Moodley was dismissed for 10, though, Kearsney stumbled. From 22/2 in the 10th over, they slid to 33/5 in the 15th, and they never fully recovered.

Luke Grobbelaar and Daniel Miskey slowed Northwood by adding 34 for the sixth wicket, and Grobbelaar and James Bishop added 34 more for the eighth wicket, but Kearsney fell to 101/8 when Ryan van Zyl trapped Grobbelaar LBW for 37.

The home side added another 20 runs for the last two wickets but were all out for 121, a total in which they were, no doubt, disappointed.

Faced with a very average target, Northwood needed to build partnerships, and victory would be theirs. They were stunned early, though, with Litha Gonya striking twice as the Knights crashed to 7/3 in the fifth over of their reply.

Luc Boyall and Josh Mills provided the innings with some substance in a 31-run fourth-wicket partnership before Boyall fell to the leg spin of Rivaan Moodley.

Mills and Hamza Amla advanced the total to 60 before Mills was stumped by Asher Hollister off the bowling of Matthew Gorrie for 36, which had included six fours.

The contest was in the balance with the visitors on 60/5, but they had plenty of overs in hand. Thomas Oosthuizen, the next man in, at seven, took charge to spur Northwood to a four-wicket victory.

He cracked six fours and a six in his match-winning knock of 44 from 59 balls, which took the Knights to within two runs of victory, before he became Matthew Gorrie’s second victim.

Four balls later, Northwood secured the win. Amla was not out for a steadfast 18 from 50 deliveries.

Gorrie led Kearsney’s attack with 2/22 from six overs, while Gonya returned 2/27 from 7.1. Rivaan Moodley bowled with impressive control to capture 1/28 from 10.

Summarised scorecards

Westville Boys’ High 256/7 (Aidan Baudach 68, Ewan du Toit 38, Misbah Nair 32, Jamie Hasselbach 23*, Kyle McGough 20; Muhammed Malek 1/23); Clifton College 86/10 (Daniel Rea 19; Ewan du Toit 3/14, Jamie Hasselbach 2/12, Misbah Nair 2/19). Westville Boys’ High won by 170 runs.

Kearsney College 121/10 (Luke Grobbelaar 37; James Searle 3/14, Keegan Reeves 2/20, Trevor van Volenstee 2/25, Ryan van Zyl 2/25); Northwood School 124/6 (Thomas Oosthuizen 44, Josh Mills 36; Matthew Gorrie 2/22, Litha Gonya 2/27). Northwood won by four wickets.

The third annual Clifton T20 Tournament, which brings together KwaZulu-Natal’s top 10 cricket-playing schools, as well as Hoërskool Waterkloof and St John’s College (Harare), has quickly established itself as one of South Africa’s best and most exciting cricket events and, in 2026, the bar has been set even higher, with primary schools added to the tantalising line-up of talent.

All matches on the Crusaders Main Oval, the primary venue for the Clifton T20, will be broadcast live on DStv Channel 216. Further coverage will be live-streamed on SuperSport Schools.

The broadcast on DStv Channel 216 includes primary school contests, which will be played between the high school games and will provide an unforgettable experience for the juniors, who will also be presented with coloured playing kits.

At the best of times, T20 cricket outcomes are difficult to predict, but trying to do so for the 2026 edition of the tournament would be foolhardy. That’s one of the things that makes it special, however.

The hosts, Clifton College, have been drawn in Pool A with Hilton College, Kearsney College, and St John’s. Pool B features Maritzburg College, Northwood, St Charles College, and Westville Boys’ High. Durban High School (DHS), Glenwood, Waterkloof, and Michaelhouse are in Pool C.

Starting with Pool A, Clifton’s form in the W100, the Dolphins’ region’s 100-ball competition, has been good. They’ve beaten DHS, the two-time reigning Clifton T20 champion, and Westville Boys’ High, last year’s beaten finalist, who have won the W100 for five successive years in their past two outings.

Clifton’s captain Shiraz Perumal, a star performer with the ball in 2025, has shone with the bat early in the season, scoring 111 runs and being dismissed only once in three matches. As the skipper of the side, he’s taken on the responsibility of leadership like a duck to water.

Hilton College heads into the event off the back of winning the KZN Regional final of the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two competition in Pietermaritzburg. Inconsistent in 2025, they, nonetheless, made the semi-finals of the Clifton T20 last year. They appear to be a far more consistent side in 2026, powered by a strong bowling attack, which has set them up for some convincing victories.

Sechaba Gude and Sange Qangule have excelled with the new ball, while those who follow – Obakeng Motsepa, Sean Burman, Luke Wilson, and Benoit Rey – have all played their part in Hilton’s successes.

Robert Burman has enjoyed a strong start as captain of the side, setting a good example at the crease, while Barack Munawa and Ben Wilson have provided a reliable opening partnership, laying on sound platforms.

Kearsney College, with plenty of experience in their line-up, has found form after misfiring at the Grey High Festival before the start of the first term, where they took a while to adapt to the conditions in Gqeberha. They possess a varied attack and some exciting young batsmen. Both of those were on show in a recent pummeling of Glenwood in the W100.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Asher Hollister is one on whom to keep an eye. Rivaan Moodley, meanwhile, has developed into a superb all-rounder, challenging batsmen and regularly taking wickets with his leg spin and also playing his part in the top order with his bat.

St John’s, as a visitor from north of the border, offers a touch of the unknown. They, however, are often the standard setters in Zimbabwe. Maritzburg College, Kearsney, and Clifton experienced that in 2024, when St John’s won the St John’s Rams T20, defeating all three on their way to the title.

Last year, Clifton College reached the final of the St John’s Rams T20, where they were beaten by a combined team from St John’s College (Johannesburg), Queen’s High, Jeppe and KES.

This is relevant because the Clifton T20 mirrors the St John’s Rams T20. Clifton has been a regular participant in the event for over a decade. It has proved immensely popular with South African teams – especially because of its cool vibe and warm-hearted hosts – and that’s why Clifton settled on the format when the school introduced the Clifton T20 during its centenary year in 2024.

The event has filled a gap in the KZN cricket calendar, which had largely featured traditional limited-overs matches, by introducing a colourful action-packed tournament that brings all of the top KZN schools together in a family-oriented environment, with a beautiful trophy on the line. Broadcasting matches with top commentators from SuperSport Schools has also shared the excitement with a wider audience.

In Group B, Maritzburg College will be aiming for greater batting consistency to aid their challenge. They’re led by opening bowler Reece Willson, who represented The Dolphins at the Khaya Majola Week in 2025. He’s a regular wicket-taker, and making early inroads into the opposition’s batting order provides a good platform for T20 success.

Northwood might fancy their chances. They’re from the north of Durban and play at the Crusaders Club from time to time. They’re also an experienced side.

Last year, they won the KZN Schools SA20 title, and towards the end of 2025, they made the final of The Dolphins Switch Schools SA20. They can be a bit hit and miss at the top of their batting order. But if their top order batsmen get in, they’re a tough team to beat. Openers, David de Bruyn and Ross McGlashan, will be one of the keys to their challenge, while Keegan Reeves will carry his fine all-round form into the event.

St Charles College lifted The Tuskers Switch Schools SA20 title by beating Hilton College towards the end of last year. While matters didn’t go according to plan in the KZN Regional Final, they again comfortably beat Hilton College, the eventual winners, in the round-robin stage of the competition.

Hilton rested a couple of key bowlers in that clash, but Saints cruised to a convincing win, which reflected just how small the margins are between victory and defeat when the top sides meet.

Westville Boys’ High took down Northwood in The Dolphins’ Schools SA20 final, and they went on to reach the KZN Regional final, where they were blown away by Hilton College’s dynamic bowling and fielding performance. They’re a dangerous side, though, batting deep down the order while also offering many bowling options.

In captain Kyle McGough, Ewan du Toit, Tristin Delvin, Misbah Nair, Aarin Rasmussen, and wicketkeeper/batsman, Aidan Baudach, they have six fantastic all-rounders.

DHS, the two-time defending champions, are in Group C. They no longer have the express pace of Bayanda Majola to lead their bowling attack, and he played a big role in their success last year. But they do boast two of the most successful batsmen in the province, Ismaeel Omar and Josh van Biljon, both of whom scored centuries in the Clifton T20 last year.

Omar went big against Kearsney, scoring 104 not out in an eight-wicket semi-final win, and Van Biljon played superbly to score 103 not out against a dangerous Hoërskool Waterkloof side (see YouTube highlights above), which was one of the most important results of the group phase of play.

Speaking of Klofies, they have proved themselves time and time again to be one of the country’s best at T20 cricket. They were crowned the Westvaal North-South T20 champions in 2022 and 2023 and won the Wildeklawer T20 in 2025.

They’re an attacking outfit, playing brave cricket and going for their shots. Their opponents will need to take wickets regularly because the chances of holding them in check are otherwise slim. Look out for their top order batsmen – Wian du Plessis, AJ de Villiers and Rico van der Walt – to lead their charge.

Michaelhouse, also in Pool C, is a dark horse. They’ve played some good cricket early in 2026. They feature a well-balanced bowling attack, with good frontline pacemen well backed by accurate seamers and spinners.

Captain Graydon Leslie has been one of their star performers with the bat at the top of the order. All-rounders, Rex Wardlaw and Ben Heuer, will have a big role to play for the Balgowan boys, too, while Liam O’Dwyer was a match-winner in their two-day match against Maritzburg College last weekend.

Glenwood is a tough team to figure out. They’re talented – always a hard-working team in the field, who do a good job of putting the batting side under pressure – but their batting has been patchy thus far. They’ll look to captain Kreesan Pillai to lead with the bat, while Mishael Gunawardana is another player who could play a prominent role for the Green Machine. He offers good all-round skills.

Before the Clifton T20 Tournament, the focus remains on the traditional KZN weekend fixtures. On Saturday, 31 January, the schedule is as follows:

Westville vs Clifton, Bowden’s
St Charles vs Maritzburg College, SCC Oval
Kearsney vs Northwood, AH Smith Oval
DHS vs Hilton, Theobald Oval

FIXTURES

Group A

Friday, 13 February

11:30 – Clifton vs Hilton, Crusaders Main
14:30 – St John’s vs Kearsney, Riverside

Saturday, 14 February

08:30 – Clifton vs St John’s, Crusaders Main
08:30 – Kearsney vs Hilton, Crusaders 2
14:30 – Clifton vs Kearsney, Crusaders Main
14:30 – St John’s vs Hilton, Riverside

Group B

Friday, 13 February

08:30 – Maritzburg College vs St Charles, Crusaders Main
08:30 – Northwood vs Westville, Riverside
14:00 – St Charles vs Northwood, DHS
14:00 – Westville vs Maritzburg College, Northwood

Saturday, 14 February

08:30 – Northwood vs Maritzburg College, Riverside
14:00 – St Charles vs Westville, Northwood

Group C

Friday, 13 February

08:30 – Michaelhouse vs Waterkloof, DHS
08:30 – Glenwood vs DHS, Northwood
14:30 – DHS vs Waterkloof, Crusaders Main

Saturday, 14 February

08:30 – Waterkloof vs Glenwood, DHS
08:30 – DHS vs Michaelhouse, Northwood
14:00 – Glenwood vs Michaelhouse, DHS

Sunday, 15 February

08:30 – Eliminator 1, Crusaders Main
08:30 – Eliminator 2, Crusaders 2
09:00 – 7th place, DHS
09:00 – 9th place, Northwood
09:00 – 11th place, Kingsmead Oval
11:30 – Semi-final 1, Crusaders Main
11:30 – Semi-final 2, Crusaders 2
14:30 – Final, Crusaders Main

Clifton College vs Durban High School

Well beaten at Durban High School (DHS) on Saturday in a 40-overs-a-side contest, Clifton College flipped the script at the Riverside Sports Club and beat DHS in a W100 showdown on Wednesday by six wickets, with seven balls to spare.

On a very hot day, Clifton captain Shiraz Perumal made an interesting decision to bowl first. He, then, led from the front, with a tidy bowling performance, conceding only 13 runs from his 20 balls for an economy rate of 3.3.

Five of the seven DHS batsmen reached double figures, but Clifton did well to prevent them from pressing on, with 24 from Taine Havermann the best that School mustered. Josh van Biljon made 20 and Suliman Jadwat 20 not out as the visitors totalled 113/6.

Left-arm spinner, Blake Johnson, who opened the bowling, snared 1/22 from 20 balls, and removed the dangerous Josh van Biljon by bowling him. George Gooch, who shared the new ball, claimed an early wicket and went for only 10 runs from his 15 deliveries.

The most successful bowlers, though, were Daniel Rea, who returned 2/22 from 15, and Eli van Jaarsveld, who sparkled with 2/19 from 20.

DHS’s 113/6 wasn’t a big score, but it was a tricky one, especially in the humid and hot conditions at the Riverside Sports Club.

Early in Clifton’s reply, Yusuf Ahmed was caught and bowled by Seth Edwards for six, but Daniyaal Klinck, who opened with Ahmed, then partnered Muhammed Malek for 29 from 27 balls, advancing the total to 47 before Klinck fell after a 35-ball stay that brought him 24 runs, including a six and a four.

DHS played themselves back into contention when Tristan Quail accounted for Hayden Drieselmann and Muhammed Malek within the space of six balls, the former for 12 and the latter for 13, which left Clifton on 69/4 after 69 balls.

That brought Shiraz Perumal and Daniel Rea together, and the Clifton skipper, who made 60 off 50 on the weekend, took the lead with a match-winning innings. In just 18 balls, he blasted three sixes, added a four, and rocketed to 38 not out.

Rea held down his end, meanwhile, to accumulate an unbeaten 10 off 10 and together with Perumal added an unbroken 47 off only 25 balls to see Clifton to 116/4 and victory, their second on the trot in the competition.

Quail performed superbly, snaring 2/13 from 15 balls, while Sandi Mazibuko nabbed 1/3 from five. Up front, Taine Havermann and Josh Morley did a tidy job, but without picking up a wicket.

Glenwood High vs Kearsney College

Kearsney College, meanwhile, delivered a phenomenal performance on Dixon’s Oval, at Glenwood, to hand the Green Machine a 10-wicket drubbing.

After the toss fell their way, Glenwood opted to bat and precisely matched DHS’s total against Clifton, tallying 113/6. Just like DHS, they had five of their seven batsmen reach double figures, and the similarities didn’t end there. Glenwood’s highest score, like that of DHS, was 24, scored by Kamo Moloto. He faced 22 balls and struck three fours.

Glenwood’s batsmen failed to build on the platforms they had laid. They also struggled mightily against leg-spinner, Rivaan Moodley, who tied them in knots and gave little away, snaring 2/6 from 20 balls, at a miserly economy rate of 1.5.

Matthew Rice did a good job up front. His 15 deliveries cost 14 runs and brought him the wicket of the Glenwood dangerman, Kreesan Pillai, who fell for 13 from eight balls, two of which he spanked for four.

It’s seldom that teams score freely on Dixon’s, but Kearsney’s young openers, Asher Hollister and Gary Verbaan, did. They laid into the Glenwood attack to hurry the visitors to victory in only 64 balls.

Hollister smashed six sixes and four fours in his rapid 69 not out from only 37 deliveries, while Verbaan cracked five fours in his unbeaten 37 from 28.

Jonah Chaita, who went for 14 runs from his 10 balls, was the most economical of the home side’s bowlers. It wasn’t their day, but it sure was a good one for Kearsney.

Northwood vs Westville Boys’ High

Westville Boys’ High became the third team out of three to win while chasing on the Robin Smith Oval on Wednesday.

Batting first after winning the toss, Northwood posted a healthy 125/7 from their 100 balls on their home ground, led by Luc Boyall‘s 41 from 38, which featured two fours and a six, and 33 off 26 from Keegan Reeves.

Misbah Nair‘s control and excellent change of pace bowling brought him a telling 3/9 from 15 deliveries, while captain Kyle McGough took some stick, going for 31 from his 20 balls, but he also picked up three wickets. Aarin Rasmussen, who opened the bowling alongside the skipper, kept Northwood in check by surrendering only four runs from his 10 balls.

When Westville replied, Northwood did themselves no favours by bowling a large number of wides. They cost two runs each in W100 cricket, and the wide ball has to be bowled again. Extras, thus, contributed 29 runs to the Griffins‘ total.

Westville’s reply suffered a blow early on, though, when Kyle McGough retired hurt for seven. His fellow opener, Aidan Baudach, and Kai Cotton added 23 for the second wicket before Hamza Amla bowled Cotton for 15.

Baudach and Tristin Delvin then combined for an unbroken 89 from only 59 balls to see their side to victory with 14 balls in hand.

Baudach provided a steady foundation for Westville’s run chase, weighing in with 35 from 31 balls with only one four, while Delvin slammed four fours in his unbeaten 40 from 38 deliveries.

Amla, the only bowler to pick up a wicket, finished with a tidy 1/12 from 15 balls, but Westville won convincingly by nine wickets.

Summarised scorecards

Durban High School 113/6 (Taine Havermann 24, Extras 22, Suliman Jadwat 20*, Josh van Biljon 20; Eli van Jaarsveld 2/19, Daniel Rea 2/22); Clifton College 116/4 (Shiraz Perumal 38*, Daniyaal Klinck 24; Tristan Quail 2/13). Clifton College won by four wickets.

Glenwood 113/6 (Kamo Moloto 24, Extras 20; Rivaan Moodley 2/6, Matthew Rice 1/14); Kearsney College 114/0 (Asher Hollister 69*, Gary Verbaan 37*). Kearsney won by 10 wickets.

Northwood 125/7 (Luc Boyall 41, Keegan Reeves 33; Misbah Nair 3/9, Kyle McGough 3/31); Westville Boys’ High 126/1 (Tristin Delvin 40*, Aidan Baudach 35*, Extras 29; Misbah Nair 1/12). Westville Boys’ High won by nine wickets.

When Michaelhouse hosted Maritzburg College on the Roy Gathorne Oval for a two-innings showdown on Saturday and Sunday, there was next to nothing to separate the sides after the bowlers dominated the first innings, but, when College’s batting failed to fire for a second time, thanks mostly to an exceptional spell from Liam O’Dwyer, Michaelhouse came through with a four-wicket win.

On Saturday, 281 runs were scored, and 24 wickets went down.

College captain Reece Willson won the toss and decided his team would bat first. His openers, Akhil Bharath and Kyle de Bruyn, provided the desired response with a 47-run first-wicket partnership, which Ben Heuer ended when he had De Bruyn caught by ‘House skipper, Graydon Leslie, for 26. From that point on, the visitors regularly lost wickets.

Run scoring was not easy, and the Michaelhouse bowlers’ successes kept College in check. Bharath was the third man out for 21, with his being one of two wickets going down on 58 as Heuer, Rex Wardlaw, and Liam O’Dwyer kept denting the visitors’ batting efforts, reducing them to 94/8 in the 34th over.

A defiant ninth-wicket partnership of 25 between Dom du Toit and Greg Hosking gave College’s innings a needed boost, and they went on to 121 all out. Du Toit, the last man out, top scored with 27, striking three fours and a six in a 57-ball stay.

O’Dwyer bowled beautifully and claimed 3/18 from 10 overs, Wardlaw knocked over 2/10 in six, and Heuer’s contribution was 2/19 in seven. Preston Greene chipped in with two late wickets, ending with 2/20 from 6.2.

When Michaelhouse replied, College captain Reece Willson led from the front, removing the top three in the batting order – Graydon Leslie, Cody Sander, and Riley Muir – before Matt Bisset bowled Thandanani Zuma to leave the home team deep in the mire on 25/4.

Ben Heuer and Rex Wardlaw halted the College march, adding 33 runs before Willson made Heuer his fourth victim when he trapped him in front for 20. Wardlaw followed soon after, run out for 20.

When Luke Venter claimed the wickets of Jack Campbell and Victor North shortly after that, Michaelhouse slumped to 81/8. Much like College, though, an eighth-wicket partnership revived their innings.

Preston Greene and Rendani Nonge spent 36 balls together and added 33 runs before Nonge also fell to Venter after making 22, the highest score of the innings. Two runs later, Venter claimed his fourth wicket, and Michaelhouse was all out for 116, just five runs short of the Maritzburg College total. Greene was not out with 16.

Venter, with 4/21 from 6.4 overs, and Willson, with 4/23 from nine, led the way for the College bowling attack.

When Maritzburg College returned to the crease on Saturday afternoon, it was slow going. In 25.5 overs, they batted at only two runs per over, compiling 53/5 before the day’s play concluded. Dax Jursa, with 22, was their leading scorer.

On Sunday, when play resumed, Rendani Nonge struck early, bowling Luan van der Merwe, to reduce College to 55/6. He went on to finish with 2/20 from seven.

Preston Greene chipped in with a tidy 2/25 from 16 overs, but it was Liam O’Dwyer, who, once again, had the visiting batsmen’s number. He snared a miserly 5/19 in 15.3 overs as Maritzburg College fell to 98 all out. Jursa’s 22 remained their highest score, and while five other batsmen made it into double figures, none made it beyond the teens.

O’Dywer was the primary reason for that. He finished with the magnificent match figures of 8/37 from 25.3 overs.

Michaelhouse lost an early wicket in their second innings, but captain Graydon Leslie set a solid foundation with an aggressive knock of 39 from only 26 balls, slamming six fours as he went hard at College’s bowlers.

When Leslie exited after eight overs, his side had reached 51/2. Only 52 more runs were needed to win.

The skipper’s departure slowed the run-scoring rate, and it took them another 15.5 overs to reach 103/6. But victory belonged to Michaelhouse by four wickets.

College captain Reece Willson did his utmost to stop the home side, knocking over 3/27 in nine overs, but Ben Heuer, with an unbeaten 35, shepherded Michaelhouse across the line.

Summarised scorecard

Maritzburg College 121/10 (Dom du Toit 27, Kyle de Bruyn 26, Akhil Bharath 21; Liam O’Dwyer 3/18, Rex Wardlaw 2/10, Ben Heuer 2/19, Preston Greene 2/20); Michaelhouse 116/10 (Rendani Nonge 22, Ben Heuer 20; Luke Venter 4/21, Reece Willson 4/23)

Maritzburg College 98/10 (Dax Jursa 22; Liam O’Dwyer 5/19, Rendani Nonge 2/20, Preston Greene 2/25); Michaelhouse 103/6 (Graydon Leslie 39, Ben Heuer 35*; Reece Willson 3/27).  Michaelhouse won by four wickets.

At the coast, in Durban, Durban High School (DHS) and Clifton College were able to fit in a 40-overs-a-side match on Saturday.

Further inland, in Botha’s Hill, mist and gentle rain curtailed the limited overs clash between neighbours, Kearsney College and Westville Boys’ High, but not before some outstanding performances lit up the contest.

Durban High School vs Clifton College  

Clifton College made a short trip to Durban High School for a showdown on the Theobald Oval, and when the toss went the visitors’ way, they opted to bowl first.

They picked up an early wicket when Daniel Rea trapped Suliman Jadwat LBW, but that brought the established duo of Ismaeel Omar and Josh van Biljon together, and they, as they have so often done, joined forces to deliver a big partnership. It took them 154 balls, but they added 110 for the second wicket.

Eventually, Clifton captain Shiraz Perumal brought the stand to an end when he had Omar caught by Keegan Watson. The left-handed opener’s 72 from 98 balls included five fours and two sixes.

Van Biljon followed 14 runs later, the third man out with the total on 132 in the 32nd over. His contribution was a patient 43 from 72 balls, which included only two fours.

Taine Havermann and Bonga Maphanga, who had smashed DHS to a thrilling win over Kearsney College in a W100 clash on Wednesday, then combined to accelerate the scoring rate, advancing the total by 64 runs from only 46 balls.

Maphanga, the fifth man to the crease, bashed three fours and a six in a rapid 30 off 21 balls before becoming Daniel Rea’s second victim. Havermann went on to finish with 48 not out from 42. His knock featured five fours and a six.

After 40 overs, School had posted 208/5. On the Theobald Oval, a victory target of 209 would be a stiff challenge.

Rea finished with 2/49 from eight overs, while Perumal slowed the DHS run scoring by snaring 1/25 from eight.

In reply, Clifton held the DHS attack at bay through the first five overs, but two wickets went down in the space of three balls in the sixth. Taine Havermann and Josh van Biljon ran out Matthias Samuel for four before Josh Morley caught Daniyaal Klinck LBW.

Yusuf Ahmed and Muhammed Malek steadied the Clifton innings with a 55-run third-wicket partnership before Bonga Maphanga ended it by having Ahmed caught by Ismaeel Omar for 36. That was the start of a mini-collapse, with Clifton going from a comfortable 70/2 to 75/5 in just over three overs. Malek was the fifth man out after scoring 22.

When Tristan Quail accounted for Daniel Rea, Clifton was in trouble on 93/6, but captain Shiraz Perumal went on the counterattack, finding the boundary often. Unfortunately for him, his partners continued to come and go.

In the last of their 40 overs, the Clifton skipper was the last man out, caught by Josh Morley off Matt Potgieter for a fighting 60 from only 50 deliveries, 10 of which he sent to the boundary. Clifton was dismissed for 159, leaving DHS with a 49-run win.

The wickets were shared around the DHS attack, with six of the seven bowlers used removing at least one batsman. Maphanga bagged 2/21 from six overs, Potgieter claimed 2/18 in 3.1, and Quail took 2/34 from six.

Kearsney College vs Westville Boys’ High

Mist and rain set in over the lush AH Smith Oval at Kearsney College on Saturday afternoon to prevent the hosts from chasing down Westville Boys’ High’s 138 all out.

Westville skipper Kyle McGough chose to bat first, but overnight rain offered Kearsney’s spinners some grip from the pitch, and they did a good job of exploiting that.

At first, Westville’s innings progressed steadily. After Aidan Baudach was out for 15, McGough and Ewan du Toit added 39 for the second wicket before Gary Verbaan caught the captain off James Bishop for 26.

Du Toit and Jay-Reece Madatt took the total to 83 before Du Toit was caught and bowled by Rivaan Moodley for the innings’ top score of 32.

From there, the orthodox leg spin of Moodley and the left-arm leg spin of Matthew Gorrie wrought havoc on the visitors’ batting. In just over six overs, they lost six wickets for only 11 runs. Gorrie, especially, tied the batsmen down. At the same time, he kept grabbing wickets.

A 27-run eighth-wicket stand between Madatt and Liam de Villiers, who made 23, took Westville past 100, and they scraped and clawed their way to 138 before Ashton Kidgell was the last man out, a third victim of Moodley.

He finished with 3/35 from 7.3 overs. Gorrie, meanwhile, stole the show, snaring 5/23 from 10 overs. Litha Gonya added a tidy 1/21 from seven.

Moodley then turned his hand to batting, opening the Kearsney innings with Gary Verbaan. He played confidently, and together they put on 31 runs for the first wicket before Verbaan was caught off Tristin Delvin‘s left-arm spin for eight.

Aaron Blackburn and Moodley added another 39 runs, but Kai Cotton ended their stand when he ran out Blackburn for 17.

Just one over later, the match was abandoned with Kearsney on 72/2, still needing 67 to win, with Rivaan Moodley unbeaten on 39 from 77 balls.

Delvin, the only bowler to pick up a wicket, took 1/16 from four overs.

Summarised Scorecards

Durban High School 208/5 (Ismaeel Omar 72, Taine Havermann 48*, Josh van Biljon 43, Bonga Maphanga 30; Daniel Rea 2/49); Clifton College 159/10 (Shiraz Perumal 60, Yusuf Ahmed 36, Muhammed Malek 22; Matt Potgieter 2/18, Bonga Maphanga 2/21, Tristan Quail 2/34). DHS won by 49 runs.

Westville Boys’ High 138/10 (Ewan du Toit 32, Kyle McGough 26, Liam de Villiers 23; Matthew Gorrie 5/23, Rivaan Moodley 3/35); Kearsney College 72/2 (Rivaan Moodley 39*; Tristin Delvin 1/16). Match abandoned.

St Charles College, thanks to a strong performance in the field, comfortably handled the challenge of Glenwood High in a limited overs clash in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.

At Hilton College, a fantastic 94 from Northwood opening batsman Ross McGlashan highlighted an intriguing contest that came to an early end in rain and mist.

St Charles College vs Glenwood High

St Charles College has found Glenwood to be a tricky customer in recent seasons. However, on Saturday, in Pietermaritzburg, they claimed a comfortable seven-wicket win over the Green Machine on the SCC Oval.

When the coin flip favoured Saints, skipper Thando Zama chose to bowl first. His bowlers quickly picked up two wickets within the first 10 overs and then added two more, two balls apart, in the 18th over, to reduce the Durban side to 64/4. Opener Akhil Sinath, the third man out, made 33, hitting four fours.

Kreesan Pillai and Mishael Gunawardana slowed St Charles with the best partnership of the visitor side’s innings, adding 53 for the fifth wicket in just over 18 overs. However, once Kaiyuran Naidoo accounted for Gunawardana for a patient 21, Glenwood’s innings rapidly crumbled.

From 117/4 in the 36th over, the visitors collapsed to 133 all out in the 43rd over, with their last six wickets going down for only 16 runs. Pillai was the seventh man out after scoring 51, with four fours.

Jack Richards, who took the new ball and grabbed the first wicket, removing JP Pillay for a duck, also added the wicket of Pillai and closed out the innings with the last two wickets, which left him with the superb figures of 4/13.

Kaiyuran Naidoo went one better, snaring 5/24 in 10 overs of tight off-spin bowling.

St Charles needed only 134 to win, and they quickly moved ahead of the required run rate of 2.68 per over.

Keegan Vermaak departed for eight in the third over, but Caleb Sharp and Thando Zama then set up Saints for victory with a 50-run partnership for the second wicket, which ended when Zama was caught by JP Pillay off Kreesan Pillai for 34. It had taken him 39 balls, five of which he cracked for four.

Sharp followed eight runs later, out for a circumspect 19, which left St Charles on 72/3 in the 19th over. That proved to be the last success Glenwood enjoyed in the field.

Ryan Clarke and Owen Widdows saw Saints home with an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 63 from just 77 balls. Clarke’s contribution was 32 from 46 balls, while Widdows was similarly effective, adding 33 from 42.

Esihle Gasa, who trapped Sharp in front, bowled a tight spell and finished with 1/24 from 10 overs. Kreesan Pillai bowled well, too, returning 1/33 from his 10.

Hilton College vs Northwood 

A superb innings from Ross McGlashan highlighted Northwood’s clash with Hilton College, which, despite falling victim to the weather, still delivered almost 78 overs of action.

Hilton chose to bowl first when the toss went their way. Usually, that’s a good call on the Hart-Davis Oval, but they had to wait almost 13 overs for a first wicket to fall on Saturday.

Openers, David de Bruyn and Ross McGlashan, handled the Hilton attack, which was missing Sechaba Gude, well, putting up 68 runs for the first wicket before De Bruyn was caught by wicketkeeper Ben Wilson off the left-arm seam of Sean Burman for 33.

Once De Bruyn exited, McGlashan took charge, helping the Knights to 98 before losing his partner, Josh Mills, for 15 to Benoit Rey.

Northwood continued to build partnerships. McGlashan and Keegan Reeves added 41, then McGlashan and Luc Boyall tacked on 40. McGlashan was eventually the fifth player to lose his wicket.

He was agonisingly close to a century when he was caught by James Peattie off Luke Wilson for 94 from 122 deliveries, six of which he dispatched to the boundary and three of which he deposited over it. His departure led to a loss of momentum in the Knights’ innings.

They went from 192/4 to 199/7 and ultimately on to 234 all out, with James Searle, batting at eight, chipping in with 22 from only 19 balls, which included a four and a six.

Luke Wilson led the way with the ball for Hilton, dismissing two middle-order batsmen besides McGlashan in a tidy return of 3/37 from 10. Benoit Rey picked up 2/42 with his off spin, and new ball bowler, Sange Qangule captured 2/44 from 10.

When Hilton replied, Northwood reduced the home side to 30/2 in the 11th over, keeping matters tight, but Hilton’s captain, Robert Burman, and opener, Ben Wilson, then added 55 for the third wicket before Burman was bowled by James Searle for 33.

Wilson stuck to his task and helped advance the total to 106 before losing his wicket, the fourth to go down, for a determined 39.

Three overs later, the weather brought an end to the contest with Hilton on 114/4 after 29.2 overs. Keegan Reeves, who removed Ben and Luke Wilson, finished with 2/31 from seven overs, while Josh Mills kept Hilton on the defensive, claiming a miserly 1/7 from 6.2 overs.

Summarised scorecards

Glenwood High 133/10 (Kreesan Pillai 51, Akhil Sinath 33, Mishael Gunawardana 21; Kaiyuran Naidoo 5/24, Jack Richards 4/13); St Charles College 134/3 (Thando Zama 34, Owen Widdows 33*, Ryan Clarke 32*; Mishael Gunawardana 1/18). St Charles College won by seven wickets.

Northwood 234/10 (Ross McGlashan 94, David de Bruyn 33, James Searle 22; Luke Wilson 3/37, Benoit Rey 2/42, Sange Qangule 2/44); Hilton College 114/4 (Ben Wilson 39, Robert Burman 33; Keegan Reeves 2/31). Match abandoned.

Wednesday’s opening round of W100 fixtures in the Dolphins‘ region delivered exciting and unpredictable action-packed cricket.

Clifton College pulled off a nail-biting win over the five-time defending champion, Westville Boys’ High, Northwood reversed their weekend’s loss to Glenwood, and Durban High School (DHS) bounced back from a defeat at Michaelhouse to down Kearsney College.

Westville Boys’ High vs Clifton College

On Saturday, Clifton had appeared undercooked in a loss to Hilton College, who had captured the KZN Switch Schools SA20 crown the previous day after an unbeaten run. On Wednesday, Clifton shook off that sobering defeat in style.

Playing away from home against the team Hilton beat in the Schools SA20 final, Clifton’s captain Shiraz Perumal made an interesting decision to bowl first. Good call! His side picked up two early wickets to have Westville in early trouble on 11/2.

Luca Roddan and Tristin Delvin got the home team on track, though, with a 35-run partnership from 23 balls, before Eli van Jaarsveld got rid of Roddan for 16, which included two sixes. Delvin followed for 25, Van Jaarsveld’s second victim.

Unfortunately, for Clifton, those two wickets brought Kai Cotton and Liam de Villiers together, and they took it to the visitors’ attack, adding 64 runs in only 34 deliveries before Perumal bowled De Villiers for 31 from 19.

Cotton and Aarin Rasmussen continued to go after the Clifton bowlers and, by the end of their 100 balls, the Griffins had hustled along to a compelling 168/5, with the duo tacking on 44 from 29 balls.

Cotton was Westville’s mainstay, smashing two sixes and six fours in an action-packed 31-ball stay that brought him 54 not out. Rasmussen finished with an unbeaten 20 from 16.

Van Jaarsveld, with 2/23 from 15 balls, did well, while Perumal was the most economical of the Clifton bowlers, returning 1/21 from his 20 deliveries.

Faced with a challenging run chase, Clifton had to go hard from the first ball, but it cost them two batsmen for single-figure scores. That, however, resulted in opener, Daniyaal Klinck, being joined by Hayden Drieselmann, and they set about the Westville attack with vigour, with Drieselmann, especially, producing fireworks.

Klinck stuck around and helped to advance the total to 55 before he became the third man out, having scored 36 from 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes.

Enter Shiraz Perumal. A star bowler for the 1st XI over the past two seasons, he has been tasked with taking on a greater role with his batting in 2026, and he showed that he is fully capable of meeting that challenge with a match-winning knock.

He and Drieselmann devastated the Westville bowlers with an all-out attack that brought them a partnership of 104 from just 42 deliveries.

With 16 balls left in the innings, the hosts, at last, broke the stand, with Drieselmann caught behind off Kyle McGough for 27 from 24 balls, five of which he launched for six. None went for four.

In the next seven balls, Clifton added only five runs. Then, Daniel Rea was run out for three, which brought Veer Ramouthar to the crease. Just two more runs were added before Perumal lost his wicket, caught by Ewan du Toit off Misbah Nair for a splendid 60 from 29 balls. His aggressive knock had featured five sixes and three fours.

There was still work to do for Clifton, but Ramouthar and Jack Snaith got it done with only one ball to spare. After 99 deliveries, Clifton sneaked past Westville’s healthy 168/5, reaching 169/6, to snatch a memorable four-wicket victory.

Westville used nine bowlers, with most coming in for stick. Kyle McGough, the last of those, slowed Clifton down by picking up 1/9 in 14 balls, while Lwandle Bulose, with 0/11 from 10, helped to stifle the run-scoring spree.

Glenwood vs Northwood

On Saturday, on Dixon’s Oval, Glenwood beat Northwood by two wickets after enjoying early success against the Knights‘ top order batsmen. On Wednesday, at the same venue, that narrative was reversed, with Northwood’s bowlers doing the job against the Green Machine‘s top order, while the visitors’ top order made runs.

When the toss went their way, Glenwood opted to bowl first, hoping to repeat Saturday’s winning formula, but this time it didn’t work out as well.

After Ross McGlashan fell for seven, David de Bruyn and Luc Boyall got on top of the home side’s bowlers, racing along at over two runs per ball as they added 58 from 27 for the second wicket. Esihle Gasa stopped Boyall, but not before the Northwood batsman had struck two fours and a six in a hasty 25 from 14 deliveries.

His replacement in the middle, Keegan Reeves, then joined forces with De Bruyn, and they maintained a healthy run rate, putting on 70 for the third wicket in only 48 balls before De Bruyn’s telling knock was finally ended, with Gasa, once more, picking up a wicket by bowling the batsman. De Bruyn had faced 45 balls for his 57, hitting one four and launching five sixes.

Reeves went on to tally 38 from 26 as Northwood finished with 161/5. He was one of three batsmen to lose his wicket to Mishael Gunawardana, who returned a fine 3/19 from 15 balls, while Esihle Gasa shone with 2/14 from 15.

Chasing 162 to win in 100 balls on Dixon’s is a tough ask, and Glenwood’s challenge was stymied almost before it had begun. Just 20 balls in, they were floundering on 14/5.

Keegan Reeves, after his solid 38, did an even better job with the ball, removing four of Glenwood’s top five, on his way to a match-deciding haul of 4/11 from only 20 balls. Josh Mills started the ball rolling by getting rid of the dangerous Kreesan Pillai with the first ball of the innings.

From 14/5, there was no coming back for the Green Machine. Jonah Chaita showed some fight, cracking two sixes in his 27 from 24 balls, but only Kamo Moloto, with 11, joined him in double figures. It was Northwood’s day.

Luc Boyall showed off his all-round game, snapping up 2/12 from 15 balls, and Hamza Amla grabbed the last two wickets to take a tidy 2/2 from six as Glenwood was bowled out in 91 balls for 74.

Victory to Northwood by 87 runs.

Kearsney College vs Durban High School (DHS)

Kearsney College, fresh off a narrow nine-run win over St Charles College, hosted DHS, losers by six wickets at Michaelhouse, on the AH Smith Oval, where captain Keegan de Jager decided the home side would bat first. They made a steady start.

Gary Verbaan and Aaron Blackburn put up 34 off 32 balls for the first wicket before Blackburn was caught by Suliman Jadwat off the bowling of Bonga Mapanga for seven.

Verbaan and De Jager then upped the scoring rate, adding 33 from 18, before De Jager departed after an explosive 27 from just 13 balls, which included two fours and two sixes.

Asher Hollister then took on the lead role and, with Verbaan, kept the scoreboard moving along nicely with 47 runs for the third wicket from 33 deliveries. In just 16 balls, Hollister made 29 and sent a couple of deliveries over the boundary.

At the end of their innings, Kearsney had compiled 136/3. Verbaan was unbeaten on 49 from 48, with six fours.

Mapanga was the pick of the DHS bowlers, sending two batsmen packing while giving up only 12 runs from his 19 deliveries. His economy rate of 3.2 was, by far, the best of the innings. Seth Edwards was tidy, too, claiming 1/19 from 15.

In reply, DHS lost Josh van Biljon early for 10, but Ismaeel Omar and Taine Havermann didn’t blink. They calmly set about the Kearsney attack, adding 103 runs from 80 balls before Omar was caught by Rivaan Moodley off Daniel Miskey for 49 from 45.

DHS still had some work to do. They needed 17 runs to win and seven balls in which to get them. No problem! Havermann and Bonga Mapanga delivered the victory.

Mapanga replaced Omar and promptly struck the next two balls for a four and a six. The next delivery, to Havermann, was deposited over the boundary, and when the next ball produced a bye, DHS had won by eight wickets with three balls to spare.

Havermann was unbeaten on 54 from 43, which featured a lone four and four sixes. Mapanga’s two-ball innings produced a crucial 10 runs.

Matthew Rice, who claimed the prized wicket of Josh van Biljon, sparkled with 1/16 from 15 balls, while Matthew Gorrie kept DHS at bay with 0/14 from his 15.

Summarised scorecards

Westville Boys’ High 168/5 (Kai Cotton 54*, Liam de Villiers 31, Tristin Delvin 25; Eli van Jaarsveld 2/23, Shiraz Perumal 1/21); Clifton College 169/6 (Shiraz Perumal 60, Hayden Drieselmann 47, Daniyaal Klinck 36; Kyle McGough 1/9, Ewan du Toit 1/16, Misban Nair 1/17). Clifton won by four wickets.

Northwood 161/5 (David de Bruyn 57, Keegan Reeves 28, Luc Boyall 25; Mishael Gunawardana 3/19, Esihle Gasa 2/14); Glenwood 74/10 (Jonah Chaita 27; Keegan Reeves 4/11, Hamza Amla 2/2, Luc Boyall 2/13). Northwood won by 87 runs.

Kearsney College 136/3 (Gary Verbaan 49*, Asher Hollister 29, Keegan de Jager 27; Bonga Mapanga 2/12, Seth Edwards 1/19); Durban High School 137/3 (Taine Havermann 54*, Ismaeel Omar 49; Matthew Rice 1/16, Daniel Miskey 1/25). DHS won by eight wickets.

Clifton College cricket captain Shiraz Perumal heads into 2026 aiming to emulate or even better a spectacular showing in 2025, which brought the leg-spinner a school record 95 wickets.

In his Grade 10 year, Perumal set a school record with 62 wickets. In Grade 11, last year, he shattered it, and it is doubtful that any player returning to school in 2026 matched his huge wicket haul.

He made his 1st XI debut in grade nine and was immediately up for the challenge, Clifton’s Director of Cricket and first team coach, Brandon Scullard, recalled: “In August [of that year], when he was in grade nine, one of our better spinners got injured. Two days before we departed on tour to St David’s for the Fasken Time Cricket Festival, I called him up.

“He was superb, so much so that on the last day of the festival against KES, he bowled an entire innings from one end. The KES coaches said they had not come across a leg-spinner like that the entire year.”

Don’t be misled by Perumal holding down an end, though, at St David’s, though. One of his strengths, which separates him from many other leg spin bowlers, is his attacking approach. “I’ve always thought of myself as a wicket-taker,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus. “Obviously, I can dot batsmen up, make them make a mistake, but it’s about attacking first, throwing the first punch.”

That mindset comes from the man who inspired him to change from being a pace bowler to a leg spinner when he was in primary school, the Australian legend, Shane Warne.

“I back myself,” the Clifton captain said. It’s that attacking mindset that makes Perumal a special weapon. “His number one strength is turning the ball. He’s not scared to get hit,” Scullard, a former Dolphins‘ fast bowler, said.

“If he goes for a boundary or bowls a bad ball, it doesn’t deter him. He is happy to throw the ball up and try to turn it. He has the courage to pitch the ball up and invite the batters to try and hit him.

“He has worked on his pace. He has become quicker, and his control has improved. He can bowl unplayable balls, and he has variations.”

That’s the thing about Shiraz Perumal. With the ball in his hand, his team almost always has a chance because he’s a strike bowler.

“I have never seen a player have such an impact on a cricket team – and I have coached [former SA u19 captain] Matthew Montgomery and others who have gone on to play professional cricket,” Scullard said.

“He’s won us games from unwinnable positions. He’s maintained that hunger for wickets and excellence. He is an extremely hard worker. He’s been a special talent to witness. I hope he pushes on after school.”

Perumal’s match-winning ability was to the fore at the Fasken Time Cricket Festival last year when he claimed successive six-wicket hauls for 12 wickets in the match in a win over  Hoërskool Noordheuwel.

He is also half of a Clifton spin bowling duo with Blake Johnson, which performed magnificently in 2025. Johnson, a tall orthodox left-arm spinner, who represented the Dolphins’ u16 side, picked up 57 wickets, not far off Perumal’s previous school record.

“Blake and I have been bowling together for a while. He’s usually holding down one end, and I’ll attack from the other end. That’s basically our plan,” Perumal said. “But, if he’s doing well, then I’ll adapt my plans to complement him. He does a good job.”

Scullard provided further insight. He explained: “They are two very different bowlers. Blake bowls flatter. He is more economical, and he builds pressure. He can bowl with the new ball and adapt to all types of situations.

“They have played a lot of cricket together, and they understand each other’s roles. They are our biggest threats. They push one another, and they hold each other to higher standards.”

This year, both will take on even greater responsibilities as batsmen. Perumal, in younger age groups, proved himself as a batsman, scoring a number of centuries.

“I’ll try, as a captain, to do the best that I can, play my role, and now I’m batting in the top six. Last year, I was batting seven or eight. I have to have a change of mindset, so now I have to put a greater price on my wicket,” he said.

Scullard expressed his belief in his spinners’ batting. “Shiraz and Blake have ability. It’s about exposing them to batting up the order. It’s about exposing them to those types of situations. Over the past two years, they didn’t have to do that. They have to take it on now and step up. They’re prepped.

“We need to grow them as batsmen, and the only way to do that is to expose them. These boys are going to be stars, and I need to give them a platform.”

Shiraz Perumal previously played under his brother, Shahzaad‘s captaincy in the Clifton 1st XI. “He was a bit of an aggressive captain,” Shiraz said with a chuckle. “I am similar, but I am not as hard on the boys. I try to keep things positive.”

He also credited his brother, who, like Shiraz, represented the Dolphins u19 team and the Coastal Conquerors, for helping him to become a better cricketer. “He pushes me a lot. It’s always a competition between him and me,” he admitted.

“He helped me a lot when I was starting out in the first team.”

When asked to name Clifton players who have helped him to elevate his game, Shiraz again pivoted to Shahzaad: “My brother, and Tim Saulez, bowling to him in the nets. He’s a top batsman.”

When it comes to coaches who have guided his growth as a leg spin bowler, he identified two. “Mr Scullard has helped me a lot over the last three years. He has given me many opportunities, and I’ve practiced with him a lot. Also, coach Yash Ebrahim has helped me a lot.”

In 2025, Shiraz Perumal set the bar extremely high. It will be difficult to reach those heights again, but his instinct is to attack challenges, and that’s what he intends to do.

He would like to represent the Dolphins at the Khaya Majola Week again, turn out for the Coastal Conquerors at the CSA Cubs Week, and, hopefully, make the SA u19 side.

For a third day in succession, the Westville Boys’ High 1st XI was in action in Pietermaritzburg, following their Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two campaign with a visit to Maritzburg College for a limited overs showdown on Saturday.

Captain Kyle McGough called it right at the toss and opted to bat first on Goldstone’s, but Westville made a stuttering start.

After losing their first wicket on 28, two more went down, on 29 and 30, leaving the visitors in a spot of bother on 30/3 after 8.2 overs. Aidan Baudach and Tristin Delvin stopped College’s charge, however, with an 84-run stand for the fourth wicket.

It came to an end when Delvin was caught by Greg Hosking off the bowling of Luke Venter for 36. Baudach stayed around for a while longer, advancing the total to 129 before he became the sixth man out. By then, though, he had compiled the innings’ highest score of 59 from 90 balls, striking seven fours along the way.

Two balls later, the Griffins found themselves seven wickets down. At 129/7, with 16.5 overs remaining in their innings, they were in a tricky position. Aarin Rasmussen and Jamie Hasselbach batted them out of it with a 63-run partnership for the eighth wicket. Hasselbach’s share was 31 from 44 balls, with two fours and a six.

Rasmussen, meanwhile, stuck around to the end of Westville’s 50 overs, and finished with 40 not out from 58 deliveries, while Liam de Villiers chipped in with 19 not out at better than a run a ball as the visitors tallied 216/8.

Opening bowler, Reece Willson, who took two of the three early wickets to fall, ended with 3/38 from 10 overs, while Luke Venter, the seventh and last bowler employed by College, returned their best figures, claiming 3/26 from seven.

The Red, Black, and White then made a solid if somewhat cautious start to their run chase, with Akhil Bharath and Kyle de Bruyn putting on 36 for the first wicket before Bharath’s knock was ended for 15 by a combination of wicketkeeper Aidan Baudach’s hands and Jamie Hasselbach’s bowling.

When three wickets went down in the fifties – two of them to Hasselbach – College was in trouble on 59/4 in the 21st over. Then, Aarin Rasmussen struck twice to get rid of Reece Willson for five and Dom du Toit for 15.

Luan van der Merwe kept Westville at bay, though, until, sadly for College, he was run out for 44, having run for every one of those runs. James Pembridge followed three runs later for 12, leaving the home side struggling to hang on, on 134/8.

Just over three overs later, Westville wrapped up a convincing 62-run win, bowling out Maritzburg College for 154.

Jamie Hasselbach, who dismissed three of College’s top four batsmen, knocked over 3/24 in six overs, Aarin Rasmussen kept it tight to pick up 2/27 in 10, and Kyle McGough chipped in with 2/30 from seven.

Summarised scorecard

Westville Boys’ High 216/8 (Aidan Baudach 59; Aarin Rasmussen 40*, Tristin Delvin 36, Jamie Hasselbach 31; Luke Venter 3/26, Reece Willson 3/38); Maritzburg College 154/10 (Luan van der Merwe 44, Kyle de Bruyn 26; Jamie Hasselbach 3/24, Aarin Rasmussen 2/27, Kyle McGough 2/30). Westville Boys’ High won by 62 runs.

Michaelhouse vs Durban High School

Michaelhouse welcomed Durban High School to the Roy Gathorne Oval on Saturday for a limited overs match, but they were less hospitable when on the field, restricting School to just 133/7 from 50 overs before going on to win by six wickets.

A decision by ‘House skipper Graydon Leslie to bowl first paid off. It was a grind, though. The home team kept DHS in check with tight bowling, but established star batsmen, Ismaeel Omar and Josh van Biljon, demonstrated great powers of concentration to spend 18.1 overs together for the second wicket before they were parted.

Their stand produced 57 runs from 110 deliveries, but when Van Biljon was caught by Leslie off Preston Greene for 25, DHS suffered a collapse, slipping from 75/1 to 89/6 in just under eight overs. They struggled to accelerate their run-scoring rate after that, despite having 22.2 overs in hand when the second wicket went down.

Omar followed only two runs after Van Biljon with the innings’ top score of 35, but it took him 74 balls to get there. Aktar Bashar, batting at eight, finished on 27 not out as DHS batted at only 2.7 runs per over.

Liam O’Dwyer inflicted severe damage on the visitors’ innings, capturing a miserly 4/18 from his 10 overs as Michaelhouse clamped down on the visiting batsmen. A measure of their economy was the fact that Rendani Nonge, who gave up 3.7 runs per over in his 0/26 from seven, was the most expensive of the seven bowlers.

Rex Wardlow, with 1/20 from eight, and Preston Greene, with 1/24 from 10, also succeeded in ratcheting up the pressure on School.

When Michaelhouse batted, they advanced two runs per over faster than DHS, replying with 136/4 from 29 overs to record an impressive win.

Opening batsman, Cody Sander, produced a focused performance, scoring 36 not out from 74 balls at the top of the order. He also shared a 27-run fourth-wicket stand with Rex Wardlaw, who struck three fours in his 20 from 18 deliveries. After Wardlaw was bowled by Josh Morley, though, the innings caught fire behind Ben Heuer‘s aggressive hitting.

He flayed an unbeaten 50 from only 34 balls, launching two sixes and sending five deliveries to the boundary, while partnering with Sander for an unbroken 72.

Morley stood out for DHS, also getting rid of Victor North, on his way to figures of 2/23 from 10 overs. But it was Michaelhouse’s day.

Glenwood vs Northwood

On Dixon’s Oval, Glenwood and Northwood staged a thrilling limited overs clash, with the Green Machine clawing their way to a morale-boosting two-run win despite being minus-17 on the tally of extras.

When they won the toss, Glenwood put Northwood in and immediately made that decision count, with Vincenzo Loutz removing Ross McGlashan and Hamza Amla, while Jonah Chaita accounted for David de Bruyn, to leave the Knights staggered on 9/3 in the fifth over.

Luc Boyall and Josh Mills slowed the onslaught briefly, but when Esihle Gasa bowled Boyall, Northwood slipped to 25/4. Then, a run out of Mills for 14 further complicated matters for the visitors, leaving them wobbling on 42/5 in the 21st over. That, however, was when they began their fightback.

Thomas Oosthuizen and Max Nicholson joined forces and patiently added 45 runs from the next 112 balls. It was slow going, but it was what was needed. After Oosthuizen departed for 27, Nicholson was the next to go, out for 19, which left Northwood on 113/7 with 9.1 overs remaining.

That’s when Keegan Reeves brought life to their innings. He cracked five fours in his 50 from only 37 deliveries before being run out by Loutz, but he and Thabiso Mtambo had added 49 from only 42 balls. Mtambo and Trevor van Volenstee then shared another 15 runs to lift Northwood to 177/8, with Mtambo undefeated on 24.

Aided by 27 extras, the Knights had posted 177/8 and given themselves a chance to win.

Vicenzo Loutz led Glenwood’s bowling attack with 2/17 from six overs, while Esihle Gasa gave little way in his 10 overs, claiming 1/19.

When Glenwood batted, Northwood struck two early blows, with Josh Mills dismissing JP Pillay and Nuzayh Mohammed, both caught by Van Volenstee, before Glenwood had reached double figures. The home side settled, though, when Kreesan Pillai joined Akhil Sinath at the crease. Together, they added a watchful 51 from 85 balls.

Van Volenstee, then, grabbed his third catch off the leg spin of Max Nicholson, to send Sinath packing for 27. Glenwood lost their way somewhat after his departure, falling to 93/5 in the 31st over of their innings, before Pillai and Mishael Gunawardana played them back into the game with a partnership of 49 from only 54 balls for the sixth wicket.

Keegan Reeves ended it when he had Pillai stumped by McGlashan for 65, the highest score of the match. He had faced 93 balls and hit seven fours. When Pillai was removed, Glenwood was on 142/6. With just over 10 overs to go, they needed 36 to win.

That soon became 151/7 when Sebastien Oertel was run out, but, crucially, Gunawardana was still there. He helped Glenwood to within one big blow of victory before losing his wicket. His 36 runs, though, proved to be decisive.

Jonah Chaita, with whom Gunawardana shared a 21-run stand, was there at the end, unbeaten on 18, when Glenwood secured a two-wicket win with 14 balls to spare.

Max Nicholson tied the home side in knots, snaring 2/22 from 10 overs with his leg spin, while Josh Mills bagged 2/35 from nine overs, and Keegan Reeves 2/32 in 6.4.

Summarised scorecards

Durban High School 133/7 (Ismaeel Omar 35, Aktar Bashar 27*, Josh van Biljon 25; Liam O’Dwyer 4/18); Michaelhouse 136/4 (Ben Heuer 50*, Cody Sander 36*, Rex Wardlaw 20; Josh Morley 2/23). Michaelhouse won by six wickets.

Northwood 177/8 (Keegan Reeves 50, Thomas Oosthuizen 27, Thabiso Mtambo 24*; Vincenzo Loutz 2/17); Glenwood 179/8 (Kreesan Pillai 63, Mishael Gunawardana 36, Akhil Sinath 27; Max Nicholson 2/22, Keegan Reeves 2/32, Josh Mills 2/35). Glenwood won by two wickets.