Author: cschiwanza

Rhys Wiblin and Ben Scharges constructed an unbeaten 89-run partnership to steer St Andrew’s College to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Kingswood College in their Switch Schools SA20 – Volume Two contest at St Andrew’s on Friday.

The victory earned St Andrew’s a berth in the next round of the competition, scheduled for 15 November.

Kingswood called correctly at the toss and chose to bat first. but they struggled to establish a foothold and were dismissed for only 92 in 19.2 overs.

The hosts managed the conditions better and made light work of the chase, progressing smoothly to 96/1 in 17.4 overs.

Kingswood’s batting scorecard told the story of a side that failed to transfer pressure back onto the bowling side and establish themselves. Only four of their batsmen reached double figures.

Daniel Jakins led the scoring with a patient 21 from 22 balls. He helped to provide Kingswood with some stability and traction by partnering with Chad Roote, who made 16 from 29 deliveries, for a 33-run third-wicket partnership.

Thomas Bussiahn ended their contributions in decisive manner, however, dismissing the duo within the space of three deliveries.

Chris Zimmerman, with 14, and debutant, Simon Sheard, with 11, were the only other batters to reach double figures for Kingswood.

William Stevens played a big role in undermining Kingswood’s batting effort, capturing an outstanding 3/9 in three overs. He was well supported by Callum Taggart, James Badenhorst, and Thomas Bussiahn, who bagged a brace of wickets each.

Kingswood might have thought they were in with a shout when Sinawo Bukula grabbed Taggart’s wicket in the first over of the St Andrew’s innings. However, that turned out to be the visitors’ only scalp of the encounter.

Faced with a modest victory target, St Andrew’s could afford to be circumspect, and they calmly went about their business.

In 102 balls, Wiblin and Scharges shared an 89-run second-wicket stand, with Wiblin finishing on an unbeaten 34 off 47 balls, while Scharges top-scored with 46 not out from 56 deliveries.

Kingswood’s did themselves no favours by conceding twice as many extras as the hosts, with St Andrew’s giving up six while Kingswood conceded 12.

Summarised Scorecard

Kingswood 92/10 (Daniel Jakins 21, Chad Roote 16, Chris Zimmerman; William Stevens 3/9, Callum Taggart 2/3, James Badenhorst 2/11, Thomas Bussiahn 2/21). St Andrew’s College 96/1 (Ben Scharges 46*, Rhys Wiblin 34*; Sinawo Bukula 1/21, Edwin Geldenhuys 0/4). St Andrew’s College won by nine wickets.

Matthew Tinley spun his way to a four-wicket haul to help Grey High record a nail-biting eight-run win over Graeme College on the Pollock Oval, in Gqeberha, on Saturday.

Teun Kloppenberg, the Grey High captain, made a good call to bat first when the toss went his way. The pitch played slow, which made batting difficult and forced the players to graft hard for their runs, but the hosts fought their way to 197 in 45.4 overs.

Tinley, then, tore through Graeme’s middle order to help the hosts bowl out the visitors for 189 in 47.4 overs.

Grey High wore pink caps for the match as part of an initiative raise money for breast cancer awareness. It was one of two parts of a by the Grey Union, which also includes an awareness walk.

“In 2013, the 1st XI wore pink caps to raise awareness of breast cancer. The newly elected prefect body decided to create a breast cancer awareness week,” James Upton, a member of the Grey Union, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“All money raised from the sale of the ribbons and caps, and the walk is going to be donated to an organisation to help cancer patients.” 

The Grey High team received their caps from Fred Swarbrook, a former coach at the school, who was part of the group that started the initiative in 2013.

James Upton, with 28, and Cullen Marais, with 33, laid a solid platform for Grey with a 54-run opening stand. Unfortunately for the other batsmen, they were unable to match that partnership, but Grey was fortunate that their captain stayed in the middle long enough to push them to a winning total.

Kloppenberg made his way to the crease after the fall of the second wicket, which left Grey on 63/2. He proceeded to top-score with a patient 42 from 66 deliveries and stuck around for 20.3 overs.

Some might have expected that the match would hinge on the batting exploits of Connor Parry, for Grey, and Corbin Tidbury, for Graeme. Instead, the spinners, Matthew Tinley and Ajay Jeggels stole the spotlight.

Jeggels delivered a superb spell, knocking back 4/16 in 4.4 overs to help keep Grey High below 200. He received strong support from Lisekho Zinyane, who clamped down on the home side with a neat return of 2/28 from 10 overs, while Jordan Damons claimed 2/24 in four overs.

Tinley, though, was the difference between the sides. The leg-spinner struck at a crucial moment when he dismissed Luphelo Mdyesha in the 42nd over, with Graeme on 160 and requiring 38 runs in 48 balls. Mdyesha had been large and in charge, playing as if he was batting on a different surface to the other batsmen as he worked his way to 60 from 81 balls.

Jeggels tried to keep the Graeme College chase alive and showed off his all-round ability with an unbeaten 42 off 50 balls, but he ran out of partners.

Kitts McConnachie was the only other Graeme College batsmen to reach double figures, contributing a useful 53-ball 37.

Tinley spun a web around the visitors from Makhanda, snaring 4/22 from 10 overs, while Logan Groch did well, too, picking up 3/41 in 7.4 overs. Kloppenberg, Alejo Nota, and Nathan Howell took a wicket each.

Summarised Scorecard

Grey High 197/10 (Teun Kloppenberg 42, Cullen Marais 33, James Upton 28; Ajay Jeggels 4/16, Lisekho Zinyane 2/28, Jordan Damons 2/24). Graeme College 189/10 (Luphelo Mdyesha 60, Ajay Jeggels 42*, Kitts McConnachie 37; Matthew Tinley 4/22, Logan Groch 3/41). Grey High won by eight runs.

Nkosana Sibiya played a proper captain’s knock to shepherd St John’s College to a comfortable seven-wicket win over St David’s Marist Inanda at St David’s on Saturday.

The victory was a perfect way for the visitors to wrap up the year, since it was the last St John’s match of 2025.

After a delayed start, the contest was reduced from 50 overs to 45 overs a side.

When he called the coin flip correctly, Sibiya inserted the hosts to bat first. His bowlers responded well to his decision, bundling out St David’s for 214/10 in 44.2 overs.

The left-hander, then, took control of the run chase and motored to an unbeaten 110 to lead St John’s to 218/3 and victory in 41 overs. His innings, which lasted 112 balls, featured 12 fours and two sixes.

Hayden Campbell top-scored for St David’s with a handy 60 runs from only 64 deliveries, but his effort wasn’t enough to lift St David’s to a winning total. The damage had been done earlier. Only two of the St David’s top five reached double figures but, unlike the Blues, none of them went beyond the 50-run mark.

Roberto Mariano did well, contributing 44 from 39 balls at the top of the order, but he lacked substantial support. Michael Smithyman got his eye in, scoring a steady 24 from 30 but failed to kick on.

The lower order struggled to make an impact and were made to work hard for their runs by the St John’s bowlers. Eventually, the home side inched past the 200-run mark.

The visitors also gave away fewer extras than their hosts, with St David’s conceding 19 and St John’s surrendering 11.

Ethan Robinson went for a few, but picked up three wickets, claiming 3/58 in nine overs, while his new ball partner, David Ireland, was more economical, claiming 2/34.

Aadhavan Kallan and Herman Basson bagged a brace of wickets apiece, too, with Kallan returning 2/19 runs in 4.2 overs, while Basson’s two wickets cost him 43 runs from seven overs.

The St John’s victory was set up by a solid 135-run opening partnership between Sibiya and Darshik Lutchman, which not only brought them runs but also took the shine off the new ball. It lasted until the 24th over, which was when Lutchman was dismissed by Miles Pegg. He had struck 11 fours in his 61 from 81 balls.

The visitors must have experienced a flutter in their stomachs when Pegg struck again two balls later, sending Michael Stubbs packing for a two-ball duck.

Herman Basson stopped Pegg’s assault, however, with a watchful approach. The all-rounder didn’t need to go on the offensive because the Blues were ahead of the required rate, and Sibiya continued to accumulate runs. Basson kept his captain company until the 38th over. By the time he departed for 27, St John’s required just 16 runs from 6.3 overs to win.

Pegg stood out for St David’s, nabbing 2/51 from his nine overs, while Chris Emslie was the only other wicket-taker, returning a tidy 1/35 from nine.

Summarised Scorecard

St David’s 214/10 (Hayden Campbell 60, Roberto Mariano 44, Michael Smithyman 24, Ethan Robinson 3/58, David Ireland 2/34, Aadhavan Kallan 2/19). St John’s 218/3 (Nkosana Sibiya 110*, Darshik Lutchman 61, Herman Basson 27; Miles Pegg 2/51, Chris Emslie 1/35). St John’s won by seven wickets.

The Gauteng Lions have a single goal as they prepare for the 2025 edition of the annual Khaya Majola Week: redemption, after falling at the final hurdle last year.

To achieve that, they have named an experienced and well-rounded team to travel to Bloemfontein for the tournament that will run from 16 to 21 December.

The Lions, who lost to Western Province in 2024’s title game, lifted the trophy in 2023 and will aim to make it two titles in three years.

“We have an exciting group with lots of talent and experience from previous Khaya Majola weeks. They are motivated to bring the title back to Joburg,” Ahmed Nawab, the Lions’ head coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

The squad has seven players who represented the province last year: Sipho Potsane, Tahseen Hanslo, Morteza Manack, Armaan Manack, Jason Rowles, Corné Botha, and Kamogelo Phiri.

Rowles, Armaan Manack, JJ Basson, Botha, and Potsane also own international experience after representing the SA u19 squad, while Bafana Mthunzi was part of the SA Invitational team that played against Bangladesh‘s u19 team.

Nawab said the Lions’ selection process focused on picking a team that would have the best chance of winning the title in Bloemfontein. Therefore, the panel resolved to pick a side with both bowling and batting depth and, as a result, the Lions’ squad features several all-rounders.

“We are in a privileged position with a team comprising many quality all-rounders. This gives us good options with the ball and also allows us to mix it up when needed,” Nawab explained.

Rowles, Morteza Manack, Botha, and Wade McQuinn are their frontline all-rounders. The team also features four out-and-out bowlers in their pace duo of JJ Basson and Kyle Butler, and the spinners, Potsane and Hanslo. The quartet of Armaan Manack, Mthunzi, Troy Gordon, and Ombesa Matsha are the batsmen, while Phiri is the designated wicketkeeper.

The squad includes players from six schools: Queens High, Jeppe, St David’s Marist Inanda, St Stithians College, King Edward VII (KES), and Hoërskool Noordheuwel.

St David’s has the most representatives with five: Armaan and Morteza Manack, Rowles, Phiri, and Butler. Traditional powerhouse, KES, has Gordon and McQuinn flying their flag, while Hanslo and Matsha will seek to carry on the tradition of outstanding performances by St Stithians learners at the national week.

Basson, who recently signed a Betway SA20 contract with the Paarl Royals, will aim to make Noordheuwel proud, alongside Corné Botha. Queens High and Jeppe are represented by Mthunzi and Potsane, respectively.

In the coaching department, Nawab will be assisted by Tim Makgabutlane, and Willie van den Berg is the team manager.

Gauteng Lions u19 team

Armaan Manack (St Davids Marist Inanda), Bafana Mthunzi (Queens High School), Jason Rowles (St Davids Marist Inanda), Morteza Manack (St Davids Marist Inanda), Troy Gordon (King Edward VII), Kamogelo Phiri (St Davids Marist Inanda), Tahseen Hanslo (St Stithians College), Corne Botha (Hoërskool Noordheuwel), JJ Basson (Hoërskool Noordheuwel), Wade Mcquinn (King Edward VII), Sipho Potsane (Jeppe Boys High School), Kyle Butler (St Davids Marist Inanda), Ombesa Matsha (St Stithians College)

Steele Grooteman and Luke Clark starred with the ball and bat in King Edward VII’s (KES) convincing nine-wicket win over Northcliff in a Johnny Waite Trophy contest on the John Hurry Oval, in Johannesburg, on Wednesday afternoon.

KES won the toss and opted to bowl first on an overcast afternoon. Making good use of the favourable overhead conditions, they dismissed Northcliff for a modest 76 runs in 20 overs.

Clark, then, took control of the chase and raced to an unbeaten half-century to lead KES to 79/1 and a comprehensive win.

When his side took to the field, Matthew Bromley, the KES captain, threw the ball to his main spin bowling threat, Steele Grooteman, and he delivered immediately.

With his very first delivery, he claimed a wicket and, by the seventh over, Grooteman had taken four to reduce Northcliff to 36/4. By the end of his four overs, Grooteman had sent down 17 dot balls and snared 4/16.

He received good support from by Abdullah Mohammed and Connor Kuijers, who took two wickets each, while Uthmaan Khan and Tyler Cloete dismissed a single batsman each.

Only Mabutho Mbambo and Tristan Stanley reached double figures for Northcliff, with Mbambo top-scoring with 25 from 21 balls, while Stanley contributed a more defensive 15 from 34 deliveries.

When KES batted, Clark was unforgiving and aggressive. The opener carved an unbeaten 24-ball 60 that featured seven fours and four sixes and shared a 71-run opening partnership with Tiago Dias, which broke down after 5.2 overs.

Clark and Troy Gordon, then, saw KES over the finishing line, with Gordon ending unbeaten on four from four.

Summarised Scorecard

Northcliff 76/1 (Mabutho Mbambo 25, Tristan Stanley 15; Steele Grooteman 4/16, Abdullah Mohammed 2/8, Connor Kuijers 2/15). KES 79/1 (Luke Clark 60*, Tiago Dias 12; Mohammed Bux 1/6, Regan van der Walt 0/23). KES won by nine wickets.

Nicholas Bayly scored a brilliant half-century on Tuesday afternoon to give St Stithians College the perfect start to their Johnny Waite Trophy campaign.

His sterling effort helped Saints to a four-wicket win over Helpmekaar at the University of Johannesburg.

When the toss went Xander Jackson’s way, and the Helpmekaar captain elected to bat first and his team responded well, batting at over eight runs per over to tally 164/6 in their 20 overs. With Bayly leading the charge, St Stithians replied with 165/6 in 18.2 overs.

The Saints’ skipper was dismissed before the end of his side’s innings, but that didn’t matter because he had done enough to guarantee them victory by scoring 75 from only 47 balls, which included striking five fours and four sixes.

Early on in their chase, Saints found themselves in a spot of bother. They lost Ombesa Matsha and Thomas Collins in the powerplay and were three down after only 6.5 overs. They needed someone to hold their innings together, and their captain raised his hand, spending 13.5 overs in the middle and setting his team on course for victory.

Bayly’s brisk 42-run fourth-wicket partnership with Michael Katzenstein from 25 balls was the turning point of the match as it put Saints comfortably ahead of the required run rate. Katzenstein’s contribution was a well-played 25 from 15 balls.

Heinrich Minnaar was Helpmekaar’s best bowler with 2/18 from four overs, while Stefan Trumpelmann and Xander Jackson also bagged two wickets each, although they lacked Minnaar’s economy. Trumpelmann conceded 38 runs in four overs, while Jackson was slightly better, giving up 32 from his four overs.

Zuan Joubert starred with the bat for Helpies, cracking a wonderful 61 from 39 balls. He also shared a solid 68-run third-wicket partnership with Minnaar that spanned 9.5 overs. Dominic Tait, meanwhile, weighed in with an unbeaten 25 from only 11 deliveries to give Helpmekaar’s innings a late boost, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Thomas Collins led the St Stithians bowling attack with a disciplined effort that brought him 2/20 from three overs. Although he didn’t pick up a wicket, Tajendra Naidu put Helpmekaar under heavy pressure by conceding only 13 runs from his three overs.

Like Collins, Zaakir Hanslo picked up two wickets, albeit that he was a touch costly, going for 29 runs from his four overs.

Summarised Scorecard

Helpmekaar 164/6 (Zuan Joubert 61, Heinrich Minnaar 27, Dominic Tait 25*; Thomas Collins 2/20, Zaakir Hanslo 2/29). St Stithians 165/6 (Nicholas Bayly 75, Matthew Katzenstein 25, Jason Joiner 23; Heinrich Minnaar 2/18, Xander Jackson 2/32, Stefan Trumpelmann 2/38). St Stithians won by four wickets.

David Loudon smashed half-centuries on successive days to inspire Kingswood College to back-to-back victories over Muir College in T20 and 50-over matches, at City Lords, on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday evening, Loudon stroked an unbeaten half-century to lead Kingswood to 186/1, before the Kingswood bowling attack combined to limit Muir to 110/8 in reply.

On Saturday, Kingswood changed tack and opted to bowl first after winning the toss.

In a rain-affected match, Muir was limited to 190/9 in 40 overs. Loudon, then, struck another half-century as the home side galloped to 174/2 in only 20.1 overs to complete a comprehensive eight-wicket victory.

Kingswood vs Muir T20

Loudon and his opening partner, Josh Loon, wielded their bats like swords as they decimated the Muir bowlers in Friday’s T20 clash.

They were together for all but one ball of the Kingswood innings, partnering for 183 runs in 19.5 overs.

Loudon hit six fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 72 from 51 balls, while Loon was the top-scorer with a 70-ball 97 that featured 15 fours.

Kamva Douws scored a fighting run-a-ball 26 for Muir, but, at the other end of the pitch, a procession of wickets went down.

Romano Richards stood firm, though, top-scoring with an unbeaten 39 from 37 balls, but his innings didn’t overlap that of Douws as the visitors struggled to put together meaningful partnerships.

Kingswood vs Muir 50-over

On Saturday, Loudon, the Kingswood captain, asked Muir to bat first, and this time, the visiting side produced a better batting effort.

Cody September scored a steady 41 from 92 balls to help Muir get to 190/9 in 40 overs and received decent support from Umair Jeeva (36) and Soso Makana (33), while Romano Richards chipped in with a handy 29 from 25 deliveries.

Muir’s progress was, however, greatly hampered by Sinawo Bakula and Josh Loon’s bowling efforts. They shared seven wickets between them, with Bakula capturing 4/38 from eight overs. Loon’s contribution was 3/25 from seven.

In reply, Kingswood lost Josh Loon early, for eight runs, but their top order quickly showed that the pitch wasn’t a minefield as they raced to 174/2 after only 20.1 overs.

Loudon, who replaced him, bashed nine fours and a six on his way to a 55 from only 35 balls. Daniel Jankins, who opened the batting with Loon, had the best seat in the house to watch Loudon’s fireworks while anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 60 from 70 deliveries.

Summarised Scorecards

Kingswood 186/1 (Josh Loon 97, David Loudon 72; Cody September 1/36, Daniel Duthie 0/29). Muir College 110/8 (Romano Richards 39, Kamva Douws 26; Daniel Jankins 2/16, Josh Loon 1/16). Kingswood won by 76 runs.

Muir 190/9 (Cody September 41, Umair Jeeva 36; Sinawo Bakula 4/38, Josh Loon 3/25). Kingswood 174/2 (Daniel Jankins 60*, David Loudon 55; Aaron Latola 1/30, Romano Richards 1/26). Kingswood won by eight wickets.

Michael Smithyman struck an unbeaten century to lead St David’s Marist Inanda to a thrilling final over three-wicket victory over Jeppe in a 50-over match on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Troy Gordon’s unbeaten half-century carried King Edward VII (KES) over the line against Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) on the John Hurry Oval at KES.

In Krugersdorp, Wander Roolvink led Noordheuwel to victory over Northcliff with a scintillating 80 not out.

At Jeppe, Jason Rowles, the St David’s captain, called correctly at the toss and chose to bowl first. His bowlers were made to labour by the home side, who tallied 298 all out. Smithyman, though, showed his class with a wonderful undefeated 104 off 118 deliveries to shepherd St David’s to 299/7 and victory with only one ball to spare.

When Jeppe batted, Aiden Reyneke joined Vegas Scott in the middle in the seventh over after Zizi Mkhize‘s departure. They, then, cobbled together a 74-run second-wicket partnership that ended after Scott’s dismissal for a brisk 76 from only 40 balls.

Reyneke continued, keeping his end intact, on his way to 100 from 106 deliveries. He received useful support from Lincoln Casais, who chipped in with a steady 47 from 66.

St David’s made a shaky start to their reply, losing both opening batsmen within the first 12 overs. Fortunately for them, that brought Smithyman and Rowles to the crease, and the pair constructed a solid 87-run third wicket stand, which kept the visitors in the contest. It ended with the exit of Rowles after he had blitzed 70 off just 40 deliveries.

None of the visitors’ next five batsmen made it to twenty. However, that wasn’t an issue for St David’s because they had Smithyman to see them to victory.

KES vs Pretoria Boys High

Matthew Bromley and his side, who lifted the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two trophy for the Gauteng Lion’s region on Friday, completed a week of stellar cricket by defeating PBHS by a comfortable six wickets at home.

The toss went Bromley’s way, and the KES captain inserted the visitors to bat first. With Louis Kruyshaar putting up an unbeaten 80, Boys High tallied 244/8. Troy Gordon, then, one-upped Kruyshaar, weighing in with 93 not out, to pilot KES to victory.

In the early going, PBHS struggled to establish themselves with the bat, thanks to some wonderful bowling from the Player of the Match, Steele Grooteman. The spinner kept the visitors tied down, conceding only 17 runs in 10 overs, while bagging four wickets.

It wasn’t until Kruyshaar’s arrival in the middle that Boys High was able to push on to a respectable total. He and Victor Louw (40) shared a 78-run eighth-wicket partnership, which lifted the visitors beyond the 200-run mark.

KES stumbled out of the blocks in their reply, losing Tiago Dias and Luke Clark in the first 11 overs. When Gordon joined Urav Mukhija in the middle, the pair stabilised the innings with a 70-run third-wicket partnership. That was the platform they needed to go on to victory.

Noordheuwel vs Northcliff

At Noordheuwel, Wander Roolvink stood tall and bashed an unbeaten 58-ball 80 to lead the hosts to an emphatic eight-wicket triumph over Northcliff.

Jack Woolard, the Northcliff captain, thought batting first would help his side to put Nories under pressure. That didn’t work out well. The hosts made effective use of the pitch and the conditions to bowl out Northcliff for only 154 in 36.4 overs.

Ntokozo Tshabalala, the lone Northcliff batsman to go beyond the 30-run mark, scored a patient 47 from 64 balls.

The rest of the visitors’ batting lineup struggled to grab a foothold, and only Caleb Henenne made it beyond the teens. Two more reached double figures, but the rest fell for single-digit scores.

Noordheuwel didn’t stick around, chasing Northcliff’s 154 with zest. They charged to 158/2 after only 16 overs to bag an emphatic eight-wicket win.

Roolvink led the charge with his unbeaten half-century and shared a dominant 123-run opening stand with Stephan Jooste that took only 12 overs. Jooste was out just three runs shy of a half-century.

Northcliff did not do themselves any favours by conceding 20 extras.

Summarised Scorecards

Jeppe 298/10 (Aiden Reyneke 100, Vegas Scott 76; Jason Rowles 2/36, Roberto Mariano 2/38, Christopher Emslie 2/83). St David’s 299/7 (Michael Smithyman 104*, Jason Rowles 70; Shreshth Kumar 3/65, Lincoln Casais 2/33, Reza Ayob 2/55). St David’s won by three wickets.

Pretoria Boys High 244/8 (Louis Kruyshaar 80*, Victor Louw 40; Steele Grooteman 4/17, Abdullah Mohammed 2/46). KES 246/4 (Troy Gordon 93*, Urav Mukhija 56; Jaydon Knott-Craig 1/40, Euan Gottfried 1/43). KES won by six wickets.

Northcliff 154/10 (Ntokozo Tshabalala 47, Caleb Henenne 20; Reney van den Berg 3/20, JD Bezuidenhout 1/26). Noordheuwel 158/2 (Wander Roolvink 80, Stephan Jooste 47; Regan van der Walt 1/39, Oliver Vermaak 0/24). Noordheuwel won by eight wickets.

Tiago Dias stayed calm and displayed nerves of steel to shepherd King Edward VII (KES) to a nerve-wracking four-wicket victory over Jeppe in the Gauteng Lions‘ regional final of the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two tournament

Friday afternoon’s thriller, played at St Stithians’ Dlamini Oval appeared to be smooth ride to the title for KES until that narrative was flipped on its head in sensational fashion by the best over any schoolboy bowler has enjoyed in the 20-over format in South Africa.

Matthew Bromley, the KES captain, chose to put his trust in his bowlers when he won the toss and his seven-man attack performed tidily to restrict Jeppe to 141/8 from their 20 overs.

KES, then, appeared to be on course for a comfortable victory until Keegan Cockburn almost reversed the outcome with a brilliant exhibition of death-bowling, which sent five batsmen packing off five balls. Amid the mayhem, Dias stood firm and delivered a superb unbeaten half-century to steer KES to 145/6 and victory.

Earlier in the day, KES trounced Steyn City by 55 runs in the semifinals. In that fixture, Dias played a supporting role while Luke Clark notched a half-century to spearhead KES to an unassailable 216/8. They then limited Steyn City to 161/8 in reply.

In the title game, Clark fell early, but Dias took charge, slamming seven fours and three sixes in a match-winning 77 from 56 balls. Dias and Clark put on 27 for the opening wicket before Dias and Troy Gordon (46) combined for 105 runs.

Thanks to Dias’s aggressive striking, KES was consistently ahead of the required run rate. However, things almost went spectacularly pear-shaped for them when Ryan Young, the Jeppe captain, threw the ball to Cockburn to bowl the penultimate over. Despite not taking any wickets in his previous three overs, Cockburn had been in good form.

Not even in his wildest dreams, though, could Young have hoped for a better response. In jaw-dropping fashion, Cockburn ripped through KES, sending Gordon, Connor Fourie, Matthew Bromley, Wade McQuinn, and Abdullah Mohammed packing from consecutive deliveries, which saw KES tumbling from 132/1 to 132/6.

Dias, though, doggedly stuck to the task in front of him, scoring 10 of the 12 runs that KES still required to see his team to a four-wicket win.

Cockburn also starred for Jeppe in their semi-final clash with St John’s College earlier in the day, capturing 3/7 from only 2.3 overs as St John’s College was knocked over for only 78 in 14.3 overs.

What appeared to be a routine run chase proved to be anything but that. It took Jeppe until the last over of their innings to claw their way to 79/9 and, thus, book their place in the final against KES.

Summarised Scorecards

Final

Jeppe 141/8 (Vegas Scott 28, Lincoln Casias 25; Abdullah Mohammed 2/14, Connor Kuijers 1/19). KES 145/6 (Tiago Dias 77*, Troy Gordon 46; Keegan Cockburn 5/17, Goolam Ahmed 1/34). KES won by four wickets.

Semifinals

KES 216/8 (Luke Clark 53, Steele Grooteman 41; Kurt Losch 2/27, Max Burroughes 2/31). Steyn City 161/8 (Murray Leith 36, Joshua Michau 25*; Abdullah Mohammed 2/30, Connor Kuijers 2/31). KES won by 55 runs.

St John’s 78/10 (Nkosana Sibiya 17, Joshua Hall 15; Keegan Cockburn 3/7, Shreshth Kumar 3/13). Jeppe 79/9 (Ethan Elliott 18, Phomello Sekopane 16; David Ireland 3/23, Nkosana Sibiya 2/3, Ethan Robinson 2/12). Jeppe won by one wicket.

Tiago Dias and Murray Leith were in impeccable form as they batted King Edward VII (KES) and Steyn City School to comprehensive victories over Fourways High and Hoërskool Noordheuwel in their Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two matches on Wednesday afternoon.

KES vs Fourways High

Opening batsman Dias conducted a clinic on keeping the ball on the turf as he slashed his way to an unbeaten century and led KES to 281/1.

Abdullah Mohammed then turned the ball square on his way to a five-wicket haul as KES hurried Fourways High out for only 46 runs in 15.1 overs, thus scoring a mammoth 236-run win.

Nathan Malherbe, the Fourways High captain, called correctly at the toss and elected to bowl first at the John Hurry Oval, at KES. He was unprepared for the blitz that ensued. Dias bashed 13 fours on his way to an unbeaten 100 from a mere 57 balls.

His opening partner, Luke Clark, was in an even more unforgiving mood. He tallied 98 and only 24 of those came from running between the wickets. The other 74 came from boundaries. He blitzed eight fours and seven sixes in an aggressive 41-ball stay and together he and Dias shared a 169-run opening stand.

Troy Gordon, batting third, didn’t miss out either, even though he faced only 24 deliveries. He delivered controlled brutality, smashing four sixes and seven fours in a rapid fire 67 not out, which included an unbroken 112-run second-wicket partnership with Dias.

When Fourways High batted, Steele Grooteman didn’t allow them to settle. The spinner accounted for the visitors’ openers before Mohammed dismantled the Fourways’ batting order by snaring 5/8 in only three overs.

His haul included a hat-trick in the 11th over when he sent Fourways’ captain Malherbe, Aidan Fish, and Yolani Majozini packing.

Noordheuwel vs Steyn City

Steyn City proved that their victory over St Stithians on Tuesday was no fluke by following it up with a four-wicket win over Hoërskool Noordheuwel on Wednesday.

Steyn City won the toss, elected to bowl first, and kept Noordheuwel to 159/5 in their 20 overs.

Then, Murray Leith took control of their run chase with a splendid half-century to see Steyn City to 163/6 and victory with eight balls to spare.

Wander Roolvink led Noordheuwel with a 49-ball 65 that included six fours and two sixes. However, his half-century was trumped by Leith’s 71 from 48 deliveries. Unlike Roolvink, he didn’t hit a single six, but he stroked seven fours.

Leith got Steyn City’s run chase underway with a 69-run opening partnership with Matthew Barbour, who made 25. After Barbour’s exit, Leith held things together while his next three partners faltered.

When his innings came to an end, after 16 overs, Steyn City had reached 133/5. By then, though, they had victory in their sights.

Gideon Coetzee was the most successful bowler in the match, capturing 3/29 to help set up Steyn City for victory. His haul included accounting for Nories‘ hard-hitting duo of Dian Taaljard and Roolvink, while he also added the wicket of JJ Basson.

Summarised Scorecards

KES 281/1 (Tiago Dias 100*, Luke Clark 98, Troy Gordon 67*; Alex Heyns 1/49, Aiden Fish 0/17). Fourways High 46/10 (Nathan Malherbe 21, Dylan Coulentianos 12; Abdullah Mohammed 5/8, Steele Grooteman 2/10). KES won by 236 runs.

Noordheuwel 159/5 (Wander Roolvink 65, Reney van der Berg 24; Gideon Coetzee 3/29, Kurt Losch 1/27). Steyn City 163/6 (Murray Leith 71, Matthew Barbour 25; Gerhard Roolvink 2/31, MJ Kritzinger 1/17). Steyn City won by four wickets.