Author: cschiwanza

Free State powerhouses, Eunice and Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje were unbeaten after Friday’s action at the Balling Hockey Festival in Bethlehem.

The festival kicked off with two games on Thursday and then hit full throttle on Friday, with 10 matches being played at the Voortrekker Astro and New Horizon College.

On Thursday evening, St Anne’s recorded a narrow 3-2 victory over the hosts, Voortrekker, after an entertaining end-to-end encounter that offered spectators insight into what to expect over the next three days.

The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC) registered their first victory of the festival, shortly afterwards, with a 4-2 win over Union High School.

Coach Morne Odendaal believes his St Anne’s side is on a path to becoming one of the best teams in the country and they showed their intentions to achieve that status with a second win in as many matches when they overcame Sasolburg 2-0. They were aiming to make it three in three. However, they ran into an inspired Oranje outfit and went down 0-1.

Oranje’s victory over St Anne’s came on the back of a high-scoring 5-3 win over Menlopark as Gys van Schalkwyk‘s charges opened with successive victories.

Eunice enjoyed their Friday outings, scoring four goals and conceding none. Coach Nika Coertzen’s side produced polished performances against TWC and St John’s DSG, winning those contests 3-0 and 1-0 respectively.

Menlopark was given a good run for their money when they took on St Mary’s DSG Kloof. They bounced back from their defeat against Oranje to emerge with a 3-2 win from a hotly contested afternoon clash. The Pretoria school showed their mettle by hanging on to win despite successive games against two top-ranked outfits.

Voortrekker bounced back from their loss to St Anne’s in the festival opener and held their own when they went up against Noordheuwel and Our Lady of Fatima, with both matches finishing in 1-1 draws. They will be eager to improve on those showings to give their supporters something to cheer when they go up against Menlopark on Saturday.

Spectators can also look forward to a mouthwatering contest between Eunice and St Mary’s Kloof on Saturday morning.

RESULTS

Thursday

St Anne’s 3-2 Voortrekker
TWC 4–2 Union

Friday

Witteberg 4-1 Union
St Anne’s 2-0 Sasolburg
Eunice 3-0 TWC
Oranje 5-3 Menlopark
Oranje 2nd XI 2-2 St Dominic’s
Goudveld 0-8 St John’s DSG
Noordheuwel 1-1 Voortrekker
Oranje 1-0 St Anne’s
St Mary’s Kloof 2-3 Menlopark
Monument 0-1 TWC
Our Lady of Fatima 1-1 Voortrekker
Eunice 1-0 St John’s DSG

Fixtures

Saturday, 1 March

06:30 – St Anne’s vs Goudveld
07:25 – Sasolburg vs St Dominic’s Boksburg
08:20 – Oranje 1 vs St John’s
09:15 – Eunice vs St Mary’s DSG Kloof
10:10 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Monument
11:05 – TWC vs Goudveld
12:00 – Voortrekker vs Menlopark
12:00 – Orange 2 vs Union (New Horizon)
12:55 – Noordheuwel vs Witteberg
12:00 – Oranje 2 vs Union
13:50 – Eunice vs Our Lady of Fatima
14:25 – Goudveld vs Sasolburg (New Horizon)
14:45 – St John’s DSG vs Menlopark
15:40 – Monument vs Oranje 1
16:35 – BVHS vs TWC
16:50 – Witteberg vs St Dominic’s Boksburg (New Horizon)
17:30 – Noordheuwel vs St Mary’s Kloof

Sunday, 2 March

06:30 – Union vs St Dominic’s Boksburg
06:30 – Oranje 2 vs Witteberg (New Horizon)
08:10 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Oranje 1
09:05 – Sasolburg vs Monument
10:00 – St Dominic’s vs St John’s
10:55 – Eunice vs Noordheuwel
11:50 – TWC vs Menlopark
12:45 – Oranje 1 vs St Mary’s Kloof
14:25 – Oranje 2 vs Goudveld

Two age group events – u14 and u16 – will be run concurrently with the u19 competition with most matches being played at New Horizon College.

Juandré Verwey claimed a masterful five-wicket haul to lead Helpmekaar College to an emphatic 45-run win over King Edward VII School (KES) in the final of the Johnny Waite Trophy at the University of Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon.

It was the first time in the history of Helpmekaar that the school had secured the prestigious T20 title.

The toss went Helpies‘ way and Kyle Swanepoel, their captain, elected to bat first.

Helpmekaar’s top seven struggled to get going, but Kevin Oliver then played an inspired innings to lift them to 117 all out in 18 overs. Verwey was in fine form with the ball, and he saw to it that the KES batsmen never settled. In just 15.5 overs, they were dismissed for only 72.

He was introduced into the attack in the fifth over, but it cost him seven runs, which included two wides. Four overs later, Swanepoel threw Verwey the ball again with KES on 47/3 and that changed the complexion of the match.

Verwey opened the over with a wicket and closed it with another one. That double strike destroyed the momentum KES had been trying to build.

In his next over, the 12th, Verwey struck again, pulling off a caught and bowled to get rid of Khwezi Nyamathe. Verwey’s last over, the 14th of the KES innings, featured another two wickets. He finished with a match-winning five wickets for 17 runs from four overs.

Henno Steyn, the next best of the Helpmekaar bowlers, returned two wickets for 10 runs from two overs.

Only Tiago Dias, who scored 25 from 21 balls, batting at three for KES, made it beyond the teens. In fact, Zieg Roos, with 14 from 18, was the only other batsman to move beyond single figures.

Helpmekaar had their own struggles when batting first, losing three wickets in the powerplay, as the KES bowling attack took control. Anthony Stone and Heinrich Minnaar attempted to stabilise matters, but their fifth-wicket partnership was worth only 21 runs. Later in the innings, Helpmekaar’s highest partnership came when Kevin Oliver and Xander Jackson combined to score 25 runs for the eighth wicket.

As he is wont to do, Oliver put on a show while Jackson watched from the other end. In just 28 balls, he struck three sixes and two fours and finished with 41, easily the highest individual score of the match.

Three KES bowlers – Wade McQuinn, Christian Sabela, and Luke Clark – returned identical figures, all picking up two wickets for 16 runs from three overs. Matthew Burgess also claimed two wickets but was a touch on the expensive side.

Scorecards

Helpmekaar 117/10 (Kevin Oliver 41, Anthony Stone 15, Luke Clark 2/16, Christian Sabela 2/16, Wade McQuinn 2/16). KES 72/10 (Tiago Dias 23, Zieg Roos 14, Juandré Verwey 5/17, Henno Steyn 2/10). Helpmekaar won by 45 runs.

All roads lead to Bethlehem, where one of the most anticipated events on the hockey calendar, the 11th edition of the Balling Hockey Festival, kicks off on Thursday. The showpiece runs until Sunday, 2 March.

Matches will be contested at the BVHS Astro and New Horizon College.

“With each passing year, the festival grows in both scale and competitiveness, drawing some of the best school teams from across the region,” festival director, Emile Odendaal, said ahead of the event.

This year, 16 schools will be in action across four days. Parents and spectators can expect a higher level of hockey, Odendaal reckoned. What began as a friendly competition has evolved into a fiercely contested festival where the level of play has reached new heights.

“Elite athletes, dedicated coaching staff, and state-of-the-art facilities have set the competition down a path of continuous improvement, making it more exciting for fans, players, and schools,” Odendaal explained.

St Anne’s Diocesan College will kick off the proceedings when they tackle Voortrekker on Thursday at 16:00. That match will be followed by a tussle between The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC) and Union High at 17:00. Both ties will be played at Voortrekker.

Perennial powerhouses Oranje, Eunice, and St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) will take to the Astro on Friday morning. However, they will not be the only sides that bear watching. St Anne’s made waves last year and played their way to a Fairtree Super 12 invitation. TWC could also give their opposition a good run for their money.

The Pietermaritzburg school recently brought Odendaal, the festival director, on board as their head coach. The experienced gaffer is keen to help his new side take the next step from being a solid outfit to being one of the best in the region and the country.

TWC has developed a reputation for putting in workmanlike performances at festivals and tournaments without quite making it to the top spot. They’re aiming to change that narrative.

“This year marks a new chapter for Wykeham as they bring in a fresh face to their coaching staff, Emile Odendaal. The school has made a strategic move to recruit the highly experienced and well-regarded coach, who is determined to elevate the school’s performance to the next level,” a statement from TWC read.

Odendaal is known for having turned several underperforming teams into top teams in the past. TWC is hoping he helps transform their fortunes, too. The Balling Festival is the first step they are taking with Odendaal. It will be a challenging starting point.

“The festival is more than just a sporting event. It’s an opportunity for the next generation of athletes to showcase their skills, make lifelong friendships, and engage in healthy competition. With top-tier schools and rising stars, the 11th edition of the festival is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet,” Odendaal said.

FIXTURES

Thursday, 27 February

16:00 – 17:00 St Anne’s vs Voortrekker
17:00 – 18:00 TWC vs Union

Friday, 28 February

07:30 – Witteberg vs Union
08:25 – St Anne’s vs Sasolburg
09:20 – Eunice vs TWC
10:15 – Oranje 1 vs Menlopark
11:10 – Oranje 2 vs St Dominic’s Boksburg
12:05 – Goudveld vs St John’s DSG
13:00 – Noordheuwel vs Voortrekker
13:55 – Oranje 1 vs St Anne’s
14:50 – St Mary’s DSG Kloof vs Menlopark
15:45 – Monument vs TWC
16:40 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Voortrekker
17:35 – Eunice vs St John’s DSG

Saturday, 1 March

06:30 – St Anne’s vs Goudveld
07:25 – Sasolburg vs St Dominic’s Boksburg
08:20 – Oranje 1 vs St John’s
09:15 – Eunice vs St Mary’s DSG Kloof
10:10 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Monument
11:05 – TWC vs Goudveld
12:00 – Voortrekker vs Menlopark
12:00 – Orange 2 vs Union (New Horizon)
12:55 – Noordheuwel vs Witteberg
12:00 – Oranje 2 vs Union
13:50 – Eunice vs Our Lady of Fatima
14:25 – Goudveld vs Sasolburg (New Horizon)
14:45 – St John’s DSG vs Menlopark
15:40 – Monument vs Oranje 1
16:35 – BVHS vs TWC
16:50 – Witteberg vs St Dominic’s Boksburg (New Horizon)
17:30 – Noordheuwel vs St Mary’s Kloof

Sunday, 2 March

06:30 – Union vs St Dominic’s Boksburg
06:30 – Oranje 2 vs Witteberg (New Horizon)
08:10 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Oranje 1
09:05 – Sasolburg vs Monument
10:00 – St Dominic’s vs St John’s
10:55 – Eunice vs Noordheuwel
11:50 – TWC vs Menlopark
12:45 – Oranje 1 vs St Mary’s Kloof
14:25 – Oranje 2 vs Goudveld

Two age group events – u14 and u16 – will be run concurrently with the u19 competition with most matches being played at New Horizon College.

Zach Williamson smashed a fine half-century to help Clifton School clinch a 40-run win over St Benedict’s College in their Standard Bank Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) T20 clash at Cornwall Hill College on Sunday afternoon.

The toss went Clifton’s way, and the KwaZulu-Natal side elected to bat first. They dominated the St Benedict’s bowlers, batting at almost 10 runs an over, on their way to 194/5. St Benedict’s struggled to produce substantial partnerships in their run chase and were limited to 154/7 in their 20 overs.

Clifton’s innings was already more than halfway through when Williamson arrived at the crease in the 11th over, following the dismissal of captain Tim Saulez. In just 31 balls, he creamed three fours and two sixes on his way to a hard-hitting 56.

Together with Hayden Drieselman, Williamson added 91 runs for the fourth wicket. It took them only 54 balls and proved to be a turning point in the match. Drieselman remained at the crease until the final delivery of the innings, scoring 43 runs from 36 balls.

It was thanks to wicketkeeper/batsman Lawson Dinsdale and Tim Saulez that Williamson and Drieselmann were able to go after the Bennies‘ bowlers. They put on 47 off only 25 balls for the second wicket. Then, Saulez and Drieselman added 33 for the third.

Facing a massive victory target, St Benedict’s showed good intent early on in their run chase. Clayton Horlick and Matt Feiertag made a rollicking start, making 31 from 22 balls for the first wicket. Horlick and Ed Smith kept the momentum going in a short partnership that lasted only eight balls but delivered 17 runs.

It was always going to be a tall order to meet the required run rate, however, and St Benedict’s, except for a brief period between 10th and 13th overs, found themselves off the pace. Horlick and Alex Johnston made it interesting by adding 62 runs from 35 balls, but Bennies’ challenge fell away after Horlick was dismissed for a well-played 77 from 40 deliveries, which had included eight fours and two sixes.

St Benedict’s needed someone to take over from Horlick, but Shiraz Perumal struck twice in the 15th over and the Bedfordview boys were unable to recover.

Perumal was Clifton’s most successful bowler, snapping up three wickets for 30 runs from four overs, while Blake Johnson kept the St Benedict’s batsmen at bay, knocking over two for 20 from his four overs.

St John’s College vs Helpmekaar Kollege

At St John’s College, in Johannesburg, a rivalry that has produced some fantastic clashes in recent times was reprised, with Helpmekaar Kollege taking on St John’s. They delivered another nail-biting game.

Kyle Swanepoel, the Helpmekaar captain, won the coin flip and opted to bat first. Momentum shifted back and forth, with Helpies finishing on 213/9 after their 50 overs.

St John’s mounted a spirited run chase and came within touching distance of victory but were bowled out for 209 in 49.5 overs, thanks to some brilliant bowling by the visitors when the game was on the line.

Anrich Liebenberg played a key knock for Helpmekaar, scoring an important 39 off 61 deliveries and sharing in a 36-run second-wicket partnership with Zander Neethling, who matched him as the visitors’ highest scorer, with 39 runs, too. Aiden Pretorius, in at four, contributed a handy 32 off 67 deliveries.

Malan du Plessis was the pick of the bowlers for St John’s, claiming four wickets for 35 runs in 10 overs, while Nkosana Sibiya and Alec Loveland picked up a stick each.

St John’s made decent progress in their run pursuit and appeared to have matters under control. Midway through the home side’s 50 overs, Liebenberg was introduced into their Helpmekaar attack, but he went for 11 runs from two overs. Skipper Kyle Swanepoel turned to Liebenberg once again in the 42nd over.

This time, he enjoyed immediate success, dismissing Connor van der Walt with the first delivery of his new spell. Then, in his next over, the 44th, he captured two wickets in four balls, getting rid of Ethan Robinson and Alec Loveland.

At the start of the final over, St John’s required seven runs to win, with Herman Basson and Aiden Barberrini at the crease. Liebenberg rose to the occasion to see his side to a heart-in-mouth four-run win. He firstly executed a run-out to account for Basson and, then, three balls later, sent Barberrini packing.

Liebenberg finished with four wickets for 27 runs from 6.5 overs to go with his crucial batting contribution of 39, while Juandré van Wyk, also, bowled well, knocking over two wickets for 20 runs in six overs.

The home team’s captain Alec Loveland put up a strong fight for St John’s, with a patient 57 from 81 deliveries. Three other batsmen – Connor van der Walt, Nkosana Sibiya, and Herman Basson made it into the twenties.

Scorecards

Clifton College 194/5 (Zach Williamson 56, Hayden Campbell 43, Ed Smith 2/32, Clayton Horlick 1/9). St Benedict’s College 154/7 (Clayton Horlick 77, Alex Johnson 18, Shiraz Perumal 3/30, Blake Johnson 2/20). Clifton won by 40 runs.

Helpmekaar 213/9 (Zander Neethling 39, Anrich Liebenberg 39, Malan du Plessis 4/35, Nkosana Sibiya 1/13). St John’s 209/10 (Alec Loveland 57, Connor van der Walt 26, Anrich Liebenberg 4/27, Juandré van Wyk 2/20). Helpmekaar won by four runs.

Daniel Jakins scored a superb 47 and Franco Klopper recorded a four-wicket haul as Kingswood College beat Kearsney College by 17 runs in a Standard Bank Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) T20 match at St Alban’s College on Sunday morning.

At Cornwall Hill College, Bishops delivered a good all-round team performance to score a four-wicket victory over St Andrew’s College in another T20 tie.

Kingswood won the toss, elected to bat first, and put together a total of 108 in 19.5 overs. Franco Klopper, then, led the charge for Kingswood with the ball, as coach Andrew Birch’s charges bowled Kearsney out for only 91 in 18.2 overs.

Jakins and Chris Zimmerman got Kingswood’s innings underway with a 38-run opening stand, which proved to be their best partnership. Their second-highest came from the ninth-wicket pair of Jakins and James Meyer, who added a vital 23 runs.

The opening pair were also the only Kingswood batsmen to make it into double figures. Jakins held his side’s innings together with his 49-ball 47, which kept him at the crease until the 19th over when he was caught and bowled by James Bishop. Zimmerman’s contribution was an invaluable 23 from 19 deliveries.

Rivaan Moodley and Daniel Miskey bowled well for Kearsney. Moodley, who captured 5/25 in a win over St John’s College (Harare) on Saturday, snared four wickets for 15 runs in four overs and Miskey bagged three wickets for 27 runs from 3.5 overs.

David Louden and Jack Collett, Kingswood’s new ball opening pair, saw to it that Kearsney’s batsmen did not establish themselves early in their run chase. They took a combined four wickets in the powerplay, which left the Botha’s Hill boys’ innings on unsure footing at 27/4 after six overs.

Franco Klopper, the sixth bowler employed by Kingswood, carried on the good work done by the new ball bowlers as he ripped through Kearsney’s middle order. In just 3.2 overs, he nabbed 4/15.

Kearsney kept finding themselves stuck in a rebuilding loop and it wasn’t until Asher Hollister and Jonty Wiggett joined forces that they enjoyed any sort of substantial partnership, with the duo combining to add 29 runs for the sixth wicket. That, unfortunately for Kearsney, was as good as it got. Daniel Miskey and Michael Groom, with 22 for the ninth wicket, were next best.

Jakins followed up on his decisive innings with a solid spell of bowling, claiming one for 20 from four overs, removing Miskey, Kearsney’s third-highest individual run scorer, for 19.

At Cornwall Hill, Bishops won the toss and elected to field first. The Cape Town school was outstanding in the field, executing three brilliant run-outs as they restricted St Andrew’s College to a gettable 147/6 from their 20 overs.

With three of their top four batsmen making significant scores at better than a run a ball, Bishops secured the win with 11 balls to spare, finishing on 150/6.

Adnaan Lagadien put his experience on full display as he slammed a 21-ball 40 at the top of the order. The South Africa u19 batsman’s aggressive effort provided Bishops with a solid foundation from which to build. He also shared in two impactful partnerships: a 35-run opening stand with Samuel Stavely-Alexander, and a 27-run second-wicket stand with his captain, James Robb-Quinlan.

Robb-Quinlan picked up from where Lagadien left off and partnered Waco Bassick in a 48-run third-wicket partnership from 40 balls. Like Lagadien, Robb-Quinlan was dismissed for 40. He faced 34 balls and struck one four and three sixes. Bassick contributed 28 runs from 24 balls.

Earlier in the day, Oliver Johns had clubbed 44 runs from 27 deliveries to help St Andrew’s post 147/6. He arrived at the crease in the second half of the Makhanda side’s innings, following Sam Scheckter’s dismissal in the 12th over, and gave College’s batting effort a big boost, smashing four fours and three sixes.

Luke de Klerk was on fire for Bishops during that period and caused a collapse. It began when he sent Myles Sansom‘s bails flying. Then, he clean-bowled Scheckter, too, before running out Ben Scharges. De Klerk finished with two wickets for 15 runs from four overs.

Johns helped St Andrew’s recover with a 67-run fifth-wicket partnership with Benjamin Coventry. However, a lack of substantial stands on either side of that effort left St Andrew’s vulnerable to a good run chase, and Bishops produced one.

Scorecards

Kingswood 108/10 (Daniel Jakins 47, Chris Zimmerman 23, Rivaan Moodley 4/15, Daniel Miskey 3/27). Kearsney 91/10 (Asher Hollister 23, Jonty Wiggett 22, Franco Klopper 4/15, Jack Collett 2/13). Kingswood won by 17 runs.

St Andrew’s College 147/6 (Oliver Johns 47, Myles Sansom 30, Luke de Klerk 2/15, Michael Kruiskamp 1/35). Bishops 150/6 (Adnaan Lagadien 40, James Robb-Quinlan 40, Ababalwa Zingela 2/27, Sam Scheckter 2/37). Bishops won by four wickets.

 

Patrick Mouton struck a brilliant half-century to lead Kingswood College to a 21-run win over St Alban’s College in their Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) 30-overs-a-side game at St Alban’s on Saturday afternoon.

Kingswood captain Alistair Knott called correctly at the toss and elected to bat first. They had peaks and valleys on their charge to 190 all out in 29.2 overs. In reply, St Alban’s mustered 169 all out from 28.1 overs.

Mouton hit four fours and three sixes on his way to a match-winning 67 off 41 deliveries. The middle-order batsmen arrived at the crease following the fall of the first wicket in what would become a three-wicket collapse.

Kingswood’s innings began with Daniel Jakins and Franco Klopper putting on 16 runs in 24 balls for the first wicket. Then, Jakins and Knott added only three runs for the second wicket. The scoring rate increased when Jakins and Ross Thompson made 33 off 28 deliveries for the third wicket.

When Mouton arrived at the crease, Kingswood was on 59/3. Just 11 balls later, they were in deep trouble on 55/6. With Mouton leading the way, though, they worked their way out of it. He joined hands with Josh Loon and resurrected his team’s innings with a 64-ball 94-run sixth-wicket partnership, which powered the Eastern Cape side to a challenging total.

Mduduzi Mahlangu was the pick of the bowlers for St Alban’s, returning an excellent four wickets for 20 runs from his six overs. His effort to tie down Kingswood was ably supported by Liam Basch and Luke Ward, who bagged a brace of wickets each.

Unlike Kingswood, St Alban’s strung together double-digit partnerships at the top of their innings. However, the boys from Makhanda kept them in check by striking just when it appeared those partnerships might become costly. Nonetheless, the home side made solid progress, with the first three wickets producing a combined 58 runs from 62 balls.

Things looked better for St Alban’s when Jesse Eckhard joined Basch in the middle. They stitched together a 56-run partnership in 49 balls during which Basch scored 40 of his 71 runs.

St Alban’s needed a couple more telling contributions to see them through to victory, but they never materialised. Basch and Eckhard’s stand proved to be the highlight of the hosts’ innings, which petered out after it was broken.

Franco Klopper led the Kingswood attack with two wickets for 13 runs from 3.1 overs. Josh Loon and Sinawo Bakula also removed two batsmen each to help their team to victory.

A decision by St John’s College (Harare) captain Connor Lovatt to send Kearsney College in to bat didn’t work out. The KZN side posted a useful 236 all out and then bowled out St John’s for only 130 to score a big 106-run win.

Cole Young was the mainstay of the Kearsney innings, smashing six fours and three sixes in his innings of 62 from only 52 balls. Up front, the openers, Rivaan Moodley and Jason De Gryse, shared a 64-run stand in just over 10 overs. Moodley made 36 from 48 and De Gryse, Kearsney’s captain, weighed in with a run-a-ball 35, which featured three sixes and three fours.

Hayden Saunders returned 2/24 for St John’s, while James Rawlings did a tidy job, snaring 2/29 from 10.

The Rams lost Brendan Kalunga early in their reply, but then made decent progress, with their skipper, Connor Lovatt, batting with typically brutal and efficient aggression. He bashed 50 from only 23 balls, sending four deliveries for six and another five for four, while Luca Spagnuolo weighed in with 20.

St John’s appeared to be in reasonable shape on 117/5 in the 25th over, but their challenge fell apart as leg-spinner Rivaan Moodley tore through their batting lineup. He snagged 5/25 in 8.2 overs as the Zimbabwean side slipped to 130 all out, losing their last five wickets for only 13 runs.

Scorecards

Kingswood College 190/10 (Patrick Mouton 67, Josh Loon 38, M Mahlangu 4/20, L Ward 2/30). St Alban’s College 169/10 (Liam Basch 71, K Block 21, Franco Klopper 2/13, Josh Loon 2/22). Kingswood College won by 21 runs.

Kearsney College 236/10 (Cole Young 62, Rivaan Moodley 36, Jason De Gryse 35, Daniel Miskey 24, Hayden Saunders 2/24, James Rawlings 2/29); St John’s College, Harare 130/10 (Connor Lovatt 50, Luca Spagnuolo 20, Rivaan Moodley 5/25, Litha Gonya 2/34). Kearsney College won by 106 runs.

Michaelhouse produced a solid team performance to register their second win in as many games at the Standard Bank Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) on Saturday.

Playing on Mitchell Field, in Johannesburg, ‘House scored a hard-fought 10-run victory over St John’s College in a low-scoring clash.

At St Alban’s College, St George’s bounced back from a 48-run defeat at the hands of Kingswood on Friday to record an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Woodridge, also in a 50-over game.

At St John’s, the home team won the toss and elected to field first. Their bowlers did a commendable job, bowling Michaelhouse out for 117 in 46.2 overs. However, their batsmen struggled and St John’s was dismissed for 107 in 42.2 overs.

Michaelhouse had a shaky start to their innings, losing two early wickets, which left them on 13/2 after five overs. Graydon Leslie and Kian Blignaut tried to pull off a repair job, but they added only 17 runs for the third wicket.

Leslie, then, shared a 32-run fourth-wicket stand with Michael Blignaut, which proved to be their best partnership and the boost that their innings needed.

Leslie stuck around for 42 balls and struck two fours in his 26, which was his team’s best individual effort with the bat. Only four others – Kian and Michael Blignaut, Victor North, and Radhesh Jhilmeet – reached double figures but failed to kick on.

Captain Alec Loveland led with the ball for St John’s, grabbing three wickets for 25 runs in 10 overs, while Herman Basson, Ethan Robinson, and Malan du Plessis picked up two apiece.

Unfortunately for St John’s, their top order failed to fire, with three of the top seven being dismissed without scoring, and another making only two.

Opener Nkosana Sibiya scored a good 21 off 25, while Joshua Hall showed commendable commitment, facing 84 balls for his 20. Together, they scored 31 runs for the second wicket.

Hall and Aiden Barberrini put on 32 for the fifth wicket, but only those two stands were more than single-figure affairs.

Ethan Robinson, batting ninth in the order, played a belligerent knock, scoring a run-a-ball 20 that gave the home side hope. However, that hope perished when he was the ninth man to be dismissed in the 41st over.

Radhesh Jhilmeet was the pick of the bowlers for Michaelhouse with two wickets for nine runs in 4.1 overs. Jean-Luc Rey and Luke Mitchell also bagged a brace each at higher economy rates.

At St Alban’s, the toss went Woodridge’s way and they opted to bat first. They didn’t start well and that was merely the prelude to the innings in its entirety.

In just 19.2 overs, they were skittled for 80. St George’s didn’t make a meal of things and they completed the run chase in 17 overs, finishing on 82/3 to clinch victory.

Woodridge’s innings was a trainwreck from the outset. They lost Ethan Moothoo in the first over before scoring a few runs at a slow pace thereafter. However, Jay-Reece Madatt was the only Woodridge batsman to build up any sort of momentum. He contributed a decent 37 off 46 deliveries, but his was a lone, effective batting effort.

Sonwabise Gotyana was the only other Woodridge batsman to reach double figures, contributing 11 after a 23-ball stay.

Benjamin Muzanago was the pick of the bowlers for St George’s, capturing three wickets for 17 runs in four overs. Tichaona Mharadze conceded three runs from wides but picked up two wickets with his only other deliveries.

Woodridge thought they were in the contest when Ethan Moothoo dismissed Michael Mukori for a two-ball duck in the first over of the St George’s innings. However, Jayden Petersen performed the anchor role well, scoring a patient 27 off 35 deliveries, which gave the school from Harare a solid platform for their run chase.

He was also part of two decent partnerships. The first was a 22-run second-wicket stand with Munesu Chitongo, and the second, with Tyshawn Zuze, for the third wicket, was worth 33 runs.

After Petersen’s departure, Zuze and Abhiraj Singh saw St George’s to a comfortable win with an unbroken 27-run fourth-wicket partnership.

Ethan Moothoo and Daniel Darlow were the only wicket-takers for Woodridge. Moothoo snagged two wickets for 12 runs and Darlow claimed one for 15 runs in two overs.

Scorecards

Michaelhouse 117/10 (Gradon Leslie 26, Radhesh Jhilmeet 16, Alec Loveland 3/25, Herman Basson 2/5). St John’s College 107/9 (Aiden Barberrini 30, Nkosana Sibiya 21, Radhesh Jhilmeet 2/9, Herman Basson 2/5). Michaelhouse won by 10 runs.

Woodridge College 80/10 (Jay Reece Madatt 37, Sonwabiso Gotyana 11, Benjamin Muzanago 3/17, Tichaona Mharadze 2/3). St George’s College 82/3 (Jayden Petersen 27, Tyshawn Zuze 26*, Ethan Moothoo 2/12, Daniel Darlow 1/15). St George’s won by seven wickets.

Ethan Muir and Michael Blignaut spanked brilliant half-centuries to lead Michaelhouse to a seven-run win over St Andrew’s College in their Standard Bank Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) match at St Alban’s College on Friday.

A short distance away, at Cornwall Hill College, Roberto Mariano starred with both bat and ball in St David’s Marist Inanda’s six-wicket victory over Woodridge College.

St Andrew’s won the toss and elected to bowl first. Michaelhouse, though, put their best foot forward and registered a competitive total of 142/3 on a slow and sticky pitch. Then, in the field, the KwaZulu-Natal side hit the right areas with the ball more often than St Andrew’s had and restricted the men from Makhanda to 135/9.

Muir played a captain’s knock, making a well-paced 54 off 44 balls, which included eight fours. The foundation he laid created the right conditions for Blignaut to play his shots as he recorded an outstanding unbeaten 50 off 29 deliveries. Like Muir, he struck eight fours in his half-century.

St Andrew’s drew first blood, though, when they dismissed Victor North in the first over. ‘House didn’t panic, however, and they recovered with a 68-run second-wicket partnership between Muir and Ben Heuer. Muir dominated the stand, scoring 51 of the 68 runs.

That partnership was followed by a brief 14-run stand between Muir and Blignaut, which ended in the 14th over. After Muir departed, Blignaut took charge, carting the St Andrew’s bowlers around the park.

Needing to bat at 7.15 runs per over to win, St Andrew’s made a hesitant start to their reply. They would have loved a big partnership at the top of their innings. Instead, all they managed were three partnerships that collapsed in the twenties.

Myles Sansom and William Beamish put on 22 for the first wicket. Then, Sansom and Oliver Johns added 29 runs for the second wicket. The third-wicket partnership between Sansom and Benjamin Coventry delivered 25 runs as St Andrew’s struggled to build momentum.

Rendani Nonge was brilliant with the ball for Michaelhouse. He undermined College’s response by nabbing four wickets for 23 runs from four overs. Crucially, he was well supported by Radhesh Jhilmeet, who picked up two wickets for 25 runs in three overs.

At Cornwall Hill, Woodridge won the toss, elected to bat first, and hobbled to a disappointing 65 all out in 16 overs. St David’s made light work of the modest victory target. It took them only 11.2 overs to overhaul it.

Mariano, firstly, made his mark with the ball. Samrat Basu, the St David’s captain, brought him into the attack in the 10th over, when Woodridge was on 48/2 after Christopher Emslie and Jared Stern had picked up a wicket each. It didn’t take long for Mariano to make an impact.

He struck with the third delivery of his first over, dismissing Randy Syce, who had looked good for his 12 off 20 balls. Mariano’s next two victims were Cameron Ferrant and Keagan Collett, whom he dismissed in the 12th and 14th overs respectively.

He finished with three wickets for 10 runs from three overs, with 11 of his 18 deliveries producing dot balls. Ethan Greenstein, Morteza Manack, and Jared Stern also bowled well and claimed two wickets apiece.

Woodridge’s batsmen struggled to read the pitch and Oliver Puttergill‘s brisk 17 off seven deliveries was their best return.

When St David’s replied, Mariano gave his side a solid base by clipping a quick 36 off 28 balls to get the ball rolling for the Gauteng side. He partnered three batsmen, and those partnerships included a vital 25-run third-wicket partnership with Morteza Manack, which took St David’s to the brink of victory.

Mariano fell in the ninth over, with St David’s needing only 13 runs from 11 overs to win. Manack had no problem shepherding the Sandton side to 66/4 and the win.

Randy Syce and Ethan Moothoo were the only wicket-takers for Woodridge. Syce captured two for 13 runs in four overs and Moothoo snared two for four in two overs.

Both were good returns, but not nearly enough to prevent St David’s claiming victory.

Scorecards

Michaelhouse 142/3 (Ethan Muir 54, Michael Blignaut 50*, Rhys Wilbin 2/19, Alastair de Kock 1/21). St Andrew’s College 135/9 (Myles Sansom 38, Sam Scheckler 23, Rendani Nonge 4/23, Rhadhesh Jhilmeet 2/25). Michaelhouse won by seven runs.

Woodridge College 65/10 (Oliver Puttergill 17, Randy Syce 12, Roberto Mariano 3/10, Ethan Greenstein 2/7). St David’s Marist Inanda 66/4 (Roberto Mariano 36, Morteza Manack 26, Ethan Moothoo 2/4, Randy Syce 2/13). St David’s won by six wickets.

St Andrew’s School and Kingswood College opened their Standard Bank Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) accounts with comfortable victories over St John’s College and St George’s College (Harare) respectively on Friday in Pretoria.

St Andrew’s and St John’s locked horns at Cornwall Hill College, while Kingswood and St George’s crossed swords at St Alban’s.

St George’s College won the toss and elected to bowl first. Kingswood responded by putting 119/6 on the board. The Makhanda school then restricted St George’s to only 71/7 in 20 overs to register an emphatic 48-run victory.

Kingswood did not enjoy a great start. They lost two early wickets as their batsmen struggled to adapt to the slow pitch. At the end of the powerplay, they were on 29/2 and were in need of two batsmen who could stick around long enough to stitch together a double-digit partnership.

Alistair Knott and Ross Thompson duly added 30 runs for the third wicket. Their stand helped the Eastern Province side develop a rhythm, which they carried through to the end of their innings.  Their next two partnerships added a combined 15 runs from 15 balls, but that did not negatively affect their progress.

Coach Andrew Birch‘s charges recovered with a 23-run sixth-wicket stand between Josh Loon and James Hobson, which was succeeded by an unbroken 32-run seventh-wicket partnership between Hobson and Matthew Spring.

David Louden and Jack Collett took the new ball for Kingswood and did well to bag two wickets in the powerplay to force St George’s onto the back foot. The Zimbabwean outfit batted at a slow rate and was on 21/2 after the first six overs of their reply.

The opening spells of Louden and Collet set the tone for the innings and St George’s was unable to generate enough momentum to challenge Kingswood’s total.

With Kingswood’s bowlers enjoying regular success, St George’s couldn’t put meaningful partnerships together. Their best was a 24-run seventh-wicket stand between Akash Singh and Blessing Muzanago.

Singh was the top-scorer for St George’s with 38 off 48 balls. The rest of the batting lineup perished for single-digit scores.

Louden was brilliant with the new ball for Kingswood, grabbing two wickets for 10 runs in four overs, while Daniel Jakins bagged two for 16 from his four.

About 25 minutes away, the toss went the way of St Andrew’s and Reuben van Aarde, their captain, elected to bowl first. That was a good decision. Gauteng had been subjected to rain for the past week, and that made the pitches sticky and slow.

The Saints’ bowlers made good use of the conditions to reduce St John’s to 49/5, which inhibited the Johannesburg side’s run scoring. Captain Alec Loveland led a bit of fight-back but he and his team struggled to gain a foothold in the match, and they were limited to 103/6 from their 20 overs.

St Andrews took 17.4 overs to reply with 106/5 and claim victory.

Cullen Kakora and Heindré Serfontein shared the new ball for St Andrew’s, and they kept the St John’s batsmen quiet in the powerplay, limiting them to 25/2 after the first six overs.

Alec Loveland, the top-scorer for St John’s, arrived at the crease after Malan du Plessis’ dismissal in the fifth over. He adapted well to the conditions, allowed the ball to come onto his bat, and looked in control while scoring a brisk 42 off 32 balls that featured three fours and a single six.

Loveland, though, struggled to find partners with whom to construct a substantial stand. Only one of the St John’s partnerships was worth more than 20 runs. That came when he and Aiden Barberrini (17*) combined for 35 runs for the sixth wicket. That didn’t take them far enough, however.

Serfontein was the pick of the bowlers for St Andrew’s with two wickets for 19 runs from his four overs. Johan Liebenberg and FG Botha also bagged a wicket each as they helped the Bloemfontein side take control. Cullen Kakora, with 1/11 in four overs, did a fine job for Saints.

St Andrew’s made a bright start to their chase with a 38-run opening stand between Naudé Botha and Andrew Sobiech, with Botha striking a run-a-ball 19 and Sobiech cracking a hasty 24 off 15. They were going at a brisk rate in the context of the match and the platform they laid neutralised the effects of a double strike by St John’s in the seventh over.

FG Botha (23) and Grové du Preez (25*) repaired the damage with a 30-run partnership that lifted St Andrew’s close to the finishing line.

Malan du Plessis almost single-handedly bowled St John’s back into the contest. However, he didn’t have enough runs to defend. Still, his return of three wickets for 12 runs from four overs was exceptional.

Scorecards

Kingswood College 119/6 (James Hobson 26*, Alistair Knott 20, Benjamin Muzanago 3/24, Tyrelle Zuze 2/14). St George’s College 71/7 (Akash Singh 38, Michael Mukori 9, David Louden 2/10, Daniel Jakins 2/16) Kingswood won by 48 runs.

St John’s College 103/6 (Alec Loveland 42, Aiden Barberrini 17, Heindré Serfontein 2/19, FG Botha 1/19). St Andrew’s School 106/5 (Grové du Preez 25, Andrew Sobiech 24, Malan du Plessis 3/12, Ethan Robinson1/23). St Andrew’s won by five wickets.

Morteza Manack spanked a brilliant unbeaten century in St David’s Marist Inanda’s 85-run (DLS) victory over Queens High School when the two sides crossed swords at St David’s on Saturday.

As happened with most matches played in the Gauteng Lions region, the game included several stoppages due to rain.

St David’s lost the toss and were sent in to bat first. No problem! The hosts raced to 285/2 in their 37-over innings.

Queens’ innings was truncated to only 27 overs, and they were chasing a stiff Duckworth-Lewis-Stern adjusted total of 263. Three more overs were later lost to the elements and Queens, eventually, raised 177/5 in 24 overs.

Manack was in a belligerent mood, bludgeoning seven fours and nine sixes in his unbeaten 106 from only 51 deliveries. St David’s had laid a firm foundation of 139/2 when he arrived at the crease. That total included a 104-run opening stand between Roberto Mariano and Armaan Manack.

Both openers registered half-centuries, with Mariano scoring a fluent 67 off 83 balls, while Armaan Manack raced to 54 off 52 deliveries. Manack was the first to depart in the 19th over. Six over later, Mariano was back in the dugout.

St David’s skipper Samrat Basu joined forces with Morteza Manack in the 25th over and they shared an unbroken 146-run third-wicket partnership. Basu’s contribution was 42 not out from 41 balls.

Dimpho Sefoli and Precili Molapisi gave the Queens’ run chase a good start, batting at a decent clip to put on 102 for the first wicket in 13.4 overs. After Molapisi’s departure, though, they lost momentum.

Their cause was further undermined by Hayden Campbell’s double strike in the 20th over, which accounted for Bafana Mthunzi and Katlego Sekopane. From there, the Queens’ challenge petered out.

Campbell was the pick of the bowlers for St David’s with two wickets for 19 runs in three overs. Jared Stern and Morteza Manack took some stick but finished with 1/43 from six overs and 1/38 from five, respectively.

Scorecards

St David’s Marist Inanda 285/2 (Morteza Manack 106*, Roberto Mariano 67, Bafana Mthunzi 2/43, Katlego Sekopane 0/33). Queens High School 177/5 (Dimpho Sefoli 69, Precili Molapi 38, Hayden Campbell 2/19, Morteza Manack 1/43). St David’s won by 85 runs (DLS).