Author: cschiwanza

Aiden Barberrini struck an unbeaten 49 to help propel St John’s College to a 24-run (DLS) win at St Stithians College on Saturday afternoon in a match marred by stoppages due to lightning.

Almost 20 minutes away, Cade Bradley carved a brilliant half-century to set up Northcliff for a surprise 56-run home victory over Helpmekaar.

At Saints, the toss went St Stithians’ way and their captain, Liam Mudenda, asked the visitors to bat first. St John’s innings was a stop-start affair because of the interruptions for lightning. After 40.1 overs, they finished with 147/4.

The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern table was consulted and Saints were set an adjusted target of 188 runs in 40 overs. They were bowled out for 163 in 39.5.

It was in the 13th over of the St John’s innings that Barberrini arrived at the crease, after the dismissal of Joshua Hall. The visitors needed to stabilise their innings after losing two wickets for 12 runs in just under five overs. Barberrini, together with Nkosana Sibiya, delivered, with the duo adding 47 runs for the third wicket, the highest partnership of their innings, which left St John’s on the cusp of three figures.

Barberrini was also involved in the second-highest St John’s partnership of 31, which he shared with his captain, Alec Loveland.

Tom Collins and Akhil Challa prevented the visitors from achieving more significant partnerships. Challa claimed two wickets for 27 runs in 10 overs, while Collins sent down nine overs and nabbed two wickets for 28 runs.

The St Stithians’ run chase ran into troubled waters early on, when they lost two wickets in the powerplay. Tom Collins and Jason Joiner tried to rebuild the innings, combining for a 36-run third-wicket partnership. Saints, though, lost wickets at regular intervals and the Collins and Joiner partnership turned out to be their highest.

Nicholas Baily spent the longest time in the middle as he tried to hold together the St Stithians’ innings. He was, also, looking for someone to help him see the home side through to victory. He didn’t find anyone. During his time at the crease, he partnered with six batsmen without much reward as four of them fell for single-figure scores. Baily finished with a valiant 46 off 59 balls, but his effort was in vain.

Ethan Robinson, crucially, accounted for Ombesa Matsha and Liam Mudenda, the St Stithians’ openers, on his way to three wickets for 23 runs from 7.5 overs. Herman Basson contributed two wickets for 38 runs from six overs.

In the other match, Cade Bradley appeared to be in a different class as he cracked four fours and five sixes in his 67 from 56 deliveries. His aggressive knock led Northcliff to a total of 134 all out in 29.4 overs. Helpmekaar, then, in the face of an inspired Northcliff bowling attack, mustered only 78 all out in 17.1 overs.

After being asked to bat first, Northcliff struggled to settle at the crease. They found themselves in a dire position, on 30/4 after 6.3 overs, when Bradley walked out to bat. The middle-order batsman was trying to establish himself when Northcliff lost their fifth wicket in the powerplay.

However, Bradley was undaunted, batting through 21.4 overs for his half-century. Kyle Davies and Gareth Hunkin were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.

While Northcliff made a poor start to their innings, Helpmekaar’s was worse. They lost an incredible seven wickets in the powerplay and none of their top seven made it to 10. Kevin Oliver and Xander Jackson mounted a lower-order fightback with a 24-run ninth-wicket partnership. However, that was too little, too late.

Oliver Vermaak was the destroyer-in-chief, capturing four wickets for 16 runs in six overs. He experienced outstanding support from Declan Diesel, who knocked over three wickets for 26 runs in six overs.

Scorecards

St John’s College 147/4 (Aiden Barberrini 49*, Nkosana Sibiya 31, Akhil Challa 2/27, Tom Collins 2/28). St Stithians College 163/10 (Nicholas Baily 46, Jason Joiner 27, Ethan Robinson 3/23, Herman Basson 2/38). St John’s won by 24 runs (DLS).

Northcliff High School 134/10 (Cade Bradley 67, Gareth Hunkin 19, Anrich Liebenberg 3/11, Heinrich Minnaar 3/26). Helpmekaar Kollege 78/10 (Xander Jackson 20, Kevin Oliver 18, Oliver Vermaak 4/16, Declan 3/26) Northcliff won by 56 runs.

Helpmekaar charged into the Johnny Waite Trophy final thanks to a clinical 19-run win over St John’s College in a semi-final clash played at the University of Johannesburg’s ABSA Oval on Wednesday.

Coach Willie van den Berg’s charges will go up against King Edward VII (KES) for the title after KES defeated Jeppe High School for Boys in the other semi-final.

Helpies will hope they can replicate the performance they produced the last time they met KES, which resulted in a four-run win for Kyle Swanepoel and company. However, they won’t have it easy as KES appears to be in good form.

In Wednesday’s last four clash, the toss went the way of St John’s, the defending champions. Captain Alec Loveland, the hero of their win over St Stithians in last year’s final, asked Helpmekaar to bat first on a pitch that played slow after overnight rain in Johannesburg.

The boys from Braamfontein strode out, did their best, and mustered a total of 141/7. St John’s struggled to establish themselves in their run chase and came up short, limited to 122/5 from their 20 overs.

Helpmekaar’s innings was built on the back of contributions from their top four: Kyle Swanepoel, Zander Neethling, Anrich Liebenberg, and Anthony Stone, who were the only batsmen to make it into double figures.

Swanepoel and Neethling got Helpmekaar going with a 60-run opening partnership, which turned out to be the best of their innings. The Helpmekaar captain clipped four fours on his way to 29 off 22. Neethling was more cautious. He also struck four boundaries in his 47 off 45 deliveries, which led the way for his side.

Liebenberg had just exited single figures when he lost his wicket in the 10th over, out for 11 from nine balls. Stone accumulated a valuable 32 from 27 balls and was the second-highest run-scorer for Helpmekaar.

St John’s did not have as smooth a start as their opponents, losing their first wicket in the second over with only 10 runs on the board. They struggled to find traction and, in the fourth over, found themselves two wickets down. Herman Basson and Alec Loveland steadied the ship, however, with a 55-run third-wicket partnership.

Unfortunately for St John’s, there were no substantial partnerships on either side of the pair’s stand. While they added over 50, they struggled to score at a brisk rate. Basson chewed up 47 balls for his 41 runs and Loveland faced 30 deliveries for his 22.

Malan du Plessis was the standout player for St John’s. When Helpmekaar batted, he led the wicket-taking with two wickets for 33 runs in four overs. He also starred with the bat and was the only St John’s batsman who scored at a fast pace, crunching four boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 35 off 23.

Henno Steyn was the pick of the bowlers for Helpmekaar with three wickets for 22 runs from three overs. Anrich Liebenberg and Heinrich Minnaar were the other wicket-takers with one each.

Scorecard

Helpmekaar Kollege 141/7 (Zander Neethling 47, Anthony Stone 32, Malan du Plessis 2/33, Herman Basson 1/14). St John’s College 122/5 (Herman Basson 41, Malan du Plessis 35*, Henno Steyn 3/22, Anrich Liebenberg 1/6). Helpmekaar won by 19 runs.

Steele Grooteman struck an outstanding unbeaten half-century to help steer King Edward VII School (KES) to a dominant nine-wicket win over Jeppe High School for Boys in their Johnny Waite Trophy semifinal match at Jeppe on Wednesday.

Sipho Potsane, the Jeppe captain, won the toss and elected to bat first, but that decision didn’t work out. His side struggled to build any momentum, and they scored slowly, on their way to being bowled out for only 112.

KES didn’t struggle. They made light work of the moderate total and dashed to 113/1 in 14.4 overs in reply.

Grooteman bashed five sixes and a single four on his way to an unbeaten 54 off 44 balls. He showed great control and punished bad balls when they presented themselves to guide KES to a comfortable win.

The opener spent last year scoring runs for the KES second XI and is now making the most of his opportunities in the first team. Last weekend, he scored a wonderful 47 off 60 balls in a win over Pretoria Boys High.

Grooteman started cautiously. It wasn’t until the 13th delivery of the match that he scored his first runs. Until then, he watched his opening partner, Luke Clark (23), provide KES with a decent start. After two overs, the visitors had raced to 19/0, with 17 of those runs coming off Clark’s bat and two more from extras.

Together, Grooteman and Clark shared an opening partnership of 38 runs, with Clark setting the pace.

After Clark’s dismissal, Grooteman took charge. He scored most of the runs in a match-winning unbroken 75-run second-wicket partnership with Troy Gordon, who was happy to be the foil to Grooteman’s stroke-making. His contribution was an unbeaten run-a-ball 24 runs.

Jeppe did not help their cause by conceding 12 extras, which was especially damaging while defending a low total. Franco Nortjie is usually a reliable bowler for Jeppe. He takes wickets and doesn’t concede many runs. However, against KES his radar was broken. He sent down the most expensive over of the match, conceding 16 runs, including five extras, in the seventh over.

Earlier in the day, Jeppe had kicked off proceedings with a 17-run opening partnership between Zizi Mkhize and Ethan Elliot, which chewed up 27 balls. That set the tone for the rest of their innings.

Five of Jeppe’s 11 batsmen reached double figures. Unfortunately for the hosts, only Ryan Young and Keegan Caxeiro went at a run rate above 100, with Young scoring 19 off 16 and Caxeiro 18 from 12.

Zieg Roos did an outstanding job with the new ball for KES, with his first two overs going for only two runs, which kept Jeppe’s batsmen at bay. After six overs, the home side was on 26/1. Roos finished with the highest number of dot balls, 14, in the encounter, and his four overs brought him a tidy 1/11.

However, the most successful of the KES bowlers was the Player of the Match, Steele Grooteman, who nabbed two wickets for 22 from his four overs of left-arm spin.

Connor Kuijers also bagged a brace of wickets, going for 20 runs from his three overs.

Scorecard

Jeppe 112/10 (Ryan Young 19, Keegan Caxeiro 18, Connor Kuijers 2/20, Steele Grooteman 2/22). KES 113/1 (Steele Grooteman 54*, Troy Gordon 24*, Reza Ayob 1/26, Sipho Potsane 0/19). KES won by nine wickets.

Hayden Campbell struck an outstanding half-century to inspire St David’s Marist Inanda to an emphatic 59-run victory over Monument in their Johnny Waite Trophy match at St David’s on Tuesday afternoon.

The victory was bittersweet for St David’s. Despite it being comprehensive, it turned out to be slightly less than the margin they needed to qualify for the semifinals of the competition.

King Edward VII School (KES), with whom they tied on points, will face Jeppe High School for Boys in the semis thanks to a superior net run rate.

Logan Weetman, the Monument captain, followed the wisdom of statistics when it came to the toss. Five of the past six games at the La Rosey Oval had been won by the chasing team, with only one going the way of the side that batted first. He called correctly and asked the hosts to bat first.

Early on, it looked like a good call, as St David’s stumbled, but they found their feet and galloped to 180/8.

In reply, Monument lost their way in the powerplay and never rediscovered it, fumbling their way to 74/7 in 13.4 overs. Then, the heavens opened up and rain halted play. That led to the result being calculated using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

Campbell’s aggressive innings lasted just 34 balls, during which he lashed three fours and five sixes in a brilliant 60. The hosts needed someone to pull them out of the quicksand after they found themselves in trouble on 37/4 after 5.3 overs. Three of those four wickets had fallen in eight balls.

Caleb Dos Santos closed out the fifth over with two wickets in two deliveries to send St David’s reeling. Then, Innocent Ramerafe backed up that double strike with the dismissal of Kamogelo Phiri midway through the sixth over.

Campbell and Samrat Basu steadied the ship with a 107-run fifth-wicket partnership from only 67 deliveries. Basu, the St David’s captain, belted five fours and four maximums in his 43-ball 60. Their partnership helped catapult the hosts from 144/5 after 16.4 overs to 180/8 only 20 balls later.

Jason Rowles returned to the St David’s starting lineup after his successful sojourn with the South Africa u19 side against England u19. In four Youth Test innings, he scored three half-centuries to earn himself the Player of the Series award. However, the 16-year-old didn’t impact the St David’s innings, scoring only one off eight balls.

You can’t keep a good man down, however, and Rowles made up for his batting miss with an excellent bowling performance. Taking the new ball with Christopher Emslie, it took Rowles only three balls to strike as he spun a web around the Monument batsmen.

The visitors had no answers to his guile. In his first two overs, he recorded 12 dot balls, conceded a single run via a wide delivery, and bagged two wickets. He finished with an outstanding four wickets for a single run from three overs, registering a mind-blowingly low economy rate of 0.33.

Monument’s batsmen did not fare much better against Emslie’s left-arm pace. They were on 6/3 after the powerplay, which left them requiring an unlikely 174 runs to win in 14 overs at a rate of 12.5 runs an over. Despite not taking any wickets, Emslie was almost as frugal as Rowles, conceding only three runs in two overs.

Weetman, who strode out to the middle in the third over, appeared to be facing a different bowling attack on a different surface. He was particularly destructive against Jared Stern, bludgeoning four sixes in a single over off the pacer, as he powered his way to an unbeaten 50 off 26 balls.

Ibrahim Haffejee was the only other Monument batsman to reach double figures, chipping in with a run-a-ball 15.

Scorecards

St David’s Marist Inanda 180/8 (Hayden Campbell 60, Samrat Basu 60, Innocent Ramarafe 3/24, Caleb Dos Santos 2/18). Hoërskool Monument 74/7 (Logan Weetman 50*, Ibrahim Haffejee 15, Jason Rowles 4/1, Morteza Manack 2/10). St David’’s won by 59 runs (DLS).

There were cones at cover, point, and short third man. There was another one at mid-off and one more on the off-side boundary, representing a sweeper.

The scenario was that the match was evenly poised and Cayden Wilson needed to find boundary options to help his team get some momentum going. He was facing left-arm spin.

Coach Arno Jacobs and Wilson did this a lot. They commandeered the Metro Indoor Centre in Gqeberha for a couple of hours and created real-match scenarios for Wilson to problem-solve.

“The technical stuff is easy. Anyone can do batting drills over and over, for hours. The difficult part is applying that technique to match situations,” Jacobs explained.

He preferred the indoor centre because, unlike an outdoor net, there is enough space to have fielders or items represent fielders. Earlier in the session, Wilson was practicing his off-side batting, with fielders in the ring. He had a slip, mid-off, cover, extra cover, and one of either backward point or short third. The scenario was that his team had lost early wickets, and he had to consolidate under pressure. He had done well in that phase.

Now, Wilson reassessed his field. The presence of mid-off meant that he had to loft the ball if he wanted a boundary down the ground. That carried risk. So, when the delivery arrived, instead of going onto the front foot, Wilson went down on one knee and reverse-swept the ball behind him. The stroke was so fine it beat short third as it raced to the boundary.

On 19 January 2025, Wilson employed the reverse sweep twice and was rewarded with boundaries in both instances. Those were two of five fours the 17-year-old manufactured on his way to a brilliant 69 off 46 balls, which helped Pearson High School to a victory over Grey High School in the Eastern Province and Border regional final of the Schools SA20 tournament.

“I went out of my comfort zone and played shots I don’t often play in really hot and challenging weather conditions,” Wilson shared.

*****************************************************************************************************

Cayden Wilson never hesitated if the sport involved balls of some sort. However, the balls he was most drawn to were cricket balls. By the time he turned eight, the youngster had a sizeable cricket ball collection.

“He asked for a cricket ball each time we went to the shops. He loved them so much that he often fell asleep holding one,” Ernest, Wilson’s father recalled.

Ernest did not have much of a cricket career to talk about. He played a bit in school, then indulged in some club cricket, before he dropped the game after securing gainful employment. When he realised that his son loved the sport, he resolved to support him in every way he could.

If it meant buying him all the balls he wanted, Ernest would do so. He also didn’t ask his son to settle down when the boy elected to play with a soft ball, hitting it against a door, while the rest of the family watched TV.

Father and son convened in the backyard every day after they had returned from work and school respectively. Sometimes they took their sessions to the primary school, where there were better facilities than their lawn and there was less risk to windows. However, their primary training ground was the back garden.

Their throwdowns were such an institution that their neighbours could set their clocks by them. When Cayden Wilson was around nine years old, he was gifted a bat by one of their neighbours. The boy was moving up an age group and felt his bat was too small for him.

“The neighbour said ‘I see you guys playing every day and thought Cayden might like to have this bat’,” Ernest recalled.

Father and son accepted the bat with gratitude. It was a used willow, but not too worn. Ernest, who was no wizard in bat repairs, then spent about four hours refurbishing the bat and emblazoning it with his son’s favourite stickers: Kookaburra.

The bat made such a satisfying sound when the younger Wilson middled the ball. It felt so good that he tried to hit every ball into yards five houses away. That necessitated the construction of a backyard net. Ernest undertook the project. He had no construction experience. However, where there is a will there is a way, and he erected a decent net.

Ernest and Yolande Wilson confess to never having such opportunities in their youth. Their circumstances did not allow them to have sporting dreams. They made a conscious decision to do all they could to support their children if they showed interest in any sport, without putting pressure on them to excel.

**************************************************************************************************

One of the highest compliments a coach can pay a young cricketer is to describe them as coachable. It is grand praise, a stirring tribute.

Granted, every teenage boy or girl who makes it into the first team is coachable and shows a level of dedication a few leagues ahead of everyone else. However, when a coach informs you that a player is coachable, they invoke a tone that only a trained ear can pick up – a tone that makes it clear that they are expressing something beyond words.

It was audible when Ryan Dods spoke of Cayden Wilson. It was also crystal clear when Jacobs described the youngster.

“You could always see, from the early days, that he was talented beyond his age. His batting was next level,” Dods shared.

He cast his mind back to an u10 match, when Wilson was nine years old. He watched the youngster race to a half-century at a rate quicker than the other batsmen. And before he knew what was going on, Wilson had cantered to 80, then 100. One of the coaches asked the youngster if he wanted to retire after the milestone. Wilson wanted to bat some more, and he eventually retired after he had passed the 150-run mark.

“He has always had a hunger to bat and score a lot of runs,” Dods shared. That hunger was what caught Jacobs’ eye when he started working with Wilson.

Most youngsters lose concentration if training sessions run for too long. During the lockdown, Dods had sessions with Wilson in the family’s backyard, and he always found the youngster waiting for him with a bat and balls. Sometimes he found him repairing the nets.

The Wilsons had a dog that enjoyed biting into the nets. Each time it damaged them, Wilson took it upon himself to repair them. One could see how serious he was about his cricket by the attention he paid to his repair work.

“He was always a keen cricketer. Sessions could go over an hour and Cayden would remain engaged throughout,” Jacobs reflected on those lockdown sessions.

When he and Wilson were not working on match scenarios, the coach and student discussed the game. Wilson asked questions and bounced ideas off the retired cricketer-turned-umpire. A key component of their talks was failure.

“I emphasise making good decisions on the field. However, I remind him that sometimes you can make a good decision but then get out. That’s cricket,” Jacobs shared.

The important thing is for Wilson to get into good positions and choose the right options, Jacobs said. Whatever happens after that is not in his power, and he has to learn to live with the result, good or bad.

*****************************************************************************************************

“My current role model would have to be Aiden Markram,” Wilson revealed. “There is just something about his technique that stands out for me. Also, even though he goes through a dip, he always finds a way to bounce back.

The Pearson High School star has taken a leaf out of the Aiden Markram book of resilience. He, too, has a way of bouncing back after setbacks.

In an u10 match, he was dismissed for a duck. The next day, the u11 team’s coach asked Ernest if the youngster could help make up the numbers for the side.

Wilson has never been one to go there to make up the numbers. He lives by the advice Arno Jacobs gave him. The coach told him: “Give your best all the time.”

Just before the u11 match, the coach asked for volunteers for the two opening batting slots. Wilson was the first one to shoot his hand up. He scored an unbeaten 111.

In September 2024, when Pearson faced off against Paarl Boys’ High in a declaration match. Wilson was undone by a peach of a delivery in the first innings for a single-digit score. When Pearson’s second innings came around, one of their regular openers had fallen ill. Charl van der Merwe, the 1st XI coach, asked if anyone was willing to move up the order to open the innings. Wilson put his hand up. He flayed 12 sixes and 11 fours as he charged his way to an unbeaten 129 off 57 balls in Pearson’s second innings.

“He is a fighter. He never lets anything get him down,” Ernest stated.

Wilson has amassed over 2 100 runs for the Pearson first team since making his debut at the age of 15. He recorded his maiden century in his fourth outing with the team, an outstanding 119.

“It is one of my favourite memories. I became the youngest player to score a century for the school with that ton,” Wilson explained.

The batting-allrounder might just end up as one of the leading run-scorers in the history of Pearson High School. However, he has loftier ambitions than just being a legendary Pearson cricketer.

“As any young cricketer [would love to do], I would love to represent my country one day. Obviously, though, there’s room for only so many players, so I would like to play cricket wherever I get the best opportunities at the highest level possible,” he shared.

He understands that the path will not be easy. His coaches have shared with him the demands of professional cricket. He has also learned from past international stars.

He has read Kepler Wessels‘ autobiography from cover to cover. It was a hand-me-down from Ernest. He has devoured Faf du Plessis’s and AB de Villiers’ books. He picks up lessons in every form they come to him. He is braced for the tough moments ahead.

The teenager has proved himself to be more than competent at every level. He was named the CSA u16 Player of the Week in 2023 and he represented Eastern Province at the Khaya Majola Week last year.

Reflecting on his provincial journey, he said: “I have a few highlights. One of them was when I was selected for the SA Colts side [in 2024], as well as the [Eastern Warriors] Cubs team, and then scoring an unbeaten 75 against Southern Superstars.”

A solid foundation has been laid, but Cayden Wilson is just getting started.

Thomas Collins scythed a classy unbeaten century to guide St Stithians College to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over St David’s Marist Inanda at St David’s on Saturday.

At St Benedict’s College, Aiden Pretorius bowled a brilliant spell at the death to secure a tight six-run win for Helpmekaar over Bennies.

Samrat Basu, the St David’s captain, won the toss and chose to have a bat. The hosts put together a decent effort, navigating their way to 230 all out in 48.5 overs. St Stithians, though, made short work of the run chase and raced to 231/3 in 36 overs to secure victory.

Collins, in his match-winning innings, nudged and worked the ball around for singles and twos and punished the bad balls when they were offered to him. St David’s presented eight such deliveries and he flayed three for four and lofted five over the ropes for sixes on his way to a brilliant unbeaten 101 off 107 balls.

His outstanding knock earned him the Player of the Match gong. Batting at three, he was the mainstay for Saints and was part of three crucial partnerships for the visitors. He strode to the crease in the first over and had to face the fifth delivery of his side’s innings, which he consolidated with a 59-run second-wicket partnership with his captain, Liam Mudenda. The Saints’ skipper contributed a brisk 37 off 26 deliveries.

That partnership was succeeded by a 49-run stand between Collins and Bertie Michael. Like Mudenda, Michael played a brisk knock, contributing a fluent 28-ball 32.

The visitors’ best partnership was the fourth-wicket collaboration between Collins and Nicolas Bayly. They shared an unbroken 119-run stand to shepherd St Stithians to a convincing win. Bayly ended with an unbeaten 52 runs off 51 deliveries.

Earlier in the day, when St David’s batted, Collins had played his part with the ball. He struck a crucial blow when he claimed the prized wicket of Basu in the 22nd over. The host’s captain had held the St David’s innings together with a 65-ball 51 and had just teamed up with Kamogelo Phiri.

Following Basu’s exit, Phiri struggled to find someone with whom he could form a meaningful partnership. Instead, he was left to fight a lone battle until the end, with five of the six batsmen who came in after Basu dismissed for single-digit scores. Only Hayden Campbell, with whom he shared a 59-run fifth-wicket stand, scored more than 10, making 17 off 38 balls. At the end, Phiri was left stranded just short of a century, on 96 not out from 95 balls.

Jason Joiner was the pick of the bowlers for St Stithians with four wickets for 48 runs in 9.5 overs. Collins finished with two wickets for 35 runs from 10 overs, and Nqaba Matunda also bagged a brace while conceding 30 runs from seven overs.

In Bedfordview, Aiden Pretorius put on a clinic of death-bowling to help Helpmekaar snatch a narrow six-run win over St Benedict’s. His effort helped the visitors, who had scored 236 all out in 35.3 overs after being put in bat first, to restrict St Benedict’s to 230/9 in 50 overs in reply.

Kyle Swanepoel, the Helpmekaar captain, needed a breakthrough when he first introduced Pretorius into the attack in the 30th over.

St Benedict’s was cruising along with Marco Mendes and Alex Johnston at the crease. They were in the middle of a 94-run fifth-wicket partnership that threatened to take the game away from the visitors and they remained on track as Pretorius delivered a wicketless four-over spell that cost 18 runs.

When Pretorius returned for a second spell, St Benedict’s required only 28 runs from 30 balls for victory, with five wickets in hand. Pretorius, though, made an immediate impact, dismissing Matt Feiertag with the third delivery of the 46th over. Pretorius made it two wickets in two overs when he sent Chris Burnham’s stumps cartwheeling in the 48th over.

The coup de grâce was delivered when Pretorius, bowling the last over of the innings, captured his third wicket in three overs by clean bowling Marco Mendes for 99 off 158 balls. Pretorius led the Helpmekaar bowlers with a decisive return of three wickets for 31 runs in seven overs. He was ably supported by Hanno Steyn and Juandré Verwey, who each bagged a brace of wickets.

Earlier in the day, Anthony Stone struck seven fours and a single six on his way to a quickfire 30-ball 51, which helped launch Helpmekaar to 236 all in just 35.3 overs. His knock had shades of Anrich Liebenberg‘s brisk 49 off 36 deliveries, which had preceded his innings. Zander Neethling and Heinrich Minnaar produced useful contributions, too, scoring 31 and 38 runs, respectively.

Clayton Horlick was the most successful bowler for St Benedict’s with four wickets for 53 runs in 8.3 overs. Matthew Steel removed three Helpmekaar batsmen in three overs while conceding 20 runs.

Scorecards

St David’s Marist Inanda 230/10 (Kamogelo Phiri 96*, Samrat Basu 51, Jason Joiner 4/48, Thomas Collins 2/35). St Stithians College 231/3 (Thomas Collins 101*, Nicolas Bayly 52*, Kyle Butler 2/33, Morteza Manack 1/34). St Stithians won by seven wickets.

Helpmekaar Kollege 236/10 (Anthony Stone 51, Anrich Liebenberg 49, Clayton Horlick 4/53, Matthew Steel 3/20). St Benedict’s College 230/9 (Marco Mendes 99, Alex Johnston 47, Aiden Pretorius 3/31, Hanno Steyn 2/22). Helpmekaar won by six runs.

William Beamish produced a telling all-round performance to lead St Andrew’s College to an emphatic nine-wicket victory over Queen’s College in Makhanda on Saturday.

At Woodridge College, Sinawo Bukula bagged five wickets to help Kingswood College register a comprehensive 111-run win over the hosts.

Playing away from home, Queen’s won the toss, elected to bat first, and rued that decision almost immediately.

The visitors lost their first wicket in the fourth over and found themselves under pressure from that point on, stumbling to 95 all out in 29.4 overs. St Andrew’s wasted no time in overhauling that total, romping to 97/1 in just 12 overs.

Beamish led the way, clubbing an unbeaten 67 off 45 deliveries in an entertaining innings that featured six fours and three sixes. Through the first eight overs of his knock, the left-hander was watchful as Khazimla Simama and Mthoko Mbambo kept a lid on things for Queen’s with disciplined bowling.

In the ninth over, Beamish felt he had seen enough of Queen’s opening pair and went on on the offensive. He crunched two maximums off Mbambo to wrest control of the innings. That over turned out to be the most fruitful of the St Andrew’s reply as Beamish and Oliver Johns (18*) plundered 22 runs off it.

However, Beamish wasn’t done yet. He subjected Mangaliso Mbaligontsi to the same treatment in the next over, taking him for 21 runs to power St Andrew’s towards victory.

Earlier in the day, Beamish had taken the new ball for College and began proceedings with a maiden over. Alastair de Kock kept matters tight, too, and complemented Beamish by conceding only two runs in the second over.

The pair kept dialling up the pressure and it brought them a wicket, with both players being involved in the dismissal of Aiden van Jaarsveld, who was caught by Beamish off De Kock’s bowling. Three balls later, Beamish claimed the first of his two wickets when he got rid of Lihlume Luwaca.

Caleb Waller resisted, scoring a 39-ball 37, but he did not have enough support to lift Queen’s past the 100-run mark. His promising knock was cut short by Rhys Wiblin in the 23rd over.

Waller was one of four batsmen to fall to Wiblin, who was the most successful St Andrew’s bowler, claiming four wickets for 17 runs in 6.4 overs. Beamish, De Kock, and Thomas Bussaihn chipped in with two wickets each.

At Woodridge, Sinawo Bukula was in fine form as he bowled Kingswood to a dominant 111-run win. The visitors won the toss, elected to bat first, and grafted their way to 204 all out in 47.2 overs. In response, the home side stumbled and were bowled out for only 93 in 30.1 overs.

Bukula dominated proceedings. The paceman struck early for Kingswood with his second delivery of the day and also bagged the final wicket of the match.

Under attack from Bukula and Franco Klopper, Woodridge chewed up 36 balls as Keegan Collet (3) and Daniel Darlow (16) added 20 runs for the second wicket. That turned out to be the home team’s second-highest partnership. Their highest came late in the day when Mpumi Magwetshu (23) and Saliswa Masoka (17) tallied 49 runs for the ninth wicket.

Bukula ripped through Woodridge’s top order and stamped his authority against the middle-order batsmen. Then, he helped clean up the tail on his way to a decisive return of six wickets for 30 runs from 8.1 overs. He was well supported by Klopper and Patrick Mouton, who bagged a brace each.

Earlier in the day, Josh Loon had compiled an unbeaten and patient 70-ball 43 to shepherd the visitors to 204. His knock was built upon the foundation laid by Daniel Jakins (33) and Klopper (18), who put up 68 runs for the first wicket, which was, unfortunately for the hosts, assisted by an incredible 21 extras from their attack.

After that wicket, Kingswood struggled to establish substantial partnerships, but their batsmen did enough to keep the scoreboard ticking with individual contributions as only four of them failed to reach double figures.

Randy Syce was Woodridge’s most successful bowler, snapping up three wickets for 20 runs in 10 overs, while Jay Reece Madatt took three for 39 in his 10.

Scorecards

Queen’s College 95/10 (Caleb Waller 37, Rowen Miles 21, Rhys Wiblin 4/17, William Beamish 2/9). St Andrew’s College 97/1 (William Beamish 67*, Oliver Johns 18*, Khazimla Simama 1/19, Mangaliso Mbaligontsi 0/33). St Andrew’s College won by nine wickets.

Kingswood College 204/10 (Josh Loon 43*, Daniel Jakins 33, Randy Syce 3/20, Jay Reece Madatt 3/39). Woodridge College 93/10 (Mpumi Magwetshu 23, Saliswa Masoka 17, Sinawo Bukula 6/30, Franco Klopper 2/9). Kingswood College won by 111 runs.

Tristan Helmand delivered an inspired spell and picked up a five-wicket haul to help Noordheuwel eke out a dramatic three-run win over St John’s College in a 50-over clash at St John’s on Saturday.

Barely six kilometres away, Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) recorded a hard-fought three-wicket win over Jeppe High School for Boys in another one-day match.

Jeppe, the hosts, chose to bat first and put up 162 all out in 47.5 overs. Affies batted for 10 fewer overs for their match-winning 168/7.

On Mitchell Field, St John’s captain, Alec Loveland, won the toss and asked the visitors to bat first. Noordheuwel didn’t make smooth progress, but they battled their way to 167 all out in 37.3 overs.

In reply, the home side started their run pursuit well but lost their way and were bowled out in 39.4 overs for 164.

St John’s appeared well positioned to chase down Noordheuwel’s moderate total, and they were ahead of the required rate for most of their innings. However, that all evaporated when Helmand tore through the hosts’ middle and lower order. In only 7.4 overs, he grabbed five wickets for 30 runs. In addition, he also pulled off the only run out of the match.

Sharing the new ball with JD Bezuidenhout, Helmand struck early, dismissing Joshua Hall in the second over, the fourth of the innings. He finished his first spell with 1/9 from three overs.

Nkosana Sibiya (40) and Aiden Barberrini (59), then, placed St John’s in the ascendancy with an 84-run second-wicket partnership that was brought to an end when Tidi Moeketsane sent Sibiya’s stumps cartwheeling in the 27th over. Moeketsane also accounted for Barberrini in the 31st over to yank the momentum into Noordheuwel’s favour.

Ethan Smit, the Nories‘ captain, brought Helmand back into the attack in the 32nd over and it took him just three balls to claim a second scalp. The pacer then sent St John’s reeling with a double strike in the 38th over, getting rid of Malan du Plessis and Herman Basson in the space of five deliveries.

Helmand rocked St John’s again in the 40th over when he removed David Ireland and Alan McFerren to complete his five-wicket haul and secure victory for the visitors.

Besides Barberrini, Sibiya, and Du Plessis (19), no other St John’s batsmen made it beyond single figures.

Earlier in the day, Dian Taljaard carved six fours and three sixes on his way to a vital, match-winning 75 off 66 deliveries in the Noordheuwel innings.

The number three batsman arrived at the crease in the seventh over, after Wander Roolvink’s dismissal, and kept things together until the 29th over. His stay included sharing a 68-run fourth-wicket partnership with Tidi Moeketsane (19).

Noordheuwel’s batsmen also found the going tough, with only Taljaard progressing beyond 20. Brandon Pieters (15), Marius Penning (14), and Corné Olivier (10) made it into the teens but failed to kick on.

At Jeppe, Munib Ayob became the first batsman to score a half-century on the school’s main field under its new name, the AH Childe Oval. The field, formerly known as Jeppe Oval, was officially unveiled by former headmaster Kevin Tait before the match between Jeppe and Affies.

Ayob scored a patient 64 off 114 balls and fought a lone battle to lift the home side to a respectable total. The opening batsman, however, experienced little meaningful support during his 41.4-over stay in the middle. His brother, Reza, offered some lower-order resistance, making 22 off 37. However, the siblings’ efforts were not enough to help Jeppe in their quest for a winning total.

Nico Loggenberg became the first bowler to claim an AH Childe Oval wicket when he dismissed Adam Franken. The paceman also accounted for Aiden Reyneke and Keegan Caxeiro, which prevented the home side from building up momentum. He returned a fine 3/24 from 10 overs and was Affies’ most successful bowler.

Needing 163 to win, the visitors stumbled in the first 10 overs of their reply, losing Iwan van der Lith and JP Botha. Christian Linde stabilised matters with the help of Vihan Pretorius, and together they shared a 50-run third-wicket partnership.

After their stand ended, Jeppe thought they had found a way back into the match when Sipho Potsane struck three balls later to dismiss Ruben Groenewald.

Linde, though, joined forces with Daniel Murray for a 53-run fifth-wicket partnership that set Affies on course again. Both batsmen registered match-winning half-centuries, with Linde scoring a well-paced 58 off 92 and Murray stroking an unbeaten 52 off 60.

Fittingly, Murray scored the winning runs with a booming six, which earned Affies the honour of becoming the first team to record a victory on the AH Childe Oval.

Scorecards

Noordheuwel 167/10 (Dian Taljaard 75, Tidi Moeketsane 19, David Ireland 2/19, Malan du Plessis 2/28). St John’s 164/10 (Aiden Barberrini 59, Nkosana Sibiya 40, Tristan Helmand 5/30, Tidi Moeketsane 3/34). Noordheuwel won by three runs.

Jeppe 162/10 (Munib Ayob 64, Reza Ayob 22, Nico Loggenberg 3/24, JP Botha 3/27). Affies 168/7 (Christian Linde 58, Daniel Murray 52*, Sipho Potsane 2/36, Shreshth Kumar 2/38). Affies won by three wickets.

Kevin Oliver smashed an otherworldly 41 off 11 balls to set Helpmekaar College up for a four-run win over King Edward VII School (KES) in their Johnny Waite Trophy match at KES on Thursday.

The victory ushered Helpmekaar into the semifinals of the T20 competition, where they joined St John’s College and Jeppe High School for Boys. St John’s, the defending champions, were the first side through to the final four, on Tuesday, while Jeppe cruised through early on Thursday afternoon.

Kyle Swanepoel, the Helpmekaar captain, won the toss, elected to bowl first, and Helpies restricted the home side to 153/7 in their 20 overs. In reply, the visitors had reached 152/9 when the lightning alarm went off and the match had to be stopped.

Per the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculator, Helpmekaar should have been on 148/9 after the first delivery of the final over to win. They were four runs ahead of that pace.

Coach Willie van den Berg‘s charges found themselves in that position thanks to Kevin Oliver’s astounding knock. He bludgeoned five sixes and a single four on his way to a mind-boggling 41 off 11 deliveries at an astronomical strike rate of 372.73.

When Oliver arrived at the crease, Helpmekaar was behind the required run rate, on 66/5 after 9.3 overs. He replaced Zander Neethling, who had held the visitors’ innings together with a crucial 28-ball 30. Neethling’s departure left Helpmekaar needing 88 runs from 69 balls.

Oliver’s 11-ball innings was explosive. He plundered 32 runs off a Matthew Burgess over and then fell to Christian Sabela‘s bowling on the first delivery of the 13th over. That dismissal was too little, too late for KES, however. Oliver had catapulted Helpmekaar from 88/6 to 120/6 in a single over, which drew them closer to victory.

Sabela was the host’s most successful bowler with two wickets for 18 runs in four overs. Steele Grooteman, Connor Kuijers, and Zieg Roos bagged a brace of wickets each, but they all had higher economy rates than Sabela.

Earlier in the day, KES had tallied 153/7. Luke Clark and Tiago Dias shared a 35-run opening stand to get the home side going, which turned out to be their second-highest opening partnership. Eric Southey and Grooteman combined for the highest stand, putting on 42 runs for the eighth wicket, which lifted KES past 150.

Seven of the nine KES batsmen who made it out to the middle reached double figures. However, only four made it beyond 20 runs. Unfortunately, for the home side, none exceeded 30. Of the four that bettered 20, only Clark struck at a rate over 150. The opener slammed 21 off nine balls for a strike rate of 233. KES needed more of that kind of hitting to reach an unassailable total. That was not the case.

Xander Jackson, with two wickets for 30 runs from four overs, was the most successful bowler for Helpmekaar. Hanno Steyn almost matched Jackson, returning 2/31 from four overs.

Scorecard

King Edward VII 153/7 (Troy Gordon 28, Zieg Roos 23, Xander Jackson 2/30, Hanno Steyn 2/31). Helpmekaar Kollege 152/9 (Kevin Olivier 41, Zander Neethling 30, Christian Sabela 2/18, Connor Kuijers 2/25). Helpmekaar won by four runs (DLS).

Shresth Kumar was named the Player of the Match in Jeppe High School for Boys’ 10-wicket demolition of Parktown Boys’ High School in a Johnny Waite Trophy match on Thursday afternoon in Parktown.

The emphatic victory secured a semifinal spot for the visitors.

Coach Casey Arnold‘s charges became the second team to reach the final four of the T20 competition after the defending champions, St John’s College, who punched their ticket on Tuesday,

The toss went Parktown’s way, but not much else did. They opted to bat first, but Jeppe’s bowling attack laid waste to the home side’s batting. In only 10.1 overs, the visitors ran through Parktown’s line-up, bundling them out for a paltry 30 runs.

Then, Jeppe took only 3.4 overs to race to 32 without loss and a one-sided victory.

Reza Ayob delivered the first over for Jeppe, conceded one run, and picked up the first wicket. Franco Nortjie, who shared the new ball with Ayob, struggled with his line in his first over and conceded three wides. However, he made up for that with two wickets in the same over, as Jeppe reduced Parktown to 5/3.

The slide didn’t stop there. Parktown limped through the powerplay and was on a sorry 10/4 after the first six overs.

In the eighth over, the Player of the Match, Shresth Kumar was introduced into the attack and he made an immediate impact. He trapped Siyabonga Dube LBW to claim his first wicket. Dube’s six runs, unfortunately for the hosts, were the closest any of their batsmen came to double figures. Only extras matched his batting output. Abhay Patel, with an unbeaten five off of three balls, was next best.

Kumar, who sent down two overs and snared three wickets from 11 runs, removed his other two victims in the penultimate over of Parktown’s innings, while Ayob and Nortjie claimed two cheap wickets each.

Parktown’s innings lasted only 39 minutes, and Jeppe’s run chase, which took 13 minutes, was only a minute longer than the time it took to change innings.

Tiago Almeida, with nine, and Ethan Elliot, with 22, made light work of the small victory target.

Scorecards

Parktown Boys’ High 30/10 (Siyabonga Dube 6, Abhay Patel 5*, Shresth Kumar 3/11, Reza Ayob 2/7) Jeppe High School for Boys 32/0 (Ethan Smith 22*, Tiago Almeida 9*). Jeppe won by 10 wickets.