Author: cschiwanza

St Anne’s Diocesan College is focussed on continuous improvement in the 2025 hockey season. They have been following that path since 2022, when Morne Odendaal took over as the head coach of the Hilton school.

“St Anne’s hockey has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past two years,” Odendaal told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“We were not one of the top teams at the close of 2022. However, since then our journey has been one of profound cultural change, shifting from mere participation to the relentless pursuit of excellence through hard work and grit.”

That was the mentality they carried into the 2024 edition of the Fairtree Super 12 tournament, which brings together the top 12 teams in South Africa.

St Anne’s, then captained by Lucy Porril, gave the other participants a good run for their money and they concluded the tournament with a 2-1 win over Menlopark. A couple of weeks after that victory, Odendaal and his side were using that victory as a springboard for their 2025 season.

Their appearance at the 2024 Super 12 also reflected the progress that St Anne’s has made on the hockey field. It was the first time they had qualified for the elite tournament in five years.

Since taking charge of hockey at St Anne’s, Odendaal has established a year-round hockey programme. He explained that a structured approach fosters individual confidence and is crucial in building trust among teammates.

Before he joined St Anne’s, Odendaal was widely recognised as being the driving force behind C&N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje‘s ascent to being the number one hockey-playing school in South Africa.

Another important area of focus at St Anne’s is identifying young talent and equipping those players to compete for the senior team. Last year, the school regularly fielded among the youngest sides at tournaments.

“Our first team boasts an impressive roster, collectively amassing over 750 caps. It’s a group seasoned with experience and fuelled by a collective desire to redefine their narrative,” Odendaal said.

The side also has a sprinkling of young players. This helps in maintaining continuity from one cohort to the next.

The 2025 team will be captained by Jasmin Kelly. The industrious centre-back will have her first outing as skipper at the Balling Hockey Festival in Bethlehem at the end of February. Then, St Anne’s will head off to East London in mid-March for the Greg Beling Hockey Festival.

Jasmin and her sister, Jade, are one of three pairs of siblings in the St Anne’s side. They also have Nikki and Emma Thomas, and Holly and Belle Hofmeyr.

They may be heading to pre-season events, but St Anne’s will be intent on delivering excellent hockey. There won’t be any half-measures. Odendaal’s charges will have their sights set on achieving a higher level of performance than they produced in their previous outings at both festivals.

“Our team ethos centers on mindfulness and living in the present moment, steering clear of autopilot, and focussing on the joy of competition. Embracing a value-driven approach, we uphold integrity, discipline, and teamwork, ensuring each game is marked by high-pressure tactics and a fast-paced style – all delivered with smiles and a unified team spirit,” said Odendaal.

“St Anne’s offers not just an education but an unparalleled opportunity for passionate hockey players to realise their full potential,” he added.

St John’s College remains on course for a successful defence of the Johnny Waite T20 title after a six-wicket win over Noordheuwel on Tuesday. The victory earned the Alec Loveland-captained side a berth in the semi-finals.

St David’s Marist Inanda, also, took a step closer to the last four with a 10-wicket home win over Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge. The result was determined by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after the match was halted by rain and lightning.

Playing at the Khosa Cricket Club, Loveland and James Yuill shepherded St John’s to 151/6, with an unbroken 46-run partnership, to seal victory for coach Bongani Ntini‘s outfit.

The visitors had won the toss, elected to field first, and restricted Noordheuwel to a manageable 147/6 in 20 overs.

Ethan Robinson played a crucial role in St John’s keeping Noordheuwel to a total below 150. The pacer took a single wicket in his four overs. However, it was the crucial wicket of Ethan Smit. The Noordheuwel number four batsman looked dangerous. At the time of his dismissal, he had crunched a single four and two sixes for 40 off 28.

Smit shared Noordheuwel’s highest partnership, a brisk 48-run fourth-wicket stand, with Brandon Pieters (24), which came off 33 deliveries. Marius Penning and Dian Taljaard made solid contributions, scoring 33 and 34 respectively, to lay a foundation for Smit and Pieters to be expansive.

In reply, Darshik Lutchman and Nkosana Sibiya gave St John’s the perfect start to their run chase, sharing a 53-run opening partnership off 5.5 overs. That strong start put the visitors on the front foot, despite a small wobble that followed the end of their first-wicket partnership when St John’s lost two more wickets in 1.5 overs for only four runs.

They recovered with small contributions from Herman Basson and Malan du Plessis before Loveland and Yuill took over.

The Manack brothers, Armaan and Morteza, struck a combined 10 fours and two sixes on their way to an unbroken 67-run opening stand in just six overs against Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge, with St David’s chasing 139 for victory.

When rain and lightning brought the encounter to a halt, the St David’s score, after that galloping start, earned them victory on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

Earlier in the day, Christopher Emslie had bowled well to help St David’s restrict Trinityhouse to 138/6 in 20 overs. He finished with an impactful three wickets for 19 runs from four overs. Morteza Manack was one of three bowlers who bagged a wicket, and it was the crucial wicket of Justin du Preez.

Du Preez arrived at the crease in the first over after the dismissal of Kenrick Duncan. The number three batsman, then, played an outstanding innings, blasting three fours and five sixes on his way to a wonderful 73 off 45 balls. He also shared a brilliant 86-run fifth-wicket partnership with Jarred Montjoel that put Trinityhouse on course for a decent total.

St David’s faces Monument on Wednesday. The regional Schools SA20 champions must win to qualify for the semi-finals.

Scorecards

Hoërskool Noordheuwel 147/6 (Ethan Smit 40, Dian Taljaard 34, Herman Basson 2/19, Aiden Barberrini 1/10). St John’s College 151/4 (Darshik Lutchman 39, Nkosana Sibiya 36, Marius Penning 3/20, Corné Olivier 1/32). St John’s won by six wickets.

Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge 138/6 (Justin du Preez 73, Jarred Montjoel 31, Christopher Emslie 3/19, Hayden Campbell 1/25). St David’s Marist Inanda 67/0 (Armaan Manack 43*, Morteza Manack 23*, Stef Steyn 0/17, Jarred Montjoel 0/20). St David’s won by 10 wickets.

Three South African players -, Kayla Reyneke, Jemma Botha, and Nthabiseng Nini – were selected in the Team of the Tournament after the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup concluded with India beating South Africa in the final at the Bayuemas Oval, in Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday.

The team has representatives from six nations: South Africa, India, England, Australia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The champion, India, leads the selections, with four, while South Africa is a close second with three. England has two and Australia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka one player each.

Reyneke, South Africa’s captain, was named the captain of the side, following her outstanding campaign. The 19-year-old led South Africa with great aplomb. She, also, bagged 11 wickets in five games and oversaw South Africa’s dominant unbeaten run to the final.

The South African team kicked off its campaign with a 22-run win over New Zealand, then romped to a 10-wicket win over Samoa, and overcame Nigeria by 41 runs (DLS method) in the group stages.

The ladies in green and gold beat Ireland by seven wickets in the Super Six stage before their match against the USA was abandoned due to inclement weather.

Jemma Botha enjoyed a wonderful tournament with the bat. Her most important contribution came when she struck a match-winning 37 off 24 balls in the semi-final against Australia to propel South Africa into the final for the first time. She was selected to open with India’s Gongadi Trisha, the ICC u19 Women’s World Cup Player of the Tournament.

Fast bowler Nthabiseng Nini spearheaded South Africa’s bowling attack and was dominant in the powerplay. She finished the tournament with six wickets and was picked as the 12th player.

At the last edition of the ICC Women’s u19 T20 World Cup, held two years ago in South Africa, the home team’s journey ended in the Super Six stage after they narrowly missed out on a semifinal spot on net run rate. Nonetheless, they had Karabo Meso named in the team of the tournament.

The Team of the Tournament was selected by a panel comprised of commentators Julia Price, HD Ackerman, and Raunak Kapoor, along with Snehal Pradhan, the ICC Manager of Women’s Cricket.

ICC u19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 Team of the Tournament

1. Gongadi Trisha (India)
2. ⁠Jemma Botha (South Africa)
3. Davina Perrin (England)
4. ⁠G Kamalini (India)
5. ⁠Caoimhe Bray (Australia)
6. ⁠Puja Mahato (Nepal)
7. ⁠Kayla Reyneke (c) (South Africa)
8. ⁠Katie Jones (wk) (England)
9. ⁠Aayushi Shukla (India)
10. ⁠Chamodi Praboda (Sri Lanka)
11. ⁠Vaishnavi Sharma (India)
12. ⁠Nthabiseng Nini (South Africa)

Reza Ayob snared a five-wicket haul to help Jeppe High School for Boys secure a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Northcliff in their 50-over match at Northcliff, on Saturday.

Rain and lightning in the Johannesburg area meant only one other match was concluded, with St Stithians College cantering to a comfortable four-wicket win at St Alban’s College, also in a limited-overs game.

At Northcliff, Jeppe won the toss, elected to bowl first, and made that decision look good by bowling the hosts out for only 77 in 26.2 overs. Jeppe needed only 12.1 overs to chase down the victory target, powering their way to 80/1 and a quickfire win.

With Northcliff at the crease, Reza Ayob was introduced into the attack immediately after the powerplay. He gave up a single in his first over to keep applying the pressure that had been exerted by Tiago Almeida, Franco Nortjie, and Munib Ayob in the first 10 overs. That trio had seen to it that Northcliff stuttered to 37/3 in the powerplay.

Reza Ayob, then, tied down an end, bowling a 9.2-over spell unchanged. Between the 11th and 20th overs, he bowled in tandem with his brother, Munib, and then finished the match opposite Sipho Potsane. Reza gave little away, conceding only 21 runs while snaring his five wickets. He was judged to be the Player of the Match for his decisive impact.

Munib Ayob made it a memorable day for the Ayob brothers, capturing three wickets for 15 runs in six overs.

Cade Bradley (21), Kyle Davies (14), and Mabutho Mbambo (14) were the only three Northcliff batsmen to reach double figures.

Jeppe enjoyed a strong start to their run chase, thanks to an opening stand of 44 runs between Zizi Mkhize and Munib Ayob. After Ayob departed, Mkhize joined forces with Aiden Reyneke and together they constructed an unbroken 36-run second-wicket partnership that drove their team past the finishing line.

In Pretoria, Bertie Michael, who is on a cricket exchange and on the books of the English county, Somerset, steered St Stithians to victory with an unbeaten 80 off 103 balls. That earned him the Player of the Match and guided Saints to 241/6 after St Alban’s had posted 240/8 in their 50 overs earlier in the day.

Michael arrived at the crease in the 10th over and was blessed with a solid foundation after Liam Mudenda and Ombesa Matsha powered their way to a 77-run opening stand. During his time in the middle, the number three batsman watched six partners come and go as he shepherded St Stithians to victory.

A partnership of 72 between Michael and Robert O’Brien for the sixth wicket was pivotal and pushed Saints to the verge of victory.

Earlier in the day, Liam Basch stroked a fluent half-century, making 51 off 59 balls, as St Alban’s compiled a competitive score. It could have been better, though, as Basch was the only St Alban’s batsman who converted a good start into a milestone. Two others, Ethan Nel (31) and Jesse Eckard (34), went past 30 but failed to kick on, while Wayne Kruger (24) and Josh Melville (27) also made solid starts without turning them into significant innings.

Josh Joiner, Zakir Hanslo, and Robert O’Brien took a brace of wickets each. Hanslo’s 2/39 from 10 overs was the best return of any Saints’ bowler.

Scorecards

Northcliff High School 77/10 (Cade Bradley 21, Mabutho Mbambo 19, Reza Ayob 5/21, Munib Ayob 3/15). Jeppe High School for Boys 80/1 (Zizi Mkhize 31*, Munib Ayob 24, Gareth Hunkin 1/19, Oliver Vermaak 0/12). Jeppe won by nine wickets.

St Alban’s College 240/8 (Liam Basch 51, Jesse Eckard 34, Zakir Hanslo 2/39, Robert O’Brien 2/44). St Stithians College 241/6 (Bertie Michael 80*, Liam Mudenda 66, Tim Hewitt 2/37, Luke Ward 2/52). St Stithians won by four wickets.

Morteza Manack held his nerve and successfully bowled St David’s Marist Inanda to victory in the Gauteng Schools SA20 Regional final against Noordheuwel.

Rain, a wet outfield, and lightning prevented play, and the contest was decided by a bowl-off, which St David’s won 3-0 at St John’s College on Saturday evening.

St David’s reached the final on the back of a three-match unbeaten run, which included wins over Hoërskool Secunda, Hoërskool Middelburg, and, then, Hoërskool Noordheuwel. Two of their three wins included bonus points. On a roll, coach Jeff Levin‘s charges were confident as they headed into the title decider.

Noordheuwel, on the other hand, had a single win, a tie, and a loss under their belt heading into the clash. However, they were, also, the winners of Phase One of the Schools SA20 competition, and that included a win over St David’s in that final in November last year. They knew they had it in them to beat St David’s.

However, inclement weather prevented play. Thus, according to the rules of the competition, the match would be decided by a bowl-off. In the absence of an indoor centre in which to hold a bowl-off, it would be decided by a coin toss. Fortunately, it didn’t come to that.

Noordheuwel selected Corné Botha for the bowl-off and St David’s went with Manack. The winner would be the bowler who struck the wickets more times in the span of an over.

“We picked Morteza because he bowls full and straight,” Dave Nosworthy, the St David’s head of cricket, explained. “Also, as a spinner, he came with less risk in the indoor centre. A lot of things can go wrong with pacers because of run-ups, and you can slip and slide indoors. It’s always tougher for a seam bowler. We went with a spinner, and it worked for us.”

Botha won the toss and asked Manack to bowl first. The St David’s all-rounder missed with his first delivery. However, there was no harm done, as Botha missed with his first ball, too. Manack’s second delivery was on target, while Botha missed. Noordheuwel’s hopes were raised after Manack missed with his third ball, However, Botha was unsuccessful again.

Nories needed Manack to miss with his fourth and fifth deliveries and for Botha to be on target with his next two to keep the contest alive. It was not to be. Manack was on target with his fourth and fifth deliveries and Botha’s fourth was wide of the mark. The spinner’s tally of three out of five could not be hauled in. Botha had only two more deliveries at his disposal.

“It’s always difficult for the losing team in these conditions. I feel for them,” Nosworthy said.

St David’s will next play the other regional winners in Phase Three of the Schools SA20 tournament at which a national champion will be crowned.

Steyn City overpowered Ligbron Academy, subjecting them to a comprehensive nine-wicket defeat, to lift the Gauteng Girls Schools SA20 Regional title at Wits University on Saturday morning.

Ligbron went in to bat first but didn’t last long. They crumbled to 43 all out in only 14.3 overs.

Steyn City required a little more than half that number of overs to chase down the victory target, cruising to 44/1 in 7.5 overs to take the win.

With Ligbron at the crease, Dominique Ferguson set the tone with the ball for Steyn City when she dismissed Nabihah Jassat in the third over.

That wicket was followed by a procession of wickets as the Ermelo-based school made slow progress in laboured fits and starts. Jassat’s 10-run opening partnership with Ntando Sithole proved to be Ligbron’s highest partnership.

Sithole, with seven runs off 15 deliveries, top-scored for Ligbron. She was out in the middle for the entire powerplay but fell when it concluded. Siphokuhle Maseko faced 18 deliveries for her five runs, and Zoe Barnard chewed up 21 balls for her contribution of four runs.

Samia Essop and Tyla-Jade Harpur led the demolition of the Ligbron innings with two wickets each. Essop conceded only four runs in three overs for her brace, while Harpur finished with two for seven runs from four overs.

Requiring only 2.2 runs per over to win, there was no need for Steyn City to take risks.

Sivaakani Naidoo scored a patient nine off 25 balls as she and Tyler Piehl put on an opening stand of 25. Piehl, then, joined forces with Caitlyn Freeman to see Steyn City home.

Piehl finished unbeaten on 13 off 20, and Freeman was undefeated on 14 off 14.

Scorecard

Ligbron Academy 43/10 (Ntando Sithole 7, Siphokuhle Maseko 5, Samia Essop 2/4, Tyla-Jade Harpur 2/7). Steyn City 44/1 (Caitlyn Freeman 14*, Tyler Piehl 13*, Christelle van Wyk 1/6, Marli Vorster 0/11). Steyn City won by nine wickets.

Armaan Manack scored a brilliant half-century as St David’s Marist Inanda confirmed their place in the Gauteng Schools SA20 Regional final with an eight-wicket win over Hoërskool Noordheuwel at Wits University on Saturday morning.

St David’s batted first and scored 124/9. Noordheuwel, in reply, mustered 105/6 in 18.3 overs. The result was determined by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

Despite that outcome, the same sides will do battle in the final on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday morning’s clash was the second between the teams in the Schools SA20 competition. They faced one another in the Phase One final, with Noordheuwel winning that tie by four wickets.

When they meet for the regional title, a place in the third stage of the competition, the national final, will be on the line.

Armaan Manack played a gem of an innings to set St David’s up for victory in the morning. He was out in the middle for 10.3 overs and while there creamed eight fours on his way to 50 off 38 balls. He had entered the match after scoring an unbeaten century against Secunda last time out and picked up from where he had left off.

Manack, though, was the only St David’s batsman to get going. The rest struggled. Only two others made it into double figures, with Samrat Basu scoring 18 off 21 and Michael Smithyman contributing 13 from 11 balls.

Marius Penning was Noordheuwel’s most successful bowler, with three wickets for 20 runs. Corné Olivier and Tidi Moeketsane picked up two wickets each.

The Nories‘ batsmen found the run chase challenging. Dian Taljaard and Ethan Smith were the only two to reach double figures, and they came close to pulling off a successful pursuit. Together, they added 78 runs for the third wicket, which lifted Noordheuwel to the cusp of victory. Roberto Mariano pried the duo apart in the 16th over, however, when he removed Smith. Matters took a further turn for the worse for Noordheuwel when they lost Taljaard six balls later.

Just as there was little batting to talk about before Taljaard and Smith’s partnership, there was little worth mentioning after both departed.

Christopher Emslie was St David’s leading bowler with two wickets for 19 runs from three overs. Morteza Manack, Hayden Campbell, and Roberto Mariano finished with a wicket each.

In the other match, also played at Wits University, Hoërskool Secunda went in to bat first and tallied 131/9 in 20 overs. Hoërskool Middelburg‘s reply came up short when they were bowled out for 119 runs in 19 overs.

Secunda’s innings started smoothly, with Nathan Erasmus and Live Betela combining for a 33-run opening stand. That foundation proved invaluable as Secunda lost regular wickets, with four going down between the sixth and 14th overs, while they added 31 runs.

Umar Badat and Walt Vorster stabilised things with a 58-run fifth-wicket partnership that took Secunda just beyond the 120-run mark. Badat played well for 36 off 27 balls, while Vorster faced 13 deliveries for his 25 runs.

Hendré Nel, Eduan Strydom, and Wildré Cilliers took two wickets each for Middelburg.

Then, six wickets between Jean Loock and Luan Swart created chaos in the Middelburg response and Secunda went on to claim a first win in the regional finals. Loock and Swart delivered identical returns, with both claiming 3/18 from four overs.

Secunda’s defence of 131 began well when they captured three wickets in the powerplay. That set the tone for the remainder of the innings.

Middelburg had four players reach double figures, but none batted for long enough to pose a threat to Secunda’s total. JP de Jager top-scored with 23 off 33 and Hendré Nel scored a brisk 19 off 11 balls.

Christian Jansen (17) and Fredrik Boshoff (15*) shared an industrious final wicket partnership that kept the spectators interested. They put on 30 runs, their side’s highest partnership, but the rearguard fightback came up 12 runs short.

Scorecards

St David’s Marist Inanda 124/9 (Armaan Manack 50, Samrat Basu 18, Marius Penning 3/20, Corné Olivier 2/17). Hoërskool Noordheuwel 105/6 (Ethan Smith 46, Dian Taljaard 27, Christopher Emslie 2/19, Morteza Manack 1/21). St David’s won by eight runs.

Hoërskool Secunda 131/9 (Umar Badat 36, Walt Vorster 25, Hendré Nel 2/22, Eduan Strydom 2/16). Hoërskool Middelburg 119/10 (JP de Jager 27, Hendré Nel 19, Jean Loock 3/18, Luan Swart 3/18). Secunda won by 12 runs.

St Stithians Girls’ College, Rhenish Girls’ High School, and Durban Girls’ College (DGC) breezed through the first day of the National Aquatics Festival unbeaten.

The 2025 edition of the showpiece is being hosted by Clarendon High School for Girls, in East London, and runs from Friday, 31 January, to Saturday, 1 February.

The hosts, Clarendon, got the event underway with a game against Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School on Friday afternoon and did not disappoint their supporters as they romped to a 16-1 thrashing of their KwaZulu-Natal opposition.

After the big win, though, the Hannah Muller-coached side couldn’t maintain their momentum and lost their second match, against another team from Durban.

They went up against the defending champion, DGC, and pushed the KZN side to the limit. Eventually, though, DGC had the final say and triumphed 10-9 in a thrilling contest. That victory over Clarendon was the first of two wins DGC recorded on day one. They also swept aside their KZN neighbours, St Mary’s DSG Kloof, whom they defeated 13-3, to set their title defence on the front foot.

Rhenish did not enjoy a sterling Brian Baker Tournament earlier in the month. The Stellenbosch school finished outside the top five in Makhanda, but the competition appeared to have served them well on Friday. They made a strong strong start, registering convincing wins over St Mary’s Kloof and Our Lady of Fatima, by 10-2 and 14-0, respectively.

St Stithians lost the last time they met St Mary’s Waverley at the National Aquatics Festival. In Durban, in 2024, St Mary’s broke Saints‘ hearts by beating them 7-6 in the semi-finals. St Mary’s Waverley eventually finished second, while St Stithians had to settle for fourth position. On Friday, Saints handily dealt with their highveld neighbours, charging to a 9-2 victory.

They had earlier opened their account with a 5-2 win over Collegiate, of Gqeberha. The Johannesburg outfit then recorded their third win in as many matches by thumping the Clarendon 2nd side 14-1 in the last match of the day.

The action resumes on Saturday morning with two matches, one pitting Our Lady Fatima against DGC, and the other featuring Clarendon 2nds and St Mary’s Waverley. Both games start at 07:00

Results

Our Lady Fatima 1-16 Clarendon
St Stithians 5-2 Collegiate
Maris Stella 3-13 St Mary’s Waverley
Rhenish 10-2 St Mary’s DSG Kloof
Clarendon 2nd 10-2 Collegiate
Clarendon 1sts 9-10 DGC
St Stithians 9-2 St Marys Waverley
Rhenish 14-0 Our Lady of Fatima
DGC 13-3 St Mary’s DSG Kloof
St Stithians 14-1 Clarendon 2nd

Fixtures

Harrison Aquatic Centre

07:00 – Our Lady Fatima vs Durban Girls’ College; 07:40 – Clarendon vs St Mary’s DSG (Kloof); 08:20 – Rhenish vs Durban Girls’ College; 09:00 – St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) vs Our Lady of Fatima; 09:40 – Quarterfinal 1; 10:20 – Quarterfinal 2; 11:00 – 5th Pool A vs 5th Pool B.

Selbourne College

07:00 – Clarendon 2nds vs St Mary’s Waverley; 07:40 – St Stithians vs Maris Stella; 08:20 Collegiate vs St Mary’s Waverley; 09:00 – Clarendon 2nds vs Maris Stella; 11:00 – 4th Pool A vs 4th Pool B; 11:40 – Loser QF 1 vs Loser QF 2.

Play-offs

Harrison Aquatic Centre:

11:40 – Semifinal (1st Pool A vs Winner QF 1); 12:20 – Semifinal 2 (1st Pool B vs Winner QF 2); 13:00 – 3rd/4th Play-off; 13:40 – Final.

Armaan Manack and Kamogelo Phiri blasted unbeaten centuries to set St David’s Marist Inanda up for a massive 158-run win over Hoërskool Secunda in their Schools SA20 Gauteng Regional Finals match on Wits University’s B Field on Friday afternoon.

Hoërskool Noordheuwel and Hoërskool Middelburg crossed swords on the Wits University A Field and couldn’t be separated after 40 overs. Both sides were bowled out for 88 runs and the match was declared a tie.

In the morning, St David’s flexed their batting prowess with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Middelburg. However, in that encounter, no batsman recorded an individual milestone, and they lost three wickets on their way to 121 runs. In their afternoon match, the Jeff Levin-coached side was warmed up and raring to go at full throttle.

After winning the toss, St David’s decided to bat first. They wanted to pick up from where they left off in their win over Hoërskool Middelburg. Mission accomplished! They made the Secunda fielders chase leather as they piled up 229/1 in their 20 overs. That big total was a mountain too high for Secunda, who tumbled to 71 all out in 13.4 overs in reply.

Armaan Manack and Kamogelo Phiri joined hands in the second over of the St David’s innings after Morteza Manack suffered an early dismissal. The duo paid no attention to the loss of that wicket. Instead, they went on the offensive and rocketed their way to an unbroken 214-run second-wicket partnership off only 111 balls.

Manack tonked 15 fours and four sixes for his unbeaten 110 off 55 balls, while Phiri cracked 14 fours and two sixes in his 106 not out, which came off 63 deliveries. With those fine efforts, the St David’s pair became the first centurions of the Schools SA20 regional finals.

Under severe attack, Jean Loock and Nijan Swart were the only Secunda bowlers who went at a rate of less than 10 runs an over. The rest of the bowlers saw their economy rates rise to double figures. Damian de Beer was the sole wicket-taker with a single wicket for 26 runs from two overs.

Christopher Emslie, then, saw to it that Secunda did not make a good start to their daunting run chase. He shared the new ball with Morteza Manack and struck twice in his second over, within the space of three balls, to remove Secunda’s openers. Alonzo Blankenberg and Nathan Erasmus. They were the first two of Emslie’s victims. He went on to claim 5/15 in four overs.

Emslie and Jared Stern acted like relay runners; one picked up from where the other left off. Stern was the fourth bowler St David’s employed, and he ripped through Secunda’s middle and lower order. He bagged his first wicket in the 10th over and he didn’t stop until Secunda was all out, capturing four wickets for 14 runs in 3.4 overs.

While spectators were treated to a boundary festival by St David’s on the B Field, those following the action on the A Field were served a low-scoring thriller. After 40 overs of intense action, Noordheuwel and Middelburg found themselves deadlocked and the match ended in a heart-stopping tie. Noordheuwel was bowled out for 88 in 19.3 overs, while Middelburg was bowled out for 88 in 20 overs.

Noordheuwel went in to bat first and struggled to get off the blocks. They lost three wickets in the powerplay, thanks to Gavin Genis and Hendré Nel. In his return of three wickets for 11 runs from four overs, Genis accounted for Wander Roolvink, Corné Botha, and Ethan Smith.

Herman Potgieter struck Noordheuwel’s innings a hard body blow with the dismissal of Corné Olivier in the 15th over after the Nories‘ batsman had tallied a patient 33 off 46 deliveries. Potgieter excelled in his two overs, snapping up three wickets for only four runs.

Noordheuwel responded to Middelburg’s brilliance with the ball with some inspired bowling of their own. JD Bezuidenhout and Dian Taljaard got stuck in early and saw to it that Middelburg was three wickets down by the end of the powerplay.

Noordheuwel kept exerting pressure, which ensured that Middelburg’s batsmen struggled to settle in. However, Gavin Genis (17) and Eduan Strydom (39) gave the Mpumalanga side hope with a 43-run fifth-wicket partnership that appeared to have set Middelburg up for a comfortable victory. When Genis was dismissed, they needed 10 runs from 2.1 overs with five wickets in hand.

Things went south in dramatic fashion, though, when Strydom was dismissed four balls later. He was one of two wickets snared by Corné Olivier in the 19th over. Olivier’s namesake, Corné Botha, then bowled an outstanding final over. It yielded three wickets for Noordheuwel and left Middelburg stranded on 88, just a single run shy of victory.

Botha finished with three wickets for six runs in one over, while Olivier and Bezuidenhout picked up two wickets each.

Scorecards

St David’s Marist Inanda 229/1 (Armaan Manack 110, Kamogelo Phiri 106, Damian de Beer 1/26, Jean Loock 0/30). Hoërskool Secunda 71/10 (Umar Badat 22, Jayden Scholtz 14, Christopher Emslie 5/15, Jared Stern 4/14). St David’s won by 158 runs.

Hoërskool Noordheuwel 88/10 (Corné Olivier 33, Ethan Smith 20, Hermann Potgieter 3/4, Gavin Genis 3/11). Hoërskool Middelburg 88/10 (Eduan Strydom 39, Gavin Genis 17, Corné Botha 3/6, Corné Olivier 2/12). Match tied.

Kyle Butler bagged a five-wicket haul to lay the foundation for St David’s Marist Inanda’s seven-wicket win over Hoërskool Middelburg in the first round of the Schools SA20 Gauteng Regional finals at Wits University on Friday.

Corné Oliver blew away the Hoërskool Secunda batting lineup and also captured a five-wicket haul, to lead Hoërskool Noordheuwel to a big 45-run win.

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St David’s won the toss and elected to bowl first on the B Field. They immediately made life difficult for Middelburg’s batsmen, who moved forward unevenly, in fits and starts, on their way to 118/9 in 20 overs.

St David’s needed only 15.5 overs to surpass that score, registering 121/3 to secure victory.

The Manack brothers, Armaan and Morteza, combined to provide St David’s with a first wicket in the second over of the Mpumalanga side’s innings. Morteza did the bowling and Armaan the catching to get rid of Daryl Chirimitikwa for a two-ball duck.

Things didn’t improve for Hoërskool Middelburg. They lost Herman Potgieter two-and-a-half overs later to the bowling of Hayden Campbell. However, worse was yet to come for the Middies. In the ninth over, Kyle Butler, who was bowling rockets, accounted for Eduan Strydom (18) with his first delivery. His third ball smashed into Hendré Nel’s stumps, and the fifth sent Zubair Desai’s stumps cartwheeling.

Butler wasn’t done. He claimed another two wickets in the 20th over to complete his five-wicket haul After his four overs, he returned a sparkling 5/31. Hayden Campbell and Morteza Manack each bagged a brace of wickets.

Gavin Genis, in the middle order, was the only Middelburg batsman to build up some momentum in his innings. However, he fought a lone battle in scoring a valiant 33-ball 37.

Morteza (35) and Armaan (40) Manack opened the batting for St David’s and constructed a 48-run opening run partnership that set the Sandton school on course for an easy victory.

Their stand was followed by a 51-run second-wicket partnership between Armaan and Kamogelo Phiri (33), which, went it ended, had St David’s on the cusp of the 100-run mark. Armaan Manack just missed out on seeing St David’s past the finishing line, though, losing his wickets two balls before his team secured victory.

On the A Field, Noordheuwel batted first and posted a stuttering 116/9. Their bowlers, though, put on a masterclass to dismiss Secunda for only 71 in 16.5 overs.

Noordheuwel lost Ethan Smith in the third over of their innings, but Dian Taljaard, who has been playing outstanding cricket, looked good as he carved 19 from 14 balls before he fell in the sixth over. Those wickets created a pattern that the Noordheuwel innings followed for the rest of the early afternoon as Nories failed to construct imposing partnerships and had to rebuild often.

Their top-scorer was Brandon Pieters, with 26 off 27 balls. No other Noordheuwel batsmen made it beyond the teens. However, they mustered enough runs to defend.

Alonzo Blankenberg and Nathan Erasmus provided Secunda with a decent start, putting together a 32-run opening stand. However, that was their first and last substantial partnership.

Gerhard Roolvink dismissed Blankenberg in the seventh over to break Secunda’s opening stand. Next, he combined with Gomo Sibi to run out Walt Vorster at the start of his following over. Roolwink, then, removed Nathan Erasmus, thus turning the contest in favour of Noordheuwel in the space of three deliveries.

Olivier joined in the act in the 13th over with the dismissal of Luan Swart. However, he bowled his best in the 15th over, capturing three wickets in five deliveries. The departures of Jayden Scholtz, Ceejay Webb, and Damian de Beer took Noordheuwel to the brink of victory. In the 17th over, Olivier sealed the deal by getting rid of Jean Loock.

Olivier’s bowling was a mystery Secunda’s batsmen failed to solve. In 2.5 overs, he conceded only seven runs while picking up five wickets. Gerhard Roolwink lent good support with two wickets for 11 runs, while Gomo Sibi and Tidi Moeketsane took a wicket each.

Scorecards

Hoërskool Middelburg 118/9 (Gavin Genis 37, Eduan Strydom 18, Kyle Butler 5/31, Morteza Manack 2/15). St David’s Marist Inanda 121/3 (Armaan Manack 40, Morteza Manack 35, Hendré Nel 1/30, Wildré Cilliers 1/11). St David’s won by seven wickets.

Hoërskool Noordheuwel 116/9 (Brandon Pieters 26, Dian Taljaard 19, Jean Loock 2/17, CJ Bakker 2/18). Hoërskool Secunda 71/10 (Nathan Erasmus 17, Nijan Swart 17, Corné Olivier 5/7, Gerhard Roolwink 2/11). Noordheuwel won by 45 runs.