Author: cschiwanza

They could have been figures in a Claude Monet landscape painting: Human forms with elongated shadows, cast at an angle by the setting sun that bathed the Wits A outfield in a bright orange light.

Corné Botha and Donald Dinake were the last people on the field. The student and his coach were all smiles. Hoërskool Noordheuwel had just defeated St David’s Marist Inanda in the Lions region’s Schools SA20 final.

They congratulated each other and waited until the last Noordheuwel team member crossed the boundary rope before they made their way to the dugout. It was a ritual. Botha and Dinake always left the field last.

“Corné is a curious young man. He wants to know why I do things. One day after a match, he asked me why I was always the last person off the field after matches. I told him because as the coach and leader, I must make sure everyone is safe and off the field and no one left anything on it before I walk off. Immediately, he told me that as captain he was going to share in that responsibility,” Dinake explained.

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As a young boy, Botha participated in a few cricket matches before his family caught on to the fact that he was playing the sport. He was seven at the time. The KFC Mini-Cricket train had stopped at Laerskool Krugersdorp Noord and Botha was one of the first students to sign up for it.

“Before then, Corné hadn’t played much or any cricket. We have always watched cricket, but the default sport for most of us was rugby, and we saw him playing rugby with his friends,” Esther, Botha’s mother, shared.

Botha didn’t get his sporting genes from his mother. She grew up in a small town where she did not have any opportunities to test her sporting abilities. His father, Corrie, however, played a bit of rugby and was a decent swimmer in his youth.

When Corrie and Esther learned of their son’s love for cricket, they went out of their way to create more opportunities for him to experience the game. Regular opportunities arose when the family hosted Friday braais.

“All my friends and their families would come for the braai, and we would play cricket until late into the night while the adults hung out,” Botha recalled.

He played more matches in two months of Friday braais than he did at Krugersdorp Noord. Corrie was a product of a small school that did not emphasise cricket. He understood that his son had little hope of progressing in the sport if he stayed at Krugersdorp Noord, so he moved him to Laerskool Kenmare.

“It was one of the best decisions we made for his cricket. At Kenmare, he was exposed to the Super 12 competition. It is one of the most prestigious competitions among competitive primary schools,” Esther explained.

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“Corné has that West Rand fight in him. He doesn’t give up,” Zander van der Merwe, one of Botha’s early coaches, shared.

Van der Merwe met Botha when he was 13. The coach identified Botha as an allrounder and helped him with his bowling action. He worked on his strength and consistency, too. Van der Merwe also taught Botha to think more about his bowling plans and the execution of those plans.

“We also focused on bowling in different periods of the game and how to approach the game,” Van der Merwe added.

Botha was already playing club cricket for the Khosa Cricket Club when he met Van der Merwe. He started in the SU4 team at the club, where he was a teammate of his father, Corrie, who had taken up club cricket so that he could share in his son’s journey and love for the sport. However, father and son did not play together for long. The younger Botha quickly showed that he had a higher ceiling in the sport and he made a rapid rise through the ranks on his way to representing the club’s premier league A team.

“He has that fight in him. When he focuses on a goal, he pursues it with relentlessness,” Minenhle Magubane, Botha’s coach for the Central Gauteng Lions’ u16 team, reckoned.

Magubane first saw Botha at the Gauteng u15 trials, where Botha was tried in three positions: the top-order, middle-order, and lower-order. He scored centuries in all three positions. Instead of being picked for the u15 team, Magubane selected Botha for the u16 team.

“Corné is unplayable when he is switched on. He destroys bowling attacks and makes them look incompetent,” Magubane explained.

Botha was picked as a number eight batsman for the national U16 week. While he did a commendable job with the ball, he did his best work with the bat and finished as the highest run scorer for the Gauteng side, even though he batted lower down the order, at eight.

Magubane regards Botha as one of the best batsmen in the province. The Gauteng coach pointed to the Noordheuwel skipper’s batting statistics from the 2024 St David’s Marist Inanda Fasken Time Cricket Festival as evidence of that.

Botha scored three half-centuries in four innings on his way to finishing as the third-highest run-scorer at the tournament. However, Magubane’s favourite knock of Botha’s was in Noordheuwel’s 66-run victory over St Stithians last year. Playing a 50-over match, Botha smashed a sensational match-winning 136 runs off 95 balls.

“That was a strong St Stithians outfit, and for Corné to do what he did on that day says a lot about his abilities as a batter,” the coach said.

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“Sometimes you want things to happen quickly. You want to play for SA u19 at 16 and play for the Proteas at 21. It will happen for some guys, but it won’t happen for everyone. Sometimes you have to take the longer road.

“I told Corné that the only thing he can do is put his head down and focus on getting better as a player. If he does that, the results will come,” Ronan Herrmann, the Joburg Super Kings’ rookie pick in 2023, shared.

Botha and Herrmann met at Noordheuwel, where Herrmann was also a student. He took the Botha under his wing when he was in Grade 11. The former SA u19 player identified Botha and Ruan Strauss as two youngsters with the potential to go further than their peers in the game, and Botha has taken the guidance and advice he has received from Herrmann seriously.

“One great thing about Corné is that he never complains. He is a great batter. However, if you pick him as a bowler, he does his best with the ball and then makes a statement with the bat. He plays what is in front of him,” Magubane said.

That was one of the qualities that coach Donald Dinake considered when he selected Botha to captain the Noordheuwel 1st XI. Having a good tactical mind is not enough as a basis for captaincy, Dinake opined. The Noordheuwel coach values character, and Botha has the right character.

Herrmann warned Botha about the type of company to keep off-field. Botha listened. He curates the company he keeps around him. At training, he displays a deep hunger for learning and is constantly asking questions.

“One day I told him, don’t forget to be Corné Botha. At home, you are a son. You can’t carry your cricket accomplishments into your parents’ home. They won’t do your chores for you. At Khosa, you learn as much as you can, and here, you learn, but I also ask you to lead your teammates. He took that message to heart,” Dinake said.

Botha takes the responsibility bestowed upon him by his coach seriously. His 135 against St Stithians is a single example in a sea of many memorable moments where the 17-year-old has carried the Noordheuwel team on his back. However, Dinake constantly reminds Botha that his duty as a captain is not to win games for his team, but to lead them with dignity in victory and defeat.

“I always tell him that sometimes losing can be a launchpad because you can learn from losses. So, even in matches where Noordheuwel is not in a position to win, you won’t see Corné dropping his shoulders. He understands that it sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. He gives his all and fights as if there is a chance to turn things around,” Dinake said.

It may seem like an arbitrary figure. However, more than 55 percent of the time that Botha has wielded his beloved GM bat, he has successfully turned things around for his side. And since March 2024, he has been the last person, along with Dinake, to leave the field 100 percent of the time. He takes his responsibilities seriously.

Tré Gilbert will lead an experienced 13-member Eastern Cape Iinyathi u19 side at the 2024 edition of the Khaya Majola Coke Week to be contested in Cape Town from 16-20 December.

The Selborne College captain is one of 10 players who were present at the 2023 Khaya Majola Week. Jacques van der Merwe, Chulumanco Macozoma, Ryan Denston, Bevaneo Maytham, Lithemba Nomoyi, Chad Clark-Evans, Adam Rogers, Waeden Plaatjies, and Hlumelo Ntola are the other nine. Gilbert and Denston also featured at the showpiece in 2022.

Aaron Senekal and Inga Mafanga played at the 2023 u16 Week, while Canton Hartnick is making his maiden appearance on the national stage.

Despite the vast experience in the side, Simon Sakhele, the Iinyathi head coach, is not taking any chances with preparations. The next 26 days will be packed with activities for the team.

Iinyathi has team-building activities, will play against the Eastern Cape Iinyathi Colts on 28 and 29 November, and will also play against the u16 team. Sakhele’s side will set a target in their first outing against the Colts and chase in their second.

“The match against the u16 side is not a glorified net session. We want the boys to score as many runs as possible in match conditions. It is also part of our preparations for the 2025 Khaya Majola Week. Some of those boys will have moved up to u19,” he explained.

The Iinyathi team will also have a three-day camp just before they leave for Cape Town.

“We will use all these activities to assess players’ strengths and weaknesses. That will help us upskill the boys as they head into the tournament,” Sakhele said.

The coach has a lot of talent at his disposal. He has an outstanding contingent that is not limited to his solid top-order batsmen, Van der Merwe, Gilbert, Maytham, and Rogers.

Van der Merwe, a left-arm spinner, participated in the Cubs Week last year and is also a member of the Iinyathi’s 2024 T20 team. Like Van der Merwe, Gilbert featured for the Cubs team last year, and he also turned out for the Iinyathi Colts team.

Murray Spence, Selborne College’s Master of Cricket, described the Iinyathi captain as a fine player who understands when to be aggressive and when to manipulate the field. One of Gilbert’s strengths is his excellence against spin bowling.

“Adam Rogers is a brilliant opening batsman. He likes to manipulate the field and does so really well,” Spence shared. “He is also a good right-arm off-spin bowler and a gun fielder.”

Iinyathi has, in Ryan Denston and Aaron Senekal, two gifted all-rounders. Both are explosive with the bat. Denston is a leg-spinner, while Senekal, who captained the 2023 Iinyathi u16 team, is a medium-pace bowler with good variations in his arsenal.

Sakhele said one of his goals is to get the best out of his top and middle order during their Khaya Majola campaign. “Our plan is for the boys to play fearless cricket. They can only do that if they have a full understanding of what is required of them,” he explained.

The coach’s preparation is not limited to on-field activities. The Iinyathi coaching staff is also working to mentally prepare the boys for the tournament.

“We need to equip them with the tools to deal with pressure. Also, some of these players have never been out of the province. It can be daunting to be out of your comfort zone,” the coach shared.

Eastern Cape Iinyathi u19 Squad

Jacques van der Merwe (Selborne College), Chulumanco Macozoma (Hudson Park), Tré Gilbert (Selborne College), Ryan Denston (Queen’s College), Bevaneo Maytham (Queen’s College), Lithemba Nomoyi (Hudson Park), Chad Clark-Evans (Stirling High), Adam Rogers (Selborne College), Waeden Plaatjies (Selborne College), Hlumelo Ntola (Dale College), Inga Mafanga (Dale College), Aaron Senekal (Selborne College), Canton Hartnick (Buffalo Flats Hub).

It was a spectacle. Spectators watched Ragheeba Manack as she ran from the embankment onto the field. When he saw his wife running, Yasin Manack abandoned his fielding position to head towards her. Husband and wife were headed in the same direction, but not to each other. Their target was the twins, Armaan and Morteza Manack.

That incident wasn’t a one-off thing. It happened every weekend from the time they could walk. The lush outfield was a magnet for small creatures, from frogs to grasshoppers. They fascinated the toddling twins, who rushed onto the outfield whenever they saw something.

“I don’t think they had a choice. We are a cricket-loving family, and the boys grew up surrounded by bats and cricket balls,” Yasin shared.

Yasin comes from a cricketing family. His father played first-class cricket until he was 41. Like his siblings, Yasin grew up playing club cricket, and he is a qualified Level 3 coach. His wife played action cricket for many years. In fact, they met at an action cricket match.

There was no escaping the game for Armaan and Morteza because when they visited their cousins, they walked into another version of their home. Their uncle is Hussein Manack, the well-known cricket coach, broadcaster, and former Cricket South Africa selector.

However, while their environment pushed them towards cricket, they embraced it on their own terms, and from the day they first invaded the pitch as a duo, they’ve never wanted to leave it.

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It was not enough for Armaan and Morteza that they were born in the same hour and invaded the field on the same day, they also recorded their first-ever centuries in the same innings. In only their second game at u9 level, the twins, aged eight, shared a 230-run opening partnership.

Their outstanding opening partnership was a result of the twins possessing an advanced ability that was far beyond the norm for their age group. They have always played up, taking on old boys. Armaan and Morteza played their first semi-organised match when they were only four years old. It was at Marks Park Cricket Club, on the same field they invaded as toddlers. However, this time, because it was an u7 match, there were no pitch or boundary markers.

“There were no fours and sixes and I had to run to get all my runs. It was loads of fun and some of my best memories,” Morteza recalled.

The other reason for their impressive opening stand was the twins’ competitive nature. They push each other to be better. Armaan and Morteza have been competing from the time they could hold a bat and throw a ball.

“Whenever I compete with my brothers in anything, it’s fierce, and cricket is no exception. We both have that drive to win, so our games are often intense and highly competitive. It’s not unusual for things to get heated. This sibling rivalry has made me a stronger player, as I constantly strive to improve,” Armaan explained.

Thus, in addition to working together, there has always been an element of competition in their partnership.

“My brother and I have always competed with each other, even to this day,” Morteza said, “but when we were younger, we used to both open the batting, so we would always try and out-score each other, even if it meant stealing the strike.”

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In the early 1990s, K. Anders Ericsson and two colleagues conducted a study at Berlin’s elite Academy of Music. They divided the school’s violinists into three groups: the first group was the stars, the students with the potential to become world-class soloists; the second group included those judged to be merely good; in the third group, they had students deemed unlikely to ever play professionally, who intended to pursue careers in teaching.

Students in all three groups started playing at around the same time, at roughly the age of five. However, Ericsson and his colleagues found that while they practiced about the same amount of time, two or three hours per week when they started, things differed as they grew older. The students in the first group practiced an average of six hours a week, at eight years of age, and increased the hours as they grew older.

The students in the second group partially increased their practice hours, but not by the same volume, and the students in the third group did not increase their practice hours by much. The study informed Ericsson and his colleagues about the importance of hours invested in honing a skill. They went on to conduct numerous studies to test this finding and they found that it held true.

Their findings formed the basis of the 10 000 hours theory popularised by Malcolm Gladwell in his cult classic book, Outliers. Armaan and Morteza’s uncle, Hussein, is a big believer in the theory. He insists that a cricket player can only get better when they test their skills against better players for extended periods.

“Marks Park has the lowest average age in the Lions Premier League A because we believe young players need to spend as much time in the middle honing their skills as possible. Armaan and Morteza have been part of the first XI side for the past two or three years,” Hussein revealed.

His perspective is aligned with Yasin’s. The boys’ father is wary of overcoaching his sons, so despite holding a level three certificate, he has resisted the impulse to coach them at home. However, that doesn’t mean that the Manack home is cricket-free. Rain or shine, hot or cold, the twins wake up early to face deliveries before they get on with the day’s events.

“Those boys are dedicated. I have seen them putting a ball in the microwave to thaw it in the depth of winter,” Hussein shared.

“Sometimes they come up to me and ask me to give them throwdowns at 21:00. I never push them to practice, but when they ask me to help them, I get up and do as they ask,” Yasin said.

The twins do not just work hard at home. They carry that work ethic to St David’s Marist Inanda, where Jeff Levin has only kind words to say about their commitment and dedication.

However, it’s not just the technical aspects that the twins focus on. They also work on their mental strength with Hussein’s help.

“We focus a lot on their cricket IQ. It’s not enough for them to just know how to hit balls,” he explained. “There is also their ability to deal with loss and disappointment. It is important that they learn to take a loss as a learning opportunity. Another thing is their conduct off the field. We focus on that, too.”

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“One of my most memorable matches happened just a few months ago when I played against Bishops, the top-ranked team in the country in the Fasken Time Cricket Festival. I managed to score an unbeaten 120. This knock was significant because we ended up with a nine-wicket victory,” Armaan told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“Last year, we played in a Talent ID u19 tournament. Marks Park was in the final versus Jozi Hits, who were a really strong team and had some big-name players.

“We had to chase 201 in 20 overs, and I was batting at four. I came in early after we lost two quick wickets. My brother and I put on a 107-run partnership to get us close to the target. I scored 70-odd off 39 balls and I went out when we needed eight runs. We went on to win the match and the tournament,” Morteza remembered.

The memories above are the twins’ most memorable outings. They also demonstrate the difference between the brothers.

“While they are identical twins, they bring very different personalities and play different roles within the side,” Jeff Levin, their coach at St David’s Marist Inanda, explained. He has worked with the twins for two years as part of the school’s first XI.

Yasin, Hussein, and Levin call Armaan the team’s banker. He likes to spend time at the crease and can bat for a long time. He frets about his technique and his attacking shots are all built from a strong technical base.

Morteza, on the other hand, displays more flair and likes to push the game forward. He is a modern middle-order batsman who is likely to play an attacking shot as soon as he gets to the crease. In addition, Morteza is also a useful spin bowler, especially in the powerplay.

The difference in the twins’ approaches creates a wonderful complimentary dynamic when they bat together. It can make them appear to be unstoppable.

“One stand-out moment was when they opened the batting together last year in a Johnny Waite encounter against Northcliff and were chasing 144 in 20 overs. They knocked the runs off in 12 overs,” Levin shared.

In December, the brothers will put their skills on display for the Central Gauteng Lions at the Khaya Majola Week in Cape Town.

On Saturday, 9 November, Hilton College and Michaelhouse will do battle at Hilton College in their annual PinkDrive cricket match.

It’s the fourth year that the sides are playing in support of cancer awareness.

The match starts at 09:00 and will be shown on DStv Channel 216 and streamed on SuperSport Schools.

The contest, which has become a well-supported event on the two schools’ sporting calendar, serves as a fundraising event to help PinkDrive NPC, a health sector NGO, founded by Ms. Noelene Kotschan in 2009.

The organisation was founded on the basis that “early detection will help to prolong a life.”

PinkDrive’s goal is “to contribute towards preventing, as many people as it can, from succumbing to breast, cervical, prostate, and testicular cancer. Its primary focus is on citizens without access to reasonable care for these conditions, and who reside in areas where health services do not reach.”

“The match is a brilliant initiative and one which both schools, I would like to believe, hold very close to their hearts,” Khalipa Cele, the Michaelhouse 1st XI coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

Warren Kirsten, the Hilton College 1st XI coach, echoed Cele’s words. “This is an important event for our school because we are all affected by this disease. When the boys go out to play, they are not just playing for themselves, they are also playing for the other 600 boys in their brotherhood and their loved ones.”

Cele’s side hosted the last PinkDrive contest in which Michaelhouse went down in front of their home crowd. They will be keen to return the favour. That plan is not misguided as Michaelhouse has won against Hilton this year. However, Hilton, most recently, triumphed against their rivals in the semi-finals of the Tuskers’ Schools SA20 tournament before going on to win the regional title. Cele’s charges will go into the match keen to have the final word on the question of who had a better year.

Michaelhouse heads into the game on the back of a comprehensive 143-run win over Northwood, which featured a brilliant 88 from Graydon Leslie and outstanding bowling from Thandanani Zuma and Radhesh Jhilmeet, who bagged seven wickets for 16 runs between them.

Hilton, on the other hand, heads into the contest on the back of a loss to St Charles in their most recent limited-overs match. Kirsten’s men have endured an inconsistent run in traditional limited-overs fixtures. They’ve also missed five of their top players for extended periods due to injuries. However, three of those five players are back for Saturday’s match and Kirsten hopes the team will be able to capitalise on their availability.

Victory will be foremost on the minds of both sides, because, as Kirsten put it, a contest between Hilton and Michaelhouse always means more. The schools have a well-chronicled rivalry. But they’re also aware that the match is being played for a bigger cause than a win.

“As a coach and educator, I always try to blend sport with life lessons. Sport is about life lessons really; learning to be patient, resilient, and working with other people, to name a few. This day is about cricket, but also not about cricket, as it is about a cause which, in my opinion, is bigger than the game, but the game is used to raise this awareness,” Cele explained.

“We are aware of the significance of the rivalry between the two great schools. It brings energy and excitement to the fixtures. Our message is consistent with every match we play. Follow your process, which contributes to the team’s success. Having the PinkDrive as part of the day creates a meaningful motivation,” Kirsten said.

As regular followers of the Michaelhouse versus Hilton matches have come to know, the contest between the sides will be spirited. Neither will be willing to give an inch.

Nkosana Sibiya scored a brilliant century to lead St John’s College to a 59-run victory over King Edward VII School (KES) in their 50-over encounter at KES on Saturday.

St John’s won the toss, elected to bat first, and posted a match-winning 306 in 49.1 overs. The visitors then bowled out KES for 247 in 45.1 overs.

It was the second time that St John’s had defeated KES this year. The two sides previously met in a Johnny Waite Knockout contest, with St John’s winning that one by 32 runs, thanks to top knocks from Joe MacRobert and Alec Loveland.

On Saturday, in the contest’s key performance, Sibiya creamed 23 fours on his way to a match-winning 153 off 154 deliveries.

The number three batsman was the mainstay of the St John’s innings. After arriving at the crease in the first over, following the dismissal of Connor van der Walt, he shared a 51-run second-wicket stand with James Yuill (18). That stand proved to be St John’s second-highest partnership.

The visitors’ best partnership was for the seventh wicket, with Sibiya and Aiden Barberrini adding 84 runs. Barberrini also chalked up the second-highest individual score for the visitors, making 26 from 30 deliveries, while Malan du Plessis chipped in with 22 and Michael Stubbs with 16.

Christian Sabela was the pick of the KES bowlers, although he was a touch on the expensive side, picking up three wickets for 52 runs in 10 overs. Matthew Burgess and Wade McQuinn picked up two wickets apiece, and Connor Kuijers, Luke Clarke, and Eric Southey got in on the act by taking one each.

Set a daunting 307 to win, KES needed some of their batsmen to get in and make hay. Troy Gordon scored a valiant 73 off 85 deliveries to do his bit to keep KES in the contest. Batting third, his innings began in the eighth over and continued until his departure in the 39th.

Gordon and Zieg Roos, who made 36, shared a 57-run fourth-wicket partnership, which was the best of their side’s innings, and which also illustrated why they weren’t able to haul in the St John’s total.

Malan du Plessis was the pick of the bowlers for St John’s, snapping up three wickets for 46 runs in 9.1 overs. Ethan Robinson and Aiden Barberrini both removed two batsmen, and David Ireland picked up a wicket, too, to deny the hosts.

Sibiya, who played a proper captain’s knock, is leading St John’s in the absence of Alec Loveland, who is injured. He’s taken on the leadership role in his school’s last two matches and has come out on the right side of both. In the first, coach Bongani Ntini’s boys beat Steyn City by 30 runs in a Johnny Waite T20 fixture earlier in the week.

Summarised Scorecards

St John’s 306/10 (Nkosana Sibiya 153, Aiden Barberrini 26; Christian Sabela 3/52, Wade McQuinn 2/43); KES 247/10 (Troy Gordon 73, Zieg Roos 36; Melan du Plessis 3/46, Ethan Robinson 2/32).

St John’s won by 59 runs.

Corné Botha produced a great performance with the bat, scoring a quickfire half-century, as Hoërskool Noordheuwel registered a two-wicket win over St Benedict’s College in their 50-over league match at Noordheuwel on Saturday.

Botha won the toss and chose to bowl first, and Noordheuwel dismissed Bennies for 198 in 38.4 overs. It took the home side only 29.1 overs to claim the win, but they were made to work hard for it, eventually finishing on 204/8.

The victory was, in large part, thanks to the skipper, who was one of the top scorers and wicket-takers when Noordheuwel defeated St David’s Marist Inanda in the Lions region Schools SA20 final on Friday He provided an encore to that excellent performance by cracking an unbeaten 80 off 47 deliveries, blasting five sixes and eight fours in his knock.

Botha arrived at the crease in the 15th over and was still settling in when he lost two partners, JJ Basson and Wander Roolvink, in six deliveries. However, he kept his head and bided his time. Then, in the 25th over, he unleashed on Mark Munava, taking the bowler for 25 runs. He was also part of Noordheuwel’s highest partnership, teaming up with JD Bezuidenhout, who scored 33 runs, to add 83 for the seventh wicket. 

Besides Botha and Bezuidenhout, Tidimalo Moeketsane (25) and Corné Olivier (16) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.

Russell Jones was the pick of the Bennies’ bowlers, knocking over four wickets for 41 runs in 10 overs. Clayton Horlick claimed two wickets for 56 runs in 10, while Alex Johnston and Matthew Hickman-Steel took one each.

Earlier in the day, Horlick scored a brilliant half-century to keep St Benedict’s in the contest. He hit six fours and five sixes in his 74 from only 58 balls, despite wickets tumbling around him. His innings began in the fourth over and lasted 20 overs, during which time he shared the crease with five different partners.

Russell Jones showed off his all-round ability by scoring a fighting 46 off 52 as he tried to stretch the innings so that the boys from Bedfordview batted through their 50 overs. However, his effort was curtailed by Bezuidenhout in the 38th over.

Corné Olivier was the pick of the bowlers for Noordheuwel, claiming three wickets for 36 runs from nine overs. JD Bezuidenhout, Gomolemo Phiri, and Gerhard Roolvink struck twice each, and Marius Penning removed one batsman.

Summarised Scorecards

St Benedict’s College 198/10 (Clayton Horlick 74, Russell Jones 46; Corné Olivier 3/36, JD Bezuidenhout 2/40); Noordheuwel 204/8 (Corné Botha 80*, JD Bezuidenhout 33; Russell Jones 4/41, Clayton Horlick 2/56). Noordheuwel won by two wickets.

Corné Botha produced a polished all-round performance to lead Hoërskool Noordheuwel to a four-wicket victory over St David’s Marist Inanda in the Lions region’s final of the Schools SA20 at Wits University’s A field on Friday afternoon.

St David’s won the toss and elected to bat first. After they clawed their way to 120/7 in their 20 overs, Noordheuwel replied with 121/6 in 17.5 overs.

However, despite losing the final, the good news for St David’s is that they have another opportunity to make an impression in the Schools SA20 tournament. The top two teams qualify for the national rounds.

JJ Basson forced St David’s onto the back foot early on, when the left-arm fast bowler dismissed Jason Rowles in the third over.

Seven balls later, St David’s slid into deeper trouble when Botha bagged his first wicket, dismissing Kamogelo Phiri, who became the first of three victims of the Noordheuwel skipper. He also accounted for Armaan Manack and Hayden Campbell.

The big wicket was that of Armaan Manack. The opener appeared to be batting on a different surface compared to the rest of the St David’s batting lineup. A strike rate of 105 is often considered slow by modern T20 standards. However, in the context of the game, he was racing along. He scored the only half-century of the match, a 60-ball 63 that featured four fours and two sixes, while no other St David’s batsmen reached double figures.

Botha produced the best bowling figures of the match, capturing an outstanding three wickets for 14 runs in four overs. Basson, JD Bezuidenhout, and Sage Pretorius dismissed a batsman each.

Morteza Manack gave St David’s hope of defending a moderate total when he executed a run out off the first ball of the Noordheuwel innings to get rid of Wander Roolvink for a duck. Just two overs later, he trapped Brandon Peters in front. However, Manack’s tight bowling – he went at only 2.25 runs in his four overs – was undermined by Corné Botha and Ethan Smith’s 60-run third-wicket partnership.

The pair racked up the runs at a brisk rate, facing 45 deliveries for their 60. When the partnership was broken in the 12th over, the contest had very much tilted in Noordheuwel’s favour. The Krugersdorp school needed 47 runs from 50 balls, and the only thing that stood in the way of victory was a collapse of great proportions, but that never happened.

Noordheuwel lost a couple of more wickets after the dismissals of Botha and Smith. However, Basson scored a crucial 21 and Marius Penning and Bezuidenhout maintained cool heads to guide their side to victory.

Kyle Butler was the pick of the bowlers for St David’s with three wickets for 34 runs in 3.5 overs. Morteza Manack and Jared Stern rounded up the wicket-takers with one each.

Summarised Scorecards

St David’s 120/7 (Armaan Manack 63, Hayden Campbell 9; Corné Botha 3/14, JJ Basson 1/25); Noordheuwel 121/6 (Ethan Smith 39, Corné Botha 30; Kyle Butler 3/34, Morteza Manack 1/9).

Noordheuwel won by four wickets.

Kayla Reyneke produced an outstanding all-round performance as South Africa Women u19 won the final two matches of their Youth T20I five-match series at the Tuks Oval in Pretoria on Friday to subject Ireland Women u19 to a 5-0 whitewash.

Reyneke scored an outstanding half-century to help South Africa to 168/6 in their 20 overs after they were asked to bat first in the morning encounter.

During the Ireland chase, the South African captain was, also, among the wickets as the hosts restricted the visitors to 131/4 to win by 37 runs.

In the second match, South Africa bowled first and restricted Ireland to just 104/9. The hosts then proceeded in fits and starts until they reached 105/9 in 14.4 overs to scrape a one-wicket win.

Reyneke was awarded the Player of the Series accolade after finishing as the leading run-scorer with 138 runs from five innings, which she supplemented with seven wickets.

The former HS Bellville learner arrived at the crease in the third over, and by then, South Africa was in trouble on 4/2, having lost their openers for ducks. Reyneke proceeded to play a proper captain’s innings, recording a career-best 42-ball 73 that featured two fours and eight sixes. The Ireland batting lineup struck none.

She shared an 83-run third-wicket partnership with Simoné Lourens, who made 32,  to take the game away from the visitors. Reyneke and Karabo Meso then combined for a 25-run fourth-wicket stand. Following Reyneke’s departure, Meso, who scored the first half-century of the series, took control of the match and steered South Africa to 168 for six, finishing with an unbeaten 36 off 20.

Amy Hunter took charge of Ireland’s run chase. The Irish captain lost her opening partner, Lucy Neely early in the innings, but she stayed focused, scoring a fighting half-century, 73 off 52 balls before she was run out. However, that effort was in vain. South Africa’s 168 proved to be more than enough as the visitors were kept to 131/4.

Kayla Reyneke, Fay Cowling, and Monalisa Legodi were South Africa’s wicket-takers, with each bagging a single wicket. Cowling produced the best figures, returning 1/23 from her four overs. With the victory, South Africa moved 4-0 clear in the series.

The afternoon clash was a low-scoring thriller. Nthabiseng Nini spearheaded an on-fire South African bowling attack that did not give much away. Only three Ireland batters reached double figures – Freya Sargent (21), Lara McBride (33), and Alice Walsh (10). However, none bettered a strike rate of 100.

Nini was outstanding in her four overs, capturing two wickets for 12 runs. Reyneke was equally miserly, knocking over two wickets for 11 runs in three overs. Fay Cowling and Ashleigh van Wyk weighed in with a wicket each.

The hosts would have been expected to chase down Ireland’s total at a canter, given how they had batted throughout the series. However, that was not to be.

Besides Simoné Lourens, with 29, and Diara Ramlakan, with 21, and their 38-run second-wicket stand, the home side struggled to build meaningful partnerships. They lost wickets with alarming regularity and had to rely on their tailenders, Ashleigh van Wyk (7*) and Nthabiseng Nini (9*), to see them home.

The pair valiantly held on, sharing an unbroken 17-run 10th-wicket partnership to snatch victory for South Africa to complete the whitewash.

Aimee Maguire was the pick of the bowlers for Ireland, snapping up four wickets for 17 runs in four overs. She was well-supported by Freya Sargent and Lucy Neely, who both sent two batters packing.

Summarised Scorecards

South Africa Women u19 168/6 (Kayla Reyneke 73, Karabo Meso 36; Aimee Maguire 2/31, Alice Tector 1/12); Ireland Women u19 131/4 (Amy Hunter 73, Annabel Squires 19*; Kayla Reyneke 1/18, Fay Cowling 1/23). South Africa won by 37 runs.

Ireland Women u19 104/9 (Lara McBride 33, Freya Sargent 21; Nthabiseng Nini 2/12, Kayla Reyneke 2/11); South Africa Women u19 105/9 (Simoné Lourens 29, Diara Ramlakan 21; Aimee Maguire 4/17, Freya Sargent 2/29). South Africa won by one wicket.

Darshik Lutchman scored an imperious half-century to lead St John’s College to a 30-run victory over Steyn City in a Johnny Waite T20 match at St John’s on Wednesday.

The home side won the toss, elected to bat first, and scored a flying 214/7 in their 20 overs. Steyn City gave the run chase a good go, but they were restricted to 184/6 in reply.

Lutchman was in great form as he stroked eight fours and lofted two sixes on his way to a brilliant 63 off 29 deliveries. His innings was the difference between St John’s finishing with a total of around 180 and them chalking up an unassailable total.

When Lutchman arrived at the crease, the hosts were on 113/2, and they had lost two wickets in five deliveries. That double strike came courtesy of Austin van Jaarsveld‘s third over, which provided Steyn City with a desperately needed breakthrough.

Nkosana Sibiya and James Yuill had given the visitors nightmares by sharing a 107-run opening stand. The first to depart was Yuill, who was run out for a well-played 50 off 33 balls that featured nine fours. He was followed back into the dugout by his erstwhile partner before he had removed his pads.

Sibiya is leading the St John’s side in the absence of their regular captain, Alec Loveland, who is out of action due to injury. He will also captain the team when they tackle their neighbours, King Edward VII School (KES), on Saturday. Against Steyn City, he barely missed out on a half-century of his own, falling after scoring a 38-ball 49.

After the dismissals of Yuill and Sibiya, Lutchman and Malan du Plessis (21) shared a 51-run third-wicket stand. However, there were no other substantial partnerships after that.

Keegan Smallbone was the pick of the Steyn City bowlers, with a return of two wickets for 41 runs from four overs. Austin van Jaarsveld and Kurt Losch bagged a wicket each.

Steyn City made a brisk start in pursuit of a large total, scoring 28 runs in the first three overs. However, that came at the cost of a wicket. That did not bother Matthew Barbour, who creamed seven fours and two sixes in a 37-ball 57. Barbour gave the visitors their best shot of chasing down a daunting total, but they needed to pick up from where he left off following his dismissal.

Sachin Sunker (31) and Keegan Smallbone (42) rose to the task, scoring at run rates of 140 and 175 respectively. However, Steyn City’s issue was that the rest of the batsmen that followed were unable to match that high tempo, and none lasted long enough to make the needed impact.

Sibiya showed off his all-round abilities by claiming two wickets for 36 runs in four overs. Malan du Plessis and Ethan Robinson picked up a wicket each, while both Lwazi Khupe and James Yuill pulled off run outs.

The victory over Steyn City served as a solid warm-up and a good confidence boost for St John’s in preparation for their clash with KES over the weekend.

Summarised Scorecards

St John’s 214/7 (Darshik Lutchman 63, James Yuill 50; Keegan Smallbone 2/41, Austin van Jaarsveld1/41); Steyn City 184/6 (Matthew Barbour 57, Keegan Smallbone 42; Nkosana Sibiya 2/36, Malan du Plessis 1/31)

St John’s won by 30 runs.

Kamogelo Phiri smashed an outstanding half-century, while Jason Rowles bagged a five-wicket haul as St David’s Marist Inanda soundly defeated Helpmekaar by an emphatic 56 runs in their Johnny Waite T20 match at St David’s on Wednesday afternoon.

Helpmekaar won the toss, chose to bowl first, and held the hosts to 148/5 in their 20 overs. St David’s then skittled the visitors for just 92 in 15.5 overs, thanks to a brilliant display of spin-bowling from Rowles.

Kamogelo Phiri cracked nine boundaries – five fours and four sixes – on his way to a brilliant 78 off 55 to play the pivotal knock in the St David’s innings. He arrived at the crease after the first delivery of the fourth over, which had led to the dismissal of Rowles after he scored a watchful nine runs from 10 deliveries.

Things went from bad to worse for St David’s when they lost their second wicket nine balls later. Those early wickets tied down Jeff Levin’s charges and they finished the powerplay on 43/2 for a strike rate of 7.17 runs an over.

Helpmekaar’s bowling attack saw to it that St David’s did not have big partnerships by striking at regular intervals. The home side needed someone to bat deep to counter Helpmekaar’s wicket-taking, and that is what Phiri did. He stayed in the middle for 14.2 overs and was dismissed off the last delivery of the innings while trying to clear the boundary.

By then, he had shared a sharp 64-run fifth-wicket stand with Hayden Campbell, who weighed with an unbeaten 16. The home side’s next-best partnership was Rowles and Armaan Manack’s 26 runs for the first wicket. Armaan Manack contributed 14 runs to the total, while his brother Morteza added 12.

When it was their turn to bat, Helpmekaar barely got going. They lost their first wicket in the first over and, from there, their batsmen struggled to engage a third gear. Only two went at a strike rate above 100, and even then they barely made it. Kyle Swanepoel went at 109 and Anthony Stone at 106.

Stone top-scored for the visitors with a 43-ball 46, while Swanepoel, with 12, and Zuan Joubert, with 15, were the only other visiting batsmen to reach double figures.

If the Helpmekaar innings fell flat, it was in part because of the bowling of Jason Rowles. The all-rounder bamboozled the visitors’ middle and lower order on his way to an innings destroying five wickets for 17 runs from 3.5 overs. His spell included 17 dot balls from 23 deliveries.

Christopher Emslie, who took the first wicket for St David’s, finished with two wickets for 25 runs in three overs.

Summarised Scorecards

St David’s Marist Inanda 148/5 (Kamogelo Phiri 78, Hayden Campbell 16*; Anrich Liebenberg 1/10, Aiden Pretorius 1/31); Helpmekaar Kollege 92/10 (Anthony Stone 46, Zuan Joubert 15; Jason Rowles 5/17, Christopher Emslie 2/25).

St David’s Marist Inanda won by 56 runs.