Author: cschiwanza

Player of the Match, Karabo Meso, carved an outstanding maiden international half-century and was brilliant with the gloves as South Africa Women u19 outplayed Ireland Women u19 in their Youth T20 series clash at the University of Pretoria on Wednesday.

South Africa recorded an emphatic 58-run victory to establish an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Ireland’s captain, Amy Hunter, won the toss and decided to bowl first, hoping her bowling attack could emulate the success that the hosts enjoyed on Monday.

That was not to be as South Africa chalked up 147/7 from their 20 overs. That total proved to be a mountain too high to climb for the visitors, who stumbled to 89/9 from their 20.

Meso struck eight fours and a six on her way to a match-winning 60 off 44 balls.

When the Steyn City learner arrived at the crease in the seventh over, South Africa needed to rebuild after wickets fell from back-to-back deliveries. The double-strike by Aimee Maguire meant that the home team had lost three wickets for 10 runs in 2.5 overs.

Meso bided her time, scoring at less than a run-a-ball through the first half of her innings, but a 62-run fourth-wicket partnership with Diara Ramlakan (31) not only stabilised the South African innings, but it swung the momentum firmly in favour of the home side.

The pair’s partnership, which came from only 46 deliveries, also propelled the hosts past the 100-run mark in the 15th over. It had taken South Africa more than nine overs to get past 50 runs. It also marked the third time in the three matches that Ramlakan, another Steyn City learner, had been part of a match-winning partnership.

Meanwhile, Meso charged towards her first Youth T20 International half-century while sharing an enterprising sixth-wicket stand with Luyanda Nzuza (16). Together, they added 39 runs from 27 balls. Openers, Diedre van Rensburg (19) and Simoné Lourens (13) were the only other batters to reach double figures.

Aimee Maguire was the pick of the Irish bowlers and returned the best figures of the match, capturing a sparkling four wickets for 29 runs. Lara McBride and Niamh MacNulty bagged a wicket each.

After her batting brilliance, Meso then put on a show behind the stumps. The wicketkeeper executed an outstanding stumping off Kayla Reyneke’s bowling to dismiss Freya Sargent in the second over and the Irish ladies never quite recovered from that setback.

They lost wickets in clumps, with four of them toppling in the powerplay. They also failed to get a measure of both the pitch and the field, inaccurately judging singles and twos. The result was that they lost a stunning four batters to run outs, with three of them featuring Meso, who displayed outstanding reflexes.

Abby Harrison (21), Ellie McGee (18), and Kia McCartney (11) were the only Ireland batters to make it into double figures.

Reyneke was the pick of the home side’s bowlers, claiming three wickets for 10 runs in three overs. Seshnie Naidu and Nthabiseng Nini were the other wicket-takers, removing one batter each.

The sides will play the remaining two games on Friday, with the hosts eyeing a series whitewash.

Summarised Scorecards

South Africa Women u19 147/7 (Karabo Meso 60, Diara Ramlakan 31; Aimee Maguire 4/29, Niamh MacNulty 1/27); Ireland Women u19 89/9 (Abby Harrison 21, Ellie McGee 18*; Kayla Reyneke 3/10, Seshnie Naidu 1/11).

South Africa won by 58 runs.

Kayla Reyneke, Ashleigh van Wyk, and Fay Cowling were in fine form as South Africa Women u19 overwhelmed Ireland Women u19 in the first two matches of their five-match Youth T20I series at the Groenkloof Oval on Monday in Pretoria.

In the first match, played in the morning, South Africa won the toss, elected to bowl first, and restricted Ireland to only 113/8. Captain Reyneke and company needed only 13.1 overs to score 115/4 in reply and claim victory.

The hosts chose not to change a winning formula for the afternoon encounter. They won the toss, again chose to field, and were even tougher on Ireland, holding the tourists to just 93/8 in their 20 overs. Then, with the bat, the South African side was even more emphatic in sealing victory than they had been earlier in the day, racing to 94/4 in 9.2 overs.

South Africa leads the series 2-0 and will be aiming to make it 3-0 and wrap up a series win when the sides play again on Wednesday.

In the morning’s match, the Irish innings was doomed from the first over of the day. Nthabiseng Nini saw to it that the visitors did not have a good start by any measure by breaching Freya Sargent’s defences in the first over. However, the visitors consolidated through Amy Hunter and Alice Tector, who scored 52 runs in their second-wicket partnership.

Matters rapidly changed after Mona-Lisa Legodi dismissed Hunter. The wicket taken by the Prestige College learner was the beginning of a downhill spiral for Ireland. Ashleigh van Wyk followed the removal of Hunter with the wicket of Tector with the next delivery. The leg spinner from Marais Viljoen spun webs around the Irish batters as she bagged three wickets for 22 runs from her four-over spell.

Reyneke emerged from the innings break in no mood to stick around and make a meal out of the chase. The South Africa captain made it seem as if she was batting on a different surface than everyone else, carving a wonderful unbeaten 46 off 27 balls to shepherd the home side to victory. The former Hoërskool Bellville learner struck five fours and two sixes.

She also shared a match-winning 55-run third-wicket partnership with Diara Ramlakan (18) which all but sealed South Africa’s win.

In the afternoon match, the visitors had a better start. They didn’t lose their first wicket until the fifth over when Fay Cowling broke a dangerous-looking opening stand between Sargent (9) and Hunter (24). As had happened in the previous game, the loss of the first wicket triggered a collapse. Hunter’s dismissal was the first of four wickets to fall in 5.1 overs for only 22 runs.

Cowling gave little away, adhering to a nagging and challenging line and length. The Jeppe High School for Girls seam bowler’s discipline was outstanding and she conceded only three runs in three overs while capturing three wickets in the process. She also pouched the catch that sent Sargent on her way just as she looked like she was preparing to score big.

Then, during the South Africa innings, Cowling put her all-round abilities on display, striking an unbeaten 18 off 10 balls to steer the hosts over the line. When she arrived at the crease, South Africa was on 67/4 after decent contributions from their top order.

Simone Lourens and Jemma Botha had kicked things off with a 19-run opening partnership. As they did in the first innings, Reyneke (19) and Ramlakan (19) shared a useful partnership, adding 40 runs to the score for the third wicket.

Niamh MacNulty and Aimee Maguire dismissed the duo within four deliveries of each other. However, that was too little too late.

Summarised Scorecards

Match 1

Ireland u19 113/8 (Amy Hunter 24, Alice Tector 24; Ashleigh van Wyk 3/22, Ntabiseng Nini 1/15); South Africa u19 115/4 (Kayla Reyneke 46*, Simone Lourens 19, Kia McCartney 2/16, Freya Sargent 1/20) South Africa won by six wickets.

Match 2

Ireland u19 93/8 (Freya Sargent (24), Ellie McGee 13; Fay Cowling 3/3, Ashleigh van Wyk 1/14); South Africa u19 94/4 (Diara Ramlakan 19, Kayla Reyneke 19; Freya Sargent 2/18, Aimee Maguire 1/21). South Africa won by six wickets.

Zieg Roos put on a brilliant all-round show to lead King Edward VII School (KES) to a 30-run win over Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) in a 50-over match played at KES on Saturday.

The KES captain made the right call at the toss and decided that his side was going to bat first. Roos then backed up his decision with a brilliant half-century to help lift his side to 188 from their 50 overs.

However, he was not done yet. When Affies came in to bat, Roos bagged a three-wicket haul as KES bowled out the visitors for 158 in 45.2 overs.

Saturday’s match marked the second meeting of the sides this year. The last time they crossed swords was in February, and Affies romped to a seven-wicket victory, chasing down the 144 they needed to win in only 23.5 overs. Vincent Jordaan’s charges headed into the tie intent on preventing Affies from completing a double, and they succeeded.

KES started steadily rather than spectacularly, accumulating 39 runs in their first eight overs. Then, they suffered a mini-collapse, losing three wickets for 10 runs between the ninth and 12th overs.

The loss of those three wickets brought Roos to the crease. The KES captain was watchful and faced 11 deliveries before he struck a scoring shot. Roos held down his end, batting through 37.1 overs and five partnerships, as his partners came and went. Despite a slow start to his innings, the all-rounder sped up and faced 87 balls before reaching his fifty. He went on to score 65 from 106 deliveries.

Besides Roos, Tiago Dias (27), Luke Clark (25), Christian Sabela (24), and Eric Southey (13) were the other batsmen to reach double figures.

SF Vermeulen was the pick of the Affies’ bowlers, picking up four wickets for 38 runs from 10 overs. That haul raised his tally of wickets from his last nine innings to 15. Ruben Groenewald claimed 2/37, while Xavier de Wet, Zian Labuschagne, and Armin Snyman took a wicket each.

Affies made a poor start to their run chase. They lost their first wicket in the fifth over and were three wickets down by the close of the 11th over. The Pretoria side needed someone to put in the kind of innings that Roos had delivered for the hosts. Daniel Murray stepped up to the plate.

The number seven batsman breathed new life into the Affies’ innings with a strong rear-guard effort. He farmed the strike for 29.1 overs, batting beautifully for a fluent 60 off 70 deliveries. As long as Murray was at the crease, the visitors maintained a hope of victory. That hope stayed alive until the 46th over, but Murray then fell to Wade McQuinn’s bowling.

Christian Linde (22) was the only other Affies’ batsman to breach the 20-run mark. JP Botha (17), Zian Labuschagne (13), and SF Vermeulen (14) made starts but failed to press on.

A big reason for the stop-start nature of the Affies’ innings was Roos. He knocked over 3/33 in nine overs. However, that was not the end of it for the KES captain. He also pouched a catch and was part of a run-out. He was central to KES’s success.

Wade McQuinn, Eric Southey, Abdullah Mohammed, Christian Sabela, and Matthew Burgess played their part by taking a wicket each.

Summarised Scorecards

KES 188/10 (Zieg Roos 65, Tiago Dias 27; SF Vermeulen 4/38, Ruben Groenewald 2/37); Affies 158/10 (Daniel Murray 60, Christian Linde 22; Zieg Roos 3/33, Matthew Burgess 1/14).

KES won by 30 runs.

Hoërskool Noordheuwel celebrated their qualification for the final of the Lions region’s Schools SA20 tournament by steamrolling Steyn City School by eight wickets in a 50-over encounter at Steyn City on Saturday.

Noordheuwel won the toss, elected to bowl first, and skittled the hosts for only 84 in 22.5 overs. The team from Krugersdorp, then, needed only 18 overs to reach 85/2 and secure victory.

JD Bezuidenhout and JJ Basson took the new ball for the Nories and made life difficult for the Steyn City batsmen. They pinned the opposition down with good line and length bowling, conceding only 31 runs in the first 10 overs and, importantly, capturing three early wickets, too.

Keegan Smallbone decided that the only way to deal with the Noordheuwel bowling attack was to go on the offensive and he proceeded to cream 14 runs off Tidimalo Moeketsane‘s first over.

However, the good vibes were short-lived. Moeketsane returned with a fiery second over that played a decisive role in the outcome of the match. He bagged two wickets, one of them Smallbone’s, to leave the home side reeling on 53/5.

Steyn City spent the next 10 overs desperately trying to hold on, but it was all in vain. There was no stopping Moeketsane, who knocked over 4/42 in six overs.

The Noordheuwel bowlers were so good that captain Corné Botha needed only four of them to bowl out Steyn City. The other three, besides Moeketsane -JJ Basson, JD Bezuidenhout, and Corné Olivier – took two wickets each. Only three Steyn City batsmen – Max Borroughes (25), Keegan Smallbone (18), and Matthew Little-Barbour (14) – made it into double figures.

As they did on Friday afternoon, in their Schools SA20 win over Monument, Noordheuwel spent considerably less time at the crease than their opponents.

Marius Penning played a patient innings, accumulating an unbeaten 38 runs from 57 deliveries and shared three partnerships. He and Corné Olivier combined for 38 runs, while Penning and Steph Jooste added only eight runs together. An unbroken stand of 39 for the third wicket with Brandon Pieters (20*) saw Noordheuwel home.

Steyn City did not do themselves any favours by conceding 17 extras, which accounted for a fifth of Noordheuwel’s total. Kurt Losch was the biggest offender with a tally of 13.

Gideon Coetzee and Somaan Khan were Steyn City’s two wicket-takers, but they could do little to stop Noodheuwel’s charge to victory.

Summarised Scorecards

Steyn City 84/10 (Max Borroughes 25, Keegan Smallbone 18; Tidimalo Moeketsane 4/42, Corné Olivier 2/10); Noordheuwel 85/2 (Marius Penning 38*, Brandon Pieters 20*; Gideon Peters 1/13, Somaan Khan 1/27).

Noordheuwel won by eight wickets.

Corné Botha starred with both bat and ball as Hoërskool Noordheuwel made light work of the challenge posed by Hoërskool Monument in their Schools SA20 contest.

Noordheuwel recorded an emphatic seven-wicket win when the sides locked horns at the Wits Educational Grounds on Friday afternoon.

After winning the toss, Monument elected to bat first, but that didn’t work out too well as they were bowled out for 98 in 19.3 overs.

Noordheuwel, then, made light work of the chase by racing to 99/3 in 12.3 overs.

Their reward is a meeting with St David’s Marist Inanda in the Lions region final on 1 November. St David’s booked their spot after a tight victory over St Stithians on Thursday.

Botha and JJ Basson, his opening partner, made Keegan van Wyk rue his decision to bat first by dominating with the new ball. They gave nothing away and three overs in Monument had been reduced to 2/2.

Monnas managed to make a little headway in the last three overs of the powerplay, adding 17 runs, but that also came at the cost of two more wickets, both picked up by Botha, which left Monument struggling on 19/4.

Their best passage of play with the bat was from the seventh to the 11th over, during which they added 37 runs without the loss of a wicket, thanks to Innocent Ramarafe (34) and Rieghardt Prinsloo (21). Monument’s momentary relief was shattered when Gomolemo Sibi delivered an over that produced two wickets, one of them a run-out. Things turned further south from that moment on as Monnas lost momentum.

Corné Botha was the pick of the Noordheuwel bowlers, capturing three wickets for 16 runs in four overs. Sage Pretorius and Marius Penning were outstanding, bagging a brace each, while JJ Basson and Gomo Sibi also got in on the wicket-taking action.

When it was Noordheuwel’s turn at the crease, Botha batted as if he had a plane to catch. The Noordheuwel captain bludgeoned 31 runs from only 13 deliveries for an astronomical strike rate of 238. His opening partnership with Wander Roolvink rocketed Noordheuwel to 38/1 after three overs.

The Nories were charging along so quickly that they passed the halfway mark of the required total in the powerplay. When the game ended, they had spent only 49 minutes in the middle. Monument’s innings lasted 96 minutes.

Brandon Pieters, who came in at number three, lent a calm head to the run chase, accumulating a sedate and unbeaten 28 off 26 to guide his side to victory.

Rieghardt Prinsloo sent down a disciplined four overs for Monument as they battled to stay in the contest and was rewarded with a tidy return of two wickets for 17 runs. He was introduced into the attack in the fifth over. By then, however, the horse had already bolted after Byron Viljoen and Tshepo Mlambo had bled 38 runs in the first three overs.

Noordheuwel’s victory sets up what promises to be a mouthwatering final between two sides that have enjoyed a great run in the School SA20 tournament.

Summarised Scorecards

Monument 98/10 (Innocent Ramarafe 34, Rieghardt Prinsloo 21; Corné Botha 3/16, Marius Penning 2/6); Noordheuwel 99/3 (Corné Botha 31, Brandon Pieters 28*; Rieghardt Prinsloo 2/14, Byron Viljoen 1/26).

Noordheuwel won by seven wickets.

Jason Rowles starred with the ball, while Roberto Mariano was solid with the bat for St David’s Marist Inanda as they claimed a two-wicket victory with two balls to spare over St Stithians in a low-scoring Schools SA20 tie at Wits University on Thursday.

Rowles snagged a four-wicket haul to play a key part in his side reducing Saints to 117/9, which justified captain Samrat Basu’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss.

Mariano scored an unbeaten run-a-ball 24 to see St David’s snatch the win when they reached 118/8 after 19.4 overs.

Coach Jeff Levin’s side will meet either HS Noordheuwel or HS Monument in the Lions region final. The Krugersdorp rivals cross swords on Friday afternoon.

When he was first introduced into the St David’s attack in the eighth over, Rowles delivered the most expensive over of the innings, leaking 15 runs after Thomas Rew took a liking to his bowling. The skipper Samrat Basu, then, allowed Rowles time to compose himself before reintroducing him into the attack three overs later.

Rowles repaid Basu’s faith in him by capturing two wickets in two deliveries to reduce St Stithians to 83/5. His third over was tidy and went for only three runs. However, Rowles was not yet done. In his final over, he repeated the two in two trick to finish with 4/27 from his four overs.

Kyle Butler unsettled the St Stithians’ batting lineup with his pace, on his way to two wickets for 25 runs from four overs. Hayden Campbell and Morteza Manack were the other wicket-takers with one each.

Ombesa Matsha and Thomas Rew valiantly fought for Saints and shared a 46-run second-wicket partnership. Unfortunately for Lazarus Mokoena’s charges, no one else continued the good work the duo had produced. Matsha top-scored with a run-a-ball 32, while Rew struck 31 in only 17 deliveries.

Mariano arrived at the crease in the 12th over, following a crucial run out of Morteza Manack by Cayden Sunker. St David’s required 61 runs from 52 balls. On a good batting pitch, everyone would expect St David’s to canter home. However, the pitch was slow and the boundaries huge, which meant that the match hung in the balance.

Mariano, though, took St David’s close to victory before Jared Stern, after joining him in the middle, smashed a game-changing six off the second ball he faced to turn the innings in St David’s favour. That big blast left St David’s chasing six off of six balls as the contest headed into the final over. Mariano and Stern ran a couple of twos and two singles to seal the victory.

Zaakir Hanslo was the pick of the St Stithians’ bowlers, snaring three wickets for 14 runs in four overs. Cayden Sunker, Tahseen Hanslo and Thomas Collins took a wicket each.

Summarised Scorecard

St Stithians 117/9 (Ombesa Matsha 32, Thomas Rew 31; Jason Rowles 4/27, Kyle Butler 2/25); St David’s 118/8 (Roberto Mariano 24*, Morteza Manack 23; Zaakir Hanslo 3/14, Cayden Sunker 1/27).

St David’s won by two wickets.

Noordheuwel has been on a good run of form, racking up victories, ahead of their Schools SA20 Lions region semifinal tie against Monument on Friday.

Etienne Janse van Rensburg‘s charges booked a spot in the semifinals thanks to a batting masterclass from Ethan Smith, who struck an imperious 179, which helped Noordheuwel to an emphatic 232-run victory over South Hub last week.

Monument, meanwhile, dealt with Queens High, winning by six wickets, to secure their spot.

Smith was to the fore again on Tuesday as Noordheuwel claimed a tight eight-run win over Jeppe High School for Boys. The opener top scored with an outstanding 41-ball 55 that featured four fours and three sixes. He also shared a 74-run opening stand with Tidimalo Moeketsane,  which was Noordheuwel’s highest partnership of the match.

Smith’s effort was complimented by JD Bezuidenhout, who bagged a sharp four wickets for 17 runs in four overs to prevent Jeppe from chasing down their total.

Noordheuwel successfully built on that victory by subjecting Northcliff to a nine-wicket defeat in front of the Noordheuwel faithful 24 hours later. Janse van Rensburg did not need Smith to see his side home, this time around. The coach moved the regular opener down the order, leaving Corné Botha to display his class with an unbeaten half-century to see his side to another win.

Botha stroked eight fours and blasted three sixes for his 65 off 39 deliveries. He also shared an unbroken 80-run second-wicket partnership with Brandon Pieters (30) as they chased down Northcliff’s low score of 121.

Botha’s outstanding all-rounder qualities were on show throughout the contest. Earlier in the day, he had bagged three wickets for 13 runs in two overs to send Northcliff reeling. His bowling effort was complimented by Marius Penning, who picked up three wickets for 37 runs in three overs. The other four bowlers – JJ Basson, JD Bezuidenhout, Gomolemo Sibi, and Sage Pretorius – claimed a wicket each.

Etienne Janse van Rensburg, Noordheuwel’s head of cricket, will be hoping that his side can continue its productive run of form in their tie against their Krugersdorp rivals, Monument.

Summarised Scorecards

Noordheuwel 139/5 (Ethan Smith 55, JJ Basson 22*; Sipho Potsane 2/25, Shreshth Kumar 2/28); Jeppe 131/8 (Tiago Almeida 40, Sipho Potsane 19; JD Bezuidenhout 4/17, JJ Basson 2/21). Noordheuwel won by eight runs.

Northcliff 121/10 (Alexander Wiest 35, Kyle Davis 33; Corné Botha 3/13, Marius Penning 3/37); Noordheuwel 125/1 (Corné Botha 65*, Brandon Pieters 30*; Alexander Wiest 1/25). Noordheuwel won by nine wickets.

Muhammed Bulbulia held his pose. The ball pierced the gap between the fielders at mid-off and cover and raced to the boundary. Five balls earlier, he had taken a single to bring up his ton.

The 18-year-old celebrated the century in an understated manner. This is his natural disposition, and his admiration of Hashim Amla reinforces it.

“Hashim Amla’s journey is a perfect source of inspiration for a teenage cricketer. His discipline, humility, and dedication to the game show that success in cricket isn’t just about talent, but also about hard work and consistency,” Bulbulia explained.

Like Amla, Bulbulia had expertly paced his innings. His strike rate ranged between 80 and 100 for most of his knock. The boundary took him to 105 off 116 deliveries. He was about to put the Zimbabwe Emerging u19 bowling attack to the sword.

Bulbulia scored 20 runs off the next 13 deliveries, and he was eventually dismissed for a 129-ball 135. His score made up 40.5% of his team’s total. Paul James was the second-highest scorer for South Africa Emerging u19 with 51 off 54 balls.

During the series, Bulbulia wore the number 94 shirt, and that was only because Lethabo Phahlamohlaka had beaten him to the number one shirt. When he has a choice, Bulbulia always takes the number his hero, Amla, wore on his back.

“He is a great role model. Off the field, his integrity, respect for others, and quiet leadership reflect the values of being a good person, showing that character is just as important as skill in achieving greatness,” Bulbulia shared.

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A memory stands out for Bulbulia. It features him playing cricket with a tennis ball in the corridor at home with his older cousin. The bathroom doors on both ends were covered with pillows, which served the dual purpose of muffling the tennis ball sounds as well as replacing a set of stumps. Afternoons flew by as the pair contested a never-ending Test match.

A separate event stands out for his father, Ahmed. He can recite the words he heard, almost verbatim. He thought his young son was talented, but hearing those words from a third party, a man who had never set eyes on Bulbulia before, solidified his belief.

“This boy has the makings of a future South African international cricketer.” That was the assessment of one of the coaches of the West Indies team that toured South Africa in 2014.

The coach had watched the seven-year-old face a few throwdowns on the sidelines as the players prepared to take to the field. Ahmed, his father, was not surprised by the assessment. After all, the youngster was born with a bat in his hands, as he put it.

For Muhammed Bulbulia, cricket is a familial love passed down. His grandfather, Munaf, ran a community cricket club in the early 1980s. He loved the game so much that he invested thousands of hours and thousands of rands to ensure the club’s survival.

Munaf’s love spilled over to his sons. Two of them, Muhammed Senior, affectionately known as Kata, and Yusuf, were so good that people earmarked them for careers bigger than their father’s club. Kata was an outstanding seam-bowling allrounder, so talented that many saw him as a potential Proteas’ player. However, he chose a different path. Yusuf, the younger of the pair, was also incredibly talented and debuted for the North West Dragons at 15 years of age.

If the succeeding generation has to outdo their predecessors, then Muhammed Bulbulia is on track. Like his uncle, Yusuf, he signed his first contract with the Dragons as a teen and, unlike anyone before him, he has already earned a national call-up. All that is possible because the entire family is pouring into his cup.

His aunt bought him his first brand-new cricket bat when he was five. Munaf imparted his knowledge to the youngster as he developed, as did Kata and Yusuf. When he outgrew his grandfather’s and uncles’ instruction, Ahmed found him a private coach.

“Mo was eight when I started working with him. I immediately recognised his potential as a fast learner and a skilled player. His precise straight shot, excellent footwork, and ability to wait for the ball indicated his promising future, especially considering that horizontal shots are more common at that stage,” Jan van Staden recalled.

A year later, Van Staden was beaming with pride as he watched Bulbulia register a maiden half-century. What made it special was that it came against an u11 side.

“I remember the day. It was on 7 August 2015. I encouraged him to play against older players, and he fearlessly faced pace bowling, demonstrating strong skills in playing straight and leaving wide balls. It was clear to me from a young age that he had the potential to become an opening specialist,” Van Staden said.

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Fields College is a small school in a small town, in a cricket sense. Fields’ programme does not compare to that of traditional powerhouses, like Grey High, Grey College, St Stithians, or Wynberg Boys’ High, while Rustenburg does not boast a large number of top clubs.

Ahmed, understanding the limitations of what his son’s surroundings could provide by way of competitive fixtures, decided to look beyond Rustenburg. Their first stop was Johannesburg, almost 128km away. Every weekend, Ahmed drove for a total of about four hours, to and fro, as he ferried his son to fulfill club fixtures for Marks Park Cricket Club.

In his u12 year, Muhammed Bulbulia smashed 546 runs at an average of 91, with a strike rate of 171.7, for the Shakti Tigers in the Lenasia Premier League. Three years later, he returned an average of 48.7, at a strike rate of 147.6, for the Caspian Tigers’ u15 side. Between 2021 and 2022, he racked up more than 1 500 runs for Marks Park in the Presidents A League.

“One of the key things we have always focused on in his training methods emphasises mental toughness. This has helped him to excel when batting under pressure,” Van Staden revealed.

During the 2023 Khaya Majola Week, Bulbulia, then 17, showcased that mental strength, scoring a century and a fifty on his way to becoming the fourth-highest run-scorer of the week. Those performances caught the eye of the selectors and they picked him to captain the SA Schools Colts team.

“He is one of the best cricket players I have worked with. He is a player that can score runs 360 degrees around the ground and can manipulate the field,” Andries de Beer, the Fields College first-team coach, shared.

Both De Beer and Van Staden agree: what makes Bulbulia the model student isn’t his talent, it’s his willingness to learn. It’s not hard to see why he is teachable.

“Success in cricket isn’t just about talent, but also about hard work and consistency,” Bulbulia said.

Zieg Roos bagged a five-wicket haul to bowl King Edward VII School (KES) to a 41-run win over HS Noordheuwel in their 50-over encounter on Saturday.

KES put aside their defeat to St David’s Marist Inanda in a Schools SA20 tie on Friday afternoon and mustered 159 all out through a team effort.

Vincent Jordaan‘s charges needed someone to bowl them to victory if they were to defend their low total and Roos was their man as he helped his side restrict Noordheuwel to only 118 in 38.4 overs.

Roos, who was introduced in the eighth over, bowled his 10-over allotment on the bounce and snagged a sensational six wickets for 14 runs.

His first over was a double-wicket maiden, which accounted for Wander Roolvink and Brandon Pieters. He followed that up with a wicket in his second over and, by then, Noordheuwel was more focused on survival than anything else.

They became so watchful of Roos’ deliveries that the KES bowler recorded a couple of wicket-maidens as he continued to wreak havoc on Nories.

JD Bezuidenhout was the only Noordheuwel batsman to properly prosper while Roos dominated. He remained unbeaten on a valiant 44 off 62 balls. Marius Penning and Corné Olivier were the only other batsmen to reach double figures on a day on which everyone struggled.

Roos was well-supported by Eric Southey, who expertly cleaned up the tail in an outstanding 4.4-over spell that earned him three wickets for a mere eight runs. Wade McQuinn did his bit, claiming 1/13 in four overs.

Earlier in the day, KES had lived up to the adage of the sum being greater than its parts when their middle order scraped together a string of double-figure individual scores that gave their bowlers something to defend.

Jordaan’s boys started poorly, losing four wickets for 18 runs in the first six overs of their innings. Troy Gordon scored a laboured but valuable 31 off 67 deliveries as he fought to hold the innings together. Abdullah Mohammed (15) and Khwezi Nyamathe (13) reached double figures but were out in the mid-teens.

However, an eighth-wicket stand between Wade McQuinn (30) and Matthews Burgess (29) lifted KES close to the 150-run mark. That total could have been a lot lighter, but Noordheuwel did not help themselves by contributing 28 extras, including 22 wides, which proved to be the fourth-highest contributor to the KES total.

Corné Botha was the pick of the bowlers for Noordheuwel, returning an outstanding three wickets for four runs in four overs. Gomo Sibi and Sage Pretorius bagged a brace each, but Sibi was responsible for 22 wides.

Summarised Scorecards

KES 159/10 (Troy Gordon 31, Wade McQuinn 30; Corne Botha 3/4, Sage Pretorius 2/12); Noordheuwel 118/10 (JD Bezuidenhout 44*, Marius Penning 20; Zieg Roos 6/14, Eric Southey 3/8).

KES won by 41 runs.

Jason Rowles and Armaan Manack struck classy centuries to lead St David’s Marist Inanda to a nine-wicket win over St John’s College in their 50-over encounter on La Valla Oval at St David’s on Saturday.

The hosts, who won the toss and elected to bat first, were bowled out for a decent-looking 282 in 46 overs. Jeff Levin’s boys, however, needed six overs less to chase down that big total, cruising to 287/1 in 40 overs.

Rowles showed his class as he creamed 14 fours and two sixes on his way to a brilliant 118 off 105 deliveries. The opener was at the crease for 27.3 overs and forged a 185-run opening stand with Armaan Manack.

The St John’s bowlers had no answers against the duo, and it took a moment of luck for them to break the openers’ partnership, with Rowles, after successfully negotiating a Lwazi Khuphe delivery, accidentally dislodging his bails.

Following the SA u19 Emerging star’s departure, Armaan Manack took control of the innings and put on an unbroken 102-run second-wicket partnership with his captain, Samrat Basu (38*).

It was during that partnership that Manack recorded his century, going on to finish with an unbeaten 114 off 101 balls. He put on a clinic, showing an ability to severely punish loose deliveries, as he carved 18 fours. It was also Manack’s second century of the week, following a knock of 167 off 108 balls against Northcliff.

Earlier in the day, Armaan’s twin brother, Morteza Manack, starred with the ball, bagging four wickets for 42 runs in 10 overs. Morteza, fresh off a double-hundred in the 50-over format, removed three of the top six batsmen in the St John’s batting order, getting rid of Nkosana Sibiya, Malan du Plessis, and Darshik Lutchman.

Sibiya scored one of the two half-centuries for St John’s, contributing 51 runs off 57 deliveries. The other half-ton came from Connor van der Walt. The opener hit a 64-ball 60 to give his side a solid start. However, neither fifty was enough to withstand the St David’s onslaught.

Ethan Greenstein, Kyle Butler, Hayden Campbell, and Jared Stern perfectly supported Morteza’s bowling. Both Greenstein and Butler picked up a pair of wickets, while Campbell and Stern took one wicket each.

Summarised Scorecards

St John’s 282/10 (Connor van der Walt 60, Nkosana Sibiya 51; Morteza Manack 4/42, Kyle Butler 2/25); St David’s 287/1 (Jason Rowles 118, Armaan Manack 114*; Lwazi Khuphe 1/28).

St David’s won by nine wickets.