Author: cschiwanza

Ben Hockly and Jorich van Schalkwyk both scored unbeaten half-centuries to shepherd South Africa u19 Emerging to a one-sided 10-wicket win over Zimbabwe u19 Emerging in their 50-over match at Queen’s Sports Club, Bulawayo, on Wednesday.

With Wednesday’s victory, their third from three matches in the five-match series, South Africa secured a series win by taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead.

The tourists, who were asked to bowl first, blew away the Zimbabwe batting lineup, dismissing them for 180 in 48.5 overs.

Muhammed Bulbulia and his team needed less than half the time the Zimbabweans used up to chase down that total. They romped to 183 without loss in only 22.3 overs.

In their first two games, South Africa had Bulbulia and Adnaan Lagadien opening the batting. On Wednesday, they changed personnel and went with Hockly and Van Schalkwyk. What did not change was the top-order dominance that has become a feature of the series.

Hockly smashed 10 fours and two sixes on his way to an unbeaten 84 off 72 deliveries, while Van Schalkwyk stroked 10 fours and a six for his unbeaten 79 off 64 balls.

Throughout their big unbroken opening stand, they never looked in trouble and neither offered a chance. At the same time, their run rate was always over 100, with Hockly reaching his half-century in 41 balls, and Van Schalkwyk bringing his up off of 47.

The assured work of the batsmen was the cherry on the top following an outstanding bowling performance by the South African attack. Zimbabwe began well, getting off to a fast start, with the first wicket producing 25 runs from only 24 balls. Opener Nathaniel Hlabangana top-scored with 54, while his partner Leeroy Chiwaula was the first man to fall, out for eight.

After that rollicking start, the hosts retreated into their shell and accumulated 63 runs off 106 deliveries as they attempted to steady their ship through Hlabangana and Kupakwashe Muradzi, who contributed 25.

Jason Rowles broke their partnership in the 22nd over, which led to a downhill slide for the Zimbabweans. Their batsmen struggled to contend with South Africa’s bowlers. Only three of them – Hlabangana, Muradzi, and Tatenda Banda (25) – made it beyond the teens. Two others, Brandon Senzere (11) and Ryan Moyo (11), reached double figures, while the rest were restricted to single-digit scores.

Paul James was the pick of the bowlers, knocking over three for nine in 5.5 overs. Ntando Soni also bagged three scalps from 10 overs, which cost him 34 runs.

Rowles, who took the prized wickets of Hlabangana and Muradzi, finished with two wickets for 24 runs in eight overs, while Bayanda Majola took a single wicket for 36 runs in 10.

Summarised Scorecard

Zimbabwe u19 Emerging 180/10 (Nathaniel Hlabangana 54, Kupakwashe Muradzi 25; Paul James 3/9, Ntando Soni 3/34, Jason Rowles 2/24) South Africa u19 Emerging 183/0 (Ben Hockly 84*, Jorich van Schalkwyk 79*) South Africa u19 Emerging won by 10 wickets.

Darshik Lutchman fired St John’s College to a three-wicket win over Hilton College in an Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week T20 clash at Hilton College on Tuesday afternoon.

The middle-order batsman took charge and scored an unbeaten half-century to propel the Gauteng side to 142/7 in 18.4 overs.

At UKZN, Joshua van Biljon scored an unbeaten 40 to power Durban High School (DHS) to a six-wicket victory over St Stithians.

That win meant DHS finished with a perfect three victories from three matches. Saints, unbeaten at the Michaelmas Week in 2023, went winless this time around.

Hilton batted first on the Hart-Davis Oval and fought their way to 141/6 from their 20 overs, with Monday’s centurion, Charles Swart, following up his ton against Paul Roos Gimnasium with an impressive 51 off 39, which included five fours.

However, Swart’s heroics were matched by Lutchman, for St John’s,  as he compiled a steady 56 off 48 deliveries, striking a six and five fours. Batting at four, it’s not often that Lutchman finds himself at the crease inside the first three overs of his side’s innings but, against Hilton, he was out in the middle in the second over after an early collapse.

Batting with composure, the 16-year-old copped a couple of blows to the head, but he took them in his stride and kept guiding his side towards the victory target. Playing textbook shots, he accumulated runs at a pace that steadied the innings and allowed other batsmen to swing at every delivery they faced.

“The young man is still developing his craft. l would say he played out of his skin for the badge,” Bongani Ntini, the St John’s coach, said after the game.

During his time in the middle, Lutchman shared a 21-run third-wicket partnership with Nkosana Sibiya, which came off of 22 balls, but more was needed to guide his side out of the woods.

St John’s needed a fast-scoring partnership, but it didn’t come when Lutchman and Alec Loveland were together. However, when Jacob Smith, the Johannesburg school’s designated finisher, joined Lutchman they lifted the run rate, scoring 58 runs off 40 balls.

Smith played his role as the finisher perfectly, sending three balls over the boundary and three into it as his 27-ball knock produced 40 runs.

Lutchman and Smith’s crucial contributions were built on a foundation afforded to them by the bowling of Oliver Tait and Nkosana Sibiya. They took five wickets between them to help St John’s restrict Hilton to a gettable total.

Tait removed both openers, Robert Burman and Simon Steyn, in two overs. Nkosana then stalled Hilton’s surge at the death by picking up a wicket in each of the 15th, 17th, and 19th overs.

“Nkosana was immense for us today,” coach Ntini enthused. “He bowled a match-winning spell in the middle overs to peg back the opposition, who had a flying start. It wasn’t only the restriction of runs but also the crucial wickets he took when the opposition looked to accelerate and they looked comfortable to post 180-plus,” he explained.

Sibiya, with 3/21 from four overs, was the most successful bowler in the match. Tait did his bit by picking up 2/28 in four, while paceman Natenzi Denenga was Hilton’s best bowler, knocking over 2/26 in 3.4 overs.

St Stithians had a contrasting result to that of their Johannesburg neighbours when they met DHS, and matters started to unravel early on when Dilhan Naraidu dismissed the dangerous duo of Liam Mudenda and Emile Odendaal, two and three in the Saints’ batting order, in the space of three deliveries, with only seven runs on the scoreboard.

Saints recovered through Richard Seletswane and Tahseen Hanslo, who put on 65 in 60 balls for the third wicket. Unfortunately for St Stithians, it was brought to an end by Seletswane being run out by Ethan Cooper for 31 in the 12th over. He was followed by Hanslo a short while later, after Hanslo had scored 38. Aidan van der Westhuizen was the only other Saints’ batsman to reach double figures.

Naraidu, with 2/25 from four overs, was the pick of the DHS bowlers, while Bhavesh Naicker also bagged a brace, claiming 2/27 in four.

In their reply, DHS’s top four batsmen – Ismaeel Omar (8), Sbusiso Msibi (21), Semal Pillay (17), and Sfundo Mthembu (11) – adopted a watchful approach, more often applied in the 50-overs-a-side game. After 10 overs, they had reached only 53/3. A much higher run rate was needed.

Josh van Biljon, who scored a century earlier in the week against Hudson Park, obliged by stepping up to the plate and bludgeoning an unbeaten 40 off 25 balls. His blazing knock featured three fours and a six. He and Lazlo Jooste, who finished unbeaten on 15, shared an unbroken 46-run fifth-wicket partnership to see the Horseflies to victory.

Richard Seletswane was St Stithians’ best bowler with two wickets for 14 runs in four overs.

Summarised Scorecards

Hilton College 141/6 (Charles Swart 51, Robert Burman 24; Nkosana Sibiya 3/21, Oliver Tait 2/28) St John’s College 142/7 (Darshik Lutchman 56, Jacob Smith 40; Natenzi Denenga 2/26). St John’s won by three wickets.

St Stithians College 119/7 (Tahseen Hanslo 38, Richard Seletswane 31; Dilhan Naraidu 2/25, Bhavesh Naicker 2/27) DHS 120/4 (Joshua van Biljon 40*, Sbusiso Msibi 21; Richard Seletswane 2/14, Cayden Sunker 1/9). DHS won by six wickets.

Christopher Elston grabbed a four-wicket haul to help Jeppe High School for Boys register a comprehensive 98-run win over Northwood at Howick High in a T20 clash at the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week on Tuesday.

A short distance away, Ethan Muir scored an unbeaten 53-ball 58 to help Michaelhouse to a 13-run win over Pretoria Boys High on the Roy Gathorne Oval.

Jeppe batted first and put up a total of 166/8 in their 20 overs. Their bowlers then caught fire and ran through the Northwood batting line-up to knock them over for just 68 runs in 15.1 overs.

The bowling massacre was led by Elston, who captured four wickets for 19 runs in four overs. He was introduced into the attack in the seventh over and delivered an outstanding four-over spell that saw him take a wicket in each over he bowled.

His first wicket was that of Mfanafuthi Shange, who top-scored for Northwood with 18. Shange had seen out the storm brought on by Sipho Potsane, Matthew Costa, Luke Kent-Brown, and Jeremiah Marshall, which caused a massive Northwood batting collapse in the powerplay.

In the first six overs, five batsmen fell for a combined 12 runs. Northwood’s sub-standard batting effort was reflected by the fact that Alistair Duncan, with 13, was the only other batsman to reach double figures.

Earlier in the day, Jeppe’s batsmen had produced a stop-start innings, due to their loss of wickets in clumps. The only time there was some respite from that rollercoaster ride was when they had Aiden Reyneke and Ryan Young in the middle. They were the only Jeppe batsmen to score more than 30 runs, and they shared a 66-run third-wicket partnership that spanned 7.4 overs.

Their partnership saw the Gauteng side through the middle overs and put them in a position to post a winning score. Munib Ayob and Keegan Caxeiro also made important contributions, with both scoring 24.

At Michaelhouse, Ethan Muir hit five fours and a six in his unbeaten 58 off 53 deliveries to lead the home team to a hard-fought win over Pretoria Boys High.

Muir arrived at the crease in the second over, after Sebastien Hofmeyr had been dismissed by Timothy Tattersall for one. The number three batsman pitched his tent and saw the innings through, shepherding Michaelhouse to 142/4. Then, the KZN side successfully defended their total, restricting Boys High to 129/6 from their 20 overs.

After Hofmeyr’s dismissal, Muir shared a 21-run second-wicket partnership with Michael Spencer (17), which steadied the innings and lasted until the fifth over. It was succeeded by a 91-run match-winning third-wicket stand between Muir and Graydon Leslie, who waltzed along at a healthy scoring rate of 126.39. During that stand, Leslie carved five fours in his 42 off 33 balls.

Later in the day, when Michaelhouse was in the field, Jean-Luc Rey took two early wickets to force Pretoria Boys High onto the back foot. The new ball bowler picked up two, one in the second over and another in the fourth, to reduce the Northern Gauteng side to a precarious 8/2.

Timothy Gordon had his work cut out for him when he made his way to the crease following the fall of the second wicket. He did a good job of steadying the innings, with a 38-run third-wicket partnership with Luke Marshall (17). However, Pretoria Boys High’s most important partnership was Gordon’s 75-run fourth-wicket stand with Adam Cannata.

Unfortunately, the duo was unable to score quickly enough. They were consistently behind the required run rate, and when Cannata was dismissed after 18.3 overs, Boys High still needed 21 runs from nine balls. It proved to be a mountain too high to climb.

Gordon gave it his all, finishing with 54 from 41 deliveries, which included five fours and three sixes.

Jean-Luc Rey was the pick of the bowlers for Michaelhouse with two wickets for 13 runs in four overs. Ross Moller, Harry Vickery, and Radhesh Jhilmeet bagged a wicket each.

Summarised Scorecards

Jeppe 166/8 (Ryan Young 37, Aiden Reyneke 32; Kyle White 2/21, Nqobani Mokoena 2/25, Mason Storm 2/25) Northwood 68/10 (Mfanafuthi Shange 18, Alistair Duncan 13; Christopher Elston 4/19, Luke Brown 1/2) Jeppe won by 98 runs.

Michaelhouse 142/4 (Ethan Muir 58, Graydon Leslie 42; Nicholas Rossouw 1/16) Pretoria Boys High 129/6 (Timothy Gordon 54, Adam Cannata 37; Jean-Luc Rey 2/13, Ross Moller 1/15) Michaelhouse won by 13 runs.

David de Bruyn and Kyle White starred with both bat and ball as they steered Northwood to a three-wicket victory over St David’s Marist Inanda in their Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week match played in Richmond on Monday.

At the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), in Pietermaritzburg, Kyle McGough struck an outstanding run-a-ball 74 to lead Westville Boys’ High to a tight three-wicket win over St Stithians in a thrilling encounter.

Northwood headed to the crease needing 253 to win after restricting St David’s to 252/9 in their 50 overs. White led the Knights‘ bowling effort, picking up a superb five-wicket haul. The Durban school, then, got home with three overs to spare.

White, who was introduced into the attack in the 12th over, conceded a mere five runs and bagged three wickets in his first three overs. Two of those wickets removed the Manack brothers, Armaan and Morteza, who had started rebuilding the St David’s innings after they were in early trouble on 35/2 after 6.5 overs.

St David’s was in danger of capitulating for a low total, but Keamogelo Phiri (54) and Hayden Campbell (51), combined for an 87-run sixth-wicket partnership, which gave the Johannesburg school a lift towards a good total.

White, who also dismissed Campbell, was Northwood’s most successful bowler with five wickets for 38 runs in 10 overs. Nqobani Mokoena, who bagged the important wicket of Phiri, finished with 2/48 from nine.

Northwood’s run chase was led by De Bruyn, who was at the crease for 41 overs of the Knights’ innings, during which he compiled a match-winning 106 from 115 deliveries (10x4s, 4×6). The opener shared the crease with six of the other eight players who batted for Northwood.

De Bruyn’s 73-run fourth-wicket stand with Kyle White was Northwood’s highest partnership, and it almost guaranteed his team a victory. Nqobani traded his bowling shoes for a bat and weighed in with an important unbeaten 29 from 23 balls.

Hayden Campbell was the pick of the bowlers for St David’s, picking up two wickets for 35 runs from six overs. Christopher Emslie bowled neatly, claiming 1/11 in four.

At UKZN, Kyle McGough hit five fours and a six for his unbeaten half-century as he led Westville’s successful run chase against St Stithians. The Griffin had missed out on the first two days of play due to bad weather and a wet outfield, but they showed no rustiness when they took on the Gauteng powerhouse.

Westville’s bowlers, led by Nicandro Kistna, restricted St Stithians to 264/7 in 50 overs. They chased that total down, chalking up 265/7 in 48.4 overs for a three-wicket win. The Westville skipper finished the match with three wickets for 36 runs in 10 overs, with all three of his victims being St Stithians’ top-order batsmen.

Kistna struck in his first over, the 13th of the innings, breaking St Stithians’ opening partnership between Pranav Raichetti (50) and Liam Mudenda (27), which had threatened to put the match firmly in control of the Johannesburg side.

Westville had to wait for 7.3 overs before they took another wicket. Again, Kistna was the wicket-taker. This time, he dismissed Emile Odendaal (27) and Raichetti in the same over. The double strike opened the door for Westville to take control of the contest. From then on, the KZN side’s bowlers took wickets at regular intervals to prevent St Stithians from taking charge.

Aidan van der Westhuizen, who scored a belligerent 69 off 43, was the only other St Stithians batsman to capitalise on his side’s solid start.

When he traded the ball for the bat, Kistna fought to give his side a sound platform upon which to build their chase, despite losing two partners in the first nine overs of the innings.

The opener would consider himself unfortunate after missing out on a half-century by just two runs. Only the bowler, Tahseen Hanslo showed enthusiasm for an LBW shout, but the umpire agreed, and Kistna was dismissed for a well-played 48 from 61 balls.

Westville’s middle order of Bashkar Sewlal, Kaeden McAllister, and Sean McGough made starts but failed to convert them into big scores. The KZN side was at risk of coming up short of the required score, which was within tantalising reach. When McGough arrived at the crease, though, he took charge.

His effort was enough to cancel out St Stithians’ pair of half-centuries from Pranav Raichetti and Aiden van der Westhuizen and Westville followed their neighbours, Kearsney College, in executing a successful run chase of a solid Saints’ total.

Summarised Scorecards

St David’s 252/9 (Hayden Campbell 51, Armaan Manack 31; Kyle White 5/38, Nqobani Mokoena 2/48) Northwood 255/7 (David de Bruyn 106, Kyle White 43; Hayden Campbell 2/35, Armaan Manack 1/14) Northwood won by three wickets.

St Stithians 264/7 (Aidan van der Westhuizen 69, Pranav Raichetti 50; Nicandro Kistna 3/36) Westville Boys’ High 265/7 (Kyle McGough 74, Nicandro Kistna 48; Akhil Challa 2/23) Westville won by three wickets.

King Edward VII School (KES) recorded a second victory in as many matches at the 2024 edition of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week when they handed St Charles a whopping 138-run defeat in Pietermaritzburg on Monday. Their win came courtesy of half-centuries from Luke Clark and Khwezi Nyamathe.

A short distance away, Kristian Kind laid a solid foundation for Grey College, who beat Jeppe High School for Boys by four wickets at Collegians.

Clark and Nyamathe shared a match-winning 90-run second-wicket partnership as they took down Saints, who had scored an impressive win over Grey College the previous day. Clark, who top-scored for KES with 28 runs in their victory over Hilton on Sunday, struck nine fours and a six on his way to 62 off 63 balls.

Nyamathe was the foil to Clark’s aggressive stroke play. The number four batsman accumulated 52 runs from 113 deliveries in a patient innings that featured just three fours. The duo joined forces in the fifth over after KES had lost opener Tiago Dias.

The Clark-Nyamathe partnership spanned  14.5 overs and was broken when Clark was run out in the 20th over. Things looked a little grim for the Johannesburg school when Troy Gordon was dismissed for a five-ball duck nine deliveries later. However, the trio of Callum Ritchie, Zieg Roos, and Wade McQuinn prevented a middle-order collapse and contributed 78 runs between them.

Marcell Wellmann delivered a brilliant four-over spell at the death for St Charles. The left-arm spinner bagged four wickets for 33 runs between the 43rd and 49th overs to help restrict KES to what looked like a gettable total. Still, the Saints’ skipper came in for some stick, finishing with four wickets for 55 runs from his seven overs.

St Charles’ openers, Connor Riley and Cian Fortman, did a good job in seeing off the new ball, but not much followed after their 27-run stand in 9.1 overs was ended, with the home side’s top order contributing little. Saints never recovered from that collapse and stumbled their way to 103 all out.

The St Charles’ batting was under the pump so much that only Stefan Veldsman, with 22, made it out of the teens. Three more batsmen – Riley, Fortman, and Brendan Sunguro, the hero of their win on Sunday over Grey College – reached double figures, but they didn’t do much more.

Wade McQuinn caused the Saints’ batsmen problems and was the most successful of the KES bowlers, taking two wickets for seven runs in four overs. Christian Sabela, Fayaaz Vawda, and Callum Ritchie also bagged a brace of wickets each as they bowled their side to victory.

At Collegians, Grey College made light work of the target set for them by Jeppe. The boys from Bloemfontein bounced back from their five-wicket loss to St Charles with a four-wicket victory over the Kensington school.

Grey successfully chased Jeppe’s 175 all out, which had been achieved in 43.1 overs. It took Grey 41.1 overs to reach 176/6.

Kristian Kind stroked eight fours and blasted two sixes on his way to a well-played 68 off 86 deliveries. He was in great touch and his maximums matched the total of the entire Jeppe batting lineup. The opener was also the dominant contributor in a 66-run opening stand with Cullen Marais, who added 10 runs to his team’s cause.

Kind’s innings was enough to secure the boys from Bloemfontein a victory because of Jeppe’s middling score. Unlike Jeppe, who lost wickets in clumps, Grey College was able to string together partnerships that did enough to keep their run chase on course. Henru De Wet and Ruben Maree contributed 44 runs between them, while Pieter Smit (13) and Dale Williams (15) failed to settle in.

Sipho Potsane and Shreshth Kumar bagged a brace of wickets each for Jeppe, but neither could stop the Grey College train. Potsane finished with a tidy two for 25 from 10 overs, while Kumar bowled tightly, too, and picked up two for 29 in eight.

Earlier in the day, the Grey College bowlers made good use of the morning conditions to send Jeppe’s top three batsmen packing for only 19 runs.

Ryan Young (35) top-scored for Jeppe in their match against the CSA Hub XI, with a solid half-century on Sunday, and while there was no individual milestone for him this time around, he battled hard to give his side a fighting chance, sharing in a 67-run partnership with Aiden Reyneke, who top-scored for Jeppe with 39.

However, Jeppe needed more than two scores in the thirties. Keegan Caxeiro and Potsane made it to 20, but there was nothing else to write home about.

Henru De Wet was the pick of the Grey College, claiming three wickets for 16 runs in 5.1 overs. Darion Rabie and Sicelo Matayi picked up two wickets apiece, while Otto Krause and Daniel Hattingh removed a batsman each.

Summarised Scorecards

KES 241/10 (Luke Clark 62, Khwezi Nyamathe 52; Marcell Wellmann 4/55) St Charles 103/10 (Stefan Veldsman 22; Wade McQuinn 2/7, Christian Sabela 2/10) KES XI won by 138 runs.

Jeppe 175/10 (Aiden Reyneke 39, Ryan Young 35; Henru De Wet 3/16) Grey College 176/6 (Kristian Kind 68, Henru De Wet 24; Sipho Potsane 2/25, Shreshth Kumar 2/29) Grey College won by five wickets.

Muhammed Bulbulia was in imperious form, notching his first century of the tour to help South Africa u19 Emerging to a convincing 120-run victory over Zimbabwe u19 Emerging in their 50-over match at Queen’s Sports Club, Bulawayo, on Sunday.

South Africa, who won the toss and elected to bat first, rumbled to 333/6 before rolling over Zimbabwe for 213. South Africa now leads the series 2-0, after registering an eight-wicket win over the hosts in their first match.

Bulbulia picked up from where he left off in the opener. In that contest, the Fields College learner scored an unbeaten half-century as South Africa made light work of the total set for them by their hosts. This time around, Bulbulia cracked 10 fours and two sixes on his way to 135 off 129 deliveries.

His 63-run opening partnership with Adnaan Lagadien (34) gave the visitors a solid platform to build from. The 18-year-old then followed that up with a brilliant 80-run second-wicket stand with Jason Rowles (45). South Africa’s strength in the innings was their top order’s ability to string together substantial partnerships.

After Rowles’ dismissal, Bulbulia shared a 100-run partnership with Paul James. With Bulbulia anchoring the innings in his self-assured manner, all of his partners found the freedom to express themselves. James scored a superb 50 from 54 balls as the two batted together until the 41st over.

Lethabo Phahlamohlaka, Jorich van Schalkwyk, Ben Hockly, and JJ Basson all came in to bat in the last nine overs with the instruction to hit the ball out of the park as the visitors romped to an insurmountable total.

Kirby Madharamete was Zimbabwe’s best bowler, with four wickets for 62 runs, while Matthew Martel and Keith Mabhena bagged a wicket each.

Basson dealt Zimbabwe’s hopes of chasing down the total a crippling double blow in the first over of their innings. The left-arm quick dismissed Rowyn Konson and Dhruv Patel with his third and fifth deliveries. The hosts mounted a fightback with a 53-run third-wicket partnership between Leeroy Chiwaula and Kupakwashe Muradzi.

Rowan Rajah then took a leaf from Basson’s book and delivered a double blow to Zimbabwe’s effort with the dismissals of Chiwaula and Muradzi in the 10th over. The hosts’ propensity to lose wickets in clumps meant that they never made things difficult for the visitors.

Simbarashe Mudzengerere put up a spirited resistance with a well-made 75 from 87 deliveries. However, his single-handed effort was not enough to bring his side close to South Africa’s total.

JJ Basson was the pick of the South African bowlers, with four wickets for 48 runs in 9.1 overs. The left-arm pacer was well-supported by Rowan Rajah and Luke Kleinsmith, who bagged a brace of wickets each. Dayalan Boyce and Paul James dismissed one batsman each.

Summarised Scorecard

South Africa u19 Emerging 333/6 (Muhammed Bulbulia 135, Paul James 51; Kriby Madharamete 4/62); Zimbabwe u19 Emerging  213/10 (Simbarashe Mudzengerere 75, Leeroy Chiwaula 32; JJ Basson 4/48, Rowan Rajah 2/14). South Africa u19 Emerging won by 120 runs.

Murray Hall-Jones scored a fluent half-century to set Michaelhouse up for a 122-run win over St David’s Marist Inanda in their Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week match at Michaelhouse on Sunday, while, in Pietermaritzburg, Clifton College overcame St John’s College by six wickets.

The two matches were supposed to be played over 50 overs, but they were reduced to 40 overs a side after wintry and wet weather prevented play on Saturday and affected the playing surfaces of the venues, resulting in delayed starts on Sunday.

Hall-Jones creamed seven fours and a single six on his way to a 51-ball 57, which helped boost Michaelhouse to a total of 258/8 on the Roy Gathorne Oval in Balgowan.

The number three batsman was the match’s leading scorer, with no one else managing more than 40. Morteza Manack’s 37 was the highest individual score for St David’s, who were bowled out for 136 in 33 overs.

Hall-Jones arrived at the crease after Michael Spencer and Sebastien Hofmeyr gave the home side a 42-run start. His second-wicket stand with Hofmeyr lasted only 3.4 overs, with Hofmeyr’s departure bringing Dylan Hewlett out to the middle. The pair, then, shared a 48-run third wicket stand that set Michaelhouse on course for a match-winning total.

The home side could have reached a more imposing score had they not lost wickets at regular intervals. On the other hand, St David’s could have given themselves a better shot at victory had they not conceded 26 extras. Kyle Buttler was the biggest offender with two wides and nine no-balls. Keamogelo Phiri also conceded nine wides.

Shaiyen Desai was St David’s most successful bowler with two wickets for 36 runs from eight overs.

Chasing 259 for victory, St David’s lost their first wicket in the sixth over and never quite recovered from that blow. The stop-start nature of their innings meant that they were unable to build the momentum they needed to wrestle control from the hosts.

Ross Moller led Michaelhouse’s bowling effort with three wickets for 14 runs in seven overs. Radhesh Jhilmeet also snapped up three wickets but conceded 26 runs from his five overs. Ethan Muir bagged a brace, and Jean-Luc Rey and Sebastien Hofmeyer claimed a wicket each.

At UKZN, in Pietermaritzburg, Tim Saulez scored a masterful half-century as he masterminded Clifton’s successful run chase in their match against St John’s College. When he arrived at the crease, Clifton was on 61/3, chasing the Johannesburg school’s total of 183. Before him, Hayden Drieselmann had scored a well-paced 44 off 48 to kick off his side’s successful batting effort.

Byron Ward (5) and Shahzaad Perumal (12) failed to settle in and the responsibility of seeing Clifton home fell to Saulez, who carved a brilliant unbeaten 80 off of 68 deliveries, and Zach Williamson, who weighed in with an unbeaten 26.

The St John’s total of 183 came courtesy of a valiant one-man fightback from Joe MacRobert. The 18-year-old scored an outstanding 70 off 63 but received little support from his teammates. Alec Loveland‘s 25 was their next-best effort.

Clifton’s Shahzaad Perumal was the most successful bowler of the contest, snaring four wickets for 31 runs from eight overs. He was well supported by Saulez, who bagged a brace, while Regan Radley, Zach Williamson, and Shiraz Perumal removed a batsman each.

Summarised Scorecards

Michaelhouse 258/8 (Murray Hall-Jones 57, Sebastien Hofmeyer 32; Shaiyen Desai 2/36, Morteza Manack 1/34) St David’s 136/10 (Morteza Manack 37, Samrat Basu 24; Ross Moller 3/14, Radhesh Jhilmeet 3/26) Michaelhouse won by 122 runs.

St John’s 183/10 (Joe Macrobert 70, Alec Loveland 25; Shahzaad Perumal 4/31, Tim Saulez 2/20) Clifton 184/4 (Tim Saulez 80*, Hayden Drieselmann 44; Kago Masote 2/36, Cole Francis 1/15) Clifton won by 6 wickets.

Callum Ritchie was outstanding as King Edward VII School (KES) recorded an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Hilton College on day two of the 2024 edition of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week on Sunday.

Almost 10km away, at Howick High School, Joshua van Biljon scored an unbeaten ton as Durban High School (DHS) overran Hudson Park, defeating the East London school by 178 runs.

Instead of playing 50-over matches, the teams had to adjust the length of their games based on what the venues allowed after rain fell throughout Saturday.

The KES-Hilton match was reduced to 40 overs, while the DHS-Hudson Park encounter was reduced to 39 overs a side.

KES, who were asked to bowl first by their hosts, bundled out Hilton for 99 runs in 25.4 overs, before chasing down the 100-run target in 18.1 overs for the loss of four wickets.

Ritchie, the captain, delivered an outstanding 2.4-over spell that turned the match around for KES. He also took three catches and was at the crease when his side cantered to victory to avenge a 129-run loss at Hilton during last year’s Michaelmas Week.

Matthew Burgess and Fayaz Vawda gave KES the perfect start by bagging three wickets in the first four overs of the match to put Hilton on the back foot. The home side attempted to rebuild through Simon Steyn (11) and Jayden Roux (37). However, the pair added only 30 runs to the total before their partnership was undone.

Roux then joined forces with Alex Pitman (26) to construct Hilton’s highest partnership, with their fifth-wicket stand producing 52 runs. When it ended, the hosts still appeared to have many more runs to score, with 20 overs to bat and six wickets in hand. However, KES had other ideas and what followed was something few could have foreseen.

Hilton collapsed in a monumental heap, going from 90/5 to 99/10 in the space of 5.4 overs, or 34 deliveries. Ritchie delivered the match-defining blow when he dismissed Roux in the 24th over. Ritchie also took the catches that ended the innings of  Ben Erasmus, Charles Swart, and Natenzi Denenga. 

Connor Kuijers was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 21 runs in six overs. Burgess and Ritchie took two wickets each, while Vawda, Christian Sabela, and Wade Mcquinn bagged a scalp each.

Luke Clark top-scored for KES in their chase, with 28 off 26 balls. Troy Gordon was the second-highest scorer, with 17, but that proved impactful in pursuit of a small total. Ritchie (14*) and Zieg Roos (14*) remained unbeaten as they saw the Johannesburg side home.

In Howick, Joshua van Biljon smashed an unbeaten 100 of 99 balls (12×4) to steer DHS to a total of 234 for two in their tie against Hudson Park. Then, despite conceding 10 extras, DHS bowled out their opposition for a paltry 56 runs.

Van Biljon shared an unbroken 190-run third-wicket partnership with DHS skipper Semal Pillay, who was unbeaten on 82 off 101 deliveries. They had joined forces in the 10th over, following the dismissal of Ethan Cooper for 16.

DHS made light work of the Hudson Park batting lineup and needed only 17.5 overs to dismantle it. None of the Hudson Park batsmen reached double figures.

The wickets were shared around, with Cooper capturing 2/6 in three overs. Sbusiso Msibi, Dhilan Naraidu, and Taine Havemann also bagged two wickets apiece, while Jared Havemann and Pillay walked away with a wicket each.

Summarised Scorecards

Hilton College 99/10 (Jayden Roux 37, Alex Pitman 26; Connor Kuijers 3/21, Callum Ritchie 2/4, Matthew Burgess 2/18) KES 100/4 (Luke Clark 28, Troy Gordon 17, Callum Ritchie 14*, Zieg Rose 14*; Ethan van Heerden 2/25, Kyle Christie 1/16). KES won by 8 wickets.

DHS 234/2 (Joshua van Biljon 100*, Semal Pillay 82*) Hudson Park 56/10 (Ethan Cooper 2/6, Sbusiso Msibi 2/9) DHS won by 178 runs.

Muhammed Bulbulia scored a magnificent unbeaten half-century to lead South Africa u19 Emerging to a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe u19 Emerging in their 50-over contest at Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on Friday.

The visitors bowled out Zimbabwe u19 Emerging for 161 in 41 overs after being asked to bowl first.

Set a moderate victory target, the Jason Rowles-captained side treated the run chase like a T20 as they romped to 162/2 in 23.1 overs.

Bulbulia, who expertly anchored the chase, carved seven fours and a single six in his 80-ball 67. The Fields College student was untroubled throughout his innings, and his composed knock allowed his batting partners to express themselves with the bat.

Rowles, who joined Bulbulia in the middle after Adnaan Lagadien’s early dismissal, was aggressive, cracking back-to-back boundaries off the first two deliveries he faced. After that show of intent, the St David’s Marist Inanda batsman went on to score a free-flowing 22-ball 29 before he was dismissed in the 16th over. However, by then, his 54-run second wicket stand with Bulbulia had put the game beyond Zimbabwe.

His replacement, Ben Hockly, struck his first boundary from the third ball he faced and was unstoppable from that point onwards. The Hilton College learner batted like he had a plane to catch, smashing three fours and as many sixes on his way to an unbeaten 45 off 28 balls. Together with Bulbulia, Hockly put on an unbeaten 64-run third-wicket partnership from only 43 deliveries.

Benny Zuze was the only successful Zimbabwean bowler with two wickets for 58 runs in seven overs.

Bulbulia, Rowles, and Hockly capitalised on the good work done by the South African bowlers earlier in the day. Zimbabwe’s captain, Nathaniel Hlabangana, must have immediately rued his decision after he won the toss and asked the visitors to bowl first.

South Africa’s left-arm paceman JJ Basson was outstanding with the new ball. He bagged his first wicket when he castled Ambitious Mudimu with his second delivery of the match.

The left-arm quick, then, worked over Zimbabwe’s number three batsman, Rowyn Konson, so much that Konson tried to take a single where there wasn’t one, just so he could get off strike. That rash decision resulted in a run out and the hosts were 2/3 after 2.4 overs. Things did not get easier for the home side, who seemed to be more focused on survival than anything else.

Basson caused the hosts all sorts of difficulties in his eight overs, two of which were maidens, and finished the match with two wickets for 27 runs. However, the pick of the bowlers was Rowles. The South African skipper sent down 10 economical overs, three of them maidens, and bagged two for 24.

Basson’s new ball partner, Buyanda Majola also captured two wickets in his 10 overs, but conceded 48 runs, while Ntando Soni took two wickets for 27 runs in eight overs.

Only two Zimbabwean batsmen exited the twenties, Hlabangana, with 31, and Kirby Madharamete, who made 30.

Scores

Zimbabwe u19 Emerging 161/10 (Nathaniel Hlabangana 31, Kirby Madharamete 30; Jason Rowles 2/24, JJ Basson 2/27, Ntando Soni 2/27); SA u19 Emerging: 162/2 (Mohammed Bulbulia 67*, Ben Hockly 45*; Benny Zuze 2/28).

SA u19 Emerging won by 8 wickets.

Teun Kloppenberg and Tristan Grundling scored brilliant unbeaten half-centuries as Grey High School cantered to a comfortable five-wicket victory over Selborne College on the Pollock Oval, at Grey High, on Saturday.

Kloppenberg crushed 13 fours and a six on his way to an outstanding 87 off 81 deliveries, while Grundling struck seven fours and two sixes for his 58 off 56 deliveries.

Their half-centuries helped Grey High chase down Selborne’s total of 245, which they achieved in 49.4 overs. Grey High’s 248/5 came up off of 43.4 overs.

Nathan Howell decimated Selborne’s top four batters for next to nothing, with the visitors’ top four of Adam Rodgers, Reece Wait, Michael Hess, and Jacques van der Merwe scoring only a combined 27 runs off 50 deliveries. With their leading batsmen back in the hut, Selborne was staring at the possibility of a total below 100.

They were, however, rescued by Tre’ Gilbert and Waedon Plaatjies. Gilbert displayed great control as he hit 14 fours and a six on his way to a brilliant 104 off 107 balls. Plaatjies was happy to play a supporting role and grafted his way to 67 runs off as many deliveries as Gilbert faced. The next best batsman for Selborne was Liso Ndzamela, who contributed 13 runs to the total.

Opening bowler Likhona Gcora led the Grey High bowling attack, bagging four wickets for 36 runs at a run rate of 3.72 per over. His regular new ball partner Ben Ristow did not start in the match. Instead, Nathan Howell shared the new ball and did a fine job, picking up four wickets for 59 runs in 10 overs.

Grey High enjoyed a positive start to their run chase, thanks to a 74-run opening partnership between Luke Tait (28) and Josh Rennie (33). Grey High, then, experienced a wobble and was under the pump over the next 7.1 overs. They added only five runs and lost three more wickets. Richard Gilbert’s charges had slipped to 79/4 and were in trouble.

They needed someone to come through with an inspired knock if they were to regain control of the innings. Instead of one person, they got two, Kloppenberg and Grundling. The duo didn’t simply absorb the pressure the visitors were piling on, they fought fire with fire. Throughout their innings, they consistently scored a run rate of above a run-a-ball. Selborne’s attack was blunted.

Jacques van der Merwe was Selborne’s most successful bowler, picking up two wickets for 34 runs in 10 overs, while Ndzamela, Rogers, and Wait took a wicket each.

Scores

Grey High School 248/5 (Teun Kloppeneberg 87*, Tristan Grundling 58*, Josh Rennie 33; Jacques van der Merwe 2/34, 1/18 Reece Watt, Adam Rogers 1/38); Selborne College: 245/10 (Tre’ Gilbert 104, Waedon Plaatjies 65; Likhona Gcora 4/36, Nathan Howell 4/59)