Author: cschiwanza

“We are excited about 2026, and we aim to play an exciting brand of hockey,”  Keegan Hezlett, 1st XI coach.

Durban High School (DHS) has an overriding goal for the 2026 hockey season: they want to play with joy.

The Horseflies, who won 10, lost eight, and drew three in 21 matches in 2025, despite playing an extremely tough schedule, reflected freedom and enjoyment in their approach to the game. Coach Keegan Hezlett and his charges are intent on building on that success in the forthcoming season.

“Our pre-season programme has been running well,” Hezlett, a member of South Africa’s World Cup bronze medal-winning indoor hockey team, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“We have been training as a group of 21 since the beginning of January. At the moment, we train three times a week, and the intention is to fit in seven pre-season games before the season starts.”

The training regime and matches they have lined up will allow the Horseflies to try out different systems. It will also give them enough time to fine-tune the ideas they are aiming to implement during the season. Those seven matches will also allow DHS to give all their players a run in a minimum of four pre-season games.

“It is crucial that everyone gets enough game time before we get into the season, which will create the necessary experience if players are called upon in season,” Hezlett explained.

Their preseason assignments will help the Horseflies to fine-tune their skills and lean into their strengths as a unit. Hezlett sees DHS’s major strength as its attacking transitions. The players have been working hard to bring that to the forefront of their game.

“We know that our defensive transitions need to be better. Last year, we were constantly caught on the counterattack, so we are making progress in improving this area going into the season,” Hezlett said.

He’s not worried about whether or not his charges will be able to nail the fundamentals in time for the first matches of the season, Hezlett said. His squad boasts great depth, with 11 players who ran out for the 1st XI in 2025 returning, while all of the newcomers played for the u16A team.

A more interesting statistic is that 19 of the 21 players in the squad have represented KwaZulu-Natal Coastal at the provincial level, and four of them have been selected for national representative teams.

Having such an experienced outfit comes with expectations, and Hezlett is focused on taking that pressure off his charges. He knows that if he does that, he will unlock the best from his players.

“Our goal as a team this year is simple: we want to enjoy what we do. Enjoy each other’s company, enjoy the sessions, and the games. We are trying to bring a very high intensity to our play,” Hezlett said.

The dream for many Thembalethu residents is to make enough money to open up a life outside of the township.

The reality is that most will never do so because opportunities for upward mobility are scarce.

The lucky ones find employment as construction or farm labourers, while the unlucky ones fall into the clutches of either substance abuse or embrace a life of crime, or both.

Enathi Kitshini is, however, the chosen one. Everyone on his street believes it’s only a matter of time before he gets his big break and leaves Thembalethu. He appears to be unaffected by his circumstances and surroundings.

Kitshini, who was orphaned at an early age, along with his four siblings, has held himself to a higher standard.

“He was like any other kid when he joined us at the hub, but it wasn’t long before he differentiated himself from them,” Mihlali Gcanga, one of Kitshini’s coaches at Thembalethu Hub, situated at Imizamo Yethu Secondary School, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

Kitshini was always the last one to leave the nets, which are located in a part of the township renowned for criminal activity. After the 1.5km walk to his home, the spinner honed his skills by bowling a tennis ball at the wall of the Wendy house that serves as a bedroom for him and his brother. He did this while ignoring the loud music and chatter from the tavern next door to their home.

“When there is no other way, you embrace your circumstances and make the best of it,” Graham October, a CSA scout, who has known Kitshini since he was nine years old, said.

October first met Kitshini at the u13 trials for the South Western Districts. The spinner would have been picked for the team had he not been too small in stature. Kitshini was selected for the trials again when he was 10; Again, though, his size led to him missing out on selection for the provincial side.

Now, though, trips to Oudtshoorn for provincial trials and subsequent provincial and national tours have opened his eyes to a world beyond Thembalethu. Those experiences have fuelled a hunger in him to succeed and presented him with an opportunity to improve his family’s lives.

“He doesn’t need a coach to tell him to go to the nets. He drags the coaches to the nets, and when they are busy, he goes alone and works on specific parts of his bowling,” October revealed.

October, Gcanga, and Kitshini’s SA u19 coaches, Malibongwe Maketa and Paul Adams, describe the diminutive spinner as a small man with a big heart. Nothing explains that phrase more than his attitude towards the allowances he gets from CSA for going on national tours.

Kitshini doesn’t spend a cent of that money and uses all of it to buy groceries for the home he shares with his siblings. His brother works in retail, while his two sisters are domestic workers; their earnings barely cover the necessities. On the field, he shows his big heart by fighting until the last delivery is bowled.

“He is a streetfighter. You can put him in the most hopeless situation, and he will find a way to keep fighting for the team,” Adams said.

Gcanga provided an example of that never-give-up mentality by citing Kitshini’s recent performance for the Thembalethu Hub u19 team against Hoërskool Outeniqua. Outeniqua ripped through the Hub batting lineup with great bowling, but Kitshini stopped the procession of wickets by resolutely farming the strike.

The Hub side had a minimal chance of winning the game with the bat, Gcanga said. Kitshini, though, took the game as deep as possible before unfurling his full range of attacking shots. His unbeaten half-century, while not enough, almost catapulted the Hub to victory.

Adams, who first met Kitshini at a spin bowling clinic nine years ago, has watched the bowler’s development with pride. Identifying some of the SA Schools captain’s strengths, he pointed to Kitshini’s awareness and intelligence in match situations. He no longer looks for the miracle ball and capitalises on his strengths, Adams said.

“Kitshini relies on control and is prolific in hitting the stumps. He has mastered the art of varying his pace, thanks to the work he has done with Paul Adams. It was good to see that he has also learned how to use angles at the crease,” Maketa, the SA u19 head coach, said.

Kitshini, who made his debut for the SWD Garden Route Badgers Colts in February, made a case for himself for higher honours with an outstanding performance. He snared four wickets for 80 runs in 39.1 overs. He also spent 145 minutes in the middle, which brought him a patient 62 runs from 112 balls and helped the Badgers to victory by an innings and two runs over the Border Colts.

“Enathi got an opportunity to play at a higher level, and he took it. Hub kids, especially in our region, generally don’t have many cricket role models close enough for them to be inspired. When you tell them about the possibilities that they have to play at a higher level, they don’t relate because there are no examples close to home. Enathi has become that example,” Gcanga said.

Kitshini’s immediate primary focus, though, will be performing at a high level for the CSA Invitational Hub at the Switch Schools SA20 Final Showdown.

The spinner will offer his skills, cricket knowledge, and resilience – tools that should help his side perform at a high level.

Kearsney College wrapped up their Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) campaign with an action-packed big T20 win over St John’s College (Harare) behind an astonishing batting onslaught from Luke Grobbelaar.

The Makhanda duo of St Andrew’s College and Kingswood College also ended on a winning note, defeating  St Stithians College and St George’s College (Harare), respectively.

On the Murray Oval, at St Alban’s College, Blake Pugh‘s all-round skills played a key role in Kearsney College’s comfortable 88-run win over St John’s (Harare).

The Botha’s Hill school batted first after winning the toss and put the St John’s bowling attack to the sword, powering to 210/6 in their 20 overs. A sound performance in the field then saw the Zimbabweans dismissed for 122 in reply.

Luke Grobbelaar, who blitzed an electrifying 82 from only 39 balls, clubbing eight sixes and three fours, provided Kearsney with a sound footing by sharing in a 48-run opening stand with Asher Hollister (18).

Keegan de Jager made eight and didn’t stay around for long, but when Grobbelaar and Pugh got together, they lit up the St John’s attack, advancing the Kearsney total by 108 runs in only 9.3 overs.

Pugh held Kearsney’s innings together after Grobbelaar’s dismissal and finished with an unbeaten 61 from 49 balls. He next added a haul of 2/23 in four overs to help the KZN side to an emphatic victory.

Matthew Rice, with 3/11, was the pick of their attack, while Keegan de Jager claimed 2/18 and Daniel Miskey 2/9.

James Manning led the St John’s reply with a well-made 71 from 45 balls, but he was short of support. Noah Mitchell (18) and Shivaan Chouhan (11) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.

St Andrew’s College vs St Stithians College

St Andrew’s College enjoyed a rewarding visit to St Stithians College, where they overpowered the hosts and cruised to a comfortable eight-wicket win on the Dlamini Oval.

The visitors were asked to field first after they lost the toss, but they turned that into a good toss to lose, staging a relentless attack to skittle Saints for 69 in only 16.3 overs. The St Andrew’s batsmen wasted little time in chasing down that small total and cantered to 70/2 and victory in 13.5 overs.

St Andrew’s bowler Will Stevens created a domino effect when he claimed a wicket in the second over. That wobbled the home team, and they were unable to settle after that blow, losing wickets at regular intervals thereafter.

Akhil Challa (24*) and Matthew Katzenstein (17) halted the procession of wickets with a 34-run fifth-wicket partnership that was broken by Rhys Wiblin in the ninth over. Katzenstein was the second of three scalps the St Andrew’s captain claimed, with his return of 3/13 from four overs an excellent example of leading from the front.

James Bronkhorst supported his skipper with a neat 2/12 from three overs, while Stevens, Thomas Bussiahn, and Adrian Gaunt contributed a wicket each.

After his heroics with the ball, Wiblin led the visitors’ run chase with an unbeaten 29 from 38 balls. He also shared a match-winning 52-run second-wicket partnership with Benjamin Scharges (25) before seeing his team home in Connor Holder‘s (12*) company.

Kingswood College vs St George’s College

Kingswood College put their T20 skills on display with a comprehensive nine-wicket win over St George’s when they duelled on the Baloyi Oval at St Alban’s College.

The Kingswood bowlers hardly put a foot wrong as they bundled out St George’s for only 79 runs in 18 overs. Then, their top three batsmen made light work of the run pursuit, racing to 80/1 in just 7.3 overs.

Edwin Geldenhuys was the pick of the Kingswood bowlers with 3/9 in two overs. He enjoyed sound support from Daniel Jakins and David Loudon, who each claimed a brace of wickets, while Sinawo Bukula, Rogan Goliath, and Simon Sheard finished with a wicket each.

St George’s had only three batsmen – Michael Mukori (14), Munashe Muchatukwa (12), and Allen Masiya (11) – who made it beyond single figures, but that was never going to be enough to challenge Kingswood.

Christopher Zimmerman led the Makhanda boys’ chase with an unbeaten 35 from 19 balls. He and Chad Roodt (22*) also shared an unbroken 51-run second wicket partnership, while Daniel Jakins contributed 16 runs from 11 balls to the chase.

Summarised Scorecards

Kearsney College 210/6 (Luke Grobbelaar 82, Blake Pugh 61*; Sean Riley 4/23, Luca Spagnuolo 1/32). St John’s College (Harare) 122/10 (James Manning 71, Noah Mitchell 11; Matthew Rice 3/11, Blake Pugh 2/23). Kearsney won by 88 runs.

St Stithians College 69/10 (Akhil Challa 24*, Matthew Katzenstein 17; Rhys Wiblin 3/14, James Bronkhorst 2/12, Adrian Gaunt 1/1). St Andrew’s College 70/2 (Rhys Wiblin 29*, Benjamin Scharges 25, Connor Holder 12*; Thomas Collins 1/8, Tendai Kadyamadare 1/9). St Andrew’s College won by eight wickets.

St George’s College 79/10 (Michael Mukori 14, Munashe Muchatukwa 12; Edwin Geldenhuys 3/9, Daniel Jakins 2/13). Kingswood 80/1 (Christopher Zimmerman 35*, Chad Roodt 22*; Seth Machiya 1/13, Kundanashe Mushonga 0/25). Kingswood won by nine wickets.

Helpmekaar Kollege combined their talents to power to a two-wicket Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method win over Kearsney College in a rain-affected Independent Schools Cricket Festival match played on the Baloyi Oval at St Alban’s College in Pretoria on Saturday.

Xander Jackson, the Helpmekaar captain, asked Kearsney to bat first, and the KwaZulu-Natal side responded with 213 all out in 48.5 overs.

The Johannesburg side’s innings was disrupted by rain. They lost some overs to the stoppage and had a revised target of 111 runs when they resumed their innings. It was tight, but they claimed victory after 25.2 overs when they reached 113/8.

Zuan Joubert led the chase with a steady 35 runs at better than a run a ball. Heinrich Minnaar (22) and Ewald Haasbroek (18) chipped in with a valuable 40 runs between them.

Their efforts nullified Rivan Moodley‘s heroics. The Kearsney leg-spinner enjoyed a great outing, snaring four wickets for 17 runs in six overs.  Michael Groom, Blake Pugh, Daniel Miskey, and Matthew Gorrie chipped in with a wicket each.

Earlier in the day, Gary Verbaan top-scored for Kearsney with a patient 33 from 61 balls. Asher Hollister (32), Michael Groom (31) and Kegan de Jager (30) also made valuable contributions.

Christo Badenhorst (24) and Luke Grobbelaar (22) played their part, too; unfortunately, for Kearsney, it wasn’t enough to lift them to a winning score against Helpies, who had been one of the ISCF’s most impressive sides on the first two days of the event.

St Stithians College vs St Andrew’s School

On the Dlamini Oval, at St Stithians College, Matthew Anderson launched a middle-order onslaught that played a big part in setting up the home side for a tight eight-run win over St Andrew’s School.

Reuben van Aarde, the St Andrew’s captain, won the toss and elected to bowl first. The hosts responded to that challenge with vigour, led by Anderson, who played a gem of an innings, scoring 74 off 62 balls, to help St Stithians correct course and compile a winning total of 265 all out in 48.4 overs.

St Andrew’s very nearly hauled it in, but came up just short, dismissed for 257 in 49.5 overs.

When Anderson made his way to the crease, St Stithians had lost four wickets for only two runs between the 14th and 18th overs. He, however, went about his business with assurance, partnering with Chris Collins (22) for 80 runs for the sixth wicket to firm up the home team’s innings.

Matthew Katzenstein, with 37 at the top of the order, produced an important knock before falling victim to Erhard Bahrends, who claimed 3/49 in nine overs. Nikhil Sukraj returned 2/43 in seven, and Jonathan Hickley 2/25 in 4.3, while Ryle Beckmann tied down the Johannesburg school’s batsmen with a neat 1/19 from 10 overs of left-arm spin.

In reply, WJ Lindhout (61) and Reuben van Aarde (59) recorded half-centuries for St Andrew’s. Erhard Bahrends added 42 and Heindré Serfontein a quickfire 36 from 28 balls, with three fours and two sixes, but the visitors, under pressure to up their run rate, lost their last five wickets for 21 runs.

Nqaba Matunda was the pick of the bowlers for St Stithians, capturing 3/33, while Didier Le Roux took some stick, but dislodged three batsmen, to claim 3/51 from seven overs.

Woodridge College, after two defeats, picked up a first victory, beating St Benedict’s College by 28 runs on the Temba Bavuma Oval at St David’s Marist Inanda.

Batting first, they tallied 162 all out behind 44 from Jack Feltham, 29 from Daniel Darlow, and 25 from Stefan Swanepoel, as the Eastern Cape side’s top and middle order flourished.

Matthew Lewis, with 2/17, and Shae Pollard, with 2/20, ensured Woodridge was unable to play with freedom, though. Alex Johnston and Sanyay Wengat added good support, claiming 2/23 and 2/39 in 10, respectively.

The Bennies‘ reply started promisingly, but it trailed off, with the Bedfordview boys being bowled out in 40.2 overs for 134.

Opener Matthew Hickman-Steel played responsibly, top scoring with 35 from 75 balls, but, apart from Shae Pollard, who chipped in with 23, support was sparse.

Jack Feltham, Woodridge’s batting hero, was also their bowling hero, snapping up 3/12 in 6.2 overs, while Daniel Darlow, their second-highest scorer, nabbed 2/22 from seven.

Cameron Jones played his part in Woodridge’s successful run defence, claiming 2/13 in four, while opening bowler Brody McKinnon removed two of the top three for 31 runs from his 10 overs.

The festival ends on Sunday with T20 matches.

Summarised Scorecards:

Kearsney College 213/10 (Gary Verbaan 33, Asher Hollister 32; Michael Groom 31, Keegan de Jager 30; Keanu du Plooy 3/49, Frederick Zeelie 2/21). Helpmekaar Kollege 113/8 (Zuan Joubert 35, Heinrich Minnaar 22; Rivan Moodley 4/17, Michael Groom 1/13). Helpmekaar won by two wickets.

St Stithians College 265/10 (Matthew Anderson 74, Matthew Katzenstein 37; Erhard Barends 3/49, Nikhil Sukraj 2/43, Jonathan Hickley 2/25). St Andrew’s School 257/10 (WJ Lindhout 61, Reuben van Aarde 59, Erhard Bahrends 42, Heindré Serfontein 36; Nqaba Matunda 3/33, Didier le Roux 3/51). St Stithians College won by eight runs.

Woodridge College 162/10 (Jack Feltham 44, Daniel Darlow 29; Matthew Lewis 2/17, Shae Pollard 2/20, Alex Johnston 2/23). St Benedict’s College 134/10 (Matthew Hickman-Steel 35, Shae Pollard 23; Jack Feltham 3/12, Cameron Jones 2/13, Daniel Darlow 2/22). Woodridge College won by 28 runs.

Heinrich Minnaar and Jandré Spangenberg bowled superbly with the new ball to propel Helpmekaar Kollege to a convincing victory over Kingswood College at the Independent Schools Cricket Festival in Pretoria on Friday.

In other matches, Connor Holder carved a delightful half-century to set St Andrew’s College on the path to victory over St David’s Marist Inanda at the Tuks Oval, and Hilton College snatched a nail-biting win over St John’s College (Johannesburg) on the Tuks B Oval.

Minnaar and Spangenberg tore through the Kingswood batting lineup, leading to an emphatic 98-run win for Helpies on Cornwall Hill‘s Landsend Oval.

The Johannesburg school won the toss, chose to bat first, and tallied 179 all out in 43 overs. Kingswood lasted only 29.3 overs in reply, dismissed for only 81.

Minnaar, who finished the match with 4/28 runs from 10 overs, and Spangenberg, who captured 3/14 in six, unleashed a reign of terror on Kingswood in the first seven overs. Between them, the knocked over seven wickets for only seven runs in 6.4 overs to leave the men from Makhanda on a scarcely believable 7/7. Five of their first six partnerships produced no runs.

Kingswood was left not just fighting for their lives, but also for their reputation. Rogan Goliath (44) and Iminathi Ngcese (17) halted the procession of wickets with a 41-run eighth-wicket partnership that saved their side the embarrassment of being bowled out for less than 20 runs. But no other Kingswood batsmen reached double figures.

Earlier in the contest, the consistent Zuan Joubert cruised to 56 from 51 balls to set Helpmekaar on the path to a winning total. Xander Jackson (29*) and Ewald Haasbroek (29) added useful contributions, while David Loudon captured 4/35.

St Andrew’s College vs St David’s Marist Inanda

Connor Holder scored a brisk 50 to set up St Andrew’s College for a 32-run win over St David’s Marist Inanda in their contest at the Tuks Oval.

Rhys Wiblin, the St Andrew’s captain, won the toss, elected to bat first, and scored 29 to help his side to 199 all out in 47 overs. Adrian Gaunt then led the St Andrew’s bowling attack well, snapping up 3/21, as St David’s was skittled for 167 in 45.4 overs in reply.

When Holder arrived at the crease, fourth in the order, St Andrew’s College was on 80/2. He and Ben Scharges (40) constructed a 64-run third-wicket partnership to help the Makhanda men get close to 200 despite a tidy return of 3/19 from Jason Rowles. Apart from Wiblin, Sebastian Steffny (20) also chipped in with a useful innings.

Adrian Gaunt then undermined the St David’s run pursuit, grabbing 3/21 from nine overs to inflict series damage. He also put his fielding skills on display when he combined with Luke Chorley to execute a run-out to dismiss Jonah Gruskin for 37, which was the joint-highest score for St David’s, alongside Sohail Seonath.

Hayden Campbell made 22, and Jason Rowles 20, but James Bronkhorst, Charles Broster, Rhys Wiblin, and Thomas Bussiahn supported Gaunt with a wicket each to see the Eastern Cape side to victory.

St John’s College vs Hilton College

Hilton College’s batsmen pulled together to drag the KwaZulu-Natal team to a thrilling one-wicket win over St John’s when they crossed swords on the Tuks B Oval.

They had last met during the Michaelmas Week in 2023, with St John’s coming out on top in that clash. On Friday, though, the win went to Hilton.

Bowling first, they dismissed St John’s for a modest 111 in 41.5 overs. That proved to be a tough victory target, with the KZN boys needing 45 overs to reach 112/9 and claim victory.

James Peattie (26) and Obakeng Motsepa (20) were the highest contributors in Hilton’s chase, while Ben Wilson (18) and Robert Burman (14) also made it into double figures.

Ethan Robinson kept St John’s in the contest by knocking over 4/28 in 10 overs, and Tapiwa Chikwava, Herman Basson, Juan de Villiers, and Jared Gilmour chipped in with a wicket each.

Sechaba Gude was the pick of the bowlers for Hilton, capturing 3/18 runs in eight overs. Anthony Crossley made an important contribution, nabbing 2/30 in 10, and Sean Burman and Obakeng Motsepa claimed a wicket each.

Nkosana Sibiya, who made a century on day one against Kearsney College, carried his bat against Hilton. Yet that brought him only 28 runs from 53 balls. Connor van der Walt, with 20 from 39, was the second-highest scorer for the Houghton school.

The Independent Schools Cricket Festival hosts a third round of limited-overs matches on Saturday before teams compete in T20s on Sunday, the last day of the event.

Summarised Scorecards

Helpmekaar Kollege 179/10 (Zuan Joubert 56, Xander Jackson 29*, Ewald Haasbroek 29; David Loudon 4/35, Daniel Jakin 2/19). Kingswood College 81/10 (Rogan Goliath 44, Iminathi Goliath 17; Heinrich Minnaar 4/28, Jandré Spangenberg 3/14). Helpmekaar won by 98 runs.

St Andrew’s College 199/10 (Connor Holder 50, Benjamin Scharges 40; Jason Rowles 3/19, Kairav Koobair 2/27). St David’s Marist Inanda 167/10 (Sohail Seonath 37, Jonah Gruskin 37; Adrian Gaunt 3/21, Thomas Bussiahn 1/26). St Andrew’s College won by 32 runs.

St John’s College 111/10 (Nkosana Sibiya 28*, Connor van der Walt 20; Sechaba Gude 3/18, Anthony Crossley 2/30). Hilton College 112/9 (James Peattie 26, Obakeng Motsepa 20; Ethan Robinson 4/28, Jared Gilmour 1/5). Hilton College won by one wicket.

The St John’s College (Johannesburg) 1st XI got their Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) campaign off to a winning start by defeating Kearsney College on Thursday in Pretoria.

They were joined in the win column by St David’s Marist Inanda, who beat Bloemfontein’s St Andrew’s School, and Michaelhouse, who outplayed Woodridge College on Thursday.

Nkosana Sibiya, the St John’s captain, led from the front with an unbeaten century to power them to a comfortable win over Kearsney at St Alban’s College.

The skipper, who lost the toss and was asked to field first, used his bowlers well, and they limited Kearsney to 210/8 from their 50 overs. The Blues needed only 36.2 overs to reach 213/3 in reply and claim a seven-wicket victory.

Sibiya’s unbeaten 106 from 102 balls featured 14 fours and three sixes. The opener got the Blues going with a 90-run opening stand with Luke Fry (39) and then added 74 runs with Herman Basson (38) for the second wicket. He also shared a brief 17-run third-wicket stand with Darshik Lutchman (5), before seeing his side over the finishing line with Joshua Hall (12*).

Earlier in the day, Asher Hollister top-scored for Kearsney with a well-played 81 from 92 balls. Unfortunately, for the Botha’s Hill boys, his effort wasn’t buttressed by a couple of other big scores, and the KwaZulu-Natal side had to settle for a middling total.

Juan de Villiers was the pick of the St John’s bowlers, returning 2/43 from 10 overs, while Ethan Robinson, Tapiwa Chikwava, Jared Gilmour, and Bryn Gilmour grabbed a wicket each.

Woodridge vs Michaelhouse

Ben Heuer and Liam O’Dwyer snapped up six wickets between them to set Michaelhouse up for a dominant nine-wicket win over Woodridge College when the sides cross swords on the Parke de Terrace at Cornwall Hill College.

Woodridge, who won the toss and chose to bat first, was unable to gain a foothold in the contest. They hung around for 40 overs but were bowled out for only 113.

Michaelhouse showed their batting might by galloping to 114/1 in 20.5 overs, winning in almost half the number of balls that their Eastern Cape opponents faced.

O’Dwyer was the pick of the ‘House bowlers, snaring 3/27 from 10 overs, two of which were maidens. He also brought about a Woodridge collapse, picking up his three wickets in four overs. Heuer also claimed three scalps, knocking over a tidy 3/18 in six overs. The duo enjoyed good support from Rendani Nonge, who dislodged two batsmen, while Rex Wardlaw and Nathan Simmons took a wicket each.

Stefan Ferreira was Woodridge’s shining light with 28 runs from 23 balls, while Jeandré Strydom (20) was the only other batsman to exit the teens.

Michaelhouse had little trouble in their run chase. After losing Wardlaw in the fourth over, the KZN school cantered to victory with an unbroken 109-run second-wicket partnership between captain Graydon Leslie (66*) and Riley Muir (39*).

St Andrew’s School vs St David’s Marist Inanda

Sohail Seonath and Jonah Gruskin struck half-centuries to steer St David’s Marist Inanda to a seven-wicket win over St Andrew’s School on the Tuks C Oval.

St David’s won the toss, chose to bowl first, and restricted the Bloemfontein boys to 163/9 in their 50 overs. In reply, St David’s took 35.3 overs to reach 167/3.

Jason Rowles, the St David’s captain, led their bowling effort with a match-defining 3/26 in nine overs. Christopher Emslie, Kyle Butler, and Hayden Campbell contributed a wicket each.

Heindré Serfontein, the only St Andrew’s batsman who looked comfortable against the St David’s bowling attack, scored a steady 72 from 77 balls. Reuben van Aarde, the second-highest scorer, faced 61 balls for his 23 runs.

When St David’s replied, Erhard Barends gave St Andrew’s hope with the dismissals of Roberto Mariano and Jason Rowles in the second and third overs. That hope was soon squashed, however, with Sohail Seoath and Jonah Gruskin combining for a 123-run stand for the third wicket, which took the game away from Saints.

Seonath top-scored with 73 from 111 balls, while Gruskin finished the match unbeaten on 53 from 76 deliveries.

Summarised Scorecards

Kearsney College 210/8 (Asher Hollister 81, Aaron Blackburn 25; Juan de Villiers 2/43, Ethan Robinson 1/18). St John’s College 213/3 (Nkosana Sibiya 106*, Luke Fry 39, Herman Basson 38; Michael Groom 1/31, Matthew Rice 1/28). St John’s won by seven wickets.

Woodridge College 113/10 (Stefan Ferreira 28, Jeandré Strydom 20; Liam O’Dwyer 3/27, Ben Heuer 3/18). Michaelhouse 114/1 (Graydon Leslie 66*, Riley Muir 39*; Daniel Darlow 1/17, Brody McKinnon 0/22). Michaelhouse won by nine wickets.

St Andrew’s School 163/9 (Heindré Serfontein 72, Reuben van Aarde 23; Jason Rowles 3/26, Hayden Campbell 1/32). St David’s Marist Inanda (Sohail Seonath 73, Jonah Gruskin 53*; Erhard Barends 2/46, WJ Lindhout 1/15). St David’s won by seven wickets.

St Stithians College and King Edward VII (KES) will play for the title in the final of the Johnny Waite Trophy tournament after they registered victories over Steyn City School and Helpmekaar Kollege, respectively, in their semifinal ties on Wednesday.

Matthew Katzenstein and Nqaba Matunda combined their talents with bat and ball to help St Stithians record a 20-run win over Steyn City on Steyn City’s Main Oval.

Nicholas Bayly, the Saints’ captain, called correctly at the toss, elected to bat first, and his team combined to score 135/5 in 20 overs. Then their bowlers banded together to restrict Steyn City to 115/9 in reply.

Katzenstein played a measured innings, scoring 54 from 51 balls, which included one six and one four. Mostly, though, he manipulated the field with ones and twos, while spending almost 14 overs out in the middle. He and Thomas Collins, who made 34, also shared a match-winning 71-run second-wicket partnership.

Nicholas Bayly (18) and Matthew Anderson (13) were the only other St Stithians’ batsmen to reach double figures.

Austin van Jaarsveld, with 2/18, and Kurt Lorch, with 2/28, were the standout bowlers for Steyn City.

When the home side batted, Nqaba Matunda dismissed three of their top-four batsmen. He was the pick of the Saints’ attack, capturing a decisive 4/28 in four overs.

Tajendra Naidu lent outstanding support, nabbing 3/18 in four overs, while Zaakir Hanslo chipped in with the other two wickets.

Keegan Smallbone, the Steyn City captain, fought a lone battle against the St Stithians’ bowling attack, fighting fire with fire in a brisk 38-ball 53.

He struck more sixes than the visitors’ batting lineup combined, with three maximums, and he matched the total number of fours scored by St Stithians’ batsmen, two.

King Edward VII vs Helpmekaar

King Edward VII (KES) cantered to a comfortable six-wicket win over Helpmekaar on the Main Oval at the University of Johannesburg.

The Red Caps, who were playing away from home, won the toss and decided to bowl first, which proved to be a good call, thanks to the disciplined lines and lengths their attack maintained, which led to the hosts being restricted to 120/9 from their 20 overs.

That made the requirement easy to calculate, just over a run a ball, and KES duly won in 18.3 overs when they reached 121/4.

Matthew Bromley, the Red Caps’ captain, used six bowlers in the Helpmekaar innings, and all of them took wickets. Steele Grooteman was the most successful of the lot with 2/16 in four overs.

Ryan Erasmus and Connor Kuijers also claimed a brace of wickets each, while Wade McQuinn, Keagan Hendey, and Tyler Cloete got rid of one batsman each.

Zuan Joubert, who entered the fray at the fall of the second wicket, was adjudged to be the Player of the Match after standing tall with a quickfire 51 from 28 deliveries, which ensured Helpies put a competitive total on the board after a lacklustre start to their innings.

The KES run chase started slowly, but McQuinn and Abdoullah Mohammed mounted an unbroken 64-run fifth-wicket partnership to shepherd them past the finishing line.

McQuinn top-scored for the Red Caps with an unbeaten 34 runs from 33 balls, while Mohammed finished on 33 not out from 35 deliveries.

Before they joined forces, the KES top four had mustered only 41 runs.

Summarised Scorecards

St Stithians 135/5 (Matthew Katzenstein 54, Thomas Collins 34; Austin van Jaarsveld 2/18, Kurt Lorch 2/28). Steyn City 115/9 (Keegan Smallbone 53, Joshua Michau 8; Nqaba Matunda 4/28, Tajendra Naidu 3/18, Zaakir Hanslo 2/16). St Stithians won by 20 runs.

Helpmekaar 120/9 (Zuan Joubert 51, Keegan van Schoor 24; Steele Grooteman 2/16, Ryan Erasmus 2/17, Connor Kuijers 2/19). King Edward VII 121/4 (Wade McQuinn 34*, Abdullah Mohammed 33*; Dominic Tait 2/26, Stefan Trumpelmann 2/28). King Edward VII won by six wickets.

Tapiwa Chikwava and Bryn Gilmour starred with the bat and ball in St John’s College‘s emphatic 117-run Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method win over Parktown Boys’ High in their 50-over contest on the Mitchell Oval at St John’s on Saturday.

The Blues won the toss, chose to bat first and were bowled out for 201 in 48.2 overs. The visitors were wobbling on 56/6 after 24 overs when the match was interrupted by lightning.

Parktown’s innings was then reduced to 43 overs with a revised target of 199. They never challenged that total and were restricted to 81/8.

Chikwava played a gem of an innings to rescue the home side’s innings from imploding. The number seven batsman scored an invaluable 85 from 70 balls to catapult St John’s to a winning total.

When he walked out to bat, the Blues were on 68/5 after 18.4 overs. Batting positively, the all-rounder played his shots while Joshua Hall anchored the innings at the other end.

Hall’s was an obdurate resistance. He accumulated 26 runs from 107 deliveries while the pair added 116 for the sixth wicket. The next best partnership for St John’s was a 41-run opening stand between Nkosana Sibiya (28) and Luke Fry (17).

When Parktown batted, Bryn Gilmour was the pick of the St John’s bowlers, knocking over 4/14 in nine economical overs. The spinner enjoyed good support from Ethan Robinson, who took a brace of wickets, and Chikwava and Herman Basson, who chipped in with a wicket each.

Abdullah Wadee was Parktown’s top scorer with a patient 22 runs from 56 balls. Josh van Rensburg (15*) and Siya Dube (11) were the only other two Parktown batsmen to reach double figures.

St David’s vs Helpmekaar

Christopher Emslie and Kyle Butler combined their skills with ball and bat to help St David’s Marist Inanda record a four-wicket win over Helpmekaar Kollege at Helpmekaar on Saturday.

Roberto Mariano, the St David’s captain, called correctly at the toss and opted to bowl first. His bowlers made him look good by bowling out Helpmekaar for 134 in 29.4 overs. Butler then played an inspired knock with the bat to shepherd St David’s to 137/6 in just 22.3 overs.

Emslie, who shared the new ball with Butler, claimed 3/39. Butler did the hard work, accounting for three of Helpmekaar’s top four batsmen, to claim 3/31 from six overs. Hayden Campbell rounded off the wicket-takers with a tidy 2/14 in six overs.

The St David’s reply didn’t go smoothly at first. They meandered their way to 67/6 before Butler arrived at the crease in the 10th over.

The visitors, who had recovered from losing their captain in the first over by mounting a 50-run second-wicket partnership, had suffered a collapse that left them staring at defeat in the face after Heinrich Minnaar and Frederick Zeelie took five wickets for 16 runs in 5.1 overs to give the hosts the upper hand.

Butler, though, fought fire with fire and blitzed an unbeaten 53 runs from 40 balls to steer St David’s home. He also shared an unbroken 70-run seventh-wicket partnership with Maru Challies, who was the foil to Butler’s aggressive stroke play. He finished with an unbeaten 15 runs from 43 balls.

Summarised Scorecards

St John’s College 201/10 (Tapiwa Chikwava 85, Nkosana Sibiya 28; Keagan Johnson 3/33, Ashton Govender 2/16). Parktown Boys’ High 81/8 (Abdullah Wadee 22, Josh van Rensburg 15*; Bryn Gilmour 4/14, Ethan Robinson 2/6). St John’s won by 117 runs (DLS Method).

Helpmekaar Kollege 134/10 (Zuan Joubert 17, Sebastian Kloek 17; Christopher Emslie 4/39, Kyle Butler 3/31). St David’s Marist Inanda 137/6 (Kyle Butler 53*, Sohail Seonath 34; Heinrich Minnaar 4/50, Frederick Zeelie 2/39). St David’s won by four wickets.

Lincoln Casais loves numbers. He enjoys them so much that he faultlessly recited the four- and six-times tables by the time he turned four years old. A few years later, Casais scooped the award for the best mental Maths student as a Grade 1 learner. Since then, he has consistently recorded marks of 80 percent or higher in Mathematics.

Casais also loves cricket. That love began at a young age. When he was three years old, he cast aside football, rugby, and any other ball sports for the game.

His father, Marc, spent countless hours throwing the ball to him, and when he wasn’t there, Casais conjured up versions of the game that kept him busy for hours.

Nirvana was when he combined his two loves. From an early age, Casais counted his runs in multiples of four and six, depending on how far he hit the ball. Each day, he faced as many deliveries as possible, attempting to better the previous day’s total. It is not inconceivable that he reached 300 runs in a single session.

However, it was years before he got close to a triple century in a proper contest. That happened when he was 14.

Casais, who batted at number three for the Jeppe u14A team, walked in to bat in the second over against St Benedict’s College and had barely settled in when his side lost two more wickets. Instead of multiplying his runs in multiples of four and six, Casais dug his heels in and set about accumulating singles and hitting the odd four when the Bennies‘ bowlers delivered a bad ball.

His approach changed after he reached the 100-run mark. In an astonishing onslaught, 20 of the next 30 balls he faced were smashed for six. He finished with an unbeaten 260 from only 132 deliveries, the highest individual score by a Jeppe learner. It also propelled Jeppe to 485 runs in 50 overs, the highest score by a Jeppe team.

The field they were playing on was adjacent to a basketball court, where Jeppe’s 1st team was competing. As is typical of basketball matches at Jeppe, the stands were packed with spectators. At first, the crowd was focused on the basketball contest and occasionally cast an eye towards the cricket.

However, Casais’s fireworks captured their attention, and the mood grew more festive with each boundary that rocketed his score close to 200. In no time at all, the crowd had erupted, and they began chanting his name the moment he reached the 200-run mark. With each run that he added after reaching his double century, the noise level increased.

“It was an amazing and humbling experience for him. He has never been prouder to be a Jeppe boy,” Marc shared.

A few months later, Casais featured in a Lions u15 Regional Week semifinal match between the Lions u14 and Lions u15 teams. History repeated itself; Casais walked to the middle in the first over. Unlike the St Benedict’s bowling attack, the Lions u15 bowlers maintained disciplined lines and lengths and denied Casais room to express himself.

Demonstrating a strong mental approach, he knuckled down and compiled an unbeaten 89 to shepherd the u14 team to a score close to 150. The teenager then showcased his all-round skills to help his team make history. By successfully defending their total, they became the first u14 team to reach an u15 final.

The teenager’s ability to transform matches from any position hastened his inclusion in the Jeppe 1st XI. The 16-year-old, who idolised AB de Villiers in his early years and has since added Virat Kohli, Joe Root, and Steve Smith to the list of cricketers who inspire him, is in his second year as a 1st XI player. He was in Grade 9 when he made his Black Caps debut at the Fasken Time Cricket Festival.

In his first season in the Jeppe 1st XI, he scored 1537 runs and took 35 wickets.

This season, Casais has been a consistent presence in the middle order for Jeppe in T20 matches, boasting an average of 30 and a strike rate of over 130. He also averages an outstanding 55 in six 50-over cricket matches.

“We haven’t had a player like him in quite a while. He is mentally strong, confident, and has immense self-belief,” Casey Arnold, the Jeppe coach, said. “He backs that up with a strong work ethic; he hits more than a thousand balls a day. He has a deep desire and hunger to do well.”

However, Arnold believes Casais will go far because of his ability to process disappointment. He revealed that the 16-year-old takes failure in his stride, and he doesn’t allow bad outings to get him down. He views them as learning moments.

“I think that’s what makes him special. He doesn’t get down on himself if he has a barren run. He is mentally tough. He looks at challenges, and he tackles them head-on. His mindset will take him far.”

In March, when Jeppe contests the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two Final Showdown, Casais will be one of their key players when they go up against top teams from around South Africa.  The teenager, who trains faithfully every day, is sharpening his skills, aiming to deliver when it matters the most.

Corbin Tidbury slammed a match-winning half-century to help Graeme College secure a thrilling one-wicket win over St Andrew’s College in a tightly contested T20 match on the Knowling Field at St Andrew’s on Wednesday.

The toss went the hosts’ way, and they chose to bat first. With a concerted team effort, St Andrew’s totalled 139/8 from their 20 overs. In reply, Graeme College stumbled several times before finally scampering to victory.

The outcome of the contest came down to the final delivery. St Andrew’s could afford to concede a single or two runs. Graeme College, on the other hand, needed four runs to win. With the pressure dialled up to 10, Caleb Jattiem got under Thomas Bussiahn‘s delivery, launching it over the ropes for a six to send the Graeme College team into a frenzied celebration.

Jattiem, with an unbeaten 14 from 11 balls, was only the third Graeme College batsman to reach double figures. His heroic blast was made possible by Tidbury’s enterprising knock earlier in the innings. Tidbury had arrived at the crease in the second over and rescued Graeme College, lifting the visitors from 9/2 to 113/4 when he departed in the 15th over.

In a 42-ball stay, Tidbury weighed in with a well-played 64 that featured six fours and two sixes. He also combined with Zuko Pontshi for a decisive 101-run third-wicket partnership. Pontshi was the perfect foil to Tidbury’s free-flowing stroke play and finished the match with a valuable 36 runs off 37 balls.

Adrian Gaunt, who dismissed Tidbury and Pontshi in the space of three deliveries, also got rid of Andrew Muir in that same over and was the pick of the bowlers for St Andrew’s, snapping up 3/5 in two overs. Oli Whitaker, William Stevens, Rhys Wiblin, and Thomas Bussiaahn finished with a wicket each.

When Graeme College fielded, Andrew Muir, Luphelo Mdyesha, and Jordan Damons, with a brace each, ensured that St Andrew’s was unable to establish a firm foothold in the contest by taking wickets at regular intervals.

Muir and Damons returned identical figures of 2/24 from four overs, while Mdyesha’s four overs cost him 26 runs. Kits McConnachie chipped in with a single wicket.

Corné van der Merwe was the top scorer for St Andrew’s with 36 runs from 39 balls. David Chorley played with more urgency and registered an entertaining 23-ball 34.

Ethan Malan (17*), Ben Scharges (14), and Callum Taggart (10) were the only other batsmen who reached double figures.

Summarised Scorecard

St Andrew’s College 139/8 (Corné van der Merwe 36, David Chorley 34; Andrew Muir 2/24, Jordan Damons 2/24, Luphelo Mdyesha 2/26). Graeme College 142/9 (Corbin Tidbury 64, Zuko Pontshi 36; Adrian Gaunt 3/5, Oli Whitaker 1/25, William Stevens 1/25). Graeme College won by one wicket.