Author: mbloem

On a pitch better suited for bowling than batting, Boland Landbou bowled out Hoërskool Outeniqua for 83, in 50-overs-a-side match, in George, on Saturday.

Francois Pienaar and Janco Venter were the best of the morning’s bowlers, with Pienaar claiming 2/8 and Venter 2/11.

The only noteworthy resistance from the Kwaggas came from Daniel du Preez, who weighed in with 38.

With 300 balls to bat to chase down a moderate total, the Farmers got the job done off of just 103 – 17.1 overs.

However, they lost five men along the path to victory. Kobus Conradie led the way, scoring 28, while Matthew Geldenhuys kept the middle order intact with his 22 not out.

Outeniqua’s Nathan Best lived up to his surname, capturing 3/21 to put Boland Landbou under pressure.

Unfortunately for the hosts, their middle order did not match the output of the visitors from Paarl. After the loss of some early wickets, they struggled to grab a foothold. Dot balls built up pressure and that led to some loose shots being played. Some found the boundary, while others resulted in the loss of wickets.

A middle order collapse saw the home side slide from 44/4 to 49/7 and that did in their hopes of a good total.

Boland Landbou’s bowlers were relentless. They set aggressive fields, backing the ‘keeper with a slip or two. Whatever tactics they had considered beforehand must have been more or less perfectly executed.

With the pitch conditions becoming more benign later on, batting second favoured the visitors.

The Farmers displayed their bowling and fielding chops again on Sunday, coming away with another win in a low scoring T20 against Langehoven Gimnasium.

On this occasion, the Paarl school batted first and put up 120/6 in their 20 overs.

Johannes Goosen fell just short of a fifty, top-scoring with 48, while Gideon Kotze chipped in with 31.

Cameron Williams kept the Boland Landbou batsmen in line, picking up 3/24.

In reply, the Farmers made a poor start, slipping to 12/4, but their middle order again rose to the challenge once Kotze and Goosen joined forces, adding 61 for the fifth wicket before Goosen was dismissed.

On a pitch on which the ball stayed low, Langenhoven Gimnasium mustered only 80 all out in response, with Cobus Esterhuyse‘s 20 their best effort.

Gunther Schmidt inflicted heavy damage on the home team’s innings, knocking over 4/9, while Kobus Conradie‘s 2/12 helped to propel the Farmers to a convincing 40-run victory.

SCORES

50-over

Boland Landbou 86/5 (Kobus Conradie 28, Matthew Geldenhuys 22*, Nathan Best 3/21); Outeniqua 83/10 (Daniel du Preez 38, Francois Prins 2/8, Janco Venter 2/11).

Boland won by 5 wickets.

T20

Boland Landbou 120/6 (Johannes Goosen 48, Gideon Kotze 31, Cameron Williams 3/24); Langenhoven Gim 80 (Cobus Esterhuyse 20, Gunther Schmidt 4/9, Kobus Conradie 2/12).

Boland won by 40 runs.

Grey College vs Selborne College

While it may be early in the cricket season for most, Grey College has already played eight games at the Tonbridge Festival, in the United Kingdom. At home against Selborne College this weekend, they’ll feel confident.

The schools meet in a two-day, double innings match starting on Friday. Click the link to watch the action live on SuperSport Schools.

When they last met, in January, during the Grey College Cricket Festival, the Bloemfontein school won by nine wickets in a two-day, double innings match.

The hosts began 2025 strongly but lost a little momentum later in the season. Their bowlers will focus on the basics to drive their challenge.

In their batting department, they have some potential match-winners, with SA Schools’ opener Christian Kind and Henru de Wet two of their primary dangermen.

Selborne started the 2025 season slowly, but they found some form later on, reaching the semifinals of the Eastern Province and Border region’s Schools SA20 competition, where they fell to the eventual champion, Pearson High.

Their challenge will be to avoid another slow start, especially facing a Grey College team that has many matches under the belt already, although most of those were played in July and their results were mixed. The point is, though, that Grey has been in action for some time now.

At the festival in the UK, they beat Tonbridge School by 177 runs, lost to Garsfontein by three wickets, lost to the Free Foresters Cricket Club Academy by two wickets, thumped Eton College by 106 runs, beat Stowe School by six wickets, fell to Shrewsbury School by four wickets, overran Malvern College by 171 runs and seven wickets, but lost to Whitgift by 35 runs and Wellington College by 69 runs.

They’ll be looking for improvement from their batsmen, who made many good starts in the UK but didn’t push on through to triple figures.

Still, looking ahead to the fixture starting on Friday, considering that Grey College won so comfortably in January while also playing at home, it would be an upset if Selborne pulls off a victory in the City of Roses. But that’s one of the joys of cricket. Upsets are a regular feature of the game.

St Alban’s College vs St Andrew’s School

Meanwhile, in Pretoria, St. Alban’s College has been preparing for the visit of St Andrew’s School. The visitors, from Bloemfontein, are an experienced team playing good cricket. They performed well at the recent Fasken Time Cricket Festival, playing to draws against Jeppe and St Stithians, but owning good first innings’ leads in both matches.

Earlier this year, Saints lifted the regional Schools SA20 title, comfortably beating Grey College in the final. They’re also a strong unit in the 50-over format, which they also demonstrated in another convincing win, by 76 runs, over Grey College.

Naudé Botha and FG Botha are the greatest threats with the bat for St Andrew’s, but they are far more than a two-man show, which Andrew Sobiech showed when he scored a century against Jeppe at the Fasken Time Cricket Festival. Jonathan Hickley, meanwhile, weighed in with 91 against St Stithians.

The St Andrew’s bowling lineup is versatile, with FG Botha’s leg-spin capable of turning a match.

If St. Alban’s can deliver some of the same standards of bowling that they produced in the summer, it could make matters interesting.

A victory at home, on the TC Mitchell Oval, over a school that has consistently produced some of the better cricket teams in the country for the past couple of decades would be a big morale boost for St Alban’s. But they’re going to have their work cut out for them.

Boland Landbou‘s 1st XI is on the road this weekend and has a full schedule. Firstly, they take on Hoërskool Outeniqua, in a 50-over match on Saturday before measuring themselves against Langenhoven Gimnasium in a second outing, a T20, on Sunday.

For the 50 over against the Kwaggas, the Farmers will hope to find some bounce in the pitch in George. Earlier in the year, Tiaan Ryke did a fine job leading the Boland Landbou bowling attack. The Farmers will look to him to pick up from where he left off.

The Kwaggas know their pitch well and will have a good idea of how to play the conditions. Perhaps a more conservative and orthodox batting style may favour them this weekend, especially with it being an early season match. Hitting out against a team expected to bring aggressive pace and bounce would be a risky approach.

Fresh off the rugby season, the Farmers might be wise to also follow a conservative formula when they visit the crease. Cricket is a confidence game, and that is something that is built through time spent out in the middle. It all starts at the top of the order, where withstanding the challenges posed by the new ball bowlers is the key to laying a foundation and building confidence.

Of course, Sunday’s T20 against Langenhoven Gimnasium provides a different set of circumstances, perhaps an opportunity for the Farmers to experiment a little ahead of their Schools SA20 campaign.

For Langenhoven Gimnasium, the clash will be about getting in some game time, and their batsmen will be in for a tough test from the Paarl outfit’s bowlers, who will challenge them both with pace and with spin.

The course of a T20 match can flip very quickly. Two or three dominant overs from the batsmen, or two or three quick wickets for the bowlers can make all the difference. Intensity is the name of the game, doling out pressure and handling pressure. That’s what both teams will be aiming to achieve on Sunday.

As the underdogs, Langenhoven will be under less pressure. They might feel less inhibited about hitting out, while the bowling task need not be complicated: line and length. Some aggression from their pace bowlers would help, too.

Early in the season, the game is less predictable with sides seeking to answer questions, especially those about the makeup of teams, with new players stepping up to 1st XI level. That’s what makes the weekend’s clashes especially interesting.

Wynberg Boys’ High’s SA Schools‘ scrumhalf Morné Noble, and their fullback Laeeq Davids, both secured braces in their final match of the season, a high-profile King Price Derby Series tilt against SACS on Hawthornden Field, on Saturday.

Wynberg powered their way to an emphatic 41-10 win, which was an excellent follow-up to their 21-10 victory over SACS, in June, on Memorial “A” Field.

It’s been a strong season for Wynberg, and their results included a clean record against their southern suburbs’ rivals. They’ve produced many star players.

While their backs shone on the scoresheet on Saturday, their lock and captain, Jaythen Orange, was as influential as ever. He’s been an all-action leader of a well-balanced and very competitive side, and, in his last outing, he played his part by making countless tackles and pulling off some lineout steals.

SACS had scored all their points by the half-time break. Lock RJ Cunningham went over for their final try of the season, while centre, Mikey Skeeles, converted it and added a penalty.

Utilising their skilful backs, Wynberg moved the ball out wide with speed, which have their flyers plenty of space in which to operate. SACS struggled to anticipate their direction of play.

For SACS, it was a season of mixed fortunes, but head coach Nick Maurer had no doubt about his favourite moment – “beating KES convincingly at the Noord-Suid Festival”.

SACS hooker and captain, Sango Zangqa, was a lead-by-example skipper, who stood tall throughout, no matter the challenges, setting a fine precedent for whoever follows him.

Results from their younger age groups also shows that SACS is highly competitive. The future looks bright for the Newlands outfit.

While they will have to deal with the turnover of players, Wynberg will look back with satisfaction on doing the double over SACS, and they will know they have a sound platform off of which to build when the 2026 season rolls around.

Scorers:

Wynberg Boys’ High 41 (19) – Tries: Morné Noble (2), Laeeq Davids (2), Chad Campbell, Noah Gila. Conversions: Achmat Behardien (4). Penalty: Achmat Behardien; SACS 10 (10) – Try: RJ Cunningham. Conversion: Mikey Skeeles. Penalty: Mikey Skeeles.

Other Results

u19 – Wynberg II 32 SACS II 15, Wynberg III 32 SACS III 19, Wynberg IV 35 SACS IV 5, Wynberg V 14 SACS V 10, Wynberg VI 15 SACS VI 24.

u16 – Wynberg A 25 SACS A 27, Wynberg B 12 SACS B 10, Wynberg C 21 SACS C 29, Wynberg D 14 SACS D 15.

u15 – Wynberg A 15 SACS A 18, Wynberg B 7 SACS B 6, Wynberg C 13 SACS C 13, Wynberg D 19 SACS D 7.

u14 – Wynberg A 19 SACS A 20, Wynberg B 27 SACS B 17, Wynberg C 14 SACS C 10, Wynberg D 10 SACS D 3.

On Saturday, on the Piley Rees, in the final game of the season, a King Price Derby Series showdown against Bishops, Rondebosch‘s Aluta Wesi was as dangerous at outside centre as he has been at eighthman in 2025.

His two tries helped his side to a 28-22 win. In June, ‘Bosch beat their great rivals 28-7.

Captain and flank, Josh Neill, was also on the score sheet in his final game for the school.

The SA Schools‘ star is the complete package. His steal, carry, and tackle stats must rank amongst the highest of all schoolboy rugby players this season. He’s a phenomenal talent with huge potential to take his game to even greater heights in the future.

Despite some frustrating performances along the way, Rondebosch delivered a pretty strong season overall. When asked about his highlight of their campaign, head coach Jaco Zeeman answered: “Beating Boland Landbou 57-26 definitely serves as my favourite moment of the season. It’s the first time that the Rondebosch 1st XV has scored more than 50 against a Winelands school in their history.”

Although beaten, Bishops have reason to be optimistic. One might have thought that they would lose momentum when Sam Mofokeng took over the head coach role from Wes Chetty in July. They’ve continued to improve, however.

Reflecting on his charges’ season, Mofokeng said: “The season was tough but enjoyable because of the staff and boys that were involved. Everyone gave their best effort for the school.”

Their continued improvement was evident in each of their games. Hooker and captain, Daniel van den Heever‘s never-say-die attitude rubbed off on his teammates, which invariably led to Bishops finishing their games strongly.

Throughout their campaign, they found a way to claw their way back into games. On Saturday, though, another comeback wasn’t on the cards. Viewed from afar, though, Bishops appears to be on the right track.

Scorers:

Rondebosch Boys’ High 28 (14) – Tries: Aluta Wesi (2), Joshua Neill, Bulela Mbala. Conversions: Sebastian Boshoff (4); Diocesan College 22 (12) – Tries: Noah Edmunds (2), Daniel van den Heever. Conversions: Christian Toweel (2). Penalty: Christian Toweel.

Other Results

u19 – Bishops II 17 Rondebosch II 0.

u16 – Bishops A 24 Rondebosch A 38.

u15 – Bishops A 3 Rondebosch A 45.

u14 – Bishops A 15 Rondebosch A 12.

When Bishops and Rondebosch first met 117 years ago, it was a one-sided thrashing, with Bishops triumphing 112-0 behind a mammoth 86 points scored by Painton Cowen. Thankfully, since then, the rivalry has become far more tightly contested.

Historically, Rondebosch has won 85 of the 205 encounters, 19 have been drawn, and Bishops has 101 wins.

Earlier this season, Rondebosch scored a 28-7 win over their southern suburbs’ rivals.

When asked how his team is feeling about the last game of their season, a King Price Derby Series clash, Bishops head coach Sam Mofokeng answered: “The team is excited and looking forward to another titanic battle (if our last two games are anything to go by).”

In 2025, Bishops has played their best rugby in the latter stages of matches. Their conditioning is one of their weapons and it combines well with their dangerous rolling mauls in the dying minutes.

Their hooker, Daniel van den Heever, directs those strength-sapping forward drives. If there is one word to describe the Bishops’ captain, it is grit. In contact, he wrestles like a bear, and he often forces turnovers at breakdowns. He’s also a bullocking force on the ball.

Rondebosch head coach Jaco Zeeman identified a number of areas of growth that his side has undergone during the season. He told SuperSport Schools Plus: “The team has grown closer as a unit, which has impacted the cohesion on the field.

“Furthermore, they have shown the ability to self-reflect, to learn from previous games and, by trying to get better, the group has improved as the season has gone on.”

Rondebosch is indeed a very enjoyable side to watch. Their constant introspection is the key to their attacking flair. If a move doesn’t work, they make adjustments and attack with a new innovation.

Flank and captain, Josh Neill, is an absolute workhorse on the field, armed with superb skills. He scores tries by joining out on the wing and by sniping from the ruck. On defence, he’s a dominant tackler and a threat at the breakdowns.

He’s their talisman, the straw that stirs the Rondebosch drink, and he’ll be supremely motivated to sign off with a bang.

Both teams are creative, blessed with exciting runners, and play with an attractive offloading game, which strives to make the ball do the work. Those ingredients suggest it’s going to be another thrilling clash between the long-standing rivals.

The teams:

Diocesan College vs Rondebosch at 12:30 on the Piley Rees this Saturday:

Diocesan College: 15 Miyolo Ngculu, 14 Singa Mayoyo, 13 Rynard Gordon, 12 Cole Robyntjies, 11 Noah Edmunds, 10 Christian Toweel, 9 Max Marr, 8 Jack Venter, 7 Josh Macdonald, 6 Ethan Venter, 5 Fouke Wagener, 4 Rieko Kidha, 3 Chris du Toit, 2 Daniel van den Heever (captain), 1 Will Reid.

Rondebosch Boys’ High: 15 Eathon Williams, 14 Matthew Galpin, 13 Alutha Wesi, 12 Harry Soboil, 11 David Kadima, 10 Sebastian Boshoff, 9 James Kirsten, 8 Connor Arbuthnot, 7 Josh Neill (captain), 6 Linakho Mehlomakulu, 5 Bertus Versfeld, 4 Finn Watermeyer, 3 Matthew van der Merwe, 2 Ismaeel Conrad, 1 Bulela Mbala.

Referee: Dyllan Francke.

Since 2002, Wynberg has won 29 of their 43 matches against SACS, with SACS picking up 13 wins, while one game ended in a draw. When last they met, in June, Wynberg scored a 21-10 victory.

The southern suburbs’ rivals end their seasons in the spotlight of a King Price Derby Series clash on Saturday.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

SACS head coach Nick Maurer told SuperSport Schools Plus, it’s about more than the last match of the season: “It’s the final game for the matric pupils. It’s an emotional one. They’ll be out there representing their school for the final time,” he explained.

After a few up and downs while dealing with injuries, SACS has looked strong in the latter part of the season. They’ll throw everything they have into Saturday’s clash on Hawthornden Field.

Hooker and captain, Sango Zangqa, is a lead-by-example player, whose physicality will challenge Wynberg.

Siphe Mbungendlu, at flank, has an all-out engine and he’ll be a threat at the breakdowns and when carrying the ball.

The hosts will fight fire with fire. Prop, Luqobo Makwedini, is a cannonball of power and will ask serious questions of the SACS scrum.

Meanwhile, the Wynberg lineout will be led by their workhorse lock and captain, Jaythen Orange, whose immense work rate makes him a threat all over the field.

The hosts’ halfbacks present a double-threat. Scrumhalf Morné Noble, distributes with pace and has a keen eye for any gaps that might appear around the fringes of rucks and mauls. Meanwhile, flyhalf Achmat Behardien, reads the game well and does an excellent job of identifying space. With good decision-making, he’s adept at exploiting those areas of potential weakness with his sharp kicking and passing.

With both teams aiming to end their season with a derby win and many players running out for their schools for a last time, it will be an emotional clash. Who will handle those emotions better, and might SACS claim an unlikely away win?

Teams

Wynberg vs SACS at 12:30 on Hawthornden Field this Saturday.

Wynberg: 15 Laeeq Davids, 14 Chad Campbell, 13 Kunene Gadu, 12 Daniel Oud, 11 Albert Lourens, 10 Achmat Behardien, 9 Morné Noble, 8 Esa van der Schyff, 7 Tjeripo Karuhumba, 6 Alvin Machinja, 5 James Orwin, 4 Jaythen Orange (captain), 3 Luqobo Makwedini, 2 Noah Gila, 1 Luke Miller.

SACS: 15 Quewinn Lackay, 14 Josh Gorgens, 13 Imtiaz Abrahams, 12 Mikey Skeeles, 11 Josh Pfister, 10 Nathan Potgieter, 9 Matt Forbes, 8 Thando Sithole, 7 Harrison Bell, 6 Siphe Mbungendlu, 5 RJ Cunningham, 4 Reuben De Klerk, 3 Rory Bachmann, 2 Sango Zangqa (captain), 1 Qawe Sawuka.

Referee: Jaco Smith.

In Caledon, on Saturday, Hoërskool Overberg enjoyed a home victory over Die Hoërskool Langenhoven, producing a strong first half performance to set up their 29-12 win.

Ovies‘ captain and eighthman, Johan Beukes, delivered a phenomenal performance in front of his home crowd. He shut off Langenhoven’s momentum at the breakdown, while, on offence, his powerful carries earned him two tries.

The home side’s centres, Lee Abotsi and Favian Arendse, both put in big shifts in the midfield. They were like an extra pair of flanks, making sound tackles and often challenging at the rucks. Abotsi crossed for a try of his own, while Arendse tacked on two conversions.

Down 0-17 at the break, the visitors from Riversdal were frustrated. After the break, though, they dialled up their intensity, which made for an evenly contested second half.

Flank Dylan Labuschagne and hooker Francois Myburgh, played their hearts out to each score a try. They forced the Ovies’ defence onto the back foot, and, at times, it looked as if they could inspire a comeback.

After sharing the spoils in the second half, Langenhoven will look back on the match and think they could have had a shot at victory if they had been on their game from the start.

Scorers

Overberg 29 (17) – Tries: Johan Beukes (2), Lee Abotsi, Andrew Erasmus, Ave Tyali. Conversions: Favian Arendse (2); Langenhoven 12 (0) – Tries: Dylan Labuschagne, Francois Myburgh. Conversion: Curt-lee Willemse.

Other Results

U19 – Overberg II 22 Langenhoven II 7.

U16 – Overberg A 62 Langenhoven A 0.

U15 – Overberg A 45 Langenhoven A 10.

U14 – Overberg A 19 Langenhoven A 16, Overberg B 22 Langenhoven B 7.

Just as had happened in May, the SACS and Bishops 1st XVs drew. Back then, it was 14-14. On Saturday, on Memorial A Field, it ended 18-18.

It began well for the visitors, who made a flying start, scoring in only the third minute.

They created an overlap on the halfway line, which freed up Noah Edmunds, on the wing. He cut inside and out and evaded the scrambling SACS defence to put Bishops ahead. Then, flyhalf Christian Toweel, added the extras.

SACS ate into the deficit through two penalty kicks from Mikey Skeeles, with the centre’s successes leaving Bishops with a narrow 7-6 lead at the break.

In the second half, Bishops extended their advantage to 12-points, scoring 11 points without reply to go up 18-7. SACS, though, kept battling away.

Their hooker, Sango Zangqa, led from the front and crashed over next to the uprights in the 69th minute, forcing his way through a wall of muddy Bishops defenders by jumping for the try-line from the base of a ruck.

With their captain’s try, SACS’s 12-point deficit was reduced to seven.

Time was almost up. SACS had to run it, and, from the kick-off, they quickly fed the ball down the line, where eighthman, Thando Sithole, bounced off a tackle and found space.

He fed fullback Quewinn Lackay, who, thrillingly, floored the accelerator to shoot past four Bishops’ defenders, beating the final man with a neat inside step, to earn SACS a draw, which left the visitors staggered.

Throughout the season, it had been Bishops who found ways to score points late in games, but on Saturday, it was their southern suburbs’ rivals who manufactured two tries in the space of two minutes to snatch a share of the spoils.

It was all square for a second time in the 2025 season.

Scorers

SACS 18 (6) – Tries: Sango Zangqa, Quewinn Lackay. Conversion: Mikey Skeeles. Penalties: Mikey Skeeles (2); Bishops 18 (7) – Tries: Noah Edmunds, Ethan Venter. Conversion: Christian Toweel. Penalties: Christian Toweel (2).

Other Results

U19 – SACS II 10 Bishops II 10.

U16 – SACS A 15 Bishops A 0.

U15 – SACS A 15 Bishops A 3.

U14 – SACS A 19 Bishops A 12.

Wynberg Boys’ High powered their way to a comprehensive 43-0 win over Rondebosch Boys’ High in muddy conditions in front of their home crowd on Hawthornden Field on Saturday.

Earlier in the season, in June, it was far closer, with Wynberg claiming an exciting 38-33 win with a late try from SA Schools’ scrumhalf Morné Noble.

On Saturday, ‘Bosch wasn’t in the game. They benefitted little from their set-pieces and were slower to the breakdowns. Meanwhile, Wynberg played the game at pace and were creative on attack.

Inside centre Yaqeen Ahmed led the way, crossing for a brace of tries, while also adding four conversions and a penalty for a 21-point haul.

Operating with brilliant creativity, he opened up the Rondebosch defence. His running lines and passing variety enabled his side to execute a number of backline moves from set-pieces.

Flyhalf, Achmat Behardien, also drove Wynberg’s playmaking, and his probing kicks often exploited holes in the visitors’ back three. His reward included a try.

Rondebosch looked overwhelmed by the intensity of the home side. Their defensive line was often caught out of shape due to Wynberg’s quick distribution from the breakdowns, which was driven by the the efforts of scrumhalves, Morné Noble and Hugo Loggenberg.

Next Saturday, ‘Bosch will need to pull off a major turnaround. They take on Bishops and will need to improve every aspect of their play, especially their attack. They won comfortably against their great rivals earlier in the season, but anything is possible in a derby clash.

Wynberg has firmly made the case that they are the best of the southern suburbs’ teams in 2025. They’ll aim to underline that claim with a win over SACS at home on the same day.

Scorers

Wynberg 43 (24) – Tries: Yaqeen Ahmed (2), Achmat Behardien, Noah Gila, Daniel Oud, Hugo Loggenberg. Conversions: Yaqeen Ahmed (4), Daniel Oud. Penalty: Yaqeen Ahmed; Rondebosch 0.

Other Results

U19 – Wynberg II 10 Rondebosch II 7, Wynberg III 12 Rondebosch III 6, Wynberg IV 10 Rondebosch IV 0, Wynberg V 7 Rondebosch V 19.

U16 – Wynberg A 24 Rondebosch A 12, Wynberg B 12 Rondebosch B 17, Wynberg C 10 Rondebosch C 17.

U15 – Wynberg A 21 Rondebosch A 8, Wynberg B 35 Rondebosch b 5, Wynberg C 40 Rondebosch C 7.

U14 – Wynberg A 7 Rondebosch A 3, Wynberg B 21 Rondebosch B 0, Wynberg C 12 Rondebosch C 7, Wynberg D 42 Rondebosch D 12.