Author: froberholzer

Selborne College‘s batsmen made a huge statement on the opening day of the Westvaal North/South Cricket Tournament, chasing down a mammoth 233 to edge out 2019 champions, Centurion, by one wicket.

In a spectacle of power hitting, both of Selborne’s openers notched impressive, quickfire half-centuries.

Jacques van der Merwe led the charge with a blistering 59 from only 25 deliveries, while Ben van der Merwe was every bit as brutally effective, smashing 54 from just 21 balls.

Hayden McKay, in at six, added a hasty 58 from 25, which was just enough to see the team from East London to victory.

For the equally impressive Centurion side, it was Rehan Lues who provided the fireworks. His innings of 71 from just 24 deliveries included three fours and eight sixes at an astonishing strike rate of 296. He was well supported by Divan van Tonder (59, 43b) and Charl Prinsloo (57, 37b), who also put the Selborne bowlers to the sword.

On a difficult day for the bowlers, Wouter Kielblock stood strong for Centurion, bagging a solid return of 2/37 amidst the chaos, while Blade Crane paced the Selborne attack with figures of 2/31.

St Stithians also claimed their first victory of the tournament, topping Rondebosch in a mouth-watering clash of two teams who have strong claims to being number one in the country at present.

The recent SA20 signing from Johannesburg, Lhuan-dre Pretorius showcased his immense talent and power-hitting abilities at the top of the order for Saints. He appeared to be in a class of his own, sprinting to 78 from only 49 balls against a strong bowling attack, while sending the ball to all parts of the ground.

Although his clean ball-striking caught the eye, it was his ability to manoeuvre the ball into space with some deft touches which truly impressed.

Bosch’s Raeeq Daniels kept Saint Stithians in check, delivering a fine spell of 3/13. However, the pick of the bowlers on the day was Anesu Zvinoera from Saints. His 4/30 in four was a crucial factor in the Johannesburg school’s narrow nine-run victory.

Waterkloof sneaked past Grey College after chasing down the Bloemfontein boys’ 145 for 4. That total was more competitive than it appeared as the Pretoria High School Old Boys’ pitch played a little slower than anticipated.

Opener Samu Lephoto was the cornerstone of the Grey batting effort, carrying his bat and accumulating 68 from 59 balls. Towards the end, Ruben Maree added some oomph to the Grey College innings with a valuable 47 from just 32 balls, which included four sixes.

Waterkloof, in reply, were trouble on 96/5, with Darion Rabie causing all sorts of problems for the Pretoria school’s batsmen.

However, a hard-hitting counterpunch of 41 from only 22 balls from Alexander Volschenk turned the tide back in the Klofies’ favour. His knock, together with an important 25 from the young buck, Rico van der Walt, saw Klofies claw their way across the line for a nail-biting two-wicket win.

Summarised Scorecards:

Centurion 232/5 (Rehan Lues 71, Divan van Tonder 59, Charl Prinsloo 57, Pieter Naude 23; Blade Crane 2/31); Selborne College 233/9 (Jacques van der Merwe 59, Hayden McKay 58, Ben van der Merwe 54; Wouter Kielblock 2/32, Zandre Boezardt 2/40, Rehan Lues 2/39). Selborne College won by one wicket.

St Stithians College 178/5 (Lhuan-dré Pretorius 78, Richard Seletswane 55; Raeeq Daniels 3/13); Rondebosch Boys’ High 169/10 (Josh Neill 36, Jordan Neill 24, Raeeq Daniels 27, Noah Heath 24; Anesu Zvinoera 4/30, Tahsen Orslo 2/19, Kwena Maphaka 2/27, Lhuan-dré Pretorius 2/38). St Stithians College won by nine runs.

Grey College 145/4 (Samu Lephoto 68, Ruben Maree 47; Jacques van Niekerk 2/31); Waterkloof 149/8 (Alexander Volschenk 41, Rico van der Merwe 25, Marcus Bakker 20; Darion Rabie 3/28, Sicelo Matayi 2/36). Waterkloof won by two wickets.

 

The teams at the fifth annual Westvaal North/South tournament will be rearing to go after finding out who they will face in this year’s T20 tournament.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

The defending champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof, will feature in Pool B alongside Paarl Boys’ High, Hoërskool Nelspruit and the renowned Grey College from Bloemfontein.

In 2022, the Klofies blasted their way through the group stages before facing Potchefstroom Volkskool in the Final. The Pretoria-based side has yet another strong outfit this year and will look to repeat their winning recipe as they aim to defend their title.

Runners-up from last year, Potchefstroom Volkskool, will have to beat Hoërskool Centurion, Wynberg Boys’ High and newcomers, Selborne College in Pool A if they want to have an opportunity at redemption in this year’s tournament.

The newcomers to the tournament, Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool of Pretoria, will also face a tough ask in Pool D, where they take on some of the best teams from down south in the form of Rondebosch Boys’ High and Westville Boys’ High. They will also have to deal with the in-form powerhouse from Johannesburg, St Stithians College, if they want to progress to the playoffs.

The men from Pretoria have been in good knick in recent weeks and fancy their chances of being in the hunt for the silverware come the business end of the tournament.

Selborne College, the newcomers from the Eastern Cape coast, will definitely be a dark horse as not many of the northern sides will have seen them in action. However, it will be interesting to see how the change from slow-turning wickets to quick and bouncy pitches affects Selborne’s way of playing.

The Pools:

Pool A – Hoërskool Centurion, Wynberg Boys’ High, Hoër Volksool Potchefstroom, Selborne College.
Pool B- Hoërskool Waterkloof, Paarl Boys’ High, Hoërskool Nelspruit, Grey College.
Pool C – Hoërskool Menlopark, SACS, St Andrews (Bloemfontein), Grey High School.
Pool D: Affies, Rondebosch Boys’ High, St Stithians College, Westville Boys’ High.

The Marais Viljoen batsmen played a starring role in securing a comfortable five-wicket victory over Helpmekaar Kollege on the last day of the Gimmie-Cricket Fest. The side from Alberton nonchalantly chased down the 254 they required for victory in the 44th over of the teams’ 50-over match.

Having won the toss, Helpmekaar opted to bat first. Anthony Stone was superb with the willow in hand, scoring a magnificent century after the Helpies were in early trouble at 35/3.

Juandre Verwey also had his say with a well-constructed 45 off 69 deliveries and combined with Stone for a crucial 86-run partnership.

Stone kicked on after the dismissal of Verwey to notch up his century, only to be sent back to the pavilion without adding a run. Stefan Lottering (31, 39b) and Kevin Olivier (25, 20b) also produced telling contributions in the latter stages of the innings.

After 50 overs, Helpmekaar had posted a competitive 253/7.

Declan Botes bowled tidily and returned the neat figures of 2/26 from his 10 overs. Cayden Ramage also impressive, capturing 2/17 up front with the new ball.

Marais Viljoen appeared comfortable from the start of their reply, the run rate moving along at a consistently decent rate. Aldre Huyzers (28, 47b) and Botes combined for a commanding 82-run opening stand. Botes went on to record a well-deserved half-century, accumulating 67 from 82 balls, in a fantastic outing out for the all-rounder.

Nathan Coleske’s 59, a contribution of 43 not out from the impressive Jaden Govender, and a blistering 26 from Tristan Thom carried their side over the line and to a comfortable victory, which was their third in four games.

Summarised scorecards: 

Helmekaar Kollege 253/7 (Anthony Stone 100, Juandre Verwey 45, Stefan Lottering 31, Kevin Olivier 25; Declan Botes 2/26, Cayden Ramage 2/17); Marais Viljoen 254/5 (Botes 67, Nathan Coleske 59, Jaden Govender 43*, Aldre Huyzers 28, Tristan thom 26; Lottering 2/13). Marais Viljoen won by five wickets. 

 

The last day of the Izintaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival saw most of the teams battling it out in T20s.

Hans Moore ran rampant over their opposition over the course of the four days and put a cherry on the top of their displays with a convincing 107-run victory over the Glenwood Invitational side on Monday.

The Hansies stuck to their successful recipe by winning the toss and electing to bat first. Marno Grobler, who enjoyed a wonderful week with the bat in hand, was among the runs for a fourth consecutive day, blasting an impressive 76 from only 48 balls.

Alongside Grobler, Stephan Vermaak also found the batting-friendly pitch on the last day to his liking. He launched the ball to all parts of the ground, racing to 62 from a mere 29 deliveries. Striking with power, he sent three deliveries over the ropes and added seven fours as he sped along at a run rate of 214.

Kenzo Mchunu was the pick of the Durbanites’ bowlers, even though he was somewhat expensive. Still, he finished with three scalps for 39 runs.

Glenwood’s batting had been inconsistent earlier in the festival and it continued against Hans Moore as they made a stuttering start, finding themselves at 50/5 in pursuit of 225.

Herchelle Oosthuizen took it upon himself to stabilize a sinking ship and contributed a valiant 43 from 42 balls.

Unfortunately for Glenwood, his knock was in vain as Marno Grobler led the bowling charge for the Hansies. Showing his versatility, Grobler backed up his destructive performance with the bat with a useful 2/12 with the ball. Henré Everleigh also got in on the act, claiming a similarly impressive return of 2/13.

The pair’s bowling dominance meant that Glenwood could reach only 117/8 in their allotted 20 overs, leaving Hans Moore with a full house of festival wins.

The hosts, Potchefstroom Gimnasium, got back to winning ways after their shock loss to Durbanville on Sunday. The were up against Northwood‘s team of stayers, who opted to field first after winning the coin flip.

As they had done in their three previous outings, Gimmies got off to a very good start. Zavier van Rensburg’s 36 at the top of the order laid a solid platform for the likes of Righardt Joubert and Tommie Botha.

Provided with a steady foundation, Joubert batted sensibly for a run a ball 45, but lost his wicket at an inopportune time. Botha, however, boosted the Gimmies’ innings with a late quickfire 20, which lifted the home team to a total of 148/4 in their 20 overs.

Northwood, in reply, struggled at the crease, frequently losing wickets. Stumbling to a meagre 81/9, Luke Allen was their only shining light. He made 22 not out to keep his side from being bowled out before their overs were up. However, mustering a final total of only 104/9 was a disappointing end to the festival for the Knights, who went down by 44 runs.

The Westville Invitational side signed off a successful week with a 27-run victory against the Affies Invitational team. Westville won the toss and took to the crease first. There, Seth Simpson grabbed his last batting opportunity of the festival with both hands, smashing an entertaining 78 from only 42 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes.

Roxton Payne continued his impressive form, falling just one run shy of a half-century, and needing only 26 deliveries for his contribution of 49. The pair’s ruthless display of power hitting saw Westville posted a very competitive total of 196/4 in their 20 overs.

Affies made a decent start to their challenging run chase, but they lost wickets at the wrong times. The in-form Divan de Vries clubbed 48 from just 27 balls, while Arne Prinsloo (30, 34b) and Henré Smith (26, 30b) added valuable cameos lower down the order.

Unfortunately for the Pretoria side, there were to be no late heroics as they finished on 169/6 to come up short in a valiant effort at the 197 runs that they required for victory.

Summarised scorecards: 

Hans Moore 224/6 (Marno Grobler 76, Stephan Vermaak 62, Warren Minnaar 23; Kenzo Mchunu 3/39); Glenwood Invitational 117/9 (Herchelle Oosthuizen 43; Grobler 2/12, Henré Eveleigh, Eteinne Smith 2/21). Hans Moore won by 107 runs. 

Potchefstroom Gimnasium 148/4 (Righardt Joubert 45, Zavier van Rensburg 36, Tommie Botha 20; Jordan Matthews 1/18); Northwood 104/9 (Luke Allen 22*; Ruan Lotz 4/15, Christian Viljoen 2/17). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by 44 runs.

Westville Invitational 196/4 (Seth Simpson 78*, Roxton Payne 49, Chad van Breda 25; SF Vermeulen 2/30, Janco de Bruin 2/31); Affies Invitational 169/6 (Divan de Vries 48, Arne Prinsloo 30, Henré Smith 26; Thomas Jee 2/31). Westville Invitational won by 27 runs.

The Hans Moore 1st XI has proved itself to be the most dominant side at Izuntaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival over the course of the first three days. The Hansies’ batsmen managed to better 300 for a third consecutive time, tallying an imposing 313/8 against a decent-looking Helpmekaar College side.

Hansies won the toss and, like the previous two days, chose to bat first. Their impressively consistent top order delivered again, with the top six all contributing 30 runs or more.

On day three, it was Stephan Vermaak who led the way, top scoring with 50 from only 45 deliveries to set the tone for another dominant display from the rest of the Hans Moore lineup.

Warren Minnaar (46, 43b) and Marno Grobler (45, 48b) continued their strong form with two more classy knocks, replete with wonderful stroke-making.

Xavier Coetzee was also among the runs once more, with his 45 playing a vital role in the Hansies tallying 313/8 in their 50 overs.

Aiden Pretorius was the pick of the Helpmekaar bowlers, claiming 1 for 55 from his 10 overs, despite the onslaught of the Hans Moore batsmen.

Replying, the Helpmekaar batters looked comfortable at the crease and put the Hans Moore bowlers to the sword somewhat, for the first time during the festival.

Anthony Stone led the way with an exceptional 88 from 123 deliveries. He was by far the best with willow in hand for the side from Johannesburg and showcased an impressive ability to rotate the strike when under pressure.

However, Sahil Parbhoo, astonishingly, bagged his third five-for in a row, this time snaring 5/27 to undermine the Helpmekaar innings. His spell was well backed up by stalwart Adam Kruger (3/30), and together they ripped the heart out of the Helpmekaar run chase, restricting their opponents to 243 all out, which left Hans Moore with another convincing victory, this time by 79 runs.

Potchefstroom Gimnasium suffered their first defeat of the week, losing by 35 runs against a determined Durbanville side. The men from down South visited the middle first after winning the toss. It didn’t go particularly well for them as the Durbies mustered a meagre 160 before being bundled out.

The bulk of their runs came from an impressive knock of 50 from 68 balls by James du Toit, who has been a consistent performer for the side from the Cape throughout the festival.

Phillip du Plessis was the pick of the Gimmies’ bowlers, knocking over 3/31 in his outing with the ball.

The in-form opening partnership of Tommie Botha (32, 42b) and Marnu Cronje’ (21, 19b) gave the hosts the start they needed in pursuit of 161 to win. However, a decisive spell of 5/21 from Tobie Roelofse changed the course of the match drastically. As the Gimmies’ innings progressed, they found themselves sliding deeper into trouble, with the severe pressure leading to them losing wickets in clusters.

Jan-Pieter Kriel (2/25) and Alexander van Aarde (2/31) also came to the party with their bowling stints. On the day, the Gimmies’ side didn’t have the answers and were rolled over for a disappointing 125 all out.

The Affies Invitational team appears to have hit its straps after claiming a second victory in succession, this time coming out on top against Monument.

Monnas won the toss and followed the day’s trend of batting first. Antoni van Niekerk stood out with a wonderfully constructed 54 from 52 balls, but he would’ve been disappointed to get out just as he attempted to accelerate his scoring. Joshua McCoy chipped in with a much needed 48, and he found valuable support from Werner Darheim (40, 65b).

Those contributions helped Monnas to a respectable 235/7 in their 50 overs. Affies’ SF Vermeulen was the standout with the ball, snapping up an impressive 4/32.

Despite being set a challenging target, the Affie batsmen didn’t appear fazed. Divan de Vries led their reply, striking an unbeaten 53 off of 61 deliveries.

SF Vermeulen backed up his good bowling performance with an exciting 39, and together with contributions of 35 from Ronan Cilliers, as well as a few telling cameos lower down the order, the Pretoria side cruised to a four-wicket victory.

Summarised scorecards: 

Hans Moore 313/8 (Stephan Vermaak 50, Warren Minnaar 46, Marno Grobler 45, Xavier Coetzee 45, Adrian Watson 37, Kenan Shaw 32; Aiden Pretorius 1/55) Helpmekaar 234/10 (Anthony Stone 88, Stefan Lottering 25, Zander Neethling 22, Kevin Olivier 21, Hanru Marais 20; Sahil Parbhoo 5/27, Adam Kruger 3/30, Stephan Vermaak 3/11). Hans Moore won by 79 runs.

Durbanville 160/10 (James du Toit 50: Phillip du Plessis 3/31, Stefan Fourie 2/30, Ruan Lotz 2/52); Potchefstroom Gimnasium 125/10 (Tommie Botha 32, Marnu Cronje 21; Tobie Roelofse 5/21, JP Kriel 2/25, Alexander van Aarde 2/31). Durbanville won by 35 runs. 

Monument 235/7 (Antoni van Niekerk 54, Joshua McCoy 48, Werner Darheim 40, Rieghardt Prinsloo 28; SF Vermeulen 4/32, Janro de Bruin 2/43); Affies Invitational 239/6 (Divan de Vries 53*, SF Vermeulen 39, Ronan Cilliers 35, Zirk Meyer 22, Antonie Fourie 22, William Burgess 20; Durheim 3/59). Affies Invitational won by four wickets. 

 

 

Marais Viljoen found themselves in a second consecutive tight affair on Saturday, the second day of the Izuntaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival. This time, however, they came out on the winning side, scraping by Boland Landbou to claim a narrow eight-run victory.

The side from Alberton won the toss and elected to bat first. An impressive partnership between openers, Aldre Huyzers (50, 71b) and Jaden Govender (36, 34b) got Marais Viljoen off to a positive start. With a solid platform laid by the pair, Tian du Toit was afforded the freedom to play his attacking brand of cricket.

Du Toit let loose, scoring at a strike rate of 125 for his 64 not out, which came from only 51 deliveries. A valuable 41 from Tristan Thom towards the back end provided a much-needed boost for Marais Viljoen, which lifted them to a respectable target of 239/9 in their 50 overs.

For Boland Landbou, Stefan Conradie bowled an impressive line and length, showing that consistency remains the main contributor to a successful outing with the ball. After 10 overs, he walked away with figures of 4 for 60.

The Boland Landbou batters appeared to hit their stride early in their chase of 240 for victory. However, a decisive bowling performance from stalwart Declan Botes (4/31), which caused a middle-order collapse, dragged it back for his side.

Marius du Plessis restored some order to the Boland Landbou innings with a wonderfully constructed innings of 57 not out. With the visitors from the South falling behind the required run rate, Janco Visagie took it upon himself to try and get his team across the line.

Unfortunately, his quickfire 20 not out wasn’t quite enough as the Marais Viljoen bowlers restricted the Bolanders to only 231, claiming a well-deserved hard-fought victory.

EG Jansen proved to be too good for their rivals from Krugersdorp, Monument.

After winning the toss, Monnas struggled to get their innings going, with most of their top order making solid starts but failing to convert from there.

Waldo Greyling impressed with a fighting knock of 41 from 73 balls. He found solid support from Innocent Ramerafe, who was again among the runs, adding 33 to his tally for the week.

Egan Pretorius shone for the men from Boksburg. Showcasing his fine abilities with the ball, he claimed 3/17 and helped restrict Monument to a sub-par total of 172.

EG Jansen then continued their dominance with the willow. Rico Crouse played the anchor role, grafting hard for his 38 not out from 71 balls. Liam Green’s contribution of 37 and a well-played 31 from Jean Novellie was enough to see EG Jansen to a comfortable victory with six wickets to spare.

Summarised scorecards: 

Marais Viljoen 239/9 (Tian du Toit 64*, Aldre Huyzers 50, Tristan Thom 41, Jaden Govender 36; Stefan Conradie 4/60, Tiaan Reyneke 2/37); Boland Landbou 231/8 (Marius du Plessis 57*, Henre Swart 44, Lohann Louw 28, Rynardt van der Schyff 24, Janco Visagie 20*; Declan Botes 4/31, Jordan Baijnath 2/47). Marais Viljoen won by eight runs.

Monument 172/10 (Waldo Greyling 41, Innocent Ramerafe 33, Caleb dos Santos 23, Rieghardt Prinsloo 20; Egan Pretorius 3/17, Zander Lubbe 2/21, Dale Slabbert 2/9); EG Jansen 173/4 (Rico Crouse 38*, Liam Green 37, Jean Novellie 31, JP van Staden 24; Prinsloo 1/24). EG Jansen won by six wickets.

Day two of the Gimmie Cricket Fest was action-packed, with Hans Moore crossing the 500-run mark and the hosts surpassing 400 runs in their 50-overs-a-side matches.

A mammoth 522/9 helped Hans Moore bag a second consecutive one-sided victory. The Hansies won the toss and elected to bat first against Trio High and, just like on day one, their opening pair proved instrumental as they combined for a wonderful partnership of 96 runs.

Marno Grobler led the way with his quickfire 51, while Aiden Shaw played the anchor role and also brought up a half-century, contributing 54 from 55 deliveries.

After the pair’s departure, all the Hansies’ batsmen cashed in, with their innings featuring no less than six half-centuries.

It was Adam Kruger, however, who stole the show. Walking in at number ten, he let loose from ball one to rub more salt into the already severe Trio wounds. The bowling all-rounder smashed 99 from only 35 balls, at an eye-opening run rate of 283. His breathtaking innings, combined with the five other half-centuries, meant that the Hansies were able to amass an astonishing 522 in only 50 overs.

On the side of Trio, Henrico van der Merwe could hold his head high after claiming 3/83.

Taking to the crease under tremendous pressure, the Trio batsmen soon found that pressure rapidly increasing as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Louis Boshoff was the only one able to stand his ground, counterpunching with 45 from just 27 balls.

But the man from Benoni with the golden arm, Sahil Parbhoo (5/8), bagged his second five-for in as many days. Together with Parbhoo, Adam Kruger wreaked havoc among the Trio batsmen, claiming four scalps of his own for only 22 runs.

Together, they ripped apart the Trio reply, rolling over the opposition for only 66 runs.

The Gimmie-Oval also played host to some entertaining chaos. Having won the toss, the home team opted to bat first against a wounded Helpmekaar bowling attack and, for the second day in a row, Tommie Botha was among the runs, scoring a scintillating 60.

Botha’s knock was good, but Ewald Kruger grabbed the spotlight with a magnificent 98 from only 49 deliveries. There was a further significant innings from the other run-machine at the top of the order, Marnu Cronje (72, 58b), while Zavier van Rensburg matched Cronje’s contribution (72, 66b), which helped the hosts to cruise to 408 all out.

Dihan Janse van Rensburg impressed with the ball for the Helpies as the Gimmies’ batsmen went on the attack. He snapped up 3/42 despite it being a difficult day in the field for the men from Johannesburg.

Cronje, after a fine innings, continued his heroics with the ball. He tore through the Helpies’ top order to end the day with a telling return of 4/40, and Caiden Seleka chipped in with 3/36, to close out the Helpmekaar innings.

The Helpmekaar batsmen appeared shell-shocked and couldn’t put a meaningful partnership together. Juandré Verwey, after taking a solid 3/73 with the ball, top-scored for them with 32 from 36 deliveries. His knock was, however, the only contribution of note in his side’s innings as they were bundled out for a meagre 154, which left Gimmies the winners by a massive 254-run margin.

Summarised scorecards:

Hans Moore 522/9 (Adam Kruger 99, Zander Swart 66, Sheldon Kruger 65, Aiden Shaw 54, Xavier Coetzee 54, Marno Grobler 51, Warren Minnaar 43; Henrico van der Merwe 3/83, Myburgh Jacobs 2/90); Trio 66/10 (Louis Boshoff 45; Sahil Parbhoo 5/8, Adam Kruger 4/22). Hans Moore won by 456 runs.

Potchefstroom Gimnasium 408/10 (Ewald Kruger 98, Marnu Cronje 72, Zavier van Rensburg 72, Tommie Botha 60; Dihan Janse van Rensburg 3/42, Juandre Verwey 3/73, Aiden Pretorius 2/43); Helpmekaar Kollge 154/10 (Verwey 32, Jean Lubbe 26, Hanru Marais 24, Pretorius 21). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by 254 runs.

 

 

 

Hans Moore announced their presence on the first day of the Gimmie Cricket Fest with a thumping 199-run victory over Durbanville.

The Hansies won the toss and elected to bat first on a batter-friendly wicket at the NWU Oval. The side from Benoni then got off to a scintillating start, with the opening pair of Adrian Watson and Marno Grobler amassing an outstanding opening stand of 216 runs. Watson led the charge scoring at a rate of knots to notch up the first century of the week in double-quick time.

The classy opening batsman raced to 111 from only 108 deliveries before returning to the pavilion. However, Grobler continued the onslaught, scoring a wonderful 111 from 137 before he had to retire hurt.

Albertyn du Bois was the only one from Durbanville with any answer to the chaos, bagging figures of 2/21 in his first outing with the ball at the week.

The departure of the opening somewhat stemmed the flow of runs, but a few valuable cameos and solid starts later on in the innings helped the Hansies reach a mammoth total of 313/5 in their allotted 50 overs.

In reply, Durbanville’s batters never looked comfortable from the get-go, especially in the face of some wonderful bowling from Sahil Parbhoo. He tore through the Capetonians, claiming the superb figures of 5/27 in just nine overs. Adam Kruger joined the party to rub more salt in the Durbanville wounds, contributing figures of 3/16.

Pierre du Toit was, however, a shining light for the side from down South. He kept his composure amidst the chaos and batted brilliantly for his 46. He found some solid support lower down the order from Hugo Bredell, who weighed in with 33 from 52 deliveries.

It was not nearly enough for Durbanville, who were knocked over for a meagre 114 to suffer a thumping defeat in their opening clash of the week.

Rustenburg produced a solid team performance to beat Helpmekaar College convincingly by 81 runs. After winning the toss, Rustenburg chose to bat first and were rewarded with a wonderful second-wicket partnership of 126 between Henre Viljoen (79, 61b) and Thian Labuschagne (55, 65b), which laid the platform needed for those to come.

Callie Fryer benefitted from that solid foundation, contributing a useful 38, and he found good support from Tristan van der Linde, who played a constructive innings of 33 from 35 balls, to help his side to a respectable 255 all out.

Stefan Lottering was the main contributor on the side of Helpmekaar. He hit good lines and length was, which were key to his fine return of 5/33.

Helpies got off to a good start thanks to a composed 36 from Hanru Marais at the top of the order. Anthony Stone, though, stole the limelight with a top-notch 62 from 82 deliveries. His innings had the Helpies’ hopes high for a moment, as it looked as if he would get them across the line. After his departure, matters went pear-shaped for the side from Johannesburg.

Nathan Rossouw spearheaded the Rustenburg attack, claiming 3/31. Labuschange chipped in once again, this time with the ball, claiming two scalps for only 11 runs. Under severe pressure, Helpies slid to 174 all out.

Summarised scorecards:

Hans Moore 313/5 (Marno Grobler 111*, Adrian Watson 111; Albertyn du Bois 2/21); Durbanville 114/10 (Pierre du Toit 46, Hugo Bredell 33; Sahil Parbhoo 5/27, Adam Kruger 3/16). Hans More won by 199 runs. 

Hoerskool Rustenburg 255/10 (Henre Viljoen 79, Thian Labuschagne 55, Callie Fryer 38, Tristan van der Linde 33; Stefan Lottering 5/33); Helpmekaar 174/10 (Anthony Stone 62, Hanru Marais 36, Daylan Greyling 20; Nathan Rossouw 3/31, Logan Rossouw 2/7, Labuschagne 2/11). Hoerskool Rustenburg won by 81 runs.

 

Tommie Botha took home the accolade of Man of the Match for his all-round performance of 51 from 88 balls and 4/40 as Potchefstroom Gimnasium snuck past Marais Viljoen in a tightly contested affair on day one of the Izuntaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival.

Playing on Gimmie Oval on Friday, Botha led the way after the home team had won the toss and elected to bat first. His opening partner Marnu Cronje played a vital support innings of 41 to ensure that they got off to a very good start.

However, Declan Botes (2/31) and Nathan Coleske (2/21) had other ideas. They combined for four quick wickets between them, stemming the flow of runs and shifting the pressure back onto the home side.

With four batsmen back in the pavilion, lower order batsman Caiden Seleka came to the rescue with a vital run-a-ball 32, combining with Righardt Joubert (23, 35b) to help the Gimmies to a very defendable 228 all out.

In response, Marais Viljoen enjoyed a good start to their innings. They lost opener Jordan Baijnath early, but Jaydon Govender steadied the innings, with 44 from 61 deliveries. Later, Declan Botes, with a solid knock of 44 from 54, showed off his all-round abilities following a good performance with the ball.

Together, they produced a 65-run partnership for the third wicket. Botha, though, broke through, claiming the wicket of Botes.

This threw the cat amongst the pigeons as the side from Kempton Park started losing wickets at regular intervals. Ruben Kruger fought valiantly, making a defiant 30, which almost saw the visitors over the line. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t meant to be as Marais Viljoen fell agonisingly short, suffering a five-run defeat.

Westville’s Invitational side showed that they are not to be taken lightly, beating Hoerskool Monument comfortably by seven wickets.

The Griffin won the toss and elected to bowl first. This proved to be a good decision as the visitors from Kwazulu-Natal had Monument in early trouble. They were wobbling at 32/3 before Waldo Greyling stepped up to the plate with an impressive contribution of 45.

With the innings steadied, Stephan O capitalised with a classy knock of 82 from 89 deliveries. He found strong support from Johan Zeedijk, who also notched a well-deserved half-century, contributing 62, to help Monnas to a very competitive total of 288 all out.

The Westville batsmen, however, looked extremely comfortable out in the middle as their innings got underway. Even after losing a couple of quick wickets, they looked to be in control. Following on from an excellent performance with the ball, Roxton Payne delivered with the bat, striking an unbeaten 101 from 98 deliveries.

Bhaskar Sewlal also cashed in, scoring an unbeaten century of his own, contributing 100 from 130 balls. Together, the pair amassed an incredible partnership of 205 runs for the fourth wicket, with their heroics leading Westville to a comfortable victory.

Klerksdorp High School opened their account with a walloping 112-run win over the Affies Invitational side. The side from the neighbouring town won the toss and took to the crease first. Dandre Slabbert was their main contributor with a wonderfully constructed 77 from only 73 deliveries.

Stephan Janse van Rensburg and Tumelo Macume also shone, with both accumulating 67 runs, to lift their side to 272/4 in their allotted 50 overs.

Rivan Ras proved to be the main thorn in Klerksdorp’s side, claiming figures of 2/34 in a difficult outing for the Affies’ bowlers.

The Affies’ innings, unfortunately for the Pretoria boys, never gained any momentum. Winton Abrahams did most of the damage up front, bagging 2/21 with the ball.

Dylan Koegelenberg, however, knuckled down and played a wonderful innings to give their reply some substance. He fell just six runs short of a well-deserved half-century, out for 44 from 81 deliveries.

Later, some positive stroke play from Ronan Cilliers (39, 54b) and a blistering 33 from Divan de Villiers injected some much-needed runs into the Affies’ innings.

Unfortunately, it was too little too late as they were bundled out for only 161.

Summarised scorecards: 

Potchefstroom Gimnasium 228/10 (Tommie Botha 51, Marnu Cronje 41, Caiden Seleka 32, Righardt Joubert 23; Declan Botes 2/31, Nathan Coleske 2/21); Marais Viljoen 223/10 (Jayden Govender 44, Declan Botes 44, Aldre Huyzers 36, Ruben Kruger 30; Tommie Botha 4/40, Marnu Cronje 2/46, Ruan Lotz 2/39). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by five runs.

Monument 288/10 (Stephan O 82, Johan Zeedijk 62, Waldo Greyling 45, Innocent Ramerafe 30; Roxton Payne 3/52, Heath Stott 2/36, Luke Maxwell 2/43); Westville 291/3 (Payne 101*, Bhaskar Sewlal 100*, Seth Simpson 26; Rieghardt Prinsloo 1/39). Westville won by seven wickets. 

Klerskdorp High School 272/4 (Dandre Slabbert 77, Stephan Janse van Rensburg 67, Tumelo Macume 67, Mohamed Bulnulia 42; Rivan Ras 2/34); Affies Invitational 161/10 (Dylan Koegelenberg 44, Ronan Cilliers 39, Divan de Vries 33; Winton Abrahams 2/21, Benrie Fourie 2/8). Klerskdorp High School won by 112 runs. 

The humble town of Potchefstroom, renowned for being a student town, will play host to the first-ever white ball 50-over tournament for schools in South Africa.

The Gimmie Festival will kick off on the 6th of October with action continuing to the 9th of October.

Catch the action live on Supersport Schools.

With four days of massive cricket action ahead the hosts, Potchefstroom Gimnasium, will look to stamp their authority, proving they belong in the top half of cricketing schools in the country.

The Gimmies will kick off their tournament against a robust Marais Viljoen outfit on the sixth, after which they will face the likes of Helpmekaar College from Johannesburg, Durbanville from down South and Northwood from Durban in a massive test of character and ability over the course of the four days.

Having had somewhat of an up-and-down season to date, Gimmies will be looking to use this as an opportunity to come into some proper form before they head into the business end of the North West Cricket league after the October school holidays.

The Prestigase Afrikaans Hoer Seunskool will also participate in the first annual Gimmie-fest. Sending an invitational side constructed from the next generation of up-and-coming youngsters, the side from Pretoria will look at the week as an opportunity to build depth to their already impressive artillery.

Glenwood High School will also be making the trip up North from Durban. The Durbanites also opted to follow in the footsteps of their rivals up North, looking to use the week to give their young bucks exposure at the competitive level which is first-XI cricket against some worthy opposition,

However, these teams might stumble across some dark horses along the way in Hans Moore and Stellenberg. The Hansies have been known to cause major upsets over the years and can never be taken lightly, producing high-quality performances through numerous teams in the past.

Stellenberg will be travelling to Potchefstroom with no less than four players making their first-team debut. Kyle van Santen will lead the side from Western Cape, being the most experienced notching up 50 first-team caps earlier this season. His counterpart Arno Koen will also be one to look out for.

Koen is only four matches shy of reaching his 50th cap for the Stellenberh 1st XI and will be looking to make this a memorable trip up North helping his side get some massive victories under their belt.

Fixtures | Day 1

Potchefstroom Gimnasium vs Marais Viljoen
Affies vs Hoërskool Klerksdorp
Hoërskool Rustenburg vs Helpmekaar
Voortrekker (Bethlehem) vs Northwood
Boland Landbou vs. EG Jansen
Monument vs Westville Boys’ High
Stellenberg vs Glenwood

Fixtures | Day 2

Potchefstroom Gimnasium vs Helpmekaar
Rustenburg vs Northwood
Voortrekker (Bethlehem) vs Hoërskool Durbanville
Boland Landbou vs Marais Viljoen
Hoërskool Klerksdorp vs Glenwood
Stellenberg vs Affies
Monument vs EG Jansen
Trio vs Hans Moore
Brackenfell vs Westville

Fixtures | Day 3

Potchefstroom Gimnasium vs Durbanville
Helpmekaar vs Hans Moore
Boland Landbou vs Northwood
Voortrekker vs Brakenfell
Stellenberg vs Trio
Hoërskool Rustenburg vs Marais Viljoen
EG Jansen vs Glenwood
Affies vs Monument
Hoërskool Klerksdorp vs Westville Boys’ High

Fixtures | Day 4

Potchefstroom Gimnasium vs Northwood
Helpmekaar vs Marais Viljoen
Hoërskool Rustenburg vs Durbanville
Affies vs Westville Boys’ High
EG Jansen vs Brackenfell
Monument vs Voortrekker
Glenwood vs Hans Moore
Hoërskool Klerksdorp vs Stellenberg
Boland Landbou vs Trio