Author: froberholzer

The Waterkloof batsmen closed out their week on a high, putting on a batting masterclass against Westville in their last fixture of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket week on Tuesday, to claim a thumping nine-wicket victory.

The Klofie batsmen seemed to have discovered new life after the previous day’s listless performance. Wian Ruthven was ruthless on anything off-target, blasting 85 from only 55 balls at a strike rate of just over 166.

The last day saw all the teams battling it out in the T20 format of the game. Klofies won the toss and elected to bowl first, looking to put the early morning pitch demons shown throughout the week to good use.

Westville, however, got off to a scintillating start thanks to Chad van Breda (33, 36b) and Aryan Gopalan (32, 17b), who laid down the law, sending the ball to all parts of the ground as they cruised their way through the powerplay.

Having started smoothly, Westville found themself in a commanding position to make their way to a highly competitive total.

However, yet another outstanding bowling display from Franco Cronje, who claimed 3/16, pulled it back nicely for the men from Pretoria. Cronje’s spell was backed up by Marcus Bakker, who claimed two scalps of his own for only 24 runs. This meant that Westville could reach only 134/7 in their 20 overs, which was a fair few short of where they would’ve liked to be.

With Ruthven’s onslaught, Marcus Bakker was able to comfortably play the anchor role in support as he contributed a solid 21 at the top of the order. Ruthven’s big hitting also allowed Divan Behrens (28, 25b*) to play freely from his very first ball as he assisted in guiding his team to a well-deserved victory.

The Affies’ spin attack proved to be invaluable once again as they laid the platform for a comfortable seven-wicket victory over a strong Kearsney College side.

The visitors from up North won the toss and, like their fellow Pretorians, decided to bowl first. Kearsney started off confidently, scoring at just shy of eight runs to the over on a pitch that was slightly damp in the early going. The top order all managed good starts but failed to convert them into big scores.

The three-pronged spin attack from Affies had a decisive say. They combined well to get breakthroughs at opportune times to pile the pressure on the Kearsney batting line-up. This laid the platform for the Affies’ seamers to close out the innings.

Petrus Rautenbach was once again the standout for the visitors, claiming 3/27 in his four overs. He found excellent support from Nicolai Bester, who impressed with 3/12 from just three overs, as Affies restricted Kearsney to a below-par total of 137 all out.

The Affies’ batsmen didn’t hang around in their run chase. Proving why they are one of the more dangerous T20 sides in the country, they overhauled the Kearsney total with 4.4 overs to spare, with only three wickets down.

Opener Jorich van Schalkwyk led from the top, continuing his good form with the willow to top score with 45. Janco Purchase (28, 16b*) and Divan de Villiers (23, 15b) both contributed quickfire cameos to back up van Schalkwyk’s innings and guide their team to a full house of victories for the week.

Summarised Scorecards: 

Westville Boys’ High 134/7 (Chad van Breda 33, Aryan Gopalan 32; Franco Cronje 3/16, Marcus Bakker 2/24); Waterkloof 137/1 (Wian Ruthven 85*, Divan Behrens 28*, Marcus Bakker 21; James Dent 1/29). Waterkloof won by nine wickets. 

Kearsney College 137/10 (Jack O’Donovan 41; Petrus Rautenbach 3/27, Nicolai Bester 3/12, Divan de Villiers 3/26); Affies 142/3 (Jorich van Schalkwyk 45*, Janco Purchase 28*, Divan de Villiers 23, Ruben Groenewald 21; Dylan Wiggett 1/30). Affies won by seven wickets. 

Jaydon Brooker’s vital performance with the bat secured a much-needed victory for Jeppe over Glenwood in their last clash of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week on Tuesday.

Brooker’s 78 from only 50 deliveries, which included four fours and four sixes, ensured that the visitors from Johannesburg reached a very defendable first-innings total of 168/9 in their T20 clash.

The all-rounder amazed with some innovative stroke play, with his best shot being a six over extra cover to help him creep closer to an elusive first half-century of the week.

Jeppe won the toss and elected to bat first, intent on setting Glenwood an imposing target to chase down. The side from Johannesburg were in early trouble, however, when Tshepo Stafa fell victim to Bandile Mbatha on the first ball of the game.

Mbatha shone once again, claiming the best figures of the day, picking up three scalps for 40 runs. With good assistance from Ntando Soni (2/30), the seamers from Durban managed to pull it back somewhat after Brooker’s onslaught, which resulted in them stemming the flow of runs towards the back end of the Jeppe innings.

With the match evenly balanced, Glenwood got off to a good start in their visit to the crease. Jandre Fourie led the way with an attacking 34 from only 24 balls, combining with Ntando Soni (31, 30b) for a 73-run first-wicket partnership.

However, the Jeppe bowlers fought back, slowing the run rate and applying immense pressure on the Glenwood batsmen. As the run rate crept up, so did the pressure, and with runs hard to come by, the contest headed towards a dramatic conclusion.

Needing 12 runs from the last over, a run out of Cameron Laing was a devastating blow to the Durbanites’ pursuit of the 169 runs they required for victory. In the end, they went down by four runs.

Northwood caused an upset by beating the powerful Grey College by a narrow one-wicket margin. The Bloemfontein boys faced the music first but seemed out of sorts with the bat in hand, losing wickets at regular intervals.

Dale Williams contributed a vital quickfire cameo of 34 lower down the order to give the Grey innings some substance.

Liam Peverett caused all sorts of trouble for the Grey batsmen. His spell of 3/9 in four overs was pivotal to his side’s victory as it helped Northwood hold Grey to only 149/6 in their 20 overs.

As expected, Northwood also found the batting conditions tough on the tired Barns’ Field pitch. Turn and uneven bounce were the order of the day, with Juan Viljoen using it very effectively to his advantage. The leg-spinner had Northwood tied down, claiming the impressive figures of 3/15 from his four overs.

However, James Nielsen’s 46 and Nqobani Mokoena’s 43, on the back of his impressive bowling figures of 2/42, proved instrumental in their side’s chase, as Northwood snuck home on the last ball of the game to claim a thrilling victory.

Hilton College signed off their week by smashing St David’s Marist Inanda by a whopping 75 runs.

After winning the toss, the home side opted to bat first on the Hart-Davis Oval. The carnage started early with opening batsman Luke Watt finding the middle of the bat from ball one. The southpaw continued in this fashion until he finally lost his wicket after scoring a blistering 85 from only 48 deliveries at a remarkable strike rate of 177.

Morteza Manack stayed calm and collected amidst the chaos, sticking to his guns to claim an impressive 2/26.

A valuable contribution of 35 from Matthew Stewart lower down the order meant Hilton were the happier of the two schools by the end of their 20 overs, having raced to 207/8.

Unfortunately for the men from St David’s, their innings never got going. Ross Boast was the pick of the Hilton bowlers once again, capturing 2/21, which included removing both openers with only four runs on the board. Nic Chantler also got in on the act, finishing off the St David’s innings with 2/16.

Kamagelo Phiri (29, 27b) fought valiantly, as he had done throughout the week, and top-scored for the side from Gauteng in a losing cause as they mustered only a meagre 132/9 in their response as they suffered their third defeat of the week.

Summarised Scorecards: 

Jeppe High School for Boys 168/10 (Jayden Brooker 78; Bandile Mbatha 3/40, Ntando Soni 2/30, Sibonelo Phewa 2/35); Glenwood 164/4 (Jandre Fourie 34, Bandile Mbatha 34, Ntando Soni 31, Cameron Laing 25; Tshepo Stafa 2/29). Jeppe High School for Boys won by four runs.

Grey College 149/6 (Dale Williams 34*, Samu Lepoto 26, Casper Troskie 26; Liam Peverett 3/9, Nqobani Mokoena 2/42); Northwood 150/9 (James Nielsen 46, Nqobani Mokoena 43, Kyle White 26; Juan Viljoen 3/15, Darion Rabie 2/27). Northwood won by one wicket.

Hilton College 207/8 (Luke Watt 85, Matthew Stewart 35; Morteza Manack 2/26); St David’s Marist 132/9 (Kamagelo Phiri 29; Nic Chantler 2/16, Ross Boast 2/21). Hilton College won by 75 runs.

Jorich van Schalkwyk’s five-for on the third day of the Michaelmas week helped the Pretoria-based Affies to an impressive victory in a low-scoring affair against a strong Michaelhouse-side.

The off-spinner claimed remarkable figures of 5/12 in his outing with the ball to restrict Michaelhouse to a meagre 122 all out.

Affies won the toss and elected to, like the day before, to bat first. After losing both openers cheaply to impressive bowling from Cameron Strudwick (3/19), who did most of the damage, the inform Divan de Villiers came to the rescue once again.

De Villiers decided to fight fire with fire as he went on the attack to counter the solid start Michaelhouse got in the early stages of the match. He blasted 43 from only 30 balls but had to depart not long after, becoming Strudwick’s third victim.

De Villiers’ departure swung the momentum back in favour of the side from Pietermaritzburg with Affies failing to put together any partnerships of substance.

Matthew Seymore fought valiantly with a timely 35 from 80 deliveries. Seymore’s contributions proved invaluable as it helped Affies to a total of 151 all out, something they felt could be defended with an attack stacked with spin-bowlers.

The Pretoria men came out firing on all cylinders as Michaelhouse stumbled forward in their chase. Van Schalwyk was introduced to the attack early on, a decision proving to be extremely fruitful.

Not long after Michaelhouse found themselves 82/8 with 70 runs still needed for victory. The inform Murray Baker (28, 52b), who came in lower down the order combined with Cameron Strudwick (24, 36b), who showed his prowess with the bat after a good bowling display.

Their efforts weren’t enough, though, as they slumped to 122 all out, losing by 29 runs.

Waterkloof will sleep better tonight after putting together a well-rounded team performance to down Northwood convincingly by six wickets.

The Durbannites won the toss and elected to bat first.

After a rocky start, losing three wickets for only 36 runs, Evan Fouché and Nqobani Mokoena combined for a wonderful 125-run partnership to get Northwood back on track. Fouche top scored with an invaluable 58, with Mokoena contributing a much-needed 51 of his own.

The Franco combo in Franco Schmidt (4/40)  and Franco Cronjé (2/26) did most of the damage for the Klofies, claiming six wickets between the two of them, playing an integral part in restricting Northwood to a respectable 224/9 in their allotted 50 overs.

The Klofie batters certainly put their batting wows from the previous day behind them. The side from Pretoria got off to a convincing start with a solid 26-run partnership to get them going. Divan Behrens found form again, scoring a wonderful 80 at the top of the order.

Captain for the day, Beukes van den Berg continued his good form, this time reaching his half-century, contributing 55 from 66 balls to assist Behrens in breaking the back of the run chase.

Riley Millers also shone again with the willow in hand as his 38 not out, put the final nail in the coffin as Klofies crossed the line comfortably to get back to winning ways.

Summarised Scorecards: 

Affies 151/10 (Divan de Villiers 43, Matthew Seymore 35; Cameron Strudwick 3/19, Ethan Muir 3/24, Nathan Hoatson 2/30); Michaelhouse 122/10 (Murray Baker 28, Strudwick 24; Jorich van Schalkwyk 5/12, Xavier de Wet 2/14, Heinrich Muller 2/21). Affies won by 29 runs. 

Northwood 224/9 (Evan Fouché 58, Nqobani Mokoena 51, Kyle White 28*; Franco Schmidt 4/40, Franco Cronjé 2/26); Waterkloof 225/4 (Divan Behrens 80, Beukes van den Berg 55, Riley Miller 38*; Mokoena 2/41). Waterkloof won by six wickets. 

Ross Boast proved why he is one of the most highly-rated cricketers in the country with a Man-of-the-Match performance in Hilton College’s victory over King Edward VII on the third day of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week in Pietermaritzburg.

Boast top scored with bat contributing 69, an innings which saw Hilton reach 257 in the first innings at the Hart-Davis Oval. He also amazed with the ball claiming match-winning figures of 5/31 in his outing with the ball.

KES won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to make some early inroads with the new ball on the used pitches.

However, Hilton’s batters occupied the crease and opted to bat for as long as possible instead of going out searching for runs, a tactic paying off dividends for the home side.

Ben Hockly (46, 60b) and Charles Swart (39, 32b) continued their good form laying a solid platform for those to come.

Boast capitalised on this opportunity and like two days prior led the way, even after continuously losing partners at the other end. He has shown a tremendous capability to bat for long periods of time alongside his lower-order batters. The trio’s contributions steered the home side to a very defendable 257 all out.

Cristian Sabela was the main threat for the team from Johannesburg, ending his outing with the ball with figures of 3/46.

The KES innings never seemed to get underway as Boast steamrolled his way through the top order. The visitors struggled to put together partnerships of substance or to counter-attack the onslaught from the Hilton bowlers.

Kian Hilton and Christian Sabela were the only two who managed to have some answers to the Hilton attack. Hilton managed to accumulate a well-played 33 at less than a run a ball, while Sabela knuckled down and grafted hard for his 23 coming from 56 deliveries.

It wasn’t enough as Hilton was too good on the day, bundling KES out for a disappointing 128, to claim a 129-run victory.

St Charles College reigned superior on home turf over St David’s Marist in their Day Three clash of the week.

The home side won the toss and elected to bowl first. After finding themselves in some hot water early on, the visitors recovered well, through yet another stellar innings from their stalwart, Gomolelo Phiri. 

Phiri showed his class by backing up his wonderful century from the previous day with another classy 66 from 78 balls. Kamagelo Phiri completed the full Phiri circle as he also contributed 54 of his own, assisting in propelling his side to a total of 192/8 in their allotted 50 overs.

Jehan Adonis led the way with his figures of 3/10 with some solid support from Brendon Sungroo who claimed two scalps for 16 runs.

However, St Charles never looked like losing as they put home conditions to their advantage. Samuel Brown (61, 59b) and Ntandoyenkosi Zuma (59, 69b) combined for a match-winning 119-run partnership contributing a half-century each.

Matthew West fought hard with the ball claiming 2/37 as the pick of the bowlers.

Unfortunately, it was deemed to be too little too late as the home side romped to a convincing five-wicket victory.

St Stithians College stamped their authority with a commanding victory of 79 runs over Glenwood High School from Durban.

Saints had the opportunity to make use of the batting-friendly conditions at Eston Oval as they opted to bat first. Emile Odendaal paved the way with an impressive and composed 59 from 68 at the top of the order. Finding support in Richard Seletswane who contributed 44 of his own and cameos from Liam Mudenda (25, 26b) and Joshua Meyer (22, 35b) Saints managed to amass a total of 227/10.

For Glenwood, it was Bandile Mbatha who came to the party with the ball. The right-arm medium-pacer showed his worth, taking a five-for with figures of 5/42 in his outing with the ball.

However, the Glenwood batters didn’t do the bowling performance much justice as they struggled to get any sort of momentum going. Only Cameron Laing (47, 77b) and Slade Lock with a 32 down the order added some empathise to the Glenwood innings.

To add to their misery, star-batsman Ciaran Roundtree picked up an injury whilst trying to field a ball of his own bowling, which restrained him from batting.

SA u19 speedster, Kwena Maphaka, seemed to be in good knick as he found some rhythm bagging his first five-wicket haul for the week with figures of 5/28. Lhuan-dre Pretorius made up for his performance with the bat as he bagged three scalps for 29 runs.

The Maphaka and Pretorius combination was deemed to be too good for the Durbannites as they slumped to a Miseley 147 all out, losing by 79 runs and suffering their second defeat in as many days.

Summarised scorecards: 

Hilton College 257/10 (Ross Boast 69, Ben Hockly 46, Charles Swart 39, Matipa Denega 22*; Christian Sebela 3/46, Declam Ritchie 2/42, Rowan Kourie 2/54); King Edward VII 128/10 (Kian Hilton 33, Christian Sebela 23; Ross Boast 5/31, Brett Cutting 2/5, Natenzi Denega 2/26). Hilton College won by 129 runs.

St David’s Marist 192/8 (Gomolemo Phiri 66, Kamogelo Phiri 54; Jehan Adonis 3/10, Brendon Sungroo 2/16); St Charles College 193/5 (Samuel Brown 61, Ntandoyenkosi Zuma 59, Panashe Taruvinga 22; Matthew West 2/37). St Charles College won by five wickets. 

St Stithians College 227/10 (Emile Odendaal 59, Richard Seletswane 44, Liam Mudenda 25, Joshua Meyer 22; Bandile Mbatha 4/42); Glenwood 147/10 (Cameron Laing 47, Slade Lock 32; Kwena Maphaka 5/28, Lhuan-dre Pretorius 3/29). St Stithians College won by 79 runs. 

 

 

 

The Hart-Davis Oval hosted the Clash of the Titans as St Stihians College crossed swords with Hilton College on Day 2 of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week.

Saints won the toss and opted to use the early morning conditions to their advantage as they elected to bowl first.

Kwena Mphaka, Saints’ SA u19 representative, provided the early breakthrough, claiming a wicket off only the third ball of the game.

Matthew Stewart, however, stood his ground as the opening batter grafted for his 33 from 43 deliveries but was sent back to the pavilion by resilient and consistent bowling from the Saints’ attack.

The Hilton batters all got off to decent starts but struggled to convert to something bigger.

Nicholas Chantler (52, 84b) and Luke Watt (51, 48b) did the necessary repairs to the Hilton innings, both scoring impressive half-centuries, but unfortunately found no support lower down the order to kick on from the platform laid by the pair.

For the Saints’ it was Joshua Meyer who spearheaded the attack with a dominating outing of 3/33 in his outing with the ball. Together with Lhuan-dre Pretorius, showing his abilities with the ball, claiming 2/21 Hilton was restricted to only 211/9 in their allotted 50 overs.

Saints, being the happier of the two sides at the break, found themselves in a bit of a pickle early on at 21/3, chasing 212 required for victory.

Ross Boast proved to be the main threat with the ball in hand, baking up his dominant batting display from yesterday, walking away with decent figures of 2/48 in his spell for the day.

However, Chris Anderson and Richard Seletswane weren’t planning on falling short of the target. Anderson put together a wonderful batting performance of 76 and together with Seletswane’s impressive 58 not out, the pair guided Saints home to a comprehensive five-wicket victory over the home side.

Golstones, Maritzburg College’s revered field, proved to be a happy hunting ground for the men from Grey College as they too sailed to a comfortable five-wicket victory over the hosts.

Grey College won the toss and decided to have a bowl first.

At first, it seemed like Grey might have missed the plot a bit as Maritzburg started off their innings scoring relatively freely. Chad Mason got in amongst the runs for a second consecutive day with another well-played 59 from 91 deliveries.

He, however, seemed to be the only one with answers to a wonderful exhibition of leg-spin bowling from Juan Viljoen.

Viljoen turned heads as the leggie claimed four Maritzburg’s scalps for only 39 runs in his allotted ten overs. Sicelo Malayi also got in on the act with three wickets of his own, only conceding 32 runs.

Starts from Liam Armstrong (25, 30b) and Bryn Brokensha (22, 46b) helped Maritzburg avoid being bowled out for a very below-par score, as the hosts were rolled over for an already meagre score of 173.

Grey College didn’t hang about as they set off in search of the 174 required for victory. Adem Niewoudt let loose on the Maritzburg attack, breaking the backbone of the chase with an aggressive 54 from only 39 deliveries.

James Wiggil tried valiantly with the ball and bagged a few important wickets for College, but it wasn’t enough.

Together with Nieuwoudt contributions from Ruben Maree (41, 38b) and Samu Lephoto (32, 41b), meant that the team from Bloemfontein had no problem chasing down the score, romping to a second consecutive victory of the week.

St. David’s Marist Inanda recovered well from their loss yesterday to claim a convincing 87-run victory over Durban High School.

DHS won the toss and elected to put St. Davids in to bat first. The Durban-based side managed to make some early inroads through Mihir Bahari (3/48), but a fighting 39 from opening bat, Reece Reddy, quickly swung the momentum back in favour of St. Davids.

Reddy’s innings laid a solid platform for those to come, a platform Gomolemo Phiri put to great use. Phiri looked set for a big score from the get-go and, not long after, notched up the first century of the week as he made his way to a brilliant 109 from only 98 balls.

Phiri’s innings together with some valuable cameos down the order propelled St. David’s to a convincing 268/7 in their allotted 50 overs.

The DHS innings never seemed to get going as the Horseflies continued to lose wickets on a regular basis. Krian Jugoo seemed to be the only one hitting his straps, contributing a mature 60 from 77 balls. Ethan Cooper also settled down somewhat after an indifferent start, accumulating 32 of his own.

However, this was not enough as a dominant spell from Sam Wearne (4/39) and Matthew West (3/7) took the sting out of the Dhs chase, eventually restricting them to only 181 all out, claiming their first victory of the week.

Affies reigned superior against Northwood as they cruised to an 89-run victory in Richmond.

The Pretoria side won the toss and elected to bat first, looking to put Northwood under some scoreboard pressure.

However, after losing two quick wickets they reconsolidated with Divan de Villiers knuckling down for much much-needed 33 to recover from the early loss. But it was his partner, Ruben Groenewald, who stole the limelight. Groenewald started off slowly but systematically put his foot on the accelerator, scoring more freely.

After hitting his straps it didn’t take the top-order batter very long to notch up a magnificently structured century, scoring 103 from 113 deliveries, also helping his team cross the 250 mark, ending up on 257/10 in their 50 overs.

Northwood’s top order all managed to get off to good starts but just couldn’t convert. Thayin Kuppan was the pick of the Northwood batters contributing 24 from 33 balls.

However, it was the spin twins Petrus Rautenbach (3/35) and Jorich van Schalkwyk (3/29), who did the damage, claiming six wickets between them. The exhibition of spin by the duo from Affies proved to be too good as Northwood slumped to 168 all-out

Waterkloof had a disappointing outing against Kearsney College in their second game of the week.

Kearsney won the toss and elected to bowl first. It soon proved to be a fruitful one with the Klofies finding themselves in all sorts of trouble at 34/4 after just seven overs.

Sandiswa Yeni did the bulk of the damage with a brilliant performance of 6/40 in only eight overs.

Beukes van den Berg found himself among the runs again, playing a crafty innings of 43 in hopes of building a respectable first innings total. Riley Miller also contributed for a second time in a row with 31 from 32 balls, but it wasn’t enough and the Klofies were restricted to a sub-par 171 all-out.

Kearsney, however, had a field day on the baked-out, flatter second innings pitch.

Hayden Bishop showed his batting prowess at the top with a remarkable 72, not out, from 97 deliveries. Bishop’s strokeplay is probably what stood out the most throughout his innings.

Michael de Beer also cashed in on the batting-friendly conditions accumulating a well-played 52 not out. The pair’s 98-run partnership guided Kearsney to a thumping eight-wicket victory over the men from Pretoria.

Summarised Scorecards:

Hilton College 211/9 (Nicholas Chantler 53, Luke Watt 50, Matthew Stewart 33; Joshua Meyer 3/33, Lhuan-dre Pretorius 2/21); St Stithians College 212/5 (Chris Anderson 76, Richard Seletswane 58*; Ross Boast 2/48). St. Stithians won by five wickets.

Maritzburg College 173/10 (Chad Mason 59, Liam Armstrong 25, Bryn Brokensha 22; Juan Viljoen 4/39, Sicelo Malayi 3/32, Jonathan Miller 2/30); Grey College 177/5 (Adem Niewoudt 54, Ruben Maree 41, Samu Lephoto 32; Jams Wiggil 2/30, Chad Mason 2/48). Grey College won by five wickets.

St David’s Marist 268/7 (Gomolemo Phiri 109*, Reece Reddy 39, Morteza Manack 37, Kamagelo Phiri 28; Mihir Bahari 3/48); DHS 181/10 (Krian Jugoo 60, Ethan Cooper 32, Nkuleko Masondo 22; Sam Wearne 4/39, Matthew West 3/7, Kabir Bhattacharjee 2/42). St David’s Marist won by 87 runs.

Affies 257/10 (Ruben Groenwald 103, Vihan Pretorius 55, Divan de Villiers 33; Isaac Phiri 3/39, Kyle White 3/33, Harlee Jagga 2/31, Andrew Deeb 2/58); Northwood 168/10 (Thayin Kuppan 24, Mo Karodia 24, Evan Fouche 23, James Nielsen 20; Petrus Rautenbach 3/35, Jorich van Schalkwyk 3/29, Divan de Villiers 2/17). Affies won by 89 runs.

Waterkloof 171/10 (Beukes van den Berg 43, Riley Miller 31, Franco Cronje 26; Sandiswa Yeni 6/40, Hayden Bishop 2/17); Kearsney College 173/2 (Hayden Bishop 72*, Michael de Beer 52*; Khumo Thoaela 1/21). Kearsney College won by eight wickets.

 

 

 

 

The first day of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week delivered on its promise of excellent competition, with the Pietermaritzburg pitches offering some assistance for both the bat and the ball.

The hosts, Maritzburg College, kicked off their campaign against a strong Affies side. Playing on Goldstone’s, College’s revered ground, the Pretoria school won the toss and, as expected, decided to bowl first. They were rewarded early on when Xavier de Wet struck with the total on 21.

Liam Armstrong, though, knuckled down and grafted hard for 28 from 66 deliveries. But it was captain Bryn Brokensha and his fellow all-rounder Chad Mason (64 from 108 deliveries) who were the cornerstones of the College innings.

Brokensha began slowly but hit the accelerator towards the end of the College innings, striking some lusty blows in his unbeaten 82 from 91 balls, to guide his side to 228 for 5 from their 50 overs.

Affies made a dream start to their run chase, with the opening pair of Jorich van Schalkwyk (50) and Lukas Janse van Rensburg (47) combining in a wonderful stand of 107 for the first wicket to lay a solid foundation for their side to chase the 229 runs they required for victory.

After the pair’s departure, Ruben Groenewald, with a quickfire 38 from 21 balls, and Janco Purchase, piled on the runs. Purchase reached the crease at an interesting juncture, with the contest evenly poised. But he kept his composure and weighed in with an invaluable and unbeaten 40 from 42 deliveries to see Affies to a three-wicket win in their Michaelmas Week opener.

At Richmond, Clifton College delivered an emphatic statement, comprehensively defeating Saint David’s Marist Inanda by 8 wickets.

After the Durban school won the toss, like Affies, they opted to bowl first. That proved to be a good call as Huzaifah Badat (3/31) and Mitchell Tillard (2/29) struck and quickly had the visitors from the north on the back foot.

Gomolemo Phiri offered stern resistance, falling just three runs shy of what would have been a well-deserved half-century, as he top-scored for Saint David’s in a 73-ball stay out in the middle. He was well supported by Morteza Manack, who contributed 36 from 53 balls as the Gauteng side mustered 138 all out.

Clifton, though, never looked like losing as they began confidently in pursuit of 139 runs for victory.

Shahzaad Perumal anchored the Clifton innings with a masterclass in stroke-making, weighing in with 69 not out from 83 deliveries. He was well supported by Jayden Roux, who also looked comfortable in his innings of 42 from 71 balls. Together, they saw Clifton to a convincing win.

Waterkloof opened their account with a solid victory over Durban High School.

Playing at Lynwood, Klofies followed the trend of choosing to field first after they had won the toss. It proved to be a fruitful decision. With most of their batsmen back in the hut, DHS found themselves in deep trouble on 87 for 7 as Marcus Bakker spearheaded the Waterkloof attack with a return of 3/38.

The Horseflies, though, managed to stretch their innings, thanks to a much-needed 53 not out from 48 deliveries, scored by Sfundo Mthembu, which helped DHS to a respectable 157 all out.

It wasn’t enough, however, as Marcus Bakker demonstrated his batting prowess, giving Waterkloof a fine start to their run chase, with an impressive 59 from 69 balls. Beukes van den Berg also got in on the act, with 39 runs from 42 balls.

Riley Miller then announced his presence with a rapid and unbeaten 34 from 18 balls to see the Klofies over the line with six wickets to spare.

At Eston, Michaelhouse continued their good run of early season form against Jeppe, romping to a 90-run victory.

The Johannesburg school won the toss and put Michaelhouse in to bat. At first, it appeared to be a good decision, but Murray Baker had other ideas. He showed his class, frequently putting the sweep to good use, to put the Gauteng boys under pressure. Together, he and Nathan Hoatson dialled up the pressure with the bat.

Baker eventually fell agonisingly close to a century, bowled for 97 from 107 balls, while Hoatson continued on to contribute 41 as Michaelhouse tallied a convincing 268 for 9.

Jeppe’s reply began fantastically. Openers Kai van Aardt, with 37 from 43 balls, and Kyle Jackson, with 29 from 34 deliveries, provided their side with a strong 72-run partnership for the first wicket.

It was a solid platform and captain Jaydon Brooker looked to build upon it. He got himself in, but was dismissed for 28 from 42 deliveries. After his departure, matters went pear-shaped for Jeppe, who lost wickets at regular intervals.

Nathan Hoatson, after his batting heroics, delivered with the ball, too. He picked up 4 for 37 as his side captured a comfortable victory.

Hilton College, playing on their Hart-Davis Oval, won handsomely against Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) after posting a mammoth 315/9 in their 50 overs. Captain Ross Boast led from the front, with a wonderful display of power hitting towards the end of the Hilton innings. He finished just two runs shy of triple figures after being caught off of the last ball of the innings.

Callum Croome did the damage with the ball for PBHS, claiming the first five-for of the week as he walked away with a return of 5/50.

Pretoria Boys fought valiantly in their reply, but they came up well short, bowled out for 244. Marc van der Merwe led their response with a well-played 48, while Croome shone again, contributing 38 with the bat.

Brett Cutting’s spin undermined the PBHS response, however, as he bagged a superb 4/27 in his 10 overs. He was well supported by Matthew Stewart, who claimed three scalps for 28 runs to help Hilton to a convincing victory in their first of four outings.

Summarised Scorecards: 

Maritzburg College 228/5 (Bryn Brokensha 82*, Chad Mason 64, Liam Amstrong 28; Petrus Rautenbach 1/35); Affies 232/7 (Jorich van Schalkwyk 50, Lukas Janse van Rensburg 47, Janco Purchase 40*, Ruben Groenewald 38; Michael Gibson 2/16, James Wiggil 2/35). Affies won by three wickets.

St. David’s Marist 138/10 (Gomolemo Phiri 47, Morteza Manack 36, Armaan Manack 23; Huzaifah Badat 3/31, Shiraz Perumal 3/26, Mitchell Tillard 2/29); Clifton 141/2 (Shazaad Perumal 69*, Jayden Roux 42*; Boago Gaoraelwe 1/34). Clifton won by eight wickets.

Durban High School 157/10 (Sfundo Mtembu 53*, Semal Pillay 29, Ethan Cooper 24; Marcus Bakker 3/38, Khumo Thloaela 2/8, Jaydon Blom 2/12); Waterkloof 163/4 (Marcus Bakker 59, Beukes van den Berg 39, Riley Miller 34*; Sfundo Mtembu 1/4). Waterkloof won by six wickets.

Michaelhouse 268/9 (Murray Baker 97, Nathan Hoatson 41, Hayden Hewlett 29; Tinotenda Mutekwa 4/38, Jayden Brooker 2/50); Jeppe 178/10 (Kai van Aardt 37, Kyle Jackson 29, Jaydon Brooker 28, Ryan Harcourt-Baldwin 23; Nathan Hoatson 4/37, Thomas Mitchell 2/17). Michaelhouse won by 90 runs.

Hilton College 315/9 (Ross Boast 99, Ben Hockly 43, Charl Swart 42, Ivan Lockem 35; Callum Croome 5/50); Pretoria Boys High 244/10 (Marc van der Merwe 48, Callum Croome 38; Brett Cuttin 4/27, Matthew Stewart 3/28). Hilton College won by 72 runs.

Some of South Africa’s top schoolboy cricketing talent will be in action from Saturday during the annual Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

The teams:

Maritzburg College: Liam Armstrong, Bryn Brokensha, Oliver da Costa, Sphamandla Dzanibe, Cameron Ferraz, Michael Gibson, Asanda Khumalo, Chad Mason, Llewylyn Sutherland, Ryan McKean, Caleb Thomas, Matthew Thomas, Tian van Niekerk, James Wiggil.

Clifton: Camdeon Riley, Ben McElligot, Mitchell Tillard, Jayden Roux, Huzaifah Badat, Tim Saulez, Preston Govender, Zach Williams, Thomas Ehrich, Shahzaad Perumal, Cohen Naidoo, Byron Ward, Shiraz Perumal.

Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool: Jorich van Schalkwyk, Lukas van Rensburg, Divan de Villiers, Ruben Groenewald, Janco Purchase, Vihan Pretorius, Matthew Seymore, Heinrich Muller, Xavier de Wet, Andru van Zyl, Petrus Rautenbach, Nicolai Bester.

Cornwall Hill College: Ryan Herselman, Evan Nixon, Gerhard Lock, Lethabo Phahlamohlaka, Amogelang Tsoagong, Mohammed Rasool, Richard Williams, Jason Jansen, Tshepo Molete, Araz Hussain, Jon Martin de Jesus, Yuveerin Govender.

Durban High School: Semal Pillay, Joshua van Biljion, Sfundo Mthembu, Lazlo Jooste, Ethan Cooper, Ismael Omar, Mihir Bahari, Nkulenkani Mseleku, Nkuleko Masondo, Bayanda Majola, Jared Havermann, Krian Jugoo.

Glenwood: Nathan Moodley, Sibenelo Phewa, Slade Lock, James Bosch-Oosthuizen, Ciaran Roundtree, Cameron Laing, Bandile Mbatha, Ntando Soni, Kyle Bryan, Abdullah Bayat, Xavier Snyman, Jandre Fourie.

Grey College: Hayden Tolmay, Adam Nieuwoudt, Samkelo Lephoto, Dale Williams, Ruben Maree, Ricu van den Berg, Zack Hattingh, Kamo Mokoena, Juan Viljoen, Casper Troskie, Darion Rabie, Johnathan Muller, Sicelo Matayi.

Hilton College: Ross Boast, Ivan Lockem, Matthew Stewart, Matipa Denega, Nicholas Chantler, Murray Loughnor-Clarke, Charles Swart, Kyle Christie, Brett Cutting, Ethan van Heerden, Luke Watt, Ivan Jjuuko, Ben Hockly.

Jeppe High School for Boys: Jaydon Brooker, Tshepo Stafa, Muneeb Ayob, Kai van Aardt, Kyle Jackson, Garreth Pahl, Ryan Young, Ryan Harcourt-Baldwin, Keegan Caixeiro, Jeremaih Marshall, Sipho Potsane, Tinotenda Mutekwa.

Kearsney College: Hayden Bishop, Michael de Beer, Adam Zeiler, Ross Coetzee, Cameron Veenstra, Dylan Wiggett, Jack O’Donovan, Matthew Mendes de Oliveira, Murray Weyer, Sandiswa Yeni, Ryan Browning, Dominic Hislop.

King Edward School: Michael Holmes, Callum Richie, David Teeger, Jordan Smith, Kian Hilton, Tiaan Goosen, Declan Ritchie, Feyaaz Vawda, Rowan Kourie, Keabetswe Seome, Christian Sabela, Cameron Smith.

Michaelhouse: Murray Baker, West Mitchell-Innes, Hayden Hewlett, Dylan Hewlett, Michael Thornton, Sebastian Hofmeyr, Ethan Muir, Cameron Strudwick, Thomas Mitchell, Luke Jankowitz, Ross Moller, Luke Payne, Nathan Hoatson.

Northwood: Mfanafithi Shange, Mo Karodia, James Nielsen, Evan Fouche, Thayin Kuppan, Harlee Jagga, Kyle White, Isaac Phiri, Nqobani Mokoena, Mason Storm, Andrew Deeb, Liam Peverett, Rourke Gessner, Andre Strydom.

Pretoria Boys High: Kegan Thiele, Jenson Breetzke, Adam Cannata, Johan Coetzer, Callum Croome, Tim Gordon, Luke Marshall, Patrick Mouton, Tim Paulus, Nicholas Rossouw, Aleks Sik, Tim Tattersall, Marc van der Merwe.

St Charles College: Samuel Brown, Timothy Schoeman, Nathan Beaumont, Jehan Adonis, Ntandoyenkosi Zuma, Cian Fortmann, Matthew Urquhart, Thabiso Ndlela, Marcell Wellmann, Newman Nyamhuri, Brendon Sunguro, Daknesh Rajah, Connor Riley.

St David’s Marist: Jordan Abraham, Samrat Basu, Dylan Hau, Kabir Bhattacharjee, Joshua Evans, Boago Gaoraelwe, Gomolemo Phiri, Jason Rowles, Armaan Manack, Morteza Manack, Matthew West, Kamoglo Phiri, Reece Reddy, Avela Sibisi, Sam Wearne.

St John’s College: Nkosana Sibiya, Thomas Levers, Joe McRobert, Luke Francis, Kago Masote, Jacob Smith, Cole Francis, Christopher Ford, Thomas Archer, Alec Loveland, Malan du Plessis, Oliver Tait, Mihir Nayee.

St Stithians College: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Thebe Gazide, Pranav Raichetti, Emile Odendaal, Richard Seletswane, Aidan van der Westhuizen, Tahseen Hanslo, Kwena Maphaka, Chris Anderson, Caydun Sunker, Liam Mudenda, Ethan Jacobs, Joshua Meyer.

Waterkloof: Wian Ruthven, Marcus Bakker, Divan Behrens, Beukes van den Berg, Alexander Volschenk, Tristan Luus, Riley Miller, Franco Cronje, GK de Swardt, Jacques van Niekerk, Ruan van der Vyver, Jaydon Blom.

Westville Boys High: Aryan Gopalan, Blake Simpson, Romashan Pillay, Max Robertson, Kaeden McAllister, Nicandro Kitsna, Connor Jenkins, James Kruger, Hamza Mahomed, James Dent, Sean McGough, Roxton Payne, Dayalan Boyce.

The 64th annual Michaelmas week will once again be one of the main features in Pietermaritzburg this year. The week will take place from Saturday, 30 September until Monday, 3 October in the Midlands.

The prestigious cricket week welcomes some of South Africa’s top cricketing schools in the Inlands of KwaZulu-Natal, for a four-day battle between the North and the South of South Africa.

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

The hosts, Maritzburg College, will be looking to stamp their authority in home conditions, especially after coming off a win against a strong Northwood side from Durban over the past weekend.

St Stithians College will be one of the big names from the North making their way down to Pietermaritzburg.

Saints haven’t seen much action thus far in the young season but will look to get their campaign off to a flyer when they face some tough opposition in Westville Boys’ High, Hilton College, Glenwood and finally St Charles College.

St Charles College will be watched closely. The team from Pietermaritzburg was crowned best of the best in the shortest format among the KZN Inland schools not that long ago.

They will be looking to continue their rich vain of form heading into arguably the biggest cricket week in South Africa and competing in the longer formats of the game.

Waterkloof has also been on top of their game, suffering only one defeat in their last five outings. However, it will be interesting to see how the batters adapt from quick bouncy tracks in the highveld to the slower turning wickets in the valley of the Inlands.

The Fixtures:

Fixtures | Day 1

Maritzburg College vs Affies
Durban High School vs Waterkloof
Michaelhouse vs Jeppe High School for Boys’
Clifton vs St David’s Marist
Hilton College vs Pretoria Boys High
St Charles College vs Grey College
Glenwood vs Hudson Park
Westville Boys’ High vs St Stithians College
Kearsney College vs King Edward VII
Northwood vs St. John’s College

Fixtures | Day 2

Grey College vs Maritzburg College
St. Davids vs Durban High School
St. Stithians vs Hilton College
St. Johns vs Glenwood;
King Edward VII vs Westville
Pretoria Boys’ High vs Clifton
Waterkloof vs Kearsney College
Affies vs Northwood
Hudson Park vs Michaelhouse
Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Charles College

Fixtures | Day 3

Maritzburg College vs Pretoria Boys’ High
Durban High School vs Hudson Park
Michaelhouse vs Affies
Clifton vs Grey College
Hilton College vs King Edward VII
St Charles College vs St David’s Marist
Glenwood vs St Stithians College
Westville Boys’ High vs Jeppe High School for Boys
Kearsney College vs St John’s College
Northwood vs Waterkloof

Fixtures | Day 4

Grey College vs Northwood
St David’s Marist vs Hilton College
St Stithians College vs St Charles College
St John’s College vs Durban High School
King Edward VII vs Clifton
Pretoria Boys’ High vs Michaelhouse
Waterkloof vs Westville Boys’ High
Affies vs Kearsney College
Hudson Park vs Maritzburg College
Jeppe High School for Boys vs Glenwood

The Waterkloof bowlers flexed their muscles on home turf against Cornwall Hill in their group-stage encounter of the Titans A-League on Monday.

The home visitors won the toss and elected to bowl first as they looked to make some early inroads on an already-used pitch.

The decision brought on some early success as the home side found themselves in a pickle at 51/4 in the 13th over.

This was set up by a wonderful expedition of new-ball bowling from Tshepo Molete who claimed remarkable figures of 4/43.

However, a 73-run stand between Beukes van der Berg and Riley Miller steadied the ship and got the Klofie innings back on track.

The Klofies’ regained momentum was halted when Miller had to depart with his score on 27 from 35 balls and Waterkloof kept on losing wickets.

Van der Berg kept his composure amidst the chaos around him contributing an impressive 79 from 92 deliveries under severe pressure. The top-order batters’ contribution helped the home side reach a somewhat below-par score of 187 all out as Cornwall went into the break as the happier side.

The tables were soon turned as the Klofie bowlers came out firing, claiming the first Cornwall wicket in only the second over.

Evan Dixon tried valiantly with his 29 from 62 deliveries but even he could not withstand the severe onslaught launched by the home side’s bowling lineup.

Franco Cronje led the Klofie attack with exceptional figures of 3/13 in his outing with the ball. Cronje found support in his fired-up quick, Tristan Luus, who finished the day with breathtaking figures of 2/4 in the nine overs he bowled, recording an economy rate of only 0,44.

Marcus Bakker also got in on the act with equally impressive figures of 2/9, also in nine overs as he too recorded an economy rate of only one run to the the over.

The trio’s remarkable display with the ball, restricted the visitors to a meagre 84 all out, handing Waterkloof a handsome victory of 103 runs, keeping their hunt for the top spot among the Titan Teams alive.

Summarised scorecard:

Waterkloof 187/10 (Beukes van der Berg 79, Riley Miller 27, GJ de Swardt 23; Tshepo Molete 5/43, Jason Jansen 3/42); Cornwall Hill College 84/10 (Evan Nixon 29; Franco Cronjé 3/13, Tristan Luus 2/4, Marcus Bakker 2/9). Waterkloof won by 103 runs.

 

 

Maritzburg College cruised to a comfortable victory at home over Northwood thanks to a wonderfully constructed Brokensha century.

The visitors won the toss and decided to put the home side in to bat first in tricky overcast conditions. A decision that proved to be a rewarding one as Northwood had Maritzburg on the back foot in no time.

Andrew Deeb showcased his excellent new-ball abilities, claiming impressive figures of 3/20 in his outing of the day. Isaac Phiri proved some good support as he also contributed two wickets for only 29 runs.

With the pressure pilling on the home side, it seemed like a meagre total was looming around the corner, but Bryn Brokensha had other ideas. The inform top order batter knuckled down and worked hard to get himself a solid start.

From there the tide turned as Brokensha seemed to find his rhythm with the willow as he started to accelerate toward the back end of the innings, bringing up a remarkable century under severe pressure.

His partner in crime, Michael Gibson, also got stuck in and battled it out in tricky conditions to notch up a wonderful 52 of his own, coming from 108 deliveries.

Asanda Khumalo contributed a handy cameo of a run-a-ball 20 to help the home side cross the 200 mark, ending up on 209/8 in their allotted 50 overs.

Northwood soon found out why the target of 210 would be a difficult ask as they too found themselves in an early pickle.

Chad Mason swung the momentum even further in favour of the hosts, claiming four wickets for only 24 runs in an excellent display of swing bowling upfront. Oliver da Costa also got in on the party with figures of 2/21 in his outing with the ball, digging the hole even deeper for Northwood.

Mfana Shange (38, 79b) tried valiantly to get partnerships going, but it wasn’t to be as he kept losing partners on the other end. He too eventually lost his wicket, playing a shot out of frustration.

Harlee Jagga also stuck it out to contribute 21 of his own, but all was in vain as the visitors were bowled out for only 151 runs, handing Maritzburg College a convincing victory of 58 runs.

Michaelhouse got the better of Hilton College in their Pietermaritzburg clash on Saturday.

Michaelhouse won the toss and opted to bat first on a good-looking Hilton Pitch. Basti Hofmeyer led the charge with his top-scoring innings of 56 from 61, recovering from the loss after, Ross Boast (3/27) who led the Hilton attack, claimed a wicket off the very first delivery of the match.

However, Hofmeyer was the only shining light in the Michaelhouse top order as his teammates fell all around him until Nathan Hoatson made his way to the crease. Hoatson continued to occupy the crease for an extensive period of time, consolidating well to get his side back on track to posting a competitive total with his 50 off 81 deliveries not out.

Luke Jankowitz also contributed with a much-needed cameo of 33 from 48 balls to steer the visitors to a respective first-innings total of 192/10.

Hilton had a solid start to their innings with the opening batters laying a solid foundation. Jarred Kitto led the way with a well-constructed 30 from 34 deliveries to set up a chase that seemed to have the potential to go down to the wire.

He found support in fellow top-order batters, Luke Watt (28, 17b) and Ivan Lockem (26, 32b) who further strengthened Hilton’s chances to successfully chase down the 193 required for victory.

However, Cameron Strudwick and co. had other ideas. Strudwick threw the cat among the pigeons with his excellent figures of 3/19 which led to a significant Hilton collapse through the middle and lower order.

Hoatson backed up his wonderful batting innings with an impressive bowling performance of 2/15 in his outing with the ball, an effort which helped close out the Hilton innings as the home side were bundled out for 158, falling 34 runs short of their required score, handing Michaelhouse the bragging rights in Pietermaritzburg.

Summarised Scorecards: 

Maritzburg College 209/8 (Bryn Brokensha 104, Michael Gibson 52, Asanda Khumalo 20; Andrew Deep 3/20, Isaac Phiri 2/29); Northwood 151/10 (Mfanan Shange 38, Harlee Jagga 21; Chad Mason 4/24, Oliver da Costa 2/21). Maritzburg College won by 58 runs.

Michaelhouse 192/10 (Basti Hofmeyer 56, Nathan Hofmeyer 50*, Luke Jankowitz 33; Ross Boast 3/27, Charles Swart 3/23, Nicholas Chantler 2/39); Hilton College 158/10 (Jarred Kitto 30, Luke Watt 28, Ivan Lockem 26; Cameron Strudwick 3/19, Nathan Hoatson 2/15, Luke Payne 2/25, Thomas Mitchell 2/41). Michaelhouse won by 34 runs.