Author: froberholzer

Steve Stolk couldn’t ask for a better 2023 season.

The young man who hails from Hoërskool Menlopark received the amazing news that he will form part of the Pretoria Capitals squad for the much anticipated second SA20 which takes place early next year.

He has been drafted as their rookie player during the auction held in Johannesburg on Wednesday. As a new addition to the second edition of the tournament each franchise was mandated to pick a rookie for the competition.

A rookie is a player who is under-22 and have not played in the competition before. There were 80 players to pick from on the list with Stolk being picked ahead of a couple of former SA Schools’ captains and players.

What makes this even more special is that Stolk is currently in Grade 11 and will have the opportunity to showcase his immense talent alongside some of the world’s best in the shortest format at only 17 years of age.

Stolk’s talents were present from a very young age and it was evident that the hard-working all-rounder had a bright future ahead of him.

He became the joint youngest, alongside the world’s third-best ODI batsman, Rassie van der Dussen, to put on the Menlopark 1st XI kit at only 13 years old. He has also represented the Titans at the Khaya Majola Week from the tender age of 16.

In the meantime, Stolk has already stacked up close to 100 caps for the side from Pretoria’s first eleven. He kicked off his 2023 calendar year with a magnificent 144, in his first match in January, against a very good Glenwood side at the bi-annual Grey Cricket Festival in Bloemfontein.

Since then he kept on pilling up the runs, with his most recent centuries coming against, Pretoria Boys’ High and Affies in a tough Titans A-League, taking his tally to just shy of a thousand runs thus far in 2023.

He has also been pivotal with the ball in hand, showcasing his skill, swinging the ball both ways, as well as relying on remarkable variations towards the back end of the innings, which might prove crucial to his success in the up-and-coming tournament. Stolk also possesses the ability to field anywhere on the field as he’s seen as one of the best in and around Pretoria.

However, Stolk’s focus will now shift toward preparing for the up-and-coming North/South tournament taking place in October of this year.

According to his long-time coach, Arno van Wyk, Steve’s leadership skills are what stands out the most and although he has been granted this amazing opportunity, he still continues to put his school and his side first.

Van Wyk also adds that Stolk has always believed that hard work gets rewarded and continues to uphold that belief with his extremely high work rate behind the scenes with the mindset of “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

With his immense talent and continuous humility, one can’t help but wonder where this talented young all-rounder might end up.

All that’s left to say is “Remember the name, Steve Stolk”

Menlopark continued their promising form in the Titans A-league with a convincing victory over Prestige College away from home.

The home side won the toss and decided to put Menlopark in to bat first. a decision that proved fruitful for the men from Prestige College early on as they struck with two quick wickets to put the visitors under pressure.

Lethabo Kunene showed his tremendous skill with the ball, tearing through the Menlopark batters to claim impressive figures of 3/54 in his outing with the ball.

However, Gert-Nico van Zyl, kept a calm head as he knuckled down to get his side back on track. Van Zyl made a well-played mature 46 off 70 deliveries, falling just four runs short of a well-deserved half-century. After losing two of his partners relatively quickly, Van Zyl found support in the stalwart all-rounder, Steve Stolk, who contributed with 37 of 41 deliveries before he too had to depart.

Pierre de Villiers made use of the platform laid by Van Zyl and Stolk, providing the necessary emphasis needed at the back end with a vital cameo of 37 from 48 balls helping the visitors reach a respectable 211 all out.

Prestige College also got off to a rocky start as they too lost early wickets in their search of the 212 runs required for victory. Tiaan Serfontein (2/39) was at the forefront of the early onslaught claiming a wicket on the last ball of the first over.

The impressive Lethabo Kunene shone again, this time with the bat, restoring order to the crumbling Prestige innings with a wonderful 46 of 70 deliveries before he also had to depart, falling victim to the impressive Ewald Meyer.

Meyer continued his remarkable spell to claim figures of 3/18 in his allotted ten overs, putting his side in a dominant position.

However, Sifiso Maseko proved to be a thorn in the side of the Menlo bowlers as he braved it out to top score with 48 from 98 deliveries, falling agonisingly close to a well-deserved fifty.

After Maseko’s departure, the Menlo bowlers didn’t hang around to close out the Prestige innings, bundling the home side out for only 164, to claim a 47-run victory away from home.

Cornwall Hill College proved to be too strong for Hoërskool Centurion beating them convincingly with 84 runs. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first.

Gerhard Lock continued his amazing form with a wonderful run-a-ball century scoring 105 of 105 deliveries lower down the order. Lock capitalized on a solid platform laid by his top order batters in the forms of Richard Williams who made a well-constructed 41 from 50 balls and Amo Tshoagong (21, 50b).

Divan van Tonder experienced a wonderful day with the ball for the home side, claiming impressive figures of 4/48 in his 9-over spell.

Tristan de Klerk also contributed with a solid cameo of 31 from 38 deliveries towards the back end to ensure that his side reached a very defendable 257/8 in their allotted 50 overs.

Centurion’s innings never seemed to get going as the visitors applied continuous pressure with the ball, causing the home side to lose wickets on a regular basis.

It was once again the impressive Van Tonder who continued his form found with the ball as he also top scored with 56 from 92 deliveries. Van Tonder found support in Elgun Brooker (36, 59b) as the pair looked to get their team bag on track.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be as the home side were bundled out for a meagre 173 runs, handing Cornwall Hill yet another well-deserved victory.

Summarised scorecards:

Menlopark 211/10 from 47.2 overs (Gert-Nico van Zyl 46, Steve Stolk 37, Pierre de Villiers 37; Lethabo Kunene 3/54, Teko Modiba 2/31, Keamogetswe Semenya 2/25); Prestige College 164/10 from 45 overs (Sifiso Maseko 48, Lethabo Kunene 46; Ewald Meyer 3/18, Gert-Nico van Zyl 3/41, Gerhard Engelbrecht 2/25, Tiaan Serfontein 2/39). Menlopark won by 47 runs.

Cornwall Hill College 257/10 from 50 overs (Gerhard Lock 105*, Richard Williams 41, Tristan de Klerk 31, Amo Tshoagong 21; Divan va Tonder 4/48); Centurion 173/10 from 39.3 overs (Divan van Tonder 56, Elgun Boeker 36; Jon-Martin de Jesus 5/28, Richard Williams 2/27, Tristan de Klerk 2/26). Cornwall Hill College won by 84 runs.

Paul Roos proved too good for the men from the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunsskool of Pretoria when the two met in the middle on Saturday in Pretoria.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first. The opening pair in Luca Platter (62, 81b) and Josh Jordaan (20, 25b) got Paul Roos off to a perfect start, combining in a very mature and well-structured 49-run partnership upfront before Jordaan had to depart.

Platter continued his excellent performance with the willow, showing his full array of shots before he to was sent back to the pavilion after making a very good 62 from 81 deliveries.

After losing both set batsmen, Paul Roos looked to rebuild and put together another partnership, which they found in Riley Norton (31, 59b) and William September (28, 65b). The pair added a much-needed 59 runs between them to set the platform for the powerhitters to come.

Cornel Swart seemed to be the one to make use of the foundation laid as he didn’t hang around, blasting 37 from only 28 balls towards the back end of the innings to help his side reach a respectable 237/8 in their allotted 50 overs.

The Affie innings didn’t start off all that well as the home side lost three wickets for only 20 runs, finding themselves in a bit of a pickle. Callum Appolis proved to be the main threat with the ball, walking away with very good figures of 3/45 in his allotted 10 overs.

For the home side, it was their opening batter, Lukas Janse van Rensburg, who fought back with an excellent half-century, making 52 from 73 deliveries. After the cluster of wickets, Janse van Rensburg found support in the middle order from Janco Purchase, who also occupied the crease scoring 44 from 81 balls.

However, the pair’s fightback was short-lived and after their departure Paul Roos capitalized on the pressure, ensuring that they bundled Affies out for only 175, claiming a sweet victory of 62 runs.

Summarised scorecards: 

Paul Roos Gimnasium 237/8 from 50 overs (Luca Platter 62, Cornel Swart 37*, Riley Norton 31, William September 28, Josh Jordaan 20; Jorich van Schalkwyk 2/41); Affies 175/10 from 44 overs (Lukas Janse van Rensburg 52, Janco Purchase 44, Andru van Zyl 22; Callum Appolis 3/45, Cormey van der Watt 3/44). Paul Roos Gimnasium won by 62 runs. 

Waterkloof managed to bag another victory on home soil as they overcame Garsfontein in their round-robin clash of the Titans A-league.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first. Looking to put Waterkloof under some early pressure, the Ysbere found themselves in a bit of trouble after losing three big wickets early on.

Wian Ruthven (3/26) was the main threat as he claimed all three of the opening wickets in a wonderful spell of consistent line and length bowling.

Still, under pressure, the Garsie batters kept chipping away slowly as they looked to recover from the early loss, but it seemed as if the momentum did not want to shift as they continued to lose wickets in clusters.

Xander Venter finally found some rhythm in his innings with the middle-order batter occupying the crease and rotating strike. He soon started hitting his straps and capitalized on the new-found momentum to accelerate, eventually losing his wicket on 78 from only 71 deliveries.

Tristan Luus was brought back into the attack to close out the Garsie innings as the fiery quick ended up with figures of 2/21, restricting the visitors to a below-par 160 all out.

Waterkloof’s innings got off to a very good start with Wian Ruthven continuing his good outing on the day as the opening batsman scored a quick 40 from 31 balls.

However, Stefan van Staden was not planning to let the Klofie batters off the hook that easily, showing his skills with the new ball, claiming remarkable figures of 4/29 in his allotted ten overs.

Van Staden’s inspiring spell also meant that the Klofies found themselves in trouble in their chase of only 160.

A quick-fire 31 off 19 balls from Tristan Luus, relieved the pressure somewhat but returned as he had to depart.

With their score on 130/7 the home side needed calm heads to get the 31 still required for victory. GJ de Swardt and Jaydon Blom did just that, helping their side across the line with only three wickets left in the bank.

Summarised Scorecard:

Garsfontein 160/10 from 41 overs (Xander Venter 78, Gustav Beer 23; Wian Ruthven 3/26, Tristan Luus 2/21, GJ de Swart 2/31); Waterkloof 162/7 from 32.1 overs (Wian Ruthven 40, Tristan Luus 31; Stefan van Staden 4/29, Sebastian Bouwer 2/32). Waterkloof won by three wickets. 

 

Potchefstroom Gimnasium claimed the mantle as the best in the shortest format in North West after beating Potchefstroom Volkskool in the North West T20 League Final on Thursday.

The Volkies won the toss and decided to bowl first looking to put the Gimmies under early pressure. However, Tommie Botha and Marnu Cronje had other plans as they counterattacked. Botha was the main contributor to the opening partnership.

The opening batter stood firm as he looked to play the anchor role and set a solid platform for those to come, falling just three runs short of a well-deserved half-century, making 47 of 54 deliveries.

Cronje, however, looked to take on the Volkies attack, making a quickfire 27 from 17 balls before he was sent back to the sheds.

After the opening pair’s departure, Volkies struck with two quick, vital wickets coming from the bowling of the impressive Diaan van der Merwe (2/11). Van der Merwe’s remarkable spell somewhat pulled it back for the Volkies, shifting the pressure back to their neighbours.

Righardt Joubert provided the emphasis needed at the back end with a vital, run-a-ball 25, to help his team reach 124/5 in their allotted 20 overs.

Potchefstroom Volkskool also had a wonderful start to their batting innings. Their stalwart southpaw in the top order, Ludwich Schuld, managed to get his side off to a blistering start with his 20 coming from only nine deliveries but had to depart soon after. Schulds’ opening partner, Attie Liebenberg (26, 18b) played wonderfully and together with the top scorer, Louis van Wyk (31, 30b), put Volkies in a comfortable position.

However, an inspiring spell from Christian Viljoen, claiming 3/16, swung the momentum back in the Gimmies’ favour. Viljoen found support from Caiden Seleka (2/9) and Zavier van Rensburg (2/15) as the trio tore through the Volkies lineup, restricting them to 117 all out, with the Volkies falling an agonizing seven runs short of their required target, handing Gimmies the champions mantle of North West.

Summarised scorecard: 

Potchefstroom Gimnasium 124/5 from 20 overs (Tommie Botha 47, Marnu Cronje 27, Righardt Joubert 25; Diaan van der Merwe 2/11); Potchefstroom Volkskool 117/10 from 19.3 overs (Louis van Wyk 31, Attie Liebenberg 26, Ludwich Schuld 20; Christian Viljoen 3/16, Caiden Seleka 2/9, Zavier van Rensburg 2/15). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by seven runs. 

Hoërskool Piet Potgieter managed to stun Merensky Lanbou Akademie when the two schools met in Tzaneen on Saturday.

The side from Potgietersrus won the toss and decided to put the home side in to bat first.

It was a decision that proved to be the right one as Merensky found themselves in heaps of trouble on 104 for 9 in only the 30th over.

Jeandre Strydom was the main contributor with ball in hand and was the responsible party for the Merensky collapse.

The opening bowler managed to bag five Merensky scalps for only 21 runs in the eight overs he bowled. His support came from the equally impressive Du Preez Coetzee who also walked away with two wickets for only 25 runs in the nine overs he delivered.

For Merensky, the only shining light was the impressive youngster, Rinaldo Bornman, who seemingly kept his composure among the chaos to contribute a well-played 38 of 51 deliveries to help his team to a meagre 123 all out.

The visitors got off to the exact start as their counterparts finding themselves at 11 for 4 not long before the lunch break. The home side’s fightback was led by some extraordinary swing-bowling from none other than the inform Luka Heinlein, who impressed with figures of 3/37 and with some support from captain and off-spinner, Maan Mistry (2/35), the pair gave Merensky a glimmer of hope.

However, it was once again the duo of Strydom and Coetzee, who stood up when needed. Strydom’s 34 off 38 balls and Coetzee’s quickfire 28 off just 18 balls got the visitors within range to get over the line in dramatic fashion, claiming a historic victory of two wickets.

Bochum continued their unbeaten run towards the championship in their home victory against a struggling Ben Vorster side.

The Polokwane-based outfit won the toss and decided to bat first, but found themselves in a bit of trouble as Ben Vorsters’ Gideon Goosen, claimed three scalps upfront.

However, this didn’t stop the men from Bochum as Thabang Mokgohloa and Kamagelo Morema had other ideas. Mokgohloa played well for his 41 off 64 balls and together with Morema’s 40 off 46 deliveries, the Bochum score started to grow into something that would be defendable, ending their innings on 182/10.

The Vossie batters seemed to have no answer to the questions asked by the Bochum bowlers as they lost wickets in clusters.

Without any hopes of recovery, Meyer Jacobs stepped up to the plate with a valiant effort of 25 from 26 balls, but it wasn’t enough as Mokoghloa (2/6) and his teammates bundled the visitors out for misally 75 runs to claim a massive 107-run victory.

Summarised scorecards:

Merensky 123/10 from 33.2 overs (Rinaldo Bornman 38, Alfred Nel 27; Jeandre Strydom 5/21, Du Preez Coetzee 2/25); Piet Potgieter 124/8 from 27.5 overs (Jeandre Strydom 34, Du Preez Coetzee 28, Jaque Fourie 20; Luka Heinlein 3/37, Maan Mistry 2/35, Xander Schoeman 2/15) Piet Potgieter won by 2 wickets. 

Bochum 182/10 from 36 overs (Thabang Mokgohloa 41, Kamagelo Morema 40, Victor Sehata 23; Gideon Goosen 3/18, Mjabulo Maseko 3/34, Tristan Buglass 2/30);  Ben Vorster 75/10 from 21.5 overs (Meyer Jacobs 25; Molgohloa 2/6, Morema 2/11, Mahkodi Sekuba 2/11, Tebogo Lethole 2/14) Bochum won by 107 runs. 

The Titans A-league has been blown wide open after upsets and exciting results over the past weekend.

Cornwall Hill showed why they are regarded as one of the upcoming premier cricketing schools in the North.

The side from Centurion surprised many with a wonderful victory over the powerhouse Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool. 

Affies won the toss and decided that they would like to chase, sending the home side in to bat first.

The Affies attack managed to make early inroads knocking over the opening partnership in only the second over of the match. However, inform opening batsman, Ryan Herselman, knuckled down and showed tremendous patience to notch up a fantastic 65 runs off 111 deliveries.

But he soon had to depart, falling victim to Heinrich Muller (1/35) which left his team in trouble once again. Looking to get their team to a competitive total Tristan de Klerk (29, 31b) and Gerhard Lock (23, 35b) both contributed important cameos to get the home side to a respectable total of 216/8 in their allotted 50 overs.

Divan de Villiers proved to be the thorn in the Cornwall batters’ sides with his figures of 3/60 in nine overs.

The Affies innings got off to a horrendous start with the visitors losing three wickets for only two runs. Janco Purchase tried valiantly, batting exceptionally well for his 69 off 102 deliveries, supported by Jacques Lamprecht with 24 off 39 balls, giving Affies a glimmer of hope to reach the 217 required for victory.

However, Jason Jansen, quickly put an end to any hope, obliterating the Affies lineup with exceptional figures of 5/27 in the eight overs he delivered. Jansen’s antics meant the batting side could only reach 188 before being bundled out to hand Cornwall Hill a remarkable victory of 28 runs.

Waterkloof got back to winning ways after defeating Menlopark convincingly by 37 runs on Saturday. Klofies won the toss and elected to bat first. After stumbling early, losing two wickets upfront, the Klofies’ middle-order once again came to the rescue. Riley Miller showed his class as he put up his hand with a blistering, yet classy, 74 off only 65 balls.

With good support from Divan Behrens (64, 117b) and a valuable 24 off 28 balls by Jaydon Blom,  Klofies managed to work their way to a very defendable score of 241/9 in their allotted 50 overs.

Tiaan Serfontein (3/34) and Ewald Meyer (3/52) were the main threats with the ball as they kept the Klofies batters on their toes, claiming three wickets each.

Menlopark seemed relatively comfortable as they set off in search of the 242 runs required for victory with a solid 59-run partnership for the second wicket between Willem Sevenster (37, 51b) and Divan van Zyl (30, 84b).

Although the comfortability seemed short-lived with Marcus Bakker (3/38) and Franco Cronje (3/39) doing the most damage for the Klofies  bowling attack. Menlo’s hopes for victory slowly started slipping away as they were soon all out for only 204 runs, 37 runs short of a much-needed victory

On Sunday, not a day later the same Menlopark side had a shot at redemption as they shifted their  attention towards a wounded Affies side. Looking to rub more salt into the Affies wounds, Menlopark decided to have a bat first after winning the toss.

After finding themselves 88 for 4, the Menlo batters desperately needed some impeteus in their innings and soon found it in the form of Ewald Meyer and Steve Stolk.

Meyer went about his business in a calm constructed matter and later managed to bring up a well-deserved century, scoring 102 off 141 balls.

His partner in crime, however, Steve Stolk, didn’t hang around as the all-rounder teed off, putting the Affies bowlers under immense pressure, striking at 136 runs per ball, for his 104 off a mere 80 deliveries.

The pair’s contribution of over 200 runs helped the visitors reach a very defendable 278 for 9 at the end of their innings.

The Affies batting woes continued as they once again got off to a horrific start with the bat. Like the day before, they lost early wickets at a rapid pace and soon found themselves in trouble. With their score of 42 for 4 it again came down to the inform Janco Purchase who seemed to be able to keep his cool amidst the chaos, to put together yet another wonderful half-century, making 73 off 93 balls.

Purchase found support, this time in the form of Heinrich Muller who accumulated 39 of 51 balls, but the pair’s contributions were deemed too little too late as Pierre de Villiers (4/16) and man of the match, Steve Stolk (3/27), ran through the Affie lineup to secure a surprisingly big victory of 102 runs, away from home.

Summarised scorecards: 

Cornwall Hill 216/8 from 50 overs (Ryan Herselman 65, Tristan de Klerk 29, Gerhard Lock 23; Divan de Villiers 3/60); Affies 188/10 from 46.3 overs (Janco Purchase 69, Jacques Lamprecht 24; Janson Jansen 5/27) Cornwall Hill won by 28 runs. 

Waterkloof 241/9 50 overs (Riley Miller 74, Divan Behrens 64, Jaydon Blom 24, Neukes van der Berg 23; Tiaan Serfontein 3/34, Ewald Meyer 3/53, Gert-Nico van Zyl 2/35); Menlopark 204/10 49.2 (James Bronkhorst 39, Willem Sevenster 37, Dian van Zyl 30, Tiaan Serfontein 22; Markus Bakker 3/38, Franco Cronje 3/39, Tristan Luus 2/41) Waterkloof won by 37 runs. 

Menlopark 278/9 from 50 overs (Steve Stolk 104, Ewald Meyer 102; Heinrich Muller 2/32, Divan de Villiers 2/65, Jorich van Schalkwyk 2/17); Affies 176/10 from 43.1 overs (Janco Purchase 73, Heinrich Muller 39; Pierre de Villiers 4/16, Steve Stolk 3/27) Menlopark won by 102 runs.

A talented all-rounder, Jaydon Brooker is captain of the Jeppe High School for Boys’ 1^st XI. He’s also widely recognised for his excellence on the hockey field, where he captained Jeppe and Southern Gauteng, and was selected for the South African Schools team after finishing the 2023 Inter-provincial Tournament as its top scorer.

Born and raised in Kimberley, Brooker grew up watching his family play cricket, which is where his love of the game was born. His uncle Finley Brooker appeared in 55 first-class matches for Griqualand West and remains heavily involved in cricket in the province to this day.

Although Jaydon’s passion for the sport blossomed at a young age, at Progress Primary School cricket wasn’t on offer, so he had to play for either CBC Kimberley or West End Primary.

Then, in 2017, he was offered a hockey scholarship to Jeppe High, which boasts one of the richest histories in the sport in South Africa. After careful consideration, he accepted it. Although hockey brought him to Jeppe, he soon proved his worth in cricket, too.

“I made the Jeppe u-14A cricket team, and I was extremely surprised and privileged, but that’s when I knew my journey in cricket had just begun,” Brooker said.

He credits his success and mental toughness to long-time coach, Mike Bechet, an icon of schoolboy sport in South Africa. “He was the one who always backed and supported me, installing a belief in me that I have the abilities to make any side if I believe, commit and work hard for it,” Brooker explained.

His cricket captaincy begins with leading from the front. He bats at three in the Jeppe line-up and usually, also, takes the new ball when his side are in the field.

“I am a right arm medium-fast bowler with not many variations,” he said candidly, “but I can hit any length I desire, especially when it comes to yorkers and death bowling.”

With the bat, Brooker is able to adapt his game to the requirements of the contest, be it taking the attack to the opponents or consolidating and working the ball about to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Questioned about his favourite form of the game, he answered: “I do enjoy all formats but my favourite is 50-over cricket as it can demand both batting with time and increasing the run rate rapidly. It also demands a strong mentality as a cricketer, and it has the potential to humble you very quickly.”

Reflecting on matches that have meant a lot to him, he said: “Beating Helpmekaar in the Johnny Waite final this year has to be one of the greatest memories I’ve made playing for Jeppe. What made it even more special is that we became only the second team in the school’s history to be crowned champions of the tournament.”

He also fondly remembers a win on home turf over Grey College. Batting first, Jeppe put up 194. Then, they bundled out the Bloemfontein boys for just 71 to record a very special 123-run victory.

More recently, at the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week in Pietermaritzburg, he struck 78 from 50 balls, with four sixes and four fours, in Jeppe’s 168 for 8 against Glenwood in a T20 clash. Jeppe’s second highest score was just 18.

Brooker’s 78 ended up being more than twice that of Glenwood’s highest scorer as Jeppe scored a hard-fought and nail-biting four-run victory.

He’s hoping the Gauteng selectors have taken note of his all-round contributions and big match temperament, and he hopes those attributes will secure him a place in the squad to contest the Khaya Majola Week in December.

With his mental toughness and all-round ability, coupled with humility, maturity and an extraordinarily high work rate, Jaydon Brooker continues to aim ever higher. Whether his sporting future lies in cricket or hockey remains to be seen, but he wants to take it all the way to pulling on the green and gold.

Hoërskool Transvalia and Dr. Malan have continued to show their dominance in the Sedibeng League, both claiming convincing victories over the past weekend.

Transvalia took on Heidelberg Volkskool away from home. The visitors won the toss and decided to let their bowling attack loose, putting Heidelberg Volkies in to bat first.

After a wicket with the very first ball of the game, Jimmy Senekal knuckled down to restore the early damage with a well-played 20 runs off 32 balls before being sent back to the pavilion by Transvalia’s main threat Jarod Francis.

Francis proved why he’s highly regarded in the Sedibeng League, as the quick claimed yet another five-wicket haul this year with figures of 5/38 in the nine overs he bowled.

For Volkies, it was Anjo Swart who set the platform after both openers were sent back to the shed. Swart counterpunched against the strong Transvalia attack and looked well on his way to notching up a magnificent century but fell eight runs shy of the milestone with his score on an impressive 92 off 107 deliveries.

Together with Swart, Keane Duckitt, who impressed with the willow got to a half-century of his own, scoring 51 runs off only 48 balls.

Transvalia also lost their openers in quick succession, however, this set the stage for the inform Rico Fourie, to deliver yet another match-winning innings of 93 from 97 balls not out . He was well supported by Nandus Mclean with a wonderful 70 from 69 balls.

A blistering cameo of 41 off only 24 deliveries from the man of the match Jarod Francis, guided the visitors over the line with a whopping 17 overs to spare, to claim a comfortable 7-wicket victory.

Dr Malan nearly stubbled against a spirited Vereeniging Gimnasium side, claiming a three-wicket victory in their round-robin clash on Saturday.

Dr Malan won the toss and elected to bowl first with hopes of knocking Vereeniging over cheaply. Leeray Paulsen (34, 38b) and JJ Herbst (27, 45b) had other ideas as they counter-attacked against the Dokkies bowlers.

Sadly, after the pair’s departure, there weren’t many contributions. Luhan Roux made sure there wasn’t anything to write home about for the Vereeniging batters, claiming 4/23 in his outing with the ball.

Dr Malan’s batters didn’t look as comfortable as they have thus far and found themselves in a bit of a pickle not long after the start of their innings with Marnu Edwards tearing through the top order claiming impressive figures of 4/33.

However, it was Juwan Thomas’ innings of 47 runs from 50 balls which delivered the fatal blow, helping his side cross the line.

Hoërskool Driehoek got their first win under the belt after a dominant performance against Hoërskool Overvaal on Saturday.

Overvaal won the toss and decided to set Driehoek a target. EW Botes was the main contributor with a wonderful innings of 80 runs from just 63 balls. With support from Wynand Vermeulen (32, 40b) at the top, Overvaal looked set to put up a solid first innings total.

This was short-lived though, as Enrico Farinha tore through the Overvaal batters’ defences with impressive figures of 4/36 receiving good support from the other end in the form of Armand Fourie (2/50) as the pair helped restrict the visitors to a meagre 194 all out.

The Driehoek batters then decided they wouldn’t be hanging around and got off to a flyer. Zander Coetzee was at the forefront of the onslaught scoring his 80 of just 37 balls at a strike rate of 216. Coetzee found support in Dihan Coetzee who joined the fun as he contributed 66, also from just 37 balls at a strike rate of 178.

With the pair breaking the back of the chase, Driehoek comfortably cruised to a 7-wicket victory, scoring the winning runs in just the 32nd over.

Summarised Scorecards:

Heidelberg Volkskool 242/10 from 43.2 overs (Anjo Swart 92, Keane Duckitt 51, Dave Pelzer 33, Jimmy Senekal 20; Jarod Francis 5/38); Hoërskool Tranvalia 243/3 from 33 overs (Rico Fourie 93*, Nandus Mclean 70, Jarod Francis 41*; Anjo Swart 1/20). Transvalia won by seven wickets.

Vereeniging Gimnasium 158/10 from 31.4 overs (Leeray Paulsen 34, JJ Herbst 27, Tiaan Gimmies 22, Brandon Vermaak 20; Luhan Roux 4/24, David Holliday 2/10); Dr. Malan 159/7 from 27.5 (Juwan Thomas 47; Marnu Edwards 4/33) Dr. Malan won by 3 wickets.

Hoërskool Overvaal 194/10 from 31.4 overs (EW Botes 80, Wynandt Vermeulen 32; Enrico Farinha 4/36, Armand Fourie 2/50); Hoërskool Driehoek 196/3 from 16.3 overs (Zander Coetzee 80*, Dihan Coetzee 66, Gerhard Gerber 20*). Driehoek won by seven wickets.

Heidelberg Volkskool put up a dominant display to come out on top against Overvaal in their Eastern League match in Vereeniging on Saturday.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first as they looked to put Overvaal under pressure with a commanding first innings total.

Volkies got off to a brilliant start thanks to a scintillating century from opening batsman, Matthew Wentzel who made a marvellous 172 of just 120 deliveries.

Wentzel was well supported by his colleague Dave Pelzer, who managed to notch up a half-century as the pair put together a stand of 168, laying the platform for the Volkie batters to come.

Anjo Swart (43, 44b) and Keane Duckitt (39, 17b) used this platform to rub more salt in the wounds of Overvaal as their contributions helped the Volkies reach a mammoth total of 403/6 after their allotted 50 overs.

Overvaal’s innings got of to a rocky start as the home side lost two early wickets but a partnership of 52 between WJ Herbst (37, 64b) and Janco de Lange (31, 42b) steadied the ship somewhat until De Lange had to depart for a well made 31.

The Volkie bowlers kept applying immense pressure with Gerrit Henken leading the charge and claiming figures of 3 for 7 in his outing with the ball. Duckitt and Swart continued their form found with the bat as the pair each bagged two scalps to ensure that the visitors walk away with a 268-run victory.

Dr. Malan faced their old rivals Transvalia in their round-robin clash in the Easterns League.

Dr. Malan won the toss and decided to have a bat. The visitors got off to a subdued start having to deal with some good line and length bowling from the home side’s new ball bowler Dylan Steinmann (6/39).

After a few early wickets a mature 36 of 46 balls by Juwan Thomas laid a decent platform for the middle order. Dewald Erasmus (94, 51b) and Luka Pretorius (67, 56b) made use of the platform laid by Thomas as the pair put together an excellent partnership of 142 runs to help their side to a very defendable first innings score of 337/9.

Transvalia’s innings got off to a better start than the visitors’ through Kyle Cutlet who managed to accumulate a well-constructed 40 off 47 deliveries before he was sent back to the pavilion.

However, it was Rico Fourie who stole the limelight as the in-form top-order batsman made his way to a wonderful score of 121 of only 99 balls before he fell victim to the impressive Luka Pretorius who claimed figures of 4 for 31.

With Pretorius, it was Colby Retief who wreaked havoc among the Transvalia batters as he too bagged four scalps for only 35 runs as the pair helped their side to well deserved 43-run victory away from home.

Summarized Scorecards:

Heidelberg Volkskool 403/6 (Matthew Wentzel 172, Dave Pelzer 50, Anjo Swart 43, Keane Duckitt 39, Biehan Wepener 29; Janco de Lange 2/71); Overvaal 135/10 (WJ Herbst 37, Janco de Lange 31; Gerrit Henken 3/7, Keane Duckitt 3/19, Anjo Swart 2/22). Heidelberg Volkskool won by 268 runs.

Dr. Malan 337/9 (Dewald Erasmus 94, Luka Pretorius 67, Eduan Bester 44, Juwan Thomas 36, Juanro Roos 26; Dylan Steinman 6/39, Jarod Francis 2/38); Transvalia 294/10 (Rico Fourie 121, Kyle Cutlet 40, Jarod Francis 39, Nandus Mclean 21; Colby Retief 4/35, Luka Pretorius 4/31). Dr. Malan won by 43 runs.