Author: froberholzer

Hoërskool Hans Moore will relish their opportunity to make the final of the Fain Noordvaal competition on Saturday.

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The side from Benoni is on course for the big game after claiming a couple of big scalps on their way to the semi-finals. They ousted Hoërskool Garsfontein and then, most recently, convincingly dealt with last year’s runners-up, Hoërskool Marais Viljoen.

However, beating Menlopark’s young team, under the guidance of seasoned coach, Arno van Wyk, will be no easy feat.

The Parkies have won both of their Noordvaal games relatively easily, despite playing without some of their bigger names. The youngsters, who have filled in for them have risen to the occasion. Dian van Zyl and Jan-Willem Pienaar, especially, have been noteworthy contributors over the past couple of weeks.

Both batted well and were the mainstays of Menlopark’s batting in their victory over Hoërskool Pietersburg in the quarterfinals last week. This week, playing at home in Pretoria, they face a big threat from Hans Moore’s spearhead, Kenan Shaw. He has enjoyed an extremely fruitful season with the ball, boasting an astonishing 54 wickets from just 148 overs.

The visitors also have a couple of stars in their batting lineup. Captain Warren Minnaar has been in sublime form in 2024, scoring 1 312 runs in 29 matches at an impressive average of 45.64, while Xavier Coetzee has tallied 1 202 runs, including a sensational double-century earlier in the year. Their battle with the Parkies’ spin attack promises loads of excitement.

The tall right-arm off-spinner, Murray Hofmeyr has enjoyed a strong season with the ball, and in recent weeks Matt van der Westhuizen has, also, come to the fore. He’s a dual threat as one of Menlopark’s top batsmen, too.

The stage has been set for a fascinating race to the final, with Saturday’s winner hoping to dethrone Hoërskool Waterkloof, the champion of the competition for the past three seasons.

A monumental battle awaits in the final of the Titans’ leg of the Schools SA20 competition after Hoërskool Garsfontein and Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) cruised past their respective opponents in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

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Playing away against the unpredictable Prestige College on their home field in Hammanskraal, the Garsie Ysbere made good use of the opportunity to bowl first.

Garsfontein’s opening bowler, Xander Venter, was in the thick of things again, delivering the goods as he snapped up 2/20, including the wicket of the dangerous Thabang Kutumela, in his four overs.

However, Jared Carr was the pick of the visiting bowlers. In his four overs, Carr removed two batsmen cheaply, going for only 14 runs.  Together, Carr and Venter tied down the home side’s batsmen, who were unable to score freely. Lesedi Mabena fought valiantly, but even his 30 runs came at less than a run a ball.

Omphile Maredi was the only other batsman to make a noteworthy contribution, a hard-fought 22 runs from 29 deliveries, but it was, unfortunately, not sufficient to see the home team crack triple figures. They finished on a disappointing 99/6 from their 20 overs.

Prestige College knew they were unlikely to be able to restrict Garsfontein to less than 100, so taking wickets was their path to success. They started well when Lethabo Kunene struck on the fourth ball of the Ysbere’s innings. Heinrich Badenhorst, however, didn’t seem to be bothered by his opening partner’s early departure. He stuck to his guns and smashed six fours and two sixes to race to an unbeaten 55 from only 39 deliveries.

Carr played yet another significant role in the match, this time with the bat, contributing 23 to the pair’s 58-run partnership, which saw the Ysbere across the line from the final ball of the 14th over.

Affies were just as dominant in their semi-final against Cornwall Hill College. The talented all-rounder Ruben Groenewald seemingly can’t be kept out of the action, especially in the shorter form of the game and he delivered yet another noteworthy contribution with the ball, shredding the Cornwall batting lineup with an impressive return of 3/16 in four overs.

Vihan Pretorius provided good support, chipping in with two wickets, as the home side found themselves in deep trouble on 71/8 in the 15th over.

Cornwall’s Trent Hardie gave his team’s innings a much-needed late boost, sending six balls to the boundary in a counterattacking knock of 36 from 22 balls. Despite Hardie’s aggressive hitting, Cornwall Hill mustered only 112, losing their last wicket off the last ball of their innings.

As was the case in the other semi-final, Cornwall needed to strike early, and they did, with Ethan Williams falling victim to Ethan Feris-Philander in the second over.

Affies, though, possesses a strong batting lineup and they were not about to fluff their lines. Iwan van der Lith set things up nicely with a contribution of 26 runs. When he departed, the in-form pair of Henré Smith and Vihan Pretorius saw their team to victory.

Smith led their 61-run partnership with a mature 35 runs, while Pretorius backed up his good bowling performance by weighing in with an unbeaten 34 to steer Affies across the line in the 18th over and into the final.

Summarised scorecard

Prestige College 99/6 (Lesedi Mabena 30, Omphile Maredi 22; Xander Venter 2/20, Jared Carr 2/14); Garsfontein 101/3 (Heinrich Badenhorst 55, Jared Carr 23; Lethabo Kunene 1/14). Garsfontein won by seven wickets.

Cornwall Hill College 112/10 (Trent Hardie 36, Kian Blignaut 20; Ruben Groenewald 3/16, Vihan Pretorius 2/20); Affies 113/2 (Henré Smith 35*, Vihan Pretorius 34*, Iwan van der Lith 26; Oliver Richards 1/16). Affies won by eight wickets.

Hoërskool Middelburg reigned victorious in the Middelburg derby, convincingly beating Hoër Tegniese Skool (HTS) Middelburg by eight wickets on Saturday.

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Just a day after defeating Hoërskool Kempton Park in the quarter-final round of the Fain Noordvaal competition, the Middies went into battle with their neighbours, HTS Middelburg, in the schools’ annual derby.

To celebrate their long-standing rivalry, and to support a good cause, the match stood as the centrepiece of a Pink Day in support of breast cancer awareness.

As they had done against Kempton Park, the Middies’ bowling attack performed well, with Eduan Strydom leading the charge this time around. In seven overs, two of which were maidens, he conceded only 19 runs and dismissed four batsmen.

He combined nicely with the hero of Middelburg’s win over Kempton Park, Gavin Genis, who snared another three wickets to take his tally up to eight wickets across the two days of cricket.

Genis started the HTS collapse, claiming the wicket of their top scorer, Ruben Jooste, for a rapid 27 from only 12 balls. Strydom struck soon after that, sending Marinus Enslin back to the pavilion for 24 runs. A flurry of wickets followed before HTS captain, Toy Engelbrecht, struck a quickfire 24, also from only 12 deliveries, to get his side to 119 before their last wicket fell.

Engelbrecht was also the first one to strike with the ball, removing opener Le Roux French with the second ball of the Middies’ innings. Herman Potgieter and Reuben Brandmuller, however, oozed confidence with the bat.

Potgieter struck 10 fours and raced to an unbeaten 51, while Brandmuller cleared the boundary three times and added five fours in his contribution of an undefeated 49 as the pair combined for a match-winning and unbroken 103-run partnership to see Hoërskool Middelburg home in just 13.3 overs.

Summarised scorecard

Hoër Tegniese Skool Middelburg 119 (Ruben Jooste 27, Toy Engelbrecht 24, Marinus Enslin 24; Eduan Strydom 4/19, Gavin Genis 3/51, Shaun Taljaard 2/9); Hoërskool Middelburg 120/2 (Herman Potgieter 51*, Reuben Brandmuller 49; Toy Engelbrecht 1/19). Hoërskool Middelburg won by eight wickets.

Jeppe High School for Boys came out on top in a low-scoring thriller against Pretoria Boys High School in Johannesburg on Saturday.

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The Johannesburg side’s first little victory was winning the toss, after which they elected to bowl. What, at first, might have seemed like a questionable decision soon turned into a great toss to win.

Boys High’s opening pair Joseph van Dijk and Joshua Hall had the Jeppe bowlers toiling away as they put up a hard-fought 50-run partnership. Van Dijk was the main contributor to the Boys High innings, with his 76-ball knock resulting in an invaluable 47 runs.

However, Jeppe’s Munib Ayob and leg-spinner Shreshth Kumar soon turned the tide.

Ayob, gnawing away on a challenging length with his accurate right-arm medium pacers piled on the pressure, bowling 50 dot balls and conceding only 15 runs in 9.5 overs. That disciplined approach brought him four wickets as the Boys High batsmen soon had no choice but to go after him.

Kumar bowled impressively, too, in partnership with Ayob. The leg-spinner held up his end expertly, snaring an impressive 3/31 from  10 overs.

Patrick Mouton was the only other Boys High batsman to make a noteworthy contribution, weighing in with an important 25 runs to help the side from Pretoria past the 150-run mark to 156 all-out.

One wonders what was said in the Boys High huddle during the innings’ change as the visitors’ bowlers came out firing. Taking a leaf out of Ayob’s book, the Boys High bowlers kept on hitting a good length, making it tough for the Jeppe batsmen to score.

Opening bowler, Jaydon Knott-Craig, was the pick of the visiting bowlers, capturing a tidy 2/23 in 10 overs. His performance fired up Euan Gottfried (2/22) and the rest of the attack as they chipped away with timely wickets.

However, Jeppe’s Aiden Reyneke kept his composure and grafted hard for a vital 28 runs from 55 deliveries, while McKenzie Roos contributed a telling 26 not out, which steered the home side across the line in the 47th over, with only two wickets to spare.

Summarised scorecard

Pretoria Boys High School 156/10 (Joseph van Dijk 47, Patrick Mouton 25; Munib Ayob 4/15, Shreshth Kumar 3/31); Jeppe High School for Boys 157/8 (Aiden Reyneke 28, Mckenzie Ross 26*, Extras 24, Ethan Elliot 23; Euan Gottfried 2/22, Jaydon Knott-Craig 2/23, Steyn Botha 2/25, Patrick Mouton 2/39). Jeppe High School for Boys won by two wickets.

Die Hoërskool Menlopark‘s young 1st XI showed off the school’s cricketing depth in Pretoria on Saturday as they eliminated Hoërskool Pietersburg from the Fain Noordvaal competition after their quarterfinal clash.

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Playing without the services of four Grade 12s, the Parkies won the toss and opted to bat first.

They might have had second thoughts about that decision for a moment or two when the in-form Matt van der Westhuizen was sent back to the pavilion for a duck by the visitor’s best bowler on the day, Celliers van der Merwe, who captured a fine 4/36.

Dian van Zyl, however, steadied the ship with a well-played and mature 49 runs. Owen Louwies also batted nicely for his 25 and, together with Van Zyl, combined for an important partnership of 90 runs.

Morné Koekemoer chipped in with a useful 36, but it was Jan-Willem Pienaar who stole the spotlight. Batting at six, Pienaar cantered along at a brisk pace, hitting seven boundaries, including five fours and two sixes, in a vital contribution of 65 runs, which helped the home side to a respectable total of 242 all out.

Stephan Swanepoel (2/25) and Dian Gouws (2/59) supported Celliers van der Merwe well, with both chipping in with two wickets to go along with the opening bowler’s tally of four. Unfortunately for the side from Polokwane, their reply didn’t go according to plan.

The Menlopark pitch tends to favour spin bowling later in the day, and the Parkies’ tall off-spinner, Murray Hofmeyr, cashed in. In 7.1 overs, he conceded only 16 runs, and that pressure yielded three wickets. Matt van der Westhuizen missed out with the bat, but he made an impact with the ball, snapping up 3/24 in seven overs.

The combination of Hofmeyr and Van der Westhuizen undermined Pietersburg’s run chase, although Hanno van Zyl produced a patient 36 runs from 57 balls in an attempt to get his team back into the game.

Hanru Marais weighed in with 27, but his contribution and that of Van Zyl were the only noteworthy innings for the Polokwane school, who were bowled out for 146 after the first ball of the 35th over.

In Middelburg, Hendré Nel and Gavin Genis put on a show when Hoërskool Middelburg crossed paths with Hoërskool Kempton Park in a quarter-final game played on Friday.

After winning the toss, Middies mustered a disappointing 130 all out, led 23 from Genis, with Warren Pretorius knocking over 3/35 for the visitors.

The hosts would have to produce something special to keep the Kempies’ strong batting lineup from waltzing to a win. They did.

Floors Mynhardt got the visitors off to a rollicking start with a good-looking 38 runs from 36 balls, but Genis and Nel, then, got stuck into the Kempton Park batting. Nel, Middelburg’s opening bowler, heaped pressure on the Kempies’ batsman, capturing an economical 4/17 from 8.5 overs.

Genis, who has been in sensational form, stole the show, however, claiming his second consecutive five-for in the Noordvaal competition at a cost of 48 runs.

Together, the duo combined to snag nine wickets in just less than 19 overs. That took the wind out of the Kempton Park sails, sending the visitors tumbling out of the competition after they tallied only 101 all out.

Summarised scorecards

Menlopark 242/10 (Jan-Willem Pienaar 65, Dian van Zyl 49, Morné Koekemoer 36, Owen Louwies 25; Celliers van der Merwe 4/36, Stephan Swanepoel 3/25, Dian Gouws 2/59); Hoërskool Pieterburg 146/10 (Hanno van Zyl 36, Hanru Marais 27; Murray Hofmeyer 3/16, Matt van der Westhuizen 3/24). Menlopark won by 96 runs.

Hoërskool Middelburg 130/10 (Gavin Genis 23, Hendré Nel 20; Warren Pretorius 3/35, Wian Pieters 2/13, Keaden Posthumis 2/27); Hoërskool Kempton Park 101/10 (Floors Mynhardt 38; Gavin Genis 5/48, Hendré Nel 4/17). Hoërskool Middelburg won by 29 runs.

Hoërskool Hans Moore delivered a knockout blow to Marais Viljoen to book a place in next week’s semi-finals of the Fain Noordvaal competition.

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The Moorie bowlers, playing at home, took no prisoners as they made light work of a powerful Marais Viljoen batting line-up.

Opening bowler, Ettiene Smith, was the spearhead of Benoni school’s attack. He threw three quick punches and claimed the scalps of Marais Viljoen’s top three batsmen within the first six overs of the game, going on to finish with a decisive return of 3/17 from six overs.

Kenan Shaw and Kyle Wratten continued Smith’s good work, claiming two wickets cheaply each. Wratten returned 2/6, including the wicket of Marais Viljoen’s captain, Aldré Huyzers. Shaw sent down 14 dot balls in his three overs, which he completed for a miserly 2/4.

Tiaan Kühn resisted while under severe pressure at the crease in an effort to give Marais Viljoen’s bowlers something to bowl at and mustered 22 runs. Unfortunately for the Alberton school, Kühn’s was the only score in double figures as they slumped to a disappointing 59 all out.

Hans Moore captain Warren Minnaar, then, kept his composure as his side made heavy work of chasing down a low total. They lost four wickets, but Minnaar exhibited his class and maturity by contributing an unbeaten 23 runs at a run-a-ball to see his side home by six wickets in the 13th over.

Divan Behrens and Hoërskool Waterkloof gave the visiting Merensky Landbou Akademie a cricket lesson. Behrens produced a man-of-the-match performance and one of his best outings with the bat as he led the Klofies to a mammoth total of 384/7 from their 50 overs.

Facing 154 balls, he smashed 20 fours and two sixes in a classy and very entertaining 173*, which set the André van der Walt Oval alight. Nearly all the Klofies’ batsmen chipped in with valuable contributions.

Rico van der Walt (47) and Marcus Bakker (46) fell just short of half-centuries, while captain, Beukes van den Berg, looked good in making 32 on his return from injury.

The Plasies’ opening bowler, Luka Heinlein put in a massive ten-over shift. Although he was a touch expensive, his three wickets, including that of the dangerous Wian Ruthven, were the highlight of the visitors’ day. Xander Schoeman lent some support, picking up two wickets from his nine overs.

Waterkloof’s spin-twins, Wian Ruthven and Marcus Bakker, were, however, just too good for the side from Tzaneen. Varying their pace well and bowling tight lines, the pair bagged three wickets each to rip the heart from the Merensky batting lineup.

Johan Feuth, also bowling some spin, ended the visitor’s dismal batting performance quickly, snapping up two wickets in five balls without conceding a run, as Waterkloof cruised to a mammoth 320-run victory.

Summarised scorecards

Marais Viljoen 59/10 (Tiaan Kühn 22; Ettiene Smith 3/17, Kenan Shaw 2/4, Kyle Wratten 2/6); Hans Moore 62/4 (Warren Minnaar 23*; Abdullah Tadwala 1/8). Hans Moore won by six wickets.

Waterkloof 384/7 (Divan Behrens 173*, Rico van der Walt 47, Marcus Bakker 46, Beukens van den Berg 32, Ruan Ferreira 26, Riley Muller 21; Luka Heinlein 3/74, Xander Schoeman 2/74); Merensky 64/10 (Timothy Baker 17; Wian Ruthven 3/14, Marcus Bakker 3/18, Johan Feuth 2/5). Waterkloof won by 320 runs.

Hoërskool Garsfontein performed well at home and beat Midstream College on Wednesday to become the fourth and final team to qualify for the semi-finals of the Titans’ leg of the Schools SA20 competition.

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The Garsie batsmen, led by the talented Charl van Staden, laid a solid foundation. They batted briskly but lost four early wickets. Then, Van Staden came to the crease and he upped the ante.

In just 26 deliveries, the middle-order batsman smashed seven boundaries, including four sixes and three fours, to see the Ysbere through to the end of their  20 overs with an unbeaten 50 runs.

Ziswe Khumalo provided strong support, joining in on the onslaught and contributing 29 runs from only 15 balls. Opening batsman, Heinrich Badenhorst was the initial thorn in Midstream’s side with a classy 36, which set things up nicely for Van Staden and Khumalo to get the Ysbere to 201/7.

Christiaan Olwagen (2/24) and Jonathan Wiseman (2/39) were the standouts with the ball for the visitors, removing two batsmen each.

It came as no surprise when Echard Struwig led the way for Garsfontein’s bowling attack. Sending down two overs with the new ball, he struck early, snapping up two wickets while conceding only three runs. His new ball partner, Xander Venter, was impressive, too, assisting Struwig in the destruction of the Midstream top-order with his return of 2/15.

Ryan Strauss (23) and Gerhard van der Westhuizen (22) steadied the ship, but Ziswe Khumalo followed up his useful batting contribution with a good bowling spell. He dismissed Strauss and went on to claim 2/24.

Midstream’s Zack Lentoor didn’t go down without a fight and fought fire with fire, unleashing a flurry of boundaries, five of which flew over the boundary rope, as he contributed a quickfire 41 from just 17 balls. His innings was, however, Midstream College’s last dance, and the visitors were kept to 156/9 from their 20 overs, which left them 45 runs short of victory.

Summarised scorecard

Garsfontein 201/7 (Charl van Staden 50*, Heinrich Badenhorst 36, Ziswe Khumalo 29; Christiaan Olwagen 2/24, Jonathan Wiseman 2/39); Midstream College 156/9 (Zack Lentoor 41, Rikus Cilliers 32, Ryan Struass 23, Gerhard van der Westhuizen 22; Echard Struwig 2/3, Xander Venter 2/15, Ziswe Khumalo 2/24). Garsfontein won by 45 runs.

Things are heating up as the Fain Noordvaal tournament moves into an exciting quarter-final weekend.

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In Alberton, the match-up, which could certainly turn out to be the most interesting of the four, between Hoërskool Marais Viljoen and Hoërskool Hans Moore, will have the supporters of those two schools buzzing.

The Moories did what they set out to do last week, knocking out Hoërskool Garsfontein‘s Ysbere, after recording a 20-run victory, while Marais Viljoen cruised by Hoërskool Rustenburg, scoring an impressive 49-run win.

With both sides possessing strong batting lineups, it could come down to which team’s bowlers can keep a cooler head when put under pressure.

The home side will be wary of the danger Moories’ all-rounder Kenan Shaw presents. Shaw, the spearhead of the bowling department last week, will be oozing confidence after his match-winning analysis of 4/21 against the Ysbere.

His brother, Aiden Shaw, who was recently selected for the Easterns’ u16 side, will pose a threat opening the batting, while number three batsman, Xavier Coetzee, has been in immaculate form throughout the 2024 season.

Marais Viljoen’s Abdullah Tadwala has predominantly starred with the bat, but his handy off-spinners have seen him become a very well-rounded all-rounder for the side from Alberton.

Alongside him, the talented Jordan Baijnath will also have something to say in both the batting and bowling departments, while captain Aldré Huyzers would like to make yet another contribution with the bat to steer his side to a second consecutive Fain Noordvaal Final.

Merensky Landbou Akademie faces a massive challenge on Saturday. The side from behind the citrus curtain travels to Pretoria to tackle the defending champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof, in their backyard.

The Plasies’ all-rounder Rinaldo Bornman will look forward to exploring the batting-friendly conditions of the André van der Walt Oval. He’s been piling on the runs over the last couple of weeks. One of the highlights of his season was a classy 121 against Hoërskool Piet Potgieter in the Limpopo Super 8 league.

The Klofies will have to do without the services of their Namibian International, Alex Volschenk, who misses out due to a shoulder injury. They, however, welcome back captain Beukes van den Berg, from injury. Van den Berg, whose return strengthens the Klofie batting lineup significantly, won’t be taking up the gloves as usual, with the youngster Rico van der Walt filling his spot behind the stumps.

Die Hoërskool Menlopark welcomes another Limpopo-based side, Hoërskool Pietersburg, to Pretoria. Menlo scored a hard-fought three-wicket victory over Hoërskool Dr Malan in the elimination round last week.

Parkies’ in-form Matt van der Westhuizen will be relishing another chance to get out into the middle. Van der Westhuizen’s 76 against the Dokkies played a key role in his side’s victory.

The Pieties had an unforeseen break last week after Prestige College decided not to make the trip up north. They, however, also possess some quality batting. The southpaw duo of Stephan Swanepoel and Hanno van Zyl could cause the home side serious headaches.

Hoërskool Middelburg and Hoërskool Kempton Park meet in their qaurter-final clash on Friday.

Cornwall Hill College became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the Titans’ Schools SA20 competition on Thursday.

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A 55-run partnership between Ab Rasool and Michael Blignaut on home soil was enough to steer Cornwall Hill to a comprehensive six-wicket victory over St Alban’s College in their quarter-final clash.

Chasing a low target of only 109, the side from Centurion lost two early wickets to St Alban’s captain Liam Basch, who delivered an economical spell of 2/16.

Rasool, one of Cornwall’s top performers throughout the year, kept a calm head, however, occupying the crease expertly, to lead his side’s batting effort with 38 runs off of 25 balls.

Blignaut played an equally important innings, contributing crucial 28 runs, while Layton Pullen put the final nail in the coffin when he smashed four fours and one six in a 19-ball innings that brought him an unbeaten 31 and took the home side to victory.
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Cornwall Hill won the game in the field. They demonstrated the importance of high-intensity fielding, which yielded three run-outs that brilliantly backed up a good performance by their bowlers. Although they did not take many wickets, the pressure built up by tight bowling played a significant part in the miscommunications between the St Alban’s batsmen.

The visitor’s Kyle Block was, as always, a stalwart with the bat. His 38 runs, along with a 24-run contribution by Tiashin Naidoo, enabled the visitors to muster what might have appeared to be a defendable total. It would, unfortunately for them, prove to be not nearly enough as Cornwall Hill College raced to victory in only 14.1 overs.

Summarised scorecard:

St Alban’s College 108/7 (Kyle Block 38, Tashin Naidoo 24; Ethan Feris-Philander 1/11); Cornwall Hill College 110/4 (Ab Rasool 38, Layton Pullen 31*, Michael Blignaut 28; Liam Basch 2/16).

Cornwall Hill College won by six wickets.

Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) smashed a mammoth 266 in their 20 overs to cruise past Atteridgeville Hub and book a place in the semi-finals of the Titans Schools SA20 competition.

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Ruben Groenewald led an Affies’ batting onslaught in which almost every Affies’ batsman contributed to their big total.

The all-rounder showcased his batting prowess and power-hitting abilities in a short but hugely impactful stay at the crease. He needed only 27 deliveries to race to an astounding 92. His currency was boundaries and they included 10 sixes and five fours.

Opening batsman Henré Smith followed a similar approach, smashing 65 from just 39 balls, while Daniel Murray closed out the innings in superb fashion with a 15-ball 42. Vihan Pretorius continued his sterling season with a classy 37 runs.

In reply, Tshepang Laka got the visitors off to a good start, accumulating his side’s top score of 24 runs, but Affies’ Nico Loggerenberg had Atteridgville’s number. He sent down three overs, conceded a miserly four runs, and sent four batsman packing.

His contribution, well backed up by 2/11 in three overs from Jayden Beukes,  saw the visitors claw their way to a meagre 47/7, leaving Affies the winners by a massive 219-run margin.

Prestige College, from Hammanskraal, was equally impressive in their six-wicket victory over Laudium Hub. Enjoying home-ground advantage, Prestige kept their bowling tight, showing that there is still a place for line and length bowling in the shorter versions of the game.

The home side’s opening pair, Ditebogo Chauke (2/10) and Keamogetswe Semenya (2/19) snapped up four early wickets to have the visitors in heaps of trouble.

Saad Amir fought valiantly with a battling 28 runs, and he found much-needed support from Ahad Qasim, who tallied 21. Unfortunately, for Laudium, those were their only noteworthy contributions and, after 20 overs, they had only 81/6 on the scoreboard.

Defending a small total, they made early inroads into the Prestige College batting, with Ayaan Patel (1/22) claiming the big scalp of Lesedi Mabena with the third ball of the innings.

Omphile Maredi (32) and Thabang Kutumela (21), then, steadied Prestige’s reply with a 55-run partnership before they were dismissed by Laudium’s best bowler on the day, Areeb Qasim. Unfortunately for the Hub side, his return of 2/4  came too late as the damage had already been done.

The home side crossed the line off the last ball of the 13th over to record a convincing victory.

Summarised scorecards

Affies 266/5 (Ruben Groenewald 92, Henré Smith 65, Daniel Murray 42*, Vihan Pretorius 37; Bongani Mkwanazi 1/31); Atteridgeville Hub 47/7 (Tshepang Laka 24; Nico Loggerenberg 4/4, Jayden Beukes 2/11). Affies won by 219 runs.

Laudium Hub 81/6 (Saad Amir 28, Ahad Qasim 21; Ditebogo Chauke 2/10, Keamogetswe Semenya 2/19); Prestige College 84/4 (Omphile Maredi 32, Thabang Kutumela 21; Areeb Qasim 2/4). Prestige College won by six wickets.