Hoërskool Kempton Park, one of the favourites to make the final of the Easterns’ leg of the Schools SA20, lived up to expectations after a well-rounded run-chase in their semi-final showdown against Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen.
The teams did battle at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday, where Kempies booked their spot in the final with a five-wicket win.
Sheldon Kruger, batting at three for Kempton Park, led their run chase expertly with a composed and mature innings.
He took just 58 deliveries to make 89, which included eight fours and the only four sixes in the Kempies’ innings. That effort was the key batting contribution as Kempton Park chased down 156 on a low and slow pitch.
Kruger received good support from Ethan Kotze after Kotze had lost his opening partner, the in-form Wian Pieters, to a run out in the third over for only four. Kotze settled in and struck four boundaries in a useful 27 from just 22 balls.
The Jansies bowled well. There wasn’t much to write home about in the wickets column, but they built pressure by adhering to tight line and length bowling.
While Pieters was kept quiet on the batting front, he had something to say with the ball, snapping up 2/24 in four overs. Shaun Nash bowled well, too, claiming two scalps while conceding 19 runs from three overs.
Jayden Barnes anchored EG Jansen’s innings with a mature captain’s knock of 53 from 46 balls, which featured nine deliveries that were dispatched to the boundary. JH Coetzee weighed in with 32, and Declan Pagel added a hasty 29 from only 14 deliveries.
Having wickets in hand is an important factor towards the end of T20 matches and Kempton Park did a good job of managing their wickets and the pace of their response, eventually securing victory with two balls to spare.
They’ll face a tough challenge from another of the region’s favourites, St Benedict’s College, in the final on 18 October.
Summarised scorecard
EG Jansen 155/7 (Jayden Barnes 53, JH Coetzee 32, Decan Pagel 29; Shaun Nash 2/19, Wian Pieters 2/24); Hoërskool Kempton Park 156/5 (Sheldon Kruger 89, Ethan Kotze 27; Jayden van Wyk 1/31). Hoërskool Kempton Park won by five wickets.
Photo: Westvaal North/South Tournament on Facebook.
After beating Grey College for a second time in the tournament in the final, Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool(Affies) was crowned the new champion of the Westvaal North/South Tournament on Sunday.
The local side put in a massive shift with the ball on a difficult Camp Discovery wicket to restrict the Bloemfontein boys to 129/6 from their 20 overs.
Zian Labuschagne was the Affies’ spearhead, leading from the front and returning figures of 2/34, as he and Xavier de Wet (1/29) struck early to heap pressure on Grey.
With his side wobbling on 34/3, Daniel Hattingh stayed calm and kept his head to deliver a crucial knock of 55 for the Free Staters, which included three sixes and two fours.
Adem Nieuwoudt weighed in with 21, while Dale Williams looked good until a brilliant piece of fielding from Ruben Groenewald sent him back to the pavilion for 20.
Needing 130 to claim the title, Affies found themselves in early trouble, losing their captain and leading run-scorer, Divan de Villiers, in the third over. This, however, created an opportunity for Jorich van Schalkwyk‘s class and experience to shine through. Together with Ruben Groenewald, he steadied the ship superbly in a 74-run partnership.
The Affies’ and Titans’ u18 opening batsman scored four half-centuries during the tournament, which included a vital and patient 58 from 46 deliveries in the final. Groenewald advanced at a quicker run rate, tallying 44 from 28 balls.
Henru de Wet shone with the ball for Grey College, claiming 2/26, but Affies secured the title in the 17th over.
Westville Boys’ High capped off a strong showing throughout the tournament by chasing down 188 to comfortably beat St Stithians by five wickets. Sean McCough was the KwaZulu-Natal side’s standout, excelling with both bat and ball.
He snapped up 3/26 to put the brakes on the Saints’ effort on a batsmen-friendly wicket at the CBC Oval. Then, he followed up with the Griffin’s top score of 58. Seth Simpson was again among the runs, contributing a valuable 37, while Roxton Payne finished with 37 not out when Westville scored the winning runs.
The classy Liam Modenda was the Johannesburgers’ shining light. He top-scored with a well-played 50 from 31 balls but didn’t quite get the support he needed from the rest of the St Stithians’ batsmen to put Westville under sufficient pressure in their run chase.
Wynberg Boys’ High edged out Potchefstroom Volkskool, capping off their tournament with a win in a super-over. Chasing 172, thanks to a great effort by Volkies’ in-form Berno de Klerk, the Wynberg batsmen, led by Beni Hansen‘s 45, toiled hard.
An unbeaten 28 from Shadley Allie almost got the Captonians home, but an economical spell from the leg-break bowler, Olefa Padi, stemmed the flow of runs, and matters ended all square after 40 overs.
Paul James let loose in the super-over, scoring 18 runs off the six balls, which proved to be a bridge too far for the Volkies.
Kieran Bouwers batted SACS to a solid six-wicket victory over Jeppe High School for Boys, making an entertaining 64 to lay the foundation for a successful chase of 144 runs.
Earlier, good bowling from Litha Kraai, who bagged an impressive 4/27, and Abhay Kalan, with 3/23, ensured the required victory target would be attainable.
Summarised scorecards
Grey College 129/6 (Daniel Hattingh 55, Adem Nieuwoudt 21, Dale Williams 20; Zian Labuschagne 2/34); Affies 130/3 (Jorich van Schalkwyk 58*, Ruben Groenewald 44; Hendru de Wet 2/26). Affies won by seven wickets.
St Stithians 187/8 (Liam Mudenda 50, Ombesa Matsha 32, Aidan van der Westhuizen 25; Sean McGough 3/26, Kyle McGough 2/22, Roxton Payne 2/40); Westville Boys’ High 191/5 (Sean McGough 58, Seth Simpson 37, Roxton Payne 37*, Nicandro Kistna 31*; Tasheen Hanslo 1/24). Westville Boys’ High won by five wickets.
Potchefstroom Volkskool 171/4 (Berno de Klerk 61, Louis van Wyk 25, Diaan van der Merwe 21; Paul James 1/15); Wynberg Boys’ High 171/7 (Benjamin Hansen 45, Shadley Allie 28*, Moosa Gabriels 25; Olefa Padi 1/12). Wynberg Boys’ High won in the super-over.
Jeppe High School for Boys 143/9 (Ryan Young 32, Aiden Reyneke 22; Litha Kraai 4/27, Abhay Kalan 3/23, Hamish Anderson 2/26); SACS 146/4 (Kieran Bouwers 64, Hamish Anderson 28, Reeza Salie 26; Luke Kent-Brown 1/20). SACS won by six wickets.
Even with a bunch of tired bodies after four tough days of cricket, the last day of the Westvaal North/South Tournament still provided a twist in the tale with some energetic and entertaining cricket.
The third-place playoff, between Grey High School and Hoërskool Menlopark, produced a “you had to see it to believe it” contest.
The side from Qheberha, against the odds, chased down a mammoth target of 233 set by the Parkies in less than 18 overs to claim a memorable six-wicket victory.
Menlo’s “Super Steve” Stolk became the third batsman, alongside Affies’ Divan de Villiers and Centurion’s Charl Prinsloo, to score two centuries in the tournament. In typical Stolk fashion, the SA u19 opening batsmen blasted 13 sixes and six fours, facing only 37 deliveries to make 117.
A further contribution of 54* from Marcus De Agular saw Menlopark to a healthy 232/7 from their 20 overs. They would have been confident they had scored enough runs to defend.
However, the Grey High batsmen took a leaf out of Stolk’s book as nearly all of them batted at a strike rate of 200. The experienced Kian Cambier got the chase underway in style. He faced only 39 deliveries but bludgeoned eight sixes and six fours in an innings of 92 before he was sent packing by Ewald Meyer, who took 2/60.
Tristan Grundling (41) and Teun Kloppenberg (38*) partnered for a further 79 runs, and Dylan Garrod delivered the final blow, rocketing along at almost four runs a ball and smashing six sixes in his 42, which helped take Grey High to victory with 15 balls to spare.
Waterkloof put the disappointments of their day three results behind them as they rebounded with an obliteration of Hoërskool Centurion behind a superb performance from Marcus Bakker.
The Waterkloof captain led the way with the bat, smashing 73 off only 33 balls. He was well supported by Waterkloof’s most recent International, Alexander Volschenk (Namibia), who added 59, while Rico van der Walt made 49, as the Klofies posted a whopping 248/6.
Bakker, then, showed why he is so highly regarded with the ball, destroying Centurion’s reply by snaring 5/18 in his four overs. Only the Woeries’ stalwart, Charl Prinsloo, made it past 20 as Centurion crumbled to 100 all out and suffered a massive 148-run defeat.
David Simon and Joshua Neill scored half-centuries for Rondebosch Boys’ High, who capped off their campaign with a five-wicket win over Northwood. Simon accumulated a classy 64 from just 27 balls while Neill was unbeaten on 50 when ‘Bosch sealed victory.
Northwood’s Nqobani Mokoena demonstrated his all-round chops, top-scoring for the Knights with 79, while Mason Storm was the Durban side’s top performer with the ball, picking up 2/29.
Nikhil Sukraj and Cullen Kakora bowled Bloemfontein’s St Andrew’s School to a 28-run victory over Paarl Boys’ High to avenge an earlier loss to the same opposition after a super-over.
A collective batting effort, led by Andrew Sobiech‘s 41, lifted the Bloemfontein boys to a strong 200/8 from their 20 overs. Sukraj, then, put his side on the front foot, snapping up 3/27, while Kakora also struck three times.
The damage done to the Booishaai batting lineup proved to be irreversible. Dian van der Westhuizen looked good for his 48, but Saints removed their Boland opposition for 172.
Summarised scorecards
Menlopark 232/7 (Steve Stolk 117, Marcus De Agular 54*, Pierre de Villiers 24; Tristin Grundling 2/35, Nathan Howell 2/37); Grey High School 233/4 (Kian Cambier 92, Dylan Garrod 42, Tristan Grundling 41, Teun Kloppenburg 38; Ewald Meyer 2/60). Grey High School won by six wickets.
Waterkloof 248/6 (Marcus Bakker 73, Alexander Volschenk 59, Rico van der Walt 49, Franco Cronje 22*; Rehan Lues 2/26, Morné Prinsloo 2/35); Hoërskool Centurion 100/10 (Charl Prinsloo 30; Marcus Bakker 5/18). Waterkloof won by 148 runs.
Northwood 180/8 (Nqobani Mokoena 79, Kyle White 37, Jamie Wimble 24; Tim Short 3/29, Hlumelo Mgweba 2/38); Rondebosch Boys’ High 182/5 (David Simon 64, Joshua Neill 50*; Mason Storm 2/29). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by five wickets.
St Andrew’s School 200/8 (Andrew Sobiech 41, Naudé Botha 33, Heidre Serfontein 32, Dakalo Leketa 29, Leon Athanasiou 21; Pieter Gildenhuys 2/25, Christiaan Wege 2/35); Paarl Boys High 172/10 (Dian van der Westhuizen 48, Marco Cato 35, Christiaan Wege 34; Nikhil Sukraj 3/27, Cullen Kakora 3/28, Dakalo Leketa 2/38). St Andrew’s School won by 28 runs.
After a disappointing week for Potchefstroom Volkskool, their batsman finally came to light on the third day of the Westvaal North/South Tournament as they chased down 202 in only 17.4 overs to beat Jeppe High School for Boys.
Berno de Klerk smashed an unbeaten 75 to lead Volkskool to a marvellous seven-wicket victory on Saturday, the penultimate day of the event.
Chasing a daunting 202, after the entire Jeppe top order chipped in with valuable contributions – led by the in-form Ryan Young‘s 39, backed up by Aiden Reyneke‘s 37 not out and Jeremiah Marshall’s important 36 – De Klerk knew he and the rest of Potchefstroom batsmen had it all to do.
Batting at three, he took it to the Jeppe bowlers, smashing six sixes and five fours in an entertaining 35-ball stay.
He, however, needed help to reach a target that exceeded 200, and he got it from opening batsman Diaan van der Merwe. The opener played an important supporting role in an 80-run partnership, scoring 59 from 44 deliveries.
Louis van Wyk contributed a valuable 22, too, as Volkies reached the required target with only three wickets down.
Wynberg Boys’ High also claimed victory with a successful run chase against their southern suburbs rivals, SACS, to win by five wickets. Moosa Gabriels, the somewhat unlikely standout for Wynberg, considering that Beni Hansen and Paul James are also in the Wynberg side, was again the main contributor.
With Wynberg pursuing 161 for victory, the middle-order batsman covered most of the hard yards, notching up a second consecutive half-century. He smashed five sixes and two fours from just 23 balls as he charged his way to 53. Hansen lent a helping hand, making 33, while Paul James weighed in with 27.
SACS’ standout with the bat throughout the tournament, Reeza Salie, was his side’s mainstay for the umpteenth time, top scoring with 28 as he and the rest of the batting line-up struggled for rhythm, falling about 30 runs short of a competitive total.
Northwood‘s Pride Buthelezi, produced a brilliant spell as the Durban boys rolled Paarl Boys’ High for 108 to win by 29 runs. The Knights defended only 137, which owed a lot to a gutsy 41 from Kyle White, with Buthelezi’s return of 3/17 in 3.4 overs playing a key role in their win.
Booishaai’s Ulrich Drotschie was equally impressive as he, too, made good use of the conditions, which appeared to favour the bowlers. He delivered a superb four-over spell to pick up 4/16. Unfortunately for Drotschie, Paarl’s batsmen didn’t provide the support his excellent bowling performance deserved.
Tim Short and Noah Heath did the damage as Rondebosch Boys’ High thumped St Andrew’s School by nine wickets. When ‘Bosch bowled first, Short ripped the heart out of the Saints’ batting lineup, capturing 4/18 in his four overs.
Heath then struck an unbeaten 49 from 34 deliveries as the Capetonians passed Saints’ sub-standard score of 97 in the 12th over for an early finish on day three.
Summarised scorecards
Jeppe High School for Boys 201/4 (Ryan Young 39, Aiden Reyneke 37*, Jeremiah Marshall 36, Keegan Caixeiro 27; Diaan van der Merwe 1/28); Potchefstroom Volkskool 202/3 (Berno de Klerk 75*, Diaan van der Merwe 59, Louis van Wyk 22; Munib Ayob 1/20). Potchefstroom Volkskool won by seven wickets.
SACS 160/9 (Reeza Salie 28, Ulrich Roth 23, Hamish Anderson 21; Shadley Allie 2/20, Joshua Prince 2/36, Luke Kleinsmith 2/39); Wynberg Boys’ High 161/5 (Moosa Gabriels 53, Benjamin Hansen 33, Paul James 27; Hamish Anderson 1/17). Wynberg Boys’ High won by five wickets.
Northwood 137/10 (Kyle White 41, De Bruyn David 22, Ross McGlashan 21; Ulrich Drotschie 4/16, Pieter Gildenhuys 2/18, Gideon du Toit 2/38); Paarl Boys’ High 108/10 (Johan Wege 27, Ulrich Drotschie 22; Pride Buthelezi 3/17, Kyle White 2/6, Ben Cilliers 2/20). Northwood won by 29 runs.
St Andrew’s School 97 (Reuben van Aarde 15; Tim Short 4/18); Rondebosch Boys’ High 100/1 (Noah Heath 49*, Daniel Bosman 25, Daniel Cooke 20*; JC Young 1/16). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by nine wickets.
Grey College opening bowler Sicelo Matayi bowls to Connor Riley in their Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week game at St Charles College on 22 September.
It is fitting that two traditional rivals, Grey College and Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool(Affies), will face one other in the final of the Westvaal North/South Tournament at Camp Discovery on Sunday.
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The Bloemfontein side bagged another comprehensive and seemingly easy victory in the semi-finals. After their spinners did the trick in a quarterfinal win over Hoërskool Waterkloof, their pace attack got the better of Grey High School in the semi-finals.
Opening bowler Otto Krause showed his class and skill by dismissing three batsmen and conceding only 13 runs, or 3.3 per over, in his four overs. That kind of economy is not something one sees every day, especially from a paceman.
His fellow seam bowler, Kamo Mokoena, lent good support, snapping up 2/15 in three overs. Their tight bowling put Grey High under heavy pressure from the get-go, and only two batsmen made it past 20.
Teun Kloppenburg batted well but struggled to score at a run a ball in his 37, while Marco Giaconi was made to work hard for his 22 as Grey High crept past 100, eventually finishing on 106/8 from their 20 overs.
The Bloemfontein boys were also made to graft for their runs as Camp Discovery seemed to become more difficult by the over. Christian Kind and captain, Ruben Maree, judged their innings superbly, however. They needed to score at less than a run a ball, so they set about occupying the crease and waiting for loose balls to score, rather than trying to manufacture shots.
Kind led the way with a well-played 32, while Maree, fittingly, hit the winning runs. He finished with an unbeaten 24 as Grey College secured a convincing victory in the 14th over.
Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool(Affies) made light work of their opposition, Hoërskool Menlopark, in the other semi-final, which was played at the Sinoville Oval. Affies’ skipper Divan de Villiers , who blasted 126 in a win over St Stithians in the morning, continued his good form, weighing in with 68 from only 39 balls.
Affies, however, weren’t able to dictate matters as much as they did in their morning game, and Menlopark’s spinners did a good job. Arnu Breedt, though, struck a quickfire 46 to see Affies to 192/6.
Gerhard Engelbrecht picked up 2/35 for Menlo, while his younger counterpart, Murray Hofmeyr, added another two victims to his already impressive tally for the weekend.
The Affies’ bowlers, then, struck early to dismantle the dangerous Parkie top order. SF Vermeulen excelled, capturing three wickets, while all-rounder Ruben Groenwald piled on the pressure with another two.
Jorich van Schalkwyk, with three wickets in one over, sealed the deal for Affies and a place in the final.
When they met Grey College earlier in the tournament, Affies claimed a convincing 45-run win.
St Stithians College‘s Liam Mudenda came to life in their clash with Hoërskool Centurion. The opening batsman rocketed to 91 off only 39 deliveries, smashing eight fours and seven sixes. Thomas Rew added a valuable unbeaten 65 and, with contributions of 48 from both Richard Seletswane and Ombesa Matsha, Saints posted a mammoth 259/3.
Thomas Collins capped off a great performance for the Johannesburg school, ripping the heart out of the Woerie batting line-up by knocking over 6/14 in only 2.4 overs, the best return of the tournament thus far, as Centurion was knocked over for 129.
Seth Simpson was the hero in another Westville Boys’ High victory as they snatched a five-run victory over Hoërskool Waterkloof, as the defending champions were subjected to a second defeat of the day. Simpson looked top-class in his 58. Kaeden McAllister also threw his weight around, scoring one run less.
The KZN side’s bowlers provided the necessary support, keeping it nice and tight. Wian Ruthven looked dangerous while making 45, but Kyle McGough and Roxton Payne kept their nerve, picked up two wickets apiece, and helped their team to a tense victory.
Summarised scorecards
Grey High School 106/8 (Teun Kloppenburg 37, Marco Giaconi 22; Otto Crause 3/13, Kamo Mokoena 2/15) ; Grey College 110/5 (Christian Kind 32, Ruben Maree 24*, Adem Nieuwoudt 20; Likona Gcora 2/15). Grey College won by five wickets.
Affies 192/6 (Divan de Villiers 68, Arnu Breedt 46*, Jorich van Schalkwyk 22; Gerhardt Engelbrecht 2/35, Murray Hofmeyr 2/38); Menlopark 119/10 (Matt van der Westhuizen 35, Wian van Deventer 31, Steve Stolk 23; Jorich van Schalkwyk 3/8, SF Vermeulen 3/25, Ruben Groenewald 2/20). Affies won by 73 runs.
St Stithians 259/3 (Liam Mudenda 91, Thomas Rew 65*, Ombesa Matsha 48, Richard Seletswane 48; Wouter Kielblock 1/31); Hoërskool Centurion 129/10 (Rehan Lues 42; Thomas Collin 6/14, Aidan van der Westhuizen 2/18). St Stithians College won by 130 runs.
Westville Boys’ High 193/8 (Seth Simpson 58, Kaeden McAllister 57, Kyle McGough 33; Riley Miller 2/15, Franco Cronje 2/17); Waterkloof 184/6 (Wian Ruthven 45, Divan Behrens 39, Riley Miller 39, Marcus Bakker 28; Kyle McGough 2/6, Roxton Payne 2/32). Westville Boys’ High won by nine runs.
Grey College First XI. PHOTO: Grey College on Facebook
A new champion will be crowned at the Westvaal North/SouthTournament after Grey College‘s spin attack dethroned the defending champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof, at Camp Discovery on Saturday.
Having only scored 139/7 in their 20 overs, mostly thanks to a wonderful captain’s knock of 68 from 55 balls by the left-handed Ruben Maree, Grey faced a tough challenge against a dangerous batting lineup. However, the Bloemfontein boys had an ace up their sleeve. In fact, they had three aces.
After Waterkloof captain, Marcus Bakker climbed into the first over he faced, scoring 18 runs from those six balls, Maree turned to his magicians.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Darion Rabie made a crucial breakthrough when he got rid of Bakker in his first over. He also kept the Klofies’ batsman pegged down, finishing his four overs with an economical return of 2/13. Henru de Wet came on from the other end and tightened the screws, removing the dangerous Wian Ruthven and contributing another two wickets to finish with 2/23.
The Waterkloof applecart was, however, completely derailed after the first over bowled by 16-year-old leg spinner, Daniel Hattingh. He almost sealed the deal for Grey by snaring three wickets, two of which he owed to the spectacular fielding of Dale Williams, while conceding only a single.
Staring down the barrel at 92/9, Waterkloof youngster Rico van der Walt gave it everything he had. In an audacious attempt to rescue the game for the Pretoria side, he smashed four sixes and one four in an innings of 39. The collapse of the middle order, unfortunately for the defending champions, was too much to overcome and the last Waterkloof wicket fell with the total on a disappointing 112.
Grey Hgh School, from Gqeberha, produced an impressive performance to beat Westville Boys’ High by 40 runs in their quarterfinal. Kian Cambier led the way with a dominating batting performance at the top of the order.
In only 43 balls, Cambier smashed seven sixes and five fours as he raced to 92. His opening partner, Marco Giaconi, lent good support, making 36.
Westville’s opening pair, paceman Dayalan Boyce (2/28) and left-arm spinner Roxton Payne (2/22) brought their side back into the contest, but a much-needed 45 from 27 by Xander Elkington helped Grey High to a respectable 195/6.
Westville got off to a good start, thanks to Seth Simpson‘s 60 from only 28 deliveries, but the Grey bowlers kept their cool. Cambier did his bit again, snapping up 2/18, while Ben Ristow picked up 2/21 in three.
Unfortunately for the side from KwaZulu-Natal, who were unbeaten in the tournament until the quarterfinals, the rest of the batting lineup was unable to replicate Simpson’s heroics and they mustered only 155 all out, falling 41 runs short of their required target.
SACS picked up a well-deserved victory in their Western Cape clash against Paarl Boys’ High. A 79-run opening stand, led by most of Luke Whitehead‘s innings of 63, and a contribution of 46 from his partner Reeza Salie, set the tone for a seven-wicket win. It put them on the front foot and allowed Hamish Anderson to play within himself to score a decisive 39 not out.
Litha Kraai was the pick of the SACS bowlers, with 3/34, but only after suffering at the hands of Booishaai’s Johan Wege. The Paarl opening batsman batted wonderfully for his 86, smashing six fours and five sixes in 57 balls.
Shreshth Kumar‘s leg breaks and Ryan Young‘s purple patch with the bat helped Jeppe High Schoolfor Boys to a comfortable five-wicket win over St Andrew’s School.
Kumar captured 3/28 as the Bloemfontein side was restricted to only 131 all out. Young then settled Jeppe’s nerves after an early scare, top-scoring and hitting a second consecutive fifty for the Johannesburg school.
Summarised scorecards
Grey College 139/7 (Ruben Maree 68, Dale Williams 30; Marno Pienaar 2/26, Marcus Bakker 2/28); Waterkloof 112/10 (Rico van der Walt 39, Marcus Bakker 28; Daniel Hattingh 4/21, Darion Rabie 2/13, Henru de Wet 2/23). Grey College won by 27 runs.
Grey High School 195/6 (Kian Cambier 92, Xander Elkington 45*, Marco Giaconi 36; Roxton Payne 2/22, Dayalan Boyce 2/28); Westville Boys’ High 155/10 (Seth Simpson 60, Tristin Delvin 30, Sean McGough 24; Kian Cambier 2/18, Benjamin Ristow 2/21, Likhona Gcora 2/30). Grey High School won by 40 runs.
Paarl Boys’ High 182/6 (Johan Wege 86, JJ van der Sandt 30, Christiaan Visagie 30; Litha Kraai 3/34); SACS 183/3 (Luke Whitehead 63, Reeza Salie 46, Hamish Anderson 39*; Aden Batt 2/20). SACS won by seven wickets.
St Andrew’s School 131 (Jonathan Hickley 29, Heidre Serfontein 23, FG Botha 21; Shreshth Kumar 3/28); Jeppe High School for Boys 135/5 (Ryan Young 52, Jeremiah Marshall 28, Munib Ayob 20*; Jonathan Hickley 3/18, Cullen Kakora 2/40). Jeppe High School for Boys won by five wickets.
An interesting battle awaits between the two highest-scoring teams at the Westvaal North/South Tournament after Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) and Menlopark claimed victories to make their way into the semi-finals.
Affies’ captain, Divan de Villiers, led from the front as he and his side smashed St Stithians College by a massive 113 runs.
De Villiers scored a second century of the week and it led Affies to an intimidating 219/3 from their 20 overs. He took only 55 balls to reach 126, hitting 21 boundaries, including 12 fours and nine sixes.
Jorich van Schalkwyk, his opening partner, was also in fine form and brought up his third half-century of the tournament, contributing 66 runs to a 181-run opening stand, which lasted 16 overs.
Then, the Pretoria side rubbed salt into the Saints’ wounds when they took to the field. St Stithians lost three wickets for only one run in the first two overs and the writing was on the wall. Zian Labuschagne, who was given a chance with the new ball, snapped up an impressive 3/11 in two overs, while SF Vermeulen bowled well to capture 3/28 in three.
A further two wickets from Van Schalkwyk put the final nail in the coffin as the Johannesburg school slumped to 106 all out.
If Hoërskool Menlopark’s opening pair continues with their destructive form it might be difficult for anyone to stop them. In their quarterfinal against Hoërskool Centurion, it was again the partnership of Steve Stolk and Willem Sevenster that saw the Parkies over the line. Stolk continued his destructive hitting, blasting a belligerent 64 from just 29 balls.
He, however, found himself in the shadow of Sevenster, who raced along, smashing an entertaining 85 runs from just 35 deliveries. Wian van Deventer, who’s also been on song, added another 33 runs to help the Parkies tally 235/9.
Amid the chaos, Woeries found a bright star in Carlo Kotze, who bowled the spell of his life. He claimed the first five-wicket haul of the tournament, sending six Menlopark batsmen back to the pavilion while conceding only 26 runs in his four overs.
Facing a tough run chase, Centurion opening batsman Jayden Potgieter went hard at the Menlopark bowling, cracking 57 from only 21 balls.
However, the off-spin of young Murray Hofmeyr and Morné Koekemoer brought a stop to their opposition’s free-scoring ways. Hofmeyr continued his fine form, snapping up 3/29 from four, while Koekemoer claimed three wickets in nine balls and gave up only five runs as Centurion was dismissed for 137.
Herman Hesse destroyed the Rondebosch Boys’ High batting lineup to secure Potchefstroom Volkskool their first victory of the tournament. He boasted a return of 5/18, to become the second bowler to pick up a five-four in the North/South, and that played a massive role in the side from the Western Cape crumbling to 127 all out.
Batting first, Eduan van der Merwe was the Volkies’ main contributor with the bat, scoring 50 on the dot, while Kobus Pienaar weighed in with a vital 34 not out as Volkskool tallied 170/7, which meant that Hesse and company had something to bowl at. Daniel Bosman was the sole standout for Rondebosch, top-scoring with an unbeaten 59.
Meanwhile, the lanky Michail Tarentaal continued his impressive form with the ball to help Wynberg to a 30-run win over Northwood. Tarentaal bagged 3/33 as the Knights were bowled out for 142 defending 172/2. Moosa Gabriels had batted confidently for 51, while Divan Linde made a quickfire 35.
Pride Buthelezi was the Durban school’s mainstay with the ball, picking up three wickets. Thomas Oosthuizen, with 35, and Ross McGlashan, with 31, resisted stubbornly, but another three wickets from Luke Kleinsmith delivered the final blow to ensure a Wynberg victory.
Summarised scorecards
Affies 219/3 (Divan de Villiers 126, Jorich van Schalkwyk 66; Nqaba Matunda 2/26); St Stithians College 106 (Ombesa Matsha 36, Liam Mudenda 21; Zian Labuschagne 3/11, SF Vermeulen 3/28, Jorich van Schalkwyk 2/31). Affies won by 113 runs.
Menlopark 235/9 (Willem Sevenster 85, Steve Stolk 64, Wian van Deventer 33; Carlo Kotze 6/26; Wouter Kielblock 2/31); Hoërskool Centurion 137 (Jayden Potgieter 56, Anton Stassen 24, Charl Prinsloo 23; Morné Koekemoer 3/5, Murray Hofmeyr 3/29). Menlopark won by 98 runs.
Potchefstroom Volkskool 170/7 (Eduan van der Merwe 50, Kobus Pienaar 34*, Louis van Wyk 20; Tim Short 3/15, Declan Gillespie 2/33); Rondebosch Boys’ High 127 (Daniel Bosman 59*; Herman Hesse 5/18, Dian Liebenberg 2/21). Potchefstroom Volkskool won by 43 runs.
Wynberg Boys’ High 172/7 (Moosa Gabriels 51, Divan Linde 35, Shadley Allie 21; Pride Buthelezi 3/27, Nqobani Mokoena 2/23, Jordan Matthews 2/33); Northwood 142 (Thomas Oosthuizen 35, Ross McGlashan 31, Kyle White 22; Michail Tarentaal 3/33, Luke Kleinsmith 3/22, Divan Linde 2/10). Wynberg Boys’ High won by 30 runs.
Richard Seletswane during the ICC u19 Men’s World Cup between South Africa and England at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on January 23, 2024. Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images.
The Affies Oval continued to deliver a run-fest on Friday afternoon, day two of the Westvaal North/South Tournament.
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Squaring off with Rondebosch Boys’ High in a crucial encounter in Pool A, St Stithians College needed a win and Richard Seletswane took care of business.
Opening the batting, the SA u19 batsman wasted no time in putting the visitors from the Western Cape under enormous pressure.
Facing only 67 deliveries, Seletswane smashed 13 sixes and 10 fours to make his way to 149 not out, the second-highest individual score of the tournament thus far.
Chipping in with 31 and 26* respectively, Thomas Rew and Tasheen Hanslo supported Seletswane’s special knock to have the scoreboard singing their praises at 237/3 at the end of 20 overs.
The fun was not over, however. Rondebosch’s Daniel Bosman answered with a scintillating innings of 71 from 35 balls, while Joshua Neill smashed a 24-ball 46 to push Saints all the way. The difference between the two sides proved to be the bowling of Nqaba Matunda, who snapped up 4/39, and Zakier Hanslo, who took 2/35, which helped restrict Rondebosch to 214/9.
Hoërskool Menlopark‘s opening pair, Steve Stolk and Willem Sevenster, lifted them to another mammoth total and ultimately a 28-run victory over Grey High School. Stolk, as he did in the morning, did not hang around, striking eight sixes in his 89 from just 40 balls.
Sevenster was right on his heels, smashing 12 boundaries in a quickfire 80, which was another key contribution, as the Parkies tallied 244/5 in their 20 overs.
Facing a huge victory target, Grey High’s Tristan Grundling followed the same attacking blueprint, a method that seemed to suit him well. He smashed the ball to all parts of the CBC Old Boys Oval in a 50-ball 95, coming up just short of what would’ve been a magnificent century.
Anfred Jansen gave the side from Qheberha a glimmer of hope with his 67, but a mini-collapse in the middle order, brought on by two wickets from Ewald Meyer, proved costly.
Westville Boys’ High handed Hoërskool Centurion their first defeat of the tournament soaring past the 168 they required for victory with six wickets in hand to maintain their winning streak.
Captain Nicandro Kistna was the main contributor with the ball, snapping up 3/27, while Max Robertson led the run chase with an expertly constructed 72 from 47 balls. A rapid 41 from Sean McGough ensured there would be no stopping the side from KwaZulu-Natal.
The in-form Paul James smashed the ball every which way on the Camp Discovery Oval as Wynberg Boys’ High convincingly beat the struggling Potchefstroom Volkskool by six wickets. He needed just 27 balls to get to his 59 runs. James combined nicely with his opening partner Storme van Rooyen (44) to break the backbone of the chase with a 77-run opening stand.
A further 24 runs from Beni Hansen sealed the deal as the Capetonians, batting at a rate of 9.7 runs per over, overhauled the required target of 148 in the 16th over.
Their victory was set up by a pivotal spell of 2/11 from opening bowler, Michail Tarentaal, who, with his extra bounce and movement off the deck, had the Volkies’ batsmen jumping all over.
Fixtures Day 3 – Saturday:
Quarter Final 1: Waterkloof vs Grey College – Camp Discovery Quarter Final 2: Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) vs St Stithians – Sinoville Quarter Final 3: Westville Boys High vs Grey High School – Affies Oval Quarter Final 4: Menlopark vs Centurion – Harlequins
Other Games:
Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Andrew’s School – CBC Old Boys
Paarl Boys High vs SACS – Waterkloof
Rondebosch Boys High vs Potchefstroom Volkskool
Wynberg vs Northwood – Menlopark
Summarised scorecards
St Stithians College 237/3 (Richard Seletswane 149*, Thomas Rew 31, Tasheen Hanslo 26*; Daniel Bosman 1/20); Rondebosch Boys’ High 214/9 (Daniel Bosman 71, Joshua Neill 46, Daniel Cooke 22, Declan Gillespie 20; Nqaba Matunda 4/39, Zakier Hanslo 2/35, Tendai Kadyamadare 2/44). St Stithinas College won by 23 runs.
Menlopark 244/5 (Steve Stolk 89, Willem Sevenster 80, Wian van Deventer 42, Marcus De Aguiar 20*; Anfred Jansen 2/38); Grey High School 216/7 (Tristan Grundling 95, Anfred Jansen 67*; Ewald Meyer 2/33, Pierre de Villiers 2/36). Menlopark won by 28 runs.
Hoërskool Centurion 167/7 (Charl Prinsloo 55, Anton Stassen 55, Rehan Lues 21*; Nicandro Kristna 3/27, Sekou Shangase 2/18); Westville Boys’ High 169/4 (Max Robertson 72, Sean McGough 41, Kyle McGough 29*; Rehan Lues 2/23, Charl Prinsloo 2/34). Westville Boys High won by six wickets.
Potchefstroom Volkskool 147/7 (Attie Liebenberg 44, Louis van Wyk 41, Eduan van der Merwe 33; Michail Tarentaal 2/11); Wynberg Boys’ High 148/4 (Paul James 59, Storme van Rooyen 44, Beni Hansen 24; Diaan van der Merwe 2/30). Wynberg Boys High won by six wickets.
At the end of 40 overs, there was nothing to separate St Andrew’s School and Paarl Boys’ High as their match on Friday afternoon finished in a tense tie.
The winner would, thus, be decided in a super-over, which finished with the Western Cape boys victorious.
Saints’ Naudé Botha followed up his half-century in the morning game against Hoërksool Menlopark with another innings of 52, which included eight boundaries and a strike rate of just over 200.
His opening partner, Andrew Sobiech, lent a crucial helping hand, contributing 31 from just 12 balls as the duo combined for a 67-run opening stand.
After the pair’s demise, the Bloemfontein boys lost wickets at regular intervals, which affected their momentum. A skillful bowling performance from Pieter Gildenhuys, who captured 4/30 in four overs, undermined the Saints’ batting effort.
Although expensive, opening bowler Daniel Lombard chipped in with two wickets but St Andrew’s passed the 200-run mark. Then, Saints’ opening bowler JC Young had Paarl Boys wobbling on 1/2, picking up both of his wickets in the first over.
Those early departures, however, gave Dian van der Westhuizen time to let loose. In only 60 balls, the Paarl top-order batsman smashed an entertaining 118 not out, which featured eight fours and eight sixes.
JJ van der Sandt weighed in with 53 to help his side match the 201 put up by St Andrew’s, which sent the match to a super-over.
Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) secured bragging right over their old foe, Grey College, thanks to a disciplined bowling performance.
The talented Affies left-hander, Vihan Pretorius, batted patiently and gradually accelerated his run-scoring rate until his demise for a well-played 62, the top score for the local team. Jorich van Schalkwyk fell six runs short of a third consecutive 50, contributing 44, while Janco Purchase hit a few bombs to help Affies to what might have seemed like a below-par total of 171/7. Sicelo Matayi did the bulk of the damage for Grey, completing his four overs with figures of 3/30.
The Grey top order all made starts. Pieter Smith led the way with 26, but a collapse in the middle order, orchestrated by the off-spin of Jorich van Schalkwyk, which brought him a return of 3/22, saw the Bloemfontein school slump to 126 all out, 46 runs short of the required target.
Meanwhile, half-centuries from Divan Behrens and Marcus Bakker led Waterkloof to their third victory on the trot, this time by six wickets over Northwood.
Behrens, as always, displayed his flair in a brisk 57 from 38 deliveries while Bakker showed signs of his destructive best, lashing 55 from only 23 balls. Northwood’s Nqobani Mokoena continued his fine form with the ball, claiming two wickets for 25 runs.
Allistair Duncan was a shining light with the bat for the Durban boys, top-scoring with 45. Mason Storm deserved a pat on the back, too, after his contribution of 41 towards the end of the innings, which gave his side something to bowl at. But it wasn’t enough against the formidable Waterkloof batting lineup.
A superb spell of 4/11 from Luke Kent-Brown lifted Jeppe High School for Boys to their first victory of the tournament.
Defending 160, thanks to a well-played 55 from Ryan Young, Kent-Brown and his new ball partner Matthew Costa (3/14) shared seven wickets between them to dismantle the SACS batting lineup as Jeppe recorded a 37-run victory.
Fixtures Day 3 – Saturday:
Quarter Final 1: Waterkloof vs Grey College – Camp Discovery Quarter Final 2: Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) vs St Stithians – Sinoville Quarter Final 3: Westville Boys High vs Grey High School – Affies Oval Quarter Final 4: Menlopark vs Centurion – Harlequins
Other Games:
Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Andrew’s School – CBC Old Boys
Paarl Boys High vs SACS – Waterkloof
Rondebosch Boys High vs Potchefstroom Volkskool
Wynberg vs Northwood – Menlopark
Summarised scorecards
St Andrew’s School 201/10 (Naudé Botha 52, Andrew Sobiech 31, Leon Athanasiou 21; Pieter Gildenhuys 4/30, Daniel Lombard 2/33); Paarl Boys’ High 201/6 (Dian van der Westhuizen 118*, JJ van der Sandt 53; Mosa Maqunqi 2/30, JC Young 2/40). Paarl Boys’ High won in the super-over.
Affies 171/7 (Vihan Pretorius 62, Jorich van Schalkwyk 44, Janco Purchase 30; Sicelo Matayi 3/30, Otto Krause 2/21); Grey College 126/10 (Pieter Smit 26, Ruben Maree 25, Daniel Hattingh 22; Jorich van Schalkwyk 3/22, SF Vermeulen 2/20, Divan de Villiers 2/26). Affies won by 45 runs.
Northwood 153/10 (Allistair Duncan 45, Mason Storm 41; Marno Pienaar 3/25, Marcus Bakker 2/23, Ruan Ferreira 2/25); Waterkloof 154/4 (Divan Behrens 57, Marcus Bakker 55; Nqobani Mokoena 2/25, Pride Buthelezi 2/40). Waterkloof won by six wickets.
Jeppe High School for Boys 159/9 (Ryan Young 55, Sipho Potsane 34, Jeremiah Marshall 31; Ulrich Roth 4/31, Hamish Anderson 2/18); SACS 122/10 (Luke Whitehead 32, Abhay Kalan 25; Luke Kent-Brown 4/11, Matthew Costa 3/14). Jeppe High School for Boys won by 37 runs.
Hoërskool Waterkloof‘s Wian Ruthven began by doing most of the damage with the ball for his side.
Playing at Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool and knowing that the side from Johannesburg would be looking to get off to a dominating start, Ruthven was thrown the ball to see how Saints would cope with his off-spin.
It was a gamble that paid off as he quickly dismissed the Saints’ top three, snapping up 3/24 in his four overs. He then put them to the sword when opening the batting. Playing some exquisite strokes, especially straight, the talented Titans’ u18 batsman wasted no time breaking the backbone of the 195-run chase.
Ruthven needed only 47 balls to bring up his century with a trademark pull shot. He was eventually run out for 106 from only 49 deliveries, which had included 10 fours and eight sixes.
He and his long-time batting partner Divan Behrens enjoyed their time together out in the middle. Behrens let Ruthven lead the assault as he contributed a classy 45 from 32 balls in the pair’s match-winning 147-run partnership.
Left-arm spinner, Marcus Bakker shone with the ball, too, claiming two wickets in the penultimate over to finish with a return of 2/19.
Saints’ Tasheen Hanslo batted superbly to get his side out of their hole after Ruthven’s spell. Striking at 172, the number five batsman creamed eight fours and four sixes in his classy 83. Aidan van der Westhuizen supported him well with a mix of power-hitting and elegant strokes in an innings of 63.
Daniel Cooke batted Rondebosch Boys’ High to their first victory of the tournament as his 83 helped them to a 25-run victory over Northwood. Cooke smashed seven sixes in his innings, which lasted only 44 deliveries. Nqobani Mokoena was, once again, the pick of the Northwood bowlers, snapping up three wickets and conceding only 26 runs.
David de Bruyn continued his good batting form from the first day. His 67, alongside Kyle White‘s 43, gave the side from Durban a glimmer of hope, but only until Hlumelo Mgweba set the Knights back by picking up 2/22 to restrict Northwood to 175/8.
Affies’ Jorich van Schalkwyk scored a second consecutive half-century to lead the Pretoria school to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Potchefstroom Volkskool. Vihan Pretorius was also among the runs again, batting sensibly for an unbeaten 44, as the pair steered their side to victory.
Eduan van der Merwe was the standout with the bat for the Volkies, finishing with an unbeaten 48. Berno de Klerk chipped in with 34, but Xavier de Wet and company kept the Potchefstroom side from getting going. De Wet snapped up two wickets while conceding only 18 runs.
Henru de Wet was at the forefront of another Grey College victory, this time by six wickets over Wynberg Boys’ High. His bowling will be a key feature in their forthcoming matches, especially in their afternoon showdown against their old foes, Affies. Snapping up 3/21, De Wet helped to limit the Cape Town school to 161, which was not enough on the batting-friendly track.
Christian Kind and Adem Nieuwoudt made light work of the chase. Kind top scored with 67, while Nieuwoudt batted well for his 48 to lead the Bloemfontein-based side to a second victory in as many games.
Summarised scorecards
St Stithians College 194/7 (Tasheen Hanslo 83, Aidan van der Westhuizen 63; Wian Ruthven 3/24, Marcus Bakker 2/19); Waterkloof 195/3 (Wian Ruthven 106, Divan Behrens 45; Tasheen Hanslo 1/39). Waterkloof won by seven wickets.
Rondebosch Boys’ High 200/8 (Daniel Cooke 83, Noah Heath 24, Tyler Heyns 21; Nqobani Mokoena 3/26, Mason Storm 2/33); Northwood 175/8 (David de Bruyn 67, Kyle White 43, Mason Storm 29; Hlumelo Mgweba 2/22). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by 25 runs.
Potchefstroom Volkskool 147/9 (Eduan van der Merwe 48*, Berno de Klerk 34, Arrie Liebenberg 20; Xavier de Wet 2/18, Divan de Villiers 2/21, Armin Snyman 2/24) Affies 149/2 (Jorich van Schalkwyk 51, Vihan Pretorius 44*, Ruben Groenewald 27*; Berno de Klerk 1/20). Affies won by eight wickets.
Wynberg Boys’ High 161/5 (Paul James 43, Beni Hansen 35, Storme van Rooyen 28, Xavier Garvs 25*; Henru de Wet 3/21); Grey College 162/4 (Christian Kind 67, Adem Nieuwoudt 48, Daniel Hattingh 27; Divan Linde 1/24). Grey College won by six wickets.
