Author: wilouw

The Eastern Province cricket season kicks off on Thursday with the Makhanda Cricket Festival, an annual event co-hosted by St Andrew’s College, Kingswood College, and Graeme College.

Watch the first game live on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the first match

The festival continues a rich feast of cricket for Makhanda, following on from the 2023 Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week, which took place in December, when the Central Gauteng Lions were crowned the champions.

Peterhouse School and Hellenic Academy have made the long trip from Zimbabwe and will face St Andrew’s and Kingswood respectively in their first outings.

Before the event begins for the other schools, Peterhouse takes on St Andrew’s in a two-day clash, starting on Wednesday.

St Andrew’s will be without their three provincial representatives from last year. Matriculants Sibusiso Mxube, Matthew Poole and Matthew Beamish represented College in the Eastern Province team at the Khaya Majola Week on home soil. Mxube subsequently earned himself a place in the Eastern Warriors team for the recently concluded CSA Cubs Week and helped the side to a third-place finish.

At last year’s Makhanda fest, Beamish made his intentions for 2023 clear by scoring two centuries in successive days. His younger brother, William, who was selected for the EP u16 side last year, will seek to emulate that success with St Andrew’s hosting the tournament this year.

Graeme College have lost their long-serving stalwart Aphiwe Mnyanda, who represented EP u19 for three consecutive years before matriculating in 2023.

Trinityhouse High School, will defend Gauteng’s strong reputation in Makhanda. They start their campaign against Graeme College on the opening day, followed by matches against Hudson Park and Kingswood College.

The games begin at 09:00 each day. All of them will be declaration matches, apart from Saturday, when teams may decide to play limited overs fixtures.

FIXTURES

u19

Thursday, 11 January (Time cricket)

St Andrew’s College vs Peterhouse School (Lower field) – (Two-day match)
Kingswood College vs Hellenic Academy (City Lords)
Graeme College vs Trinityhouse High School (Somerset)
Dale College vs Muir College (Knowling Field)
Hudson Park vs Woodridge College (Marais Field)

Friday, 12 January (Time cricket)

St Andrew’s College vs Muir College (Lower Field)
Kingswood College vs Peterhouse School (City Lords)
Graeme College vs Hellenic Academy (Somerset)
Woodridge College vs Dale College (Marais Field)
Hudson Park vs Trinityhouse High School (Knowling Field)

Saturday, 13 January (Mixed formats, teams decide)

St Andrew’s College vs Dale College (Lower Field)
Kingswood College vs Trinityhouse High School (City Lords)
Graeme College vs Peterhouse School (Somerset)
Woodridge College vs Muir College (Knowling Field)
Hellenic Academy vs Hudson Park (Marais Field)

Paul Roos Gimnasium have returned from an 11-day rugby tour of Ireland, with a clean record against their international opposition in preparation for the 2024 season.

While adding the likes of Munster to the list of names to have fallen to Paul Roos is a remarkable achievement in itself, the winning scorelines were a bonus and not the main objective of the tour.

“The boys chose ‘Growth’ and ‘Unity’ as our two objectives for the tour, and I think that is a fitting way to describe the tour,” said coach Corné Uys after they returned on Friday.

Upon their arrival in Ireland, they wasted no time before getting onto the field the very next day against Terenure College in their first match. Their hosts were up for the challenge and welcomed the travelling Maroon Machine to Ireland by putting up a massive fight in that opening fixture.

In a back-and-forth clash, Paul Roos scored a sensational winner in the dying moments to claim a hard-fought 29-24 victory.

That early run out did the Stellenbosch boys good, though, and they appeared to become more and more dominant as their tour progressed.

After their matches, the players also spent some time with their opponents to fully experience the rugby traditions in Ireland.

“It was an amazing opportunity for the boys to broaden their horizons and experience a completely different culture,” coach Uys said. They also had the chance to explore Ireland off of the pitch, spending time at the Dublin City Centre and the Galway Market during their visit, and going to see the Burren National Park, the Cliffs of Moher and Blarney Castle.

Of course, they also made the most of the rich rugby history in Ireland, with a guided tour of Munster’s Thomond Stadium, while also enjoying two European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) matches that coincided with their stay. The first was a clash between Connacht and Bordeaux, followed a day later by Munster against Bayonne.

Paul Roos’ two teams then took on teams from the north in their second games, tackling Wallace and Methody High respectively. By this time, the tourists had adjusted and found their rhythm as they trounced Wallace 27-3, while the 2nd XV downed Methody 12-5.

The third time out, the Stellenbosch boys took on the freshman team of the University College Cork and came away with a 17-point win.

Then, in their concluding match against Munster, Paul Roos started slowly, but an early score by the home side served as a wake-up call, which prompted the South Africans to seize control of the contest and assert their dominance over the Irish powerhouse.

The 2nd XV, too, were comfortable winners over the Munster 2nd XV.

“In general, though the circumstances were challenging, the people were all unbelievably friendly and welcoming. They love their rugby” said coach Uys.

“It is still early, and this is a very small sample size, but in challenging conditions (like the ones faced in Ireland) it is always important to have your basics in order. So, it was good to see how the players approached those areas and began getting the fundamentals in place.”

With some of their leading first-team players, like SA Schools’ loose-forward Riley Norton, not available for the tour, it was by no means a complete look at next year’s squad. It was, nonetheless, a very positive sign for the proud school from Stellenbosch, who will take the momentum of their successful tour into the forthcoming season, with a number of wins under their belt already.

RESULTS

Paul Roos 29, Terenure College 24 – Link to game
Paul Roos 27, Wallace High 3
Paul Roos 27, University College Cork Freshmen 10 – Link to game
Paul Roos 31, Munster 19 – Link to game

Paul Roos II 12, Methody High 5
Paul Roos II 34, Munster II 7

Paul Roos Gimnasium touring group: Jordan Africa, Sam Badenhorst, Adeeb Boraine, Hugo Coetzee, Joshua Dampies, Marquin de Klerk, Robert Doubell, Henry du Plessis, Malan Erasmus, Reece Heaton, Brent Heyens, Zac Hickman, Kaleb Holmes, Charl Holwill, Gert Kemp, Matthew Kleyn, Conrad Koegelenberg, Christian Kolbe, Luan Krige, Reuben Kruger, Derek Kuhn, Pierre Labuschagne, Divan Lambrecht, Jacques Loubser, Christiano Luizinho, Luchwayito Baliswana, Christiaan Moolman, Reinhardt Nel, Michael Potgieter, Altus Rabé, Oliver Reid, Truspe Schoeman, Ian Smith, Jordan Steenkamp, Jesse Stegehuis, Keenan Stoffels, Alec Toll, Dylan van Wyk, Dawid van Niekerk, Luke van Schoor, Gerrit van Vuuren, Luke Wilmot.

The 2023 World Schools Festival trophy will return to New Zealand for a second year in succession after Westlake Boys emulated Hamilton’s performance at the previous event.

They beat St Michael’s from Ireland 28-21 in Sunday’s final, after almost not progressing beyond the first round when they drew against Hartpury College from England. The tournament rules stipulated, though, that in the case of a draw the team that scored first would be declared the winner, and so they moved on.

Westlake beat Dr EG Jansen in the semis (25-16), while St Michael’s got the better of Oakdale (17-12) to reach the final at the Pattanna Sports Resort in Thailand.

The first try of the main event came after 11 minutes when the Kiwi flanker, Travis Findlay, handed off a defender and stormed over to give Westlake the lead.

In the first 30 minutes, St Michael’s was starved of opportunities, but they finally broke through in the second half, with Myles Berman dotting down.

When Berman got his second, with 20 minutes left to play, there was a marked shift in the momentum, but Westlake retook the lead through an exhilarating score by Jarlon Lesatele.

The two New Zealand Schools’ players in the Westlake side, captain James Cameron (centre) and Isaac Murray-Macgregor (fullback), both featured prominently for their team throughout the match.

With 10 minutes to play, the St Michael’s hooker, Duinn Maguire, made it a seven-point game, but a couple of missed opportunities meant that the Irish were unable to close the gap.

After deliberations between the teams and organisers, it was decided to shuffle the final day’s fixtures, to allow teams to play against international opponents, rather than EG Jansen and Oakdale playing for third, while Eton and Hartpury battled it out for fifth.

When Hartpury and EG Jansen met at the Kearsney Easter Festival earlier in the year, they shared a 28-28 draw, so this presented the sides with a golden opportunity to play a decider.

The rematch lived up to the expectations set by their first encounter.

After the dynamic Craven Week hooker, Danré Pike, showed off his sharp handling skills to send his winger Cameron van Wyk over for the opening try, the English responded immediately through Harry Tovey, who muscled over to open Hartpury’s account.

The Harpury forwards then drove big Ellis Allen over the line just before halftime to take a 12-5 lead into the break.

Early on in the second half, however, the Boksburg boys took back the control of the contest through two quickfire tries from Matthew Bergman (flyhalf) and their SA u19 Sevens star Jeandré Jacobs (centre).

Zade-Leigh Rippenaar, who also represented the Falcons at the Craven Week at eighth man, was industrious at the breakdown and made life difficult for Hartpury but the rest of the match was an arm wrestle.

With much of the play taking place inside EG Jansen’s half in the final 10 minutes, the Boksburgers had to defend their three-point advantage for dear life as wave upon wave of Hartpury attacks smashed against the EG Jansen defensive line.

After the regulation time had elapsed, the English team declined a penalty opportunity in front of the posts, not content to settle for another draw. It took every ounce of energy left in the EG Jansen boys to defend three more lineouts before they finally bundled a driving maul into touch to bring an end to the match and secure an epic victory in their final outing.

In the second last game of the day, it took less than three minutes for Sine Mdlankomo (hooker) to burst over the line for Oakdale as they took on the renowned Eton College. He made it a brace 10 minutes later when Eton lost the ball under pressure on their throw-in.

Two more tries in quick succession before halftime by their captain Kurt Coetzee and Ruhan Swart seemed to knock the wind out of the Eton boys, but they did well to regroup and get on the board just before the break.

Hunter Deane-Johns, the big loosehead prop from the London Irish Academy, dropped his shoulder and carried the ball right up to the Oakdale try line before Erik Estienne was able to burrow over.

The boys from Riversdal worked the ball around effectively in the second half, but a brilliant bit of athleticism by Isaak Manuel saw him sprint the length of the field to reduce the deficit further.

Oakdale’s only try in the second stanza came via winger Lee-Winn Pretorius, who left the Eton defenders grasping at air as he crossed the whitewash to seal the deal for his side.

In the Open Tournament final on Saturday, the South African Southern Legion team maintained their unblemished record with a 15-7 victory over the Rugby Travel Academy squad.

Dehan Neethling (fullback), from Stellenberg, was a standout player for the invitational squad, crossing for tries in every game his side played during the competition. They thumped the Dubai Tigers by 50-3 and the Odyssey Knights by 55-14 on their way to the final before seeing off their fellow South Africans to claim the title.

Other standouts for the Open champions were Durbanville’s Lian Jordaan (centre) and Happy Makate (flank).

SCORERS

Cup

St Michael’s 21 (0) – Tries: Myles Berman (2), Duinn Maguire. Conversions: Joe Quigley (3). Westlake Boys 28 (14) – Tries: Travis Findlay, Brooklyn Pohio, James Cameron, Jarlon Lesatele. Conversions: Isaac Murray-Macgregor (2), Tyler Pulini

Oakdale 33 (26) – Tries: Sine Mdlankomo (2), Ruan Swart, Kurt Coetzee, Lee-Winn Pretorius. Conversions: Kurt Coetzee (4) Eton College 14 (7) – Tries: Erik Estienne, Izaak Manuel. Conversions: Benji Bushnell (2)

EG Jansen 15 (5) – Tries: Cameron van Wyk, Matthew Bergman, Jeandré Jacobs. Hartpury 12 (12) – Tries: Harry Tovey, Ellis Allen. Conversions: Steff Jac Jones.

Cardiff & Vale 21 (21) – Tries: Kian Williams (2), Fin Hart. Conversions: Tom Hughes (3) Rugby Travel Academy 12 (0) – Tries: Raynard van Loggenberg (2). Conversions: Jayden de Leeuw

Open

Southern Legion 15 (12) – Tries: Desmond Milner, Dehan Neethling. Conversion: Armand Griessel. Penalty: Griessel.  RTA Barbarians 7 (7) – Try: Pieter Moller. Conversion: Jaedon de Leeuw.

KwaZulu-Natal asserted their dominance by beating the Titans for a second time in the unofficial title decider at the 2023 CSA u16 Boys Week on the Garden Route.

Watch all the action again on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

The Titans had made the final thanks to some spectacular bowling against Gauteng on the penultimate day, but they did not enjoy the same success against the KZN batsmen.

Tim Saulez, with 54, top scored as the KwaZulu-Natal boys posted a formidable 191. He was supported by solid contributions from Tuswa Pheta (35), Jayden Roux (28) and Kenzo Mchunu (25), as KZN produced their best performance when it mattered, beating the Titans more comfortably the second time around.

Westville Boys’ High left-arm spinner Roxton Payne tore through the Titans’ line-up, snaring five wickets for only 16 runs. His spectacular performance in the final pushed Payne’s wicket haul for the event to an impressive 14. In KZN’s previous match against the Titans, which they won by 56 runs, he bagged three sticks.

The hometown Garden Route Badgers did their supporters proud by earning promotion to the Platinum division next year.

Their final match against Free State was a thrilling battle that went down to the wire.

Joof Enslin rose to the occasion with a vital innings of 39 for the home side. Meanwhile, Otto Krause, who was a standout for the Free State team all week, matched the Badgers’ top scorer, but Liviwe Bawulie delivered a bowling masterclass to capture four crucial wickets early on.

Trent Huisamen was in on the action again as well, removing three Free State batsmen to help his side secure a nerve-wracking seven-run victory.

Huisamen’s 7/18 against North West will go down as the bowling performance of the tournament, while his teammate Enslin’s innings of 78 against Limpopo on the opening day was the highest score of the week.

Apart from Huisamen, nine other bowlers achieved five-wicket hauls. Cruz Pillay‘s figures of 5/11 against Northern Cape stand out, as does the 5/13 Diamantveld‘s Arno Mostert claimed against Mpumalanga.

Next, with only the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola u19 Cricket Week, among South Africa’s national youth weeks, still on the go, the attention will swing to the u19 World Cup which comes to South Africa in January next year.

SUMMARISED SCORECARDS (Day five)

KwaZulu-Natal 191 (Tim Saulez 54, Tuswa Pheta 35, Jayden Roux 28, Kenzo Mchunu 25; Eckard Struwig 3/27); Titans 105 (Xander Venter 14; Roxton Payne 5/16). KwaZulu-Natal won by 76 runs.

Western Province 221/7 (Noah Heath 57, Unathi Magoloza 50*, Daniel Cooke 50, Jadwyn Cona 3/39); Eastern Province 145 (Luke Hector 44, Cayden Wilson 43, Extras 23; Hlumelo Mgweba 4/21, Unathi Magoloza 2/19, Luke Kleinsmith 2/29). Western Province won by 76 runs.

Garden Route Badgers 145 (Joof Enslin 39, Keano Coerecius 26, Extras 26; Otto Krause 2/10, FG Botha 2/23, Onalenna Molale 2/33); Free State 138 (Otto Krause 39, Extras 23; Liviwe Bawulie 4/16, Trent Huisamen 3/26). Garden Route Badgers won by seven runs.

Boland 160/7 (Marco Cato 30*, Gideon du Toit 25, Extras 24, Luca Plekker 23; Wian Pieters 3/27, Abdullah Tadwalla 2/34); Easterns 77 (Clayton Horlick 20, Extras 20; Owethu Moyi 3/10, Luca Plekker 3/22). Boland won by 83 runs.

Mpumalanga 92/9 (Pieter Viljoen 43; Arno Mostert 5/13, Ikanyeng Mothloko 2/23); Northern Cape 61/8 (Joze Beukes 13*; Katlego Baloyi 3/15, Eduan Strydom 2/11). Match abandoned – No result.

Gauteng vs KwaZulu-Natal Inland – Match abandoned.

Border vs North West – Match abandoned.

Limpopo vs Kei – Match abandoned.

FIVE WICKET HAULS

7/11 – Trent Huisamen (Garden Route Badgers vs North West)
5/11 – Cruz Pillay (Easterns vs Northern Cape)
5/13 – Arno Mostert (Northern Cape vs Mpumalanga)
5/16 – Roxton Payne (KZN vs Titans)
5/20 – Abdullah Tadwalla (Easterns vs Northern Cape)
5/20 – Njabulo Maseko (Limpopo vs Garden Route Badgers)
5/22 – Kyle White (KZN vs KZN Inland)
5/23 – Asemahle Madikazi (Kei vs North West)
5/32 – Teddy Khoza (Limpopo vs Easterns)
5/36 – Nicholas Baker (KZN vs Free State)

With a win on Saturday, the Gauteng Lions maintained their perfect record to be crowned the 2023 CSA u16 Girls Week champions after a battle fitting of a final against Easterns in Pietermaritzburg.

Relive all the action on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

Fay Cowling, as she often did during the week, played a key innings as the Lions tallied 86/6 in their 18 available overs.

With all but one other match being cancelled due to rain, she impressed with an unbeaten 48 in in conditions that clearly favoured the bowlers.

Micaela Edwards, with an innings of 35, and Mieke van Voorst, with 20, made a valiant attempt to take their side past the required total, but Leani Swanepoel‘s four overs put the skids on the Easterns’ run chase. She sent four batters packing at crucial moments and vitally, too, conceded only 10 runs.

After the completion of their overs, the Eastern Storm were agonisingly close to the Lions’ total, finishing a mere six runs shy of their target.

The only other contest that took place was a crucial clash between Boland and Eastern Province to decide who would earn a spot in the Platinum division in 2024.

Despite Liyema Gqirana showing her class and taking three Boland wickets, Janel Steenkamp played a composed and unbeaten 35 to see her team across the line.

Apart from the claiming the Cup, the Gauteng Lions also picked up a number of other awards. Fay Cowling was selected as the best all-rounder of the week, as well as the best fielder.

Her teammate, Neo Molefe, who scored back-to-back centuries without losing her wicket in the opening two games, was honoured as both the cricketer and batter of the week.

The bowler of the tournament was Eastern Province’s Danika Marais, who took seven wickets to help EP to a three-run victory over KZN Inland in a thriller on day three.

The event was an excellent showcase of the young talent in the women’s youth cricket programme in South Africa. With the appetite for the women’s game heating up locally and worldwide, the national youth weeks provide opportunities and potential stepping stones for some within South Africa’s ever-growing ranks of young cricketers to potentially stake a claim for a future in professional sports.

For others, it will have been a cherished and rare opportunity to play alongside and test themselves against some of the top u16 girls’ cricketers in the country.

SUMMARISED SCORECARD (Day five)

Gauteng Lions 86/6 (Fay Cowling 48*; Ashleigh Van Wyk 2/28); Easterns 81/7 (Micaela Edwards 34, Mieke van Voorst 20; Leani Swanepoel 4/10). Gauteng Lions won by 5 runs.

Eastern Province 78/5 (Extras 21, Tara Nel 19*; Cornelia Destroo 1/6); Boland 79/4 (Janel Steenkamp 35*; Liyema Gqirana 3/26). Boland won by six wickets.

AWARDS

Cup winners: Gauteng Lions
Cricketer of the week: Neo Molefe (Gauteng Lions)
All-rounder of the week: Fay Cowling (Gauteng Lions)
Bowler of the week: Danica Marais (Eastern Province)
Batter of the week: Neo Molefe (Gauteng Lions)
Fielder of the week: Fay Cowling (Gauteng Lions)

Gauteng continued its dominance at the CSA u16 Girls Week in Pietermaritzburg on Friday. With another solid victory, this time over Boland, the Gauteng ladies kept their record neat and unblemished.

Watch all the action live on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

Batting first, Boland’s efforts to force an uncomfortable run chase on the Lions never got off the ground.

They lost wickets regularly in the face of a committed Gauteng fielding performance, which left the girls from the Cape on 81 for 9 from their 20 overs. Leani Swanepoel, with 3/10, led the Lions’ attack, while Thutu Thibedi, with 2/3, and Tana Burne, with 2/19, delivered further breakthroughs for Gauteng.

Fay Cowing, a consistent run scorer throughout the week, then delivered another excellent knock, striking an unbeaten 54 from 51 deliveries, to steer the Lions to a comfortable four-wicket win.

Meanwhile, Hannah Warner‘s excellent all-round contributions spurred KZN to a win over KZN Inland.

She took 2/3, and Aleah Govender claimed 2/4, as any momentum provided by Siphokazi Xaba‘s fine 39 was lost in a flurry of falling wickets in the latter stages of the Inland innings of 81 for 7.

Warner followed up on her bowling success with 20 runs from the bat. That was the vital support Shreeya Subbiah, who top scored with 38, needed to steer KZN to the local rivalry honours by eight wickets.

Lillie Blignaut stood firm as all around her wickets tumbled and batters scrambled for runs in the match between Mpumalanga and Kei.

Blignaut made 34 but received precious little support as Kei were limited to a meagre 56 for 6 in their innings.

Needing just 57 to win, all that was required was one innings of substance and Enkosi Mditswa’s 21 was enough, to take Mpumalanga to a victory in their final outing of the week.

With rain soaking the fields in the area, only two games will be contested on the final day.

It will be Gauteng and Easterns doing battle for the title, while Eastern Province and Boland will duel for a place in the Platinum Group at next year’s event.

SUMMARISED SCORECARDS (Day four)

Boland 81/9 (Extras 19, Cornelia Destroo 17; Leani Swanepoel 3/10, Thuto Thibedi 2/3, Tana Burne 2/19); Gauteng Lions 86/6 (Fay Cowling 54*; Kezia Jordaan 2/20). Gauteng Lions won by four wickets.

Limpopo 77/7 (Extras 31, Karabo Monyela 11; Oletha Cindi 2/13); Easterns 81/6 (Extras 26, Mieke van Voorst 18*; Respect Mabasa 2/18, Murisi Rikhotso 2/25). Easterns won by four wickets.

KZN Inland 81/7 (Siphokazi Xaba 39; Hannah Warner 2/3, Aleah Govender 2/4); KZN 82/2 (Shreeya Subbiah 38, Hannah Warner 20; Nothando Khumalo 1/2). KZN won by eight wickets.

Titans 85 (Extras 28, Jane Verhage 14; Estelle Russouw 3/13, Ashline Titus 2/14, Miya Lalor 2/18); Western Province 86/4 (Imaan van Schalkwyk 25; Gabrielle Sequiera 3/16). Western Province won by six wickets.

Mpumalanga 56/6 (Lillie Blignault 34; Papama Zinyosi 2/11, Qhawe Tenjwa 2/11); Kei 57/5 (Enkosi Mditswa 21; Omphile Mandi 2/5). Kei won by five wickets.

North West 98 (Extras 25, Ayanda Mosothoane 22; Inam Sigede 2/14); Garden Route Badgers 47/3 (Tiché Frans 21*; Lesedi Loate 1/10). Garden Route Badgers won by Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

Northern Cape 35/2 (Chloe Nagel 16; Kekeletso Mohapi 1/4); Free State 37/1 (Leoze Lottering 19*; Remoneilwe Gabobonwe 1/24). Free State won by nine wickers. (Reduced overs)

Eastern Province vs Border – Match abandoned

Westlake Boys from New Zealand and Ireland’s St Michael’s will face each other in the final of the 2023 World Schools Festival in Thailand on Sunday after cutting short the South African challenge for the title in Friday’s semi-finals.

In the first semi-final of the day, Dr EG Jansen were on the scoreboard first after their winger, Cameron van Wyk, slotted an early penalty to ensure they weren’t caught unawares like the New Zealanders’ first opponents.

Westlake had made it to the semi-finals thanks to a late comeback draw against Hartpury on the opening day, with the tournament rules stipulating that the first team to score advances in the event of an undecided match.

Later in the game, brilliant interplay between Van Wyk and hooker, Danré Pike, led to EG Jansen’s first try, which helped them regain the lead after Iggy Iversen had opened Westlake’s account.

Their two New Zealand Schools’ representatives, captain James Cameron (centre) and Isaac Murray-Macgregor (fullback), showed their class in the second half as Westlake took control of the contest. In the end, they beat the Boksburg boys 25-16.

St Michael’s demonstrated their intent early on, scoring in less than three minutes through Irish international Ethan Black.

Oakdale was starved of possession in the first 10 minutes until their captain Kurt Coetzee (centre) took matters into his own hands by bursting through to score.

Kai Pratt, Oakdale’s young loosehead prop, was a standout again. Early in the second half, he crossed the whitewash for a five-pointer, which brought the boys from Riversdal back into the game. The Irish side kept piling on the pressure, however, with their game-breaking flyhalf, Joe Quigley, pulling the strings to see St Michael’s to a thrilling 17-12 victory.

This means the two South African schools will do battle for third place in the playoffs on Sunday, while Westlake will seek to emulate Hamilton Boys’ victory in the 2022 World Schools Festival and return the cup to New Zealand. They will need to deliver their best performance of the week, however, if they are to upset a St Michael’s team which hasn’t revealed any chinks in its armour.

The South African teams in the Open had a more successful time on Thursday. Southern Legion continued their dominant run with a decisive win over the Odyssey Knights (55-14) in which Durbanville’s Lian Jordaan caught the eye by crossing the line twice for his team.

Both Rugby Travel Academy teams in the Open also won their matches, beating the Odyssey Spartans (27-7) and the Dubai Tigers (38-24) respectively.

With the squads being mixed to give everyone time to rest and recover, Raynard van Loggenberg scored for RTA in both games.

The RTA boys showed resilience to come from behind to take victory on both occasions.

The Dubai Tigers’ captain Marcus Guerin and his side gave the South Africans a good challenge, but a hattrick by Marno du Plessis, from Hoërskool Nelspruit, was enough to see them take the win.

Guerin is a particularly rare find in that he is a captain who plays lock, jumps in the lineout, handles the kicking responsibilities, and falls into the midfield on the attack.

The action in the Open tournament continues on Saturday before the Cup finals take place on Sunday.

SCORERS

Cup

 St Michaels 17 (14) – Tries: Ethan Black, Riain Coogan. Conversions: Joe Quigley (2). Penalty: Quigley. Oakdale 12 (5) – Tries: Kurt Coetzee, Kai Pratt. Conversion: Warren Labuschagne.

Westlake Boys 25 (10) – Tries; Iggy Iversen, Tyler Pulini, Casey Good, Travis Findlay. Conversions: Isaac Murray-Macgregor. Penalty: Murray-Macgregor. EG Jansen 16 (8) – Tries: Cameron van Wyk, Jeandre Jacobs. Penalties: Van Wyk, Matthew Bergman.

Hartpury 29 (17) – Tries: Ruben Cummings, Caio James, Harry Tovey, Charlie Manship, Taite Fortey. Conversion: Hugh Jones, Fortey. Rugby Travel Academy 14 (0) – Tries: Reinhardt Venter, Jayden de Leeuw. Conversions: De Leeuw (2).

Eton College 24 (19) – Tries: Guy McMullen, Chinonso Ogbunude, Izaak Manuel, Hunter Deane-Johns. Conversions: Benji Bushnell (2). Cardiff & Vale 12 (5) – Tries: Tom Hughes, Kian Williams. Conversion: Hughes.

Open

Southern Legion 55 (29) – Tries: Lian Jordaan (2), Armand Pretorius, Happy Makate, Dehan Neethling, Jacques Benadie, Cody Petersen, WJ Buitendag, Ewan Korb. Conversion: Rynhardt Uys (2), Armand Griessel (2), Ewan Korb. Odyssey Knights 14 (7) – Tries: Rohan Sheldon, Douglas Searles Jnr. Conversion: Ryder Donovan (2)

Rugby Travel Academy Invitational 27 (5) – Tries: Taboka Makhobotloane, Luhann van Rensburg, Chad Leukes, Raynard van Loggenberg, Redifentse Mokoene. Conversion: Van Rensburg. Odyssey Spartans 7 (7) – Try: Zach Smith.

Rugby Travel Academy Barbarians 38 (14) – Tries: Marno du Plessis (3), Pieter Moller, Raynard van Loggenberg. Conversions: Jaedon de Leeuw (4). Dubai Tigers 24 (14) – Tries: Sonny Hudson Allen, Matteo Garcia, Livio de Divitiis. Conversion: Marcus Guerin (3). Penalty: Guerin.

The players made the most of a brief break from the rain on Thursday at the 2023 CSA u16 Girls Week in Pietermaritzburg, with some sparkling individual performances lighting up the day.

The Gauteng Lions continued to assert their dominance with another big win and Ashleigh van Wyk joined the list of centurions at this year’s event as she drove Easterns to a victory over Northern Cape.

Watch all the action live on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

Van Wyk blasted 23 boundaries, including six maximums, for the top score of the day, contributing 148 to her team’s massive 350/8.

Mieke van Voorst added 49 to further compound a massive challenge for Northern Cape.

Bowlers’ Tharsinii Sagathevan, Kananelo Mokoena and Micaela Edwards then combined effectively to cut short any hope of a miracle chase and secure a lopsided victory for the Eastern Storm girls.

The Gauteng Lions’ Fay Cowling and Neo Molefe demolished Western Province, with both recording unbeaten centuries. Molefe, who has yet to lose her wicket at this year’s event, scored her second ton in as many matches.

Danica Marais excelled for Eastern Province, capturing seven wickets in a thrilling battle against KwaZulu-Natal Inland.

She and Tara Nel wreaked havoc on the KZN Inland batting, but Tana Sinclair launched an inspired solo fightback attempt, tallying an undefeated 50 runs to take her side to within four runs of victory. Unfortunately for Sinclair, she had to watch helplessly from the non-striker’s end as the final wicket fell.

With more rain expected on day four, the scheduled T20 fixtures will be moved to ensure everyone gets at least one game in on Friday.

SUMMARISED SCORECARDS (Day three)

Free State 98 (Leoze Lottering 33, Zanelle Carelsen 26; Hannah Warner 4/12, Zukiswa Msiya 2/4, Ziyanda Xula 2/6); KwaZulu-Natal 85 (Hannah Warner 58; Lebogang Thoabala 3/24, Lebohang Rakoeane 2/17, Carlin Pienaar 2/26). Free State won by 13 runs.

Limpopo 172 (Extras 59, Blondy Baloyi 32, Respect Mabasa 22, Renet Schoeman 20; Elam Mbetshu 3/28, Azomila Silera 2/15, Lathitha Swartbooi 2/27, Unakho Gwala 2/36); Border 74 (Extras 24 Lathitha Swartbooi 15; D Robson 3/2, Murisi Rikhotso 3/37. Limpopo won by 98 runs.

Gauteng Lions 281/2 (Fay Cowling 109*, Neo Molefe 107*, Keabetwe Hlake 24; Jade Wyngaard 1/34); Western Province 125 (Imaan van Schalkwyk 35, Onke Batwa 32, Extras 29; Nosiphiwe Mashele 3/21, Thuto Thibedi 2/33). Gauteng Lions won by 156 runs.

Garden Route Badgers 87 (Extras 32; Charmaine Shongwe 2/8, Hayley Havenga 2/9); Mpumalanga 91/4 (Jessica Staubli 25*, Lillie Blignault 20; Nadia Wentzel 2/18). Mpumalanga won by six wickets.

Titans 46 (Extras 15, Gabrielle Sequiera 9*; Lesedi Loate 2/4, Puseletso Sekhute 2/4, Koketso Molefi 2/6, Tebogo Moate 2/15); North West 36 (Extras 16, Hendriet Jacobs 13; Lerato Sinabyoni 3/6, Mohau Phasha 3/11, Jane Verhage 3/14). Titans won by 10 runs.

Boland 257 (Extras 58, Wanda Mari Ham 53, Cornelia Destroo 46, Tayman Muggels 41, Janel Steenkamp 22, Amyoli Senti 20; Enkosi Mditswa 3/50, Papama Zinyosi 2/17, Thembakazi Gegesi 2/28, Olwethu Njani 2/29); Kei 77 (Anezo Skrenye 36, Extras 22; Janel Steenkamp 4/20, Taylum Moses 2/2, Beantra Daniels 2/10). Boland won by 180 runs.

Eastern Province 113 (Extras 32, Danica Marais 17; Minenhle Mkhize 3/36, Nothando Khumalo 2/2, Luthando Ngcobo 2/25); KwaZulu-Natal Inland 110 (Tana Sinclair 50*, Extras 27; Danica Marais 7/40, Tara Nel 2/4). Eastern Province won by three runs.

Easterns 350/8 (Ashleigh van Wyk 148, Extras 74, Mieke van Voorst 49; Bokao Ntuane 2/51, Onolo Masabala 2/58); Northern Cape 94 (Extras 36, Mine Auret 15; Tharsinii Sagathevan 3/12, Kananelo Mokoena 2/11, Micaela Edwards 2/15). Easterns won by 256 runs.

The Titans are set for a rematch with KwaZulu-Natal in the featured match on the concluding day of the 2023 CSA u16 Boys Week. This comes after a dramatic turn of events on Wednesday, which saw the Gauteng Lions come up short in the penultimate round against the Titans.

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The Titans visited the crease first and a splendid knock of 66 by Tshepang Laka was the cornerstone of their competitive total of 191/9.

Good fielding bagged the Gauteng Lions three early wickets, but Xander Venter steadied the ship, and along with Laka and Amogelang Tshoagong helped to drive the team from north of the Jukskei to a solid total.

Unlike on the previous couple of days, the Lions’ top order could not find a foothold in the face of a relentless onslaught by Venter and his teammates.

Jubalani Mangena and Adam Cannata both struck twice for the Titans as they ploughed through the Gauteng line-up to win by a comfortable 64-run margin to set up a showdown with KZN on the final day.

The KZN boys have been in fine form all week long and go into the last day as the only unbeaten team in the Platinum Group. They have already dealt with Boland, Eastern Province and the KwaZulu-Natal Inland team, and they beat the Titans by 54 runs on the second day.

Their KZN Inland counterparts have also enjoyed a successful week, but Semal Pillay took charge in the battle of the provincial rivals, anchoring the KZN innings with a valuable 56 from 83 deliveries, which allowed his teammates the freedom to chase runs. After utilising their full 50 overs, they left the Inland boys a target of 225 for victory.

In the face of a fine bowling performance from Kyle White, who ripped apart the KZN Inland batting, on his way to a return of 5/22, they were unable to mount a challenge. Akhil Maharaj also played a key role, picking up two crucial early wickets, to set Inland on the back foot. They were unable to recover and came up 55 runs shy of their target.

Trent Huisamen produced a superb all-round performance, knocking over seven batsmen with the ball and then scoring a half-century with the bat, as the home team, the Garden Route Badgers, continued a strong showing in familiar conditions to beat North West by 96 runs.

Easterns have not lost a single game during the week, and Jaden Govender‘s solid 60 helped them to take their record to three from three with a win over Border.

Abdullah Tadwallah played a big role in foiling the Border boys’ challenge, combining with Stian van Breda to work through the top order quickly, despite decent knocks by Iminathi Jumba early on and Inga Mafanga towards the end of the match.

The battle between neighbours’ Western Province and Boland was exciting. Despite a good bowling spell by Aden Batt for Boland, Joshua Neill and Daniel Bosman helped their team overhaul the Boland total with five wickets to spare.

SUMMARISED SCORECARDS (Day Four)

Titans 191/9 (Tshepang Laka 66, Xander Venter 55, Amogelang Tshoagong 24; Samrat Basu 3/24, Morteza Manack 2/31); Gauteng 127 (Alec Loveland 23, Nkosana Sibiya 20; Jabulani Mangena 2/16, Adam Cannata 2/20). Titans won by 64 runs.

KwaZulu-Natal 225/6 (Semal Pillay 56, Jayden Roux 31, Extras 27, Roxton Payne 24*, Kyle White 22*, Sbani Qwabe 20; D Naidoo 1/17); KZN Inland 170 (Ethan Muir 42, Nicholas Baker 41; Kyle White 5/22, Dayalan Boyce 2/24. Akhil Maharaj 2/40). KwaZulu-Natal won by 55 runs.

Free State 134 (FG Botha 36, Naudé Botha 35; Rhys Wiblin 3/20, Buncwane Mangongoma 2/4); Eastern Province 135/5 (Randy Syce 43*, William Beamish 32, Cayden Wilson 26; FG Botha 3/42). Eastern Province won by five wickets.

Garden Route Badgers 158 (Trent Huisamen 50, Extras 32, Kurt Botha 27, Joof Enslin 23; Prince Maromagoe 3/23, Olebogeng Sebakwane 3/29, Ompile Rangwaga 2/17); North West 62 (Extras 18, Callie Fryer 17; Trent Huisamen 7/18, Ducayne Plaatjies 3/35). Garden Route Badgers won by 96 runs.

Northern Cape 177/9 (Faizan Kajee 44*, Arno Mostert 33, Extras 29; Asi Madikazi 3/27, Ase Madikazi 2/17); Kei 77 (Asi Madikazi 37; Arno Mostert 2/1, Omphile Jonas 2/11, Faizan Kajee 2/14). Northern Cape won by 100 runs.

Easterns 195 (Jaden Govender 60, Extras 39, Slade Mowbray 28, Wian Pieters 26; Bungqina Nuku 4/16, Hattingh 2/48); Border 144 (Inga Mafanga 35*, Iminathi Jumba 34, Extras 24; Abdullah Tadwalla 4/30, Stian van Breda 2/20). Easterns won by 51 runs.

Mpumalanga 118/9 (Janco Breyl 36, Extras 22, WJ Enslin 20; Mahlodi Sekuba 4/21, Luka Heinlein 2/19); Limpopo 98 (Muaz Muhammed 40, Extras 25; Vaughn van Zyl 4/30, Eduan Strydom 3/13). Mpumalanga won by twenty runs.

Boland 157/7 (Liam Basson 45, Reagan Davids 34, Extras 22; Muhammad Schroeder 2/20); Western Province 158/6 (Joshua Neill 46, Daniel Bosman 41; Aden Batt 3/42). Western Province by four wickets.

Neo Molefe‘s unstoppable form at the crease paved the way for the Gauteng Lions‘ massive 363-run victory over the Garden Route Badgers on the first day of the CSA u16 Girls Week.

They, along with the KZN Coastal and Western Province, recorded big victories to open their campaign at the annual Youth Week.

Meanwhile, the battle between Boland and North West could go either way until the North West girls managed to cut the Boland innings short with only seven runs to spare.

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Molefe saw out all 50 overs as she smashed 24 boundaries in her nearly four-hour spell. She was assisted by a confident knock of 72 by Fay Cowling, who also went on to take four wickets for a loss of only three runs as they plowed through the Badgers’ batting lineup.

Lebohang Rakoena also struck four times for Free State against Limpopo.

The Western Province batters were on song on Day One, with Danielleh Hugo leading the charge to score 85 runs. Nuha Benjamin and Cara Bester both also passed the 50-run milestone, while Zintle Dzizi and Ashline Titus both found their target twice to help dismiss Mpumalanga for 55.

Shreeya Subbia recorded the astounding bowling figures of 4/5 in KwaZulu-Natal‘s romp over Kei, and her teammates Riankah Rameshwur and Aleah Govender combined superbly to leave their batters an easy target by dismissing the remaining six Kei girls in no time.

Despite the accuracy of Melissa van der Merwe and the rest of the Boland bowlers, the North West girls responded in kind, protecting their low total for a thrilling win on their first outing.

Puseletso Sekhute struck down four Boland batters, conceding only two runs. Her brilliant performance alone still might not have been enough though, were it not for the excellent support she received from Tebogo Moate (3/8) and Lesedi Loate (2/20).

The hosts came up 39 runs short against Northern Cape on the first day. Remoneilwa Gabobonwe ran the show for her team, snaring six KZN Inland wickets to help her side to a positive start to the week’s action.

Summarized Scorecards:

Gauteng Lions 427/6 (Neo Molefe 175*, Extras 78, Fay Cowling 72, Keabetwe Hlake 36, Callia Bennette 21; Inam Sigede 2/37); Garden Route Badgers 64 (Felicia Prins 27; Fay Cowling 4/3, Jenna-LeeLubbe 2/4, Leani Swanepoel 2/13). Gauteng Lions won by 363 runs.

Border 44 (Extras 14, Asemahle Nyoka 11; Shreeya Subbiah 4/5, Riankah Rameshwur 3/3, Aleah Govender 3/16); KwaZulu-Natal 46/1 (Shreeya Subbiah 20*; Lathitha Swartbooi 1/12). KwaZulu-Natal won by nine wickets.

Free State 215 (Extras 65, Bokamosho Motsabi 34, Leoze Lottering 29, Nonceba Valashiya 27;  Robson 2/13, Malokwane Shika 2/20, Thato Maseka 2/35, Respect Mabasa 2/44); Limpopo 102 (Extras 45, Tlhompo Tjia 29; Lebohang Rakoeana 4/28, Bokamosho Motsabi 3/7, Zanelle Carelsen 2/8). Free State won by 113 runs.

Western Province 358/8 (Danielleh Hugo 85, Nuha Benjamin 74, Cara Bester 68, Extras 55, Miya Lalor 36, Ashline Titus 24*; Charmaine Shongwe 2/82); Mpumalanga 55 (Extras 17, Thato  Ngwenya 15; Zintle Dzizi 2/11, Ashline Titus 2/21). Western Province won by 303 runs.

Kei 106 (Extras 44, Enkosi Mditswa 27; Palesa Mokheseng 3/23, Mohau Phasha 2/11, Monique Vinson 2/17). Titans 109/4 (Extras 29, Ymke Handford 26; Qhawe Tenjwa 2/21). Titans won by six wickets.

North West 78 (Ayanda Mosothoana 27, Extras 23; Melissa van der Merwe 3/9, Kezia Jordaan 2/9, Janel Steenkamp 2/20); Boland 71 (Tayman Muggels 31; Puseletso Sekhute 4/2, Tebogo Moate 3/8, Lesedi Loate 2/20). North West won by seven runs.

Northern Cape 146 (Extras 43, Keziah Adams 31; Slindile Mamba 2/12, Minenhle Mkhize 2/19, Mia van der Merwe 2/19, Nothando Khumalo 2/26); KwaZulu-Natal Inland 107 (Tana Sinclair 38, Extras 36; Remoneilwa Gabobonwe 6/30, Shauneeq Stewart 2/23). Northern Cape won by 39 runs.