After eight thrilling action-packed tournaments, played over the course of two months, a dozen teams are set to compete at Loftus Versveld this weekend for the honour of being crowned the champions of the 2023 FrogFoot Sevens Champion of Champions.
The tournament takes place on Saturday with the defending champions, Secunda, from Mpumalanga, kicking off proceedings against the locals, Die Wilgers, before facing Strand, from the Western Cape, later in the day.
Swartland and HTS Drostdy will also fly the flag for the Western Cape, along with Strand, in Pool B and D respectively.
The Swartland boys find themselves in what is sure to be one of the most competitive groups, up against the flyers from Upington, Duineveld, and Groblersdal’s pride, Ben Viljoen.
HTS Drostdy, from Worcester in the Boland, tackle Hoërskool Pietersburg, from Polokwane, and the local favourites, Menlopark, for a spot in the playoffs, which take place on Saturday afternoon as soon as the group stages have been completed.
Grey High School from Gqeberha have been setting the pace in the Eastern Province this season and will bear close watching in Pool C, where they have to contend with Limpopo’s HTS Tom Naude and Ligbron from Ermelo.
The groups:
Pool A: Secunda, Die Wilgers, Strand.
Pool B: Swartland, Duineveld, Ben Viljoen.
Pool C: HTS Tom Naudé, Grey High School, Ligbron.
Pool D: Menlopark, HTS Drostdy, Hoërskool Pietersburg.
The fixtures:
08:00 – Secunda vs Die Wilgers; 08:20 – Duineveld vs Swartland; 08:40 – Strand vs Ben Viljoen; 09:00 – HTS Tom Naudé vs Grey High School; 09:20 – Menlopark vs HTS Drostdy; 09:40 – Ligbron vs Hoërskool Pietersburg; 10:00 – Die Wilgers vs Strand; 10:20 – Duineveld vs Ben Viljoen; 10:40 – Secunda vs Swartland; 11:00 – Grey High School vs Ligbron; 11:20 – HTS Drostdy vs Hoërskool Pietersburg; 11:40 – HTS Tom Naudé vs Menlopark; 12:00 – Secunda vs Strand; 12:20 – Swartland vs Ben Viljoen; 12:40 – Die Wilgers vs Duineveld; 13:00 – HTS Tom Naudé vs Ligbron; 13:20 – Hoërskool Pietersburg vs Menlopark; 13:40 – Grey High School vs HTS Drostdy.
Naas Botha of the Springboks playing rugby in South Africa.. (Photo by Wessel Oosthuizen/Gallo Images)
“Vir my tel een ding, watter bydrae kan ons lewer, op watter vlak ook al, tot Suid-Afrikaanse rugby.”
Dit is die voornemensverklaring van Hoërskool Eldoraigne se nuwe Direkteur van Rugby, Naas Botha.
Die gewese Springbok-kaptein en -losskakel se aanstelling tree met onmiddellike effek in en Botha sluit eersdaags aan by die skool in Centurion.
“Ek dink daar is ‘n lekker paar uitdagings wat wag, dit gaan interesant raak. Di’s regtig aangename mense met wie ek te doen het daar, sover is die gesindheid teenoor my baie positief,” sê Botha oor die skuif terug na Pretoria, waar hy steeds legendariese status geniet vir die 179 wedstryde wat hy in ‘n Noord-Transvaal trui gespeel het.
“Daar gaan hekkies in die pad kom. Di’s hoe dit werk, veral in sport. Partykeer dink jy, jy is op die regte pad en dan skielik kom jy agter jy is dalk bietjie verdwaal, maar dan vind mens maar net ‘n oplossing.”
“Ek is maar net een van daai ouens. Ek kan nie sê dat ek altyd positief is oor die lewe nie, maar ek glo definitief dat elke probleem ‘n oplossing het.”
Botha het die Noord-Transvaal span op 128 geleenthede aangevoer, en in sy tyd kon hulle die Curriebeker nege keer in Pretoria staanplek gee.
Dit is slegs ‘n fraksie van die magdom ondervinding wat Botha vir die skool se rugbyprogram sal bied.
“Mens kan sien Eldoraigne wil hul rugby op die regte vlak kry, nou ek sê nie ek is die ou wat dit daar gaan kry nie, maar ek gaan probeer om ‘n rol te speel in hul ontwikkeling” vertel hy oor sy visie.
“Ek lei af die laaste paar jaar was nie baie suksesvol nie. Sukses word natuurlik verskillend gemeet deur verskillende mense. Party spanne gaan Wêreldbeker toe om Wêreldbeker toe te gaan, ander spanne gaan om te wen. Sukses is relatief.”
Hy sê die eerste stap sal wees om te bepaal wat hy tot sy beskkiking het om mee te werk, “Ons sal moet vasstel wat die kwaliteit van die spelers is, daar is noemingswaardige laerskole in daardie omgewing, maar wat ek aflei is dat baie van die kinders uit die area uit beweeg na ander skole toe.”
“Die eerste ding wat ‘n mens dus wil bewerkstellig is ‘n rugbyklimaat wat aanvaarbaar is vir die plaaslike spelers, sodat hulle voel dit is ‘n omgewing waar hulle betrokke wil wees, en die ouers moet ook voel dat dit ‘n omgewing is waar hulle hul kinders wil hê.”
Dit is waar sy rugbyfilosofie inkom, hy ag Suid-Afrikaanse rugby in geheel as groter as die individuele dele wat dit opmaak.
“Ek dink bietjie anders oor skolesport. Vir my gaan dit oor wat mens kan doen met skoletalent om hulle voor te berei vir die profesionele spel, en uiteindelik om vir hul land uit te draf. Ek dink as iemand tekens van talent wys moet mens dit ten volle probeer ontgun sodat hy in die toekoms ‘n rol kan speel vir Suid-Afrikaanse rugby.”
“As mens êrens langs die pad dalk ‘n diamant kan optel, waarokal jy betrokke is, en daardie diamant eindig op by ‘n wereldbeker, dan het jy ‘n bydrae gemaak.”
Hy is egter gefokus op die verantwoordelikheid wat aan hom besorg is, “Die eerste prioriteit bly die skool. Dit is belangrik om die ouers en die kinders te respekteer sodat hulle kan inkoop in die program in. Dit is nie ‘n ‘one-man show’ die nie, di’s die gemeenskap.”
“Dit is iets wat vir my nogal uitstaan van die Amerikaners. Die hele dorp koop in en staan agter sy span. Dit is wat ek wil hê in Pretoria. Ek wil hê die gemeenskap rondom Eldoraigne moet inkoop, en so ook by al die ander skole. Die gemeenskap rondom Menlopark moet bankvas staan agter Menlopark, Die Garsfontein gemeenskap moet trots wees op die Garsfontein span.”
“Wat lekker is van gemengde skole waar daar ‘n beperkte aantal sportmanne en meisies is, is dat hulle aan alles deelneem, wat fantasties is vir hul ontwikkeling. Dit gee jou ‘n goeie balans en die vaardighede wat mens optel in van die sportsoorte skep weer ‘n basis vir die ander sportsoorte. So ek hou nogal daarvan as jy sit met ‘n briljante rugbyspeler wat kan presteer in atletiek of krieket of enige ander sportsoort. Di’s vir my ‘n goeie teken.”
As daar iemand is wat potensiaal sal herken is dit Botha, wie vier keer as die Suid-Afrikaanse rugbyspeler van die jaar aangewys is.
Sedert hy sy tokse opgehang het is hy al vir jare ‘n hoogs gerespekteerde rugby-analis vir SuperSport en het as afrigter al sukses ervaar by Tukkies, asook in 2019 toe hy op ‘n kort kontrak Indië se nasionale spanne afgerig het en die vrouespan gehelp het tot hul eerste toets oorwinning.
“Ek is mal oor talent. Talent fasineer my altyd, of dit in die musiekwêreld of op die sportveld is of selfs in die besigheidswêreld. Talent fasineer my. Daar is ‘n rede dat nie almal ‘n Springbok word nie, dit vat talent, so daardie talent moet gesoek word, en as jy dit dan vind moet jy dit tot die beste van jou vermoëns ontgun, dan beweeg die speler na ‘n ander afrigter wat hom weer tot die beste van sy vermoëns verder moet ontgun, en so hou dit aan tot hy die dag in ‘n Springboktrui op die veld draf, dan het jy jou deel gedoen.”
“Dit is hoe ons ‘n bydra kan lewer om die noordelike skole te kry om bietjie beter te vaar teen die suidelike skole. Die feit is, oor die algemeen oorheers die suidelike skole. Daar is partykeer ‘n noordelike skool wat goed doen, maar as mens na die statistieke kyk is daar geen twyfel dat die suidelike skole voor is nie. Natuurlik dink elke skool sy span is die beste, dit is hoe dit hoort, maar mens moet nie sig verloor van die groter prentjie nie. Ons almal werk saam aan ‘n groter doel, en dit is om te kyk watter talent ons kan ontwikkel vir Suid-Afrika.”
Botha was al vroeër by Suid-Afrikaanse skolerugby betrokke toe hy sy afrigtingsloopbaan in 2012 begin by Waterkloof. Hy beaam sy liefde vir die junior weergawe van die spel, “Ons het ongelooflike talent in skolerugby in Suid-Afrika. Sekere skole beskik nie noodwendig oor die nodige talent om nommer een in die land te wees nie, maar die talent wat daar is moet ten volle ontwikkel word en ontgun word op ‘n manier wat die gemeenskap trots maak om geassosieer te word met daardie skool.”
“Die ding wat my bietjie bekommer, en ek moet nou my woorde mooi kies dat dit nie verkeerd opgeneem word nie, is dat ons moet oppas dat ons nie begin glo sekere skole is tot voordeel van jou kind nie. Elke skool moet ‘n geleentheid kan bied aan sy leerders, ons wil nie hê mense moet begin dink dat hulle by ‘n spesisifieke skool aanvaar moet word om ‘n Springbok te kan word nie.”
“Wat jou ‘n Springbok maak is jou talent, nie jou skool nie. Daar is sekere skole wat net ‘n fantastiese werk doen, ek gee hulle alle krediet. As jy kyk na Grey-kollege, Paarl Gimnasium of Boishaai, hulle is fantasties in wat hulle doen, maar ek dink dit moet vir al die ander skole ‘n uitdaging wees, nie noodwendig om daardie spanne te ‘match’ nie, maar om ook hul bydrae te lewer.”
Dit is dan die missie, vir elke afrigter by elke skool om sy spelers se talent so goed as moontlik te ontwikkel, sodat die wat die geleentheid kry om die land te verteenwoordig selfs harder moet werk om hul plek te verdien, en sodoende ‘n rol te speel tot die ontwikkeling van sport in ons land.
“Ons het ongelooflike skole talent in Suid Afrika. As mens kyk na die onlangse sukses van ons netbal, hokkie, krieket, atletiek en selfs ons sokker wat nou lekker aan die gang kom, sien jy dit deurkom op nasionale vlak, maar ek wil hê ons moet dit selfs nog meer sien.”
After four days of non-stop action in Potchefstroom, Dr EG Jansen from Boksburg and Monument from Krugersdorp finished off on a high note with two strong bowling performances in their final T20 outings.
Watch all of the games at the second annual Izintaba Potch Gimmies festival games again on SuperSport Schools – Register now –Link to the tournament
Dr EG Jansen visited the crease first against Brackenfell and mustered a total of 164/7, spearheaded by the batting efforts of Andre Pretorius, Jayden Marcus and Jazz Jones, who chipped away at the Capetonians’ bowling attack at a steady rate.
Keenan Rheeder put up respectable figures for the Brakkies with the ball in hand, capturing three wickets in his three overs for only 18 runs, but the team from Boksburg’s bowlers then proved too skilful for their challengers.
James van der Merwe led the attack, snaring three wickets for only seven runs in his six overs, and Dale Slabbert, Andre Pretorius and Zander Lubbe each got a brace, conceding a mere 20 runs between them to dismiss Brackenfell well short of their victory target.
Voortrekker won the toss in their final match against Monument and the boys from Bethlehem chose to swing the willow first.
Christiaan van der Sandt contributed 23, but the Trekkers managed a total of only 80/9. Monnas were on the front foot from the start, with four of their bowlers claiming two wickets for less than 20 runs each. Elijah McCoy was especially effective, with two for six.
Joshua McCoy then led the Monument batting charge, hitting a decisive 43. He fell as a half-century beckoned, but the damage had been done by then with Monnas requiring only 14 runs for victory. They duly cruised across the line without much fuss.
Summarised scorecards:
Dr EG Jansen 164/7 (Andre Pretorius 38, Jayden Marcus 32, Jazz Jones 29, Extras 26, Zander Lubbe 20; Keenan Rheeder 3/18, Antonio Jussan 2/26); Brackenfell 50 (Brett Smith 16; James van der Merwe 3/7, Dale Slabbert 2/1, Andre Pretorius 2/6, Zander Lubbe 2/13). Dr EG Jansen won by 114 runs.
Voortrekker 80/9 (Christiaan van der Sandt 23; Elijah McCoy 2/6, Innocent Ramerafe 2/12, Tshepo Mlambo 2/14, Joshua McCoy 2/14); Monument 81/2 (Joshua McCoy 43, Handre Fourie 1/14), Monument won by 8 wickets
Klerksdorp High School ended their campaign at the second annual Izintaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival in fine fashion with a hard-earned victory over Stellenberg on the final day of play in Potchefstroom.
Rustenburg High School also saw off Durbanville High School to bounce back after their loss to Marais Viljoen in their previous outing, and Boland Landbou proved too strong for Hoërskool Trio in their final match of the festival.
The Klerksdorp boys outdid themselves by going three from four at this year’s event and regrouped well after a loss in their penultimate game against Westville Boys’ High to beat Stellenberg in an exciting T20 battle on Monday.
Tumelo Macume‘s half-century helped his side to 143/3 and ultimately was the difference in the game, but the Klerksdorp bowlers still had plenty of hard work to do to contain the Cape Town side’s batsmen and secure the victory.
Arno Koen earned his 50th first-team cap, opening the innings for Stellenberg alongside Ryan Jones.
After two slow opening overs, the Stellenberg pair began to apply some pressure on the fielding team, but the right-arm medium-pacer Winton Abrahams removed both batsmen through catches by Stephan Janse van Rensburg and Donavin Payne respectively. He toppled another batsman later on to finish with three victims for the day.
Janse van Rensburg did his bit with the ball, too, picking up three wickets for 17 in his four overs to help dismiss the challengers for 93, which left them 51 runs short of the victory target.
It was a third win of the tournament for the proud team from Klerksdorp, which had previously bested the invitational teams from Affies and Glenwood. Only the Westville Boys’ High Invitational side was able to lower their colours.
Rustenburg’s batsmen required only 21 of their 35 allotted overs to overtake the Durbies’ total, thanks to a steady knock by Wesley Bruwer.
Opening the batting for Rusties, he scored an unbeaten 58 at exactly a run a ball to lead his team to success.
Tobie Roelofse batted well for the Capetonians, making 44, but the Rustenburg bowling attack was on the mark, sending Durbanville back to the changing rooms with a total of 137 to protect, which Bruwer and co chased down without much trouble.
Boland Landbou had far too much firepower for Hoërskool Trio as they cruised to a win over the boys from Kroonstad.
Marius du Plessis was pivotal for Boland over the weekend, and he added four more wickets to his list of achievements at a cost of only 10 runs to again play a huge role as the Bolanders skittled Trio for a lowly 66.
Stefan Conradie and Jan van Niekerk then smashed 13 boundaries in only 23 deliveries to rocket their team to victory.
After four days of back-and-forth competition, some teams will feel ready and excited for the forthcoming season, while others will have identified what areas they need to work on, and they will be looking forward to further opportunities to improve.
The festival provided schools from across the country with a welcome opportunity to compete against teams whose paths they would not normally cross, challenging them to deal with unfamiliar opponents, and delivering a beneficial platform for the players to get valuable game time.
Summarised scorecards:
Klerksdorp High School 143/3 (Tumelo Macumi 51, Brink von Willigh 29*, Mohammed Bulbulia 26; Lohann Pretorius 1/17); Stellenberg 93 (Extras 18, Wilhelm Smet 17; Stephan Janse van Rensburg 3/17, Winton Abrahams 3/19). Klerksdorp High School won by 50 runs.
Durbanville High School 137 (Tobie Roelofse 44, Calla du Toit 36, Extras 23; Jandré Lottering 3/16, Nathan Rossouw 2/6, Logan Rossouw 2/8, Callie Fryer 2/32); Rustenburg High School 139/3 (Wesley Bruwer 58*, Reagan Smook 33, Logan Rossouw 21*; Albertyn du Bois 2/20). Rustenburg High School won by seven wickets.
Hoërskool Trio 66 (Extras 14, Tsiamo Mosia 12; Marius du Plessis 4/10, Markus Groenewald 3/26, Stefan Conradie 2/6); Boland Landbou 70/0 (Stefan Conradie 37*, Jan Albert van Niekerk 25*; Louis Boshoff 0/11). Boland Landbou won by 10 wickets.
The penultimate day of the Izuntaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival saw Brackenfell hold on for a victory over Voortrekker from Bethlehem in a highly entertaining clash between these two unlikely opponents.
Stellenberg also flexed their muscles to see off the challengers from Kroonstad, Hoërskool Trio, and record their second victory at the festival.
The Voortrekker bowling attack started strongly, taking two early wickets and had the Brakkies under early pressure at 3/32 after the first nine overs.
However, Luke Hattingh, batting at five, brought some much-needed stability to the Brakenfell innings, with an outstanding 95-ball knock that produced 130 runs, to put his side on the front foot, before he was finally caught by Andre Heunis off a Jean Theunissen delivery.
Remarkably, Hattingh’s total included a staggering 80 runs from boundaries. He smashed 14 fours and four sixes to tear apart the Trekkers’ bowling attack.
The boys from Bethlehem put up a valiant fight when they took to the middle to attempt to chase down 241 for victory, but 3/20 from Jean Oosthuizen, including three of the top four batsmen in the order, and 2/12 from De Wet Willemse, which tied up the tail enders, was enough to secure a 25-run victory for the Cape Town school.
On Monday, Brackenfell tackles Dr EG Jansen in their final match, while Voortrekker seeks a return to winning ways against Monument.
Stellenberg turned to their bowlers to make the difference in their match against Hoërskool Trio.
Batting first, they put up 231 all out, led by Michael Amoêdo, who top scored with 41 towards the end of their innings, while Jan-Jak Alberts weighed in with an undefeated 26.
With Trio at the crease, JJ Rothman and his captain, Kyle van Santen, got to work, dismissing six batsmen from Kroonstad in their combined 11.5 overs for the loss of only 34 runs between them.
Liam Fourie also took a brace for only 20 runs in his seven overs.
The Stellenberg boys will aim to finish on a high against Klerksdorp on the final day in a match which will see Arno Koen earn his 50th cap for the first team. His captain Kyle van Santen has previously joined that elite club.
Trio faces the daunting task of trying to topple Boland Landbou in their final outing.
Summarised scorecards:
Brackenfell 240 (Luke Hattingh 130, Dawson Lombard 34, Extras 22; Hendrik Janse van Rensburg 3/38, Jean Theunissen 3/40, Wian Klaasen 3/45); Voortrekker 215 (Hendrik Janse van Rensburg 39, Craig Mann 36, Extras 34; Jean Oosthuizen 3/20, De Wet Willemse 2/12, Aiden Barnardo 2/41). Brackenfell won by 25 runs.
Stellenberg 231 (Extras 44, Michael Amoêdo 41, Kyle van Santen 32, Jan-Jak Alberts 26*, Arno Koen 22, Wilhelm Smet 21; Miguel Menino 3/40, Henrico van der Merwe 2/27); Hoërskool Trio 115 (Miguel Menino 23, Extras 20; JJ Rothman 3/15, Kyle van Santen 3/19, Liam Fourie 2/20). Stellenberg won by 116 runs.
Boland Landbou returned to winning ways on day three of the Izuntaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival with a solid performance against the Northwood team of stayers.
After losing out to Marais Viljoen in their previous outing on Saturday by the narrowest of margins, just eight runs, Boland regrouped well to beat the team from Durban with four wickets to spare.
Stefan Conradie led the charge for the boys from Paarl with an unbeaten innings of 95 as the Western Cape side chased down the 183 posted by the Northwood Invitational team.
The stalwart opener stood his ground against the Northwood bowlers, facing 97 deliveries while establishing a stable platform from which his team could chip away at the victory target.
Marius du Plessis, a standout for his side throughout the tournament, was on song again, scoring 41 runs and taking three wickets.
The Northwood innings started strongly, but after Kagan McMeekin was run out on 76 their batting crumbled in the face of good bowling from Du Plessis and Conradie, who picked off the middle-order for minimal loss, which left Boland Landbou with a reasonable total to chase.
Following their win, they will be looking forward to their final game against Hoërskool Trio on Monday. Another win would see them ending on a high note and taking a healthy dollop of momentum into the 2023/24 season.
Klerksdorp High School, after two emphatic wins, finally met their match and suffered their first loss of the festival against the Westville Boys’ HighInvitational team.
Dandre Slabbert started off promisingly for Klerksdorp as they took to the middle first. He struck a six and three fours in a knock of 21 from 30 deliveries, which underlined his positive intent.
Unfortunately for Slabbert, he and his teammates simply didn’t have any answers for the accurate left-arm spin of Roxton Payne.
Payne dismissed all four of Klerksdorp’s top order batsmen for only 17 runs, stifling their attack before it had a chance to get going.
The Westville boys, who notched their third win on the trot, following victories over Monument and Brackenfell, chased down the low required total of 55 in 16 overs, with their opener, Chad van Breda, seeing them through with 24 not out.
If they can get past the Affies Invitational team on Monday, Westville will return home with a 100 percent win record.
Dale Slabbert led Dr EG Jansen to a 69-run victory over the GlenwoodInvitationalXI, by removing four batsmen.
They face Brackenfell, in their last outing of the festival on Monday.
Summarised scorecards:
Northwood Invitational 183 (Kagan McMeekin 76, Alistair Duncan 28; Marius du Plessis 3/33, Stefan Conradie 3/39); Boland Landbou 184/6 (Stefan Conradie 95*, Marius du Plessis 41, Francois Prins 26; Tuswa Pheta 3/25, Matthew Norton 2/18). Boland Landbou won by four wickets.
Dr EG Jansen 157 (Extras 39, Rico Crouse 21, JP van Staden 20; Akhil Maharaj 3/26, Ntando Vezi 2/22); Glenwood Invitational 88 (Rehaan Jhungbathur 23; Dale Slabbert 4/27, JP van Staden 2/6, Jayden Marcus 2/14). Dr EG Jansen won by 69 runs.
Klerksdorp High School 55 (Dandre Slabbert 21; Roxton Payne 4/17, Sekou Shangase 3/8, Heath Stott 2/16); Westville Boys’ High Invitational 57/4 (Chad Botha 24*; Tumelo Macume 3/28). Westville Boys’ High won by six wickets.
The Westville Boys’ High Invitational Team put up two centuries in a match for the second consecutive day as they cruised to a 289-run triumph over Brackenfell on Saturday, the second day of the Izintaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival.
Seth Simpson and Yusuf Karodia matched one another with 104 runs each for Westville as they raced to a massive 365/5.
Roxton Payne and Bhaskar Sewlal achieved the same milestones for the proud team from KZN on the first day in their victory over Monument, and the Westville Boys are building up a fierce reputation at this year’s event.
Simpson took only 80 balls to reach his century, while Karodia survived for 118 deliveries as the opening batsman to reach his ton.
Brackenfell’s Luke Hattingh defended dourly to finish on 25 not out, but six wickets for Westville’s Brandon Wiid at a cost of only 23 runs meant there was no chance for the Capetonians to establish a foothold and they were dismissed well short of the victory target.
On Sunday, the Westville Invitational team takes on Klerksdorp, who are also unbeaten so far in the tournament, having convincingly dealt with the invitational squads from Affies and Glenwood already.
Their showdown promises to be a thrilling affair. Only one team can emerge with its perfect record intact.
Durbanville High School also breached 300 in their match against Voortrekker from Bethlehem, with Henry Venter leading the charge with an innings of 101.
Calla du Toit and Pierre du Toit produced solid innings of 69 and 63 respectively.
Having 340 runs to defend, the Durbie bowlers then made mincemeat of their opponents’ batting lineup, with Tobie Roelofse taking five wickets for 34 runs in seven overs, which included a hat-trick, to steer Durbanville to a massive 233-run victory.
The team from Cape Town takes on Potchefstroom Gimnasium next and will be aiming to maintain their momentum as they seek to hand the hosts a defeat in their home tournament.
Summarised scorecard:
Westville Boys’ High Invitational 365/5 (Seth Simpson 104, Yusuf Karodia 104, Roxton Payne 61, Armaan Ramsaran 25; Nicholas Geldenhuys 1/15); Brackenfell 76 (Luke Hattingh 25*; Brandon Wiid 6/23, Luke Maxwell 2/22). Westville Boys’ High Invitational won by 289 runs.
Durbanville High School 340 (Henry Venter 101, Calla du Toit 69, Pierre du Toit 63; Joel Coetzee 3/48, Hendrik Jansen van Rensburg 3/68); Voortrekker 107 (Cecil Parsons 47, Tobie Roelofse 5/34). Durbanville High School won by 233 runs.
Klerksdorp High School racked up more success on Saturday with an impressive second victory in their game against a Glenwood Invitational XI on the second day of the Izintaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival. Meanwhile, the Affies Invitational team bounced back to winning ways against Stellenberg.
The Glenwood Invitational bowlers began strongly by knocking off the Klerksdorp High School top order at a steady rate, picking up four wickets in the first 20 overs for 92 runs. However, Brink von Willigh, who came in at six, took control of the game with an aggressive knock of 91 off 57 deliveries to help his team to a solid 245 all out.
Glenwood’s run chase never materialised. It was undone by Tumele Macume, who captured 5 for 28 and caused chaos in the KZN side’s lower order. Glenwood’s batting crumbled and Klerksdorp secured a comprehensive 156-run victory to improve to two from two at this year’s event after outplaying the Affies Invitational squad by 112 runs on the opening day.
Brendan Mathyse also played a vital role for the victors, dismissing both openers to put the opposition on the backfoot early.
In the battle between the Affies InvitationalXI and Stellenberg, Arne Prinsloo led the charge with the bat for the team from Pretoria.
He batted diligently, scoring 62 off of 90 deliveries and, at the same time, he created a platform from which his team-mates could play.
The Affies boys utilised their full 50 overs, bolstering their total to the very end, with Antonie Fourie, batting at nine, contributing the third most runs with 29 not out.
It looked like Roux Wasserman was putting together a key innings for Stellenberg to launch a counter-attack, but Divan Ras needed only three deliveries to send him packing, and from there the proud team from Cape Town struggled to build any more momentum.
SF Vermeulen took three wickets for only 10 runs for the Affies Invitational team and Ryan Seymore also dismissed three Stellenberg batsmen for just 19 runs.
Tomorrow, Klerksdorp face the Westville Boys’ High Invitational XI. It could well be their toughest challenge of the weekend so far.
The Affies Invitational boys will look to carry on their winning ways when they face Monument.
Summarised scorecards:
Klerksdorp High School 245 (Brink von Willigh 91, Raykie van Rooyen 29, Mohammed Bulbulia 28, Extras 26, Dandre Slabbert 21; Akhil Maharaj 4/52, Hercelle Oosthuizen 3/31); Glenwood Invitational 89 (Isa Mohammed 27, Extras 20; Tumele Macume 5/28, Brendan Mathyse 2/14, Brink von Willigh 2/14). Klerksdorp won by 156 runs.
Affies Invitational 261/8 (Arne Prinsloo 62, Divan de Vries 31, Antonie Fourie 29*, Henre Smith 25, Extras 23, Ronan Cilliers 21; Kyle van Santen 2/50, JJ Rothman 2/50, Lohann Pretorius 2/55); Stellenberg 143 (Roux Wasserman 37, Extras 23; SF Vermeulen 3/10, Ryan Seymore 3/19). Affies Invitational won by 118 runs.
Brackenfell opened their campaign at the second annual Izuntaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival with a strong performance to beat Hoërskool Trio despite a big innings of 98 by Louis Boshoff for the team from Kroonstad on a day when runs were hard to come by.
Boshoff carried Trio to a total of 169, smashing seven sixes along the way, but the Brackenfell bowlers kept all of his teammates from breaching 20.
After getting the first two wickets for the Capetonians, Luke Hattingh caught Myburgh Jacobs off a delivery from Jean Oosthuizen, before taking the next wicket as well, thus playing a direct role in the first four dismissals, which put the opposition on the back foot early on.
Later, Hattingh picked up another one to end the day with four wickets and a catch.
Boshoff’s steady batting kept his team in the game, but the Brackenfell top order was able to chase down the required total in less than 25 overs. Dawson Lombard led the charge with an unbeaten 47.
Boland Landbou flexed their muscles against Dr EG Jansen, registering a comprehensive 114-run victory.
Ben la Grange top scored with 63, but it was the boys from the Boland’s bowling attack that was in charge.
They didn’t concede more than 19 runs to any single Jansies’ batsman. Janco Visagie was the pick of the bowlers, snaring 3/4 in 7.5 overs.
Northwood’s Stayers proved too strong for Voortrekker from Bethlehem.
Batting first, three Northwood batsmen reached their half-centuries. Ross McGlashan stormed to an unbeaten 64 from 69 deliveries, while Tuswa Pheta and Jordan Matthews both also reached the milestone.
For the Bethlehem boys, Cecil Parsons stood out again. Their big Craven Week prop top scored with 30, while Hendrik Janse van Rensburg almost matched him, contributing 28.
Stellenberg beat Glenwood by three wickets in their opening match.
The action continues on Saturday with Hoërskool Trio taking on Hans Moore, Brackenfell facing Westville Boys’ High, EG Jansen squaring off against Monument, Boland Landbou challenging Marais Viljoen, the Northwood Stayers team doing battle with Rustenburg and Voortrekker aiming to bounce back against Hoërskool Durbanville.
Summarised scorecards
Hoërskool Trio 169 (Louis Boshoff 98, Extras 21; Luke Hattingh 4/40, Jean Oosthuizen 2/10, Keanen Rheeder 2/28); Brackenfell 170/4 (Dawson Lombard 47*, Anthonio Jasson 44, Extras 40; Herman Kleynhans 1/17). Brackenfell won by 6 wickets.
Boland Landbou 231/9 (Ben la Grange 63, Rynard van der Schyff 46, Francois Prins 36, Henré Swart 27, Extras 24; Zander Lubbe 2/38, Jaco Engelbrecht 2/39, James van der Merwe 2/48); Dr EG Jansen 117 (Zander Lubbe 19; Janco Visagie 3/4, Marius du Plessis 2/29). Boland Landbou won by 114 runs.
Northwood Stayers 297/6 (Ross McGlashan 64*, Tuswa Pheta 57, Jordan Matthews 56, Extras 44, Alastair Duncan 31, Pride Buthelezi 26*; Wian Claasen 2/54); Voortrekker 119 (Cecil Parsons 30, Hendrik Janse van Rensburg 28; Luke Allen 2/14, Ben Cilliers 2/23). Northwood won by 178 runs.
CORMEY VAN DER WATT (Paul Roos). PHOTO: Theo Garrun
The 2023 Cape Schools Festival concluded on Tuesday with the local teams maintaining their favourable records over the visitors.
This year’s hosts, Paul Roos Gimnasium, finished the tournament unbeaten after a victory over Selborne College. They were joined by Rondebosch Boys’ High, Diocesan College, Somerset College and SACS, who all, also, produced perfect records at the event.
Paul Roos outplayed a strong St Andrew’s team from Bloemfontein in their first match of the festival, beating them by 23 runs, and put up a solid performance against an exciting Pearson squad to win by eight wickets next time out, before powering their way to an emphatic 122-run win over Selborne College.
The Stellenbosch boys were out in the middle first and Josh Jordaan came tantalizingly close to a century, losing his wicket on 99, which was surely disappointing, but his fine knock led his team to a healthy total of 281/7 in their 50 overs.
The home team then showed how to get the most out of the pitch with the ball in hand, with their star sportsman, Riley Norton, leading the charge and taking four wickets for only 16 runs.
Norton is an equally accomplished rugby player and was selected for the SA Schools team after his performances at the Craven Week this year, where he starred for Western Province.
Callum Appollis also continued on his strong run of form. After taking four wickets against Pearson, Appollis added another three to his tally in the final match of the festival.
Somerset College was the only team to post four victories after winning the only match that was not cancelled due to rain on the first day.
They kicked off their campaign with a convincing victory over Outeniqua by seven wickets. Then they saw off Dale College by 182 runs on the second day and fought hard for a three-wicket victory against Queen’s College, despite the visitors’ Mbasa Thomas causing them all sorts of problems with the ball.
They rounded off the tournament with a fourth straight win on the final day, beating Graeme College by 56 runs.
Nic Rieth lost his wicket just four runs shy of a century, smashing 11 fours and playing a critical knock for his team on a day when the top order struggled to gain a foothold.
The Graeme College bowlers were outstanding as a collective, with five players grabbing a brace as they chipped away at the host’s batting lineup. Luphelo Mdyesha led the way with a return of 2/12.
His two wickets were arguably also the most important. His first victim was Reith, whom he dismissed just before the batsman reached triple figures. Mdyesha also ended the Somerset College innings by getting rid of Thomas Parsons.
Graeme College opening batsman Omosizo Ntinga protected his wicket well and contributed 37 runs from 82 deliveries, but the home team’s bowling attack ruled the roost, led by Parsons, who took four wickets, as Graeme were bowled out for 149, leaving them 56 runs short of the victory target.
Rondebosch Boys’ High showed their class. They outplayed Pearson by 183 runs and Graeme College by 79 runs in their first two games, before flexing their muscles against a St Andrew’s team that had looked solid in its first two outings.
The Rondebosch boys skittled the visitors for just 48, with Graeme Engelbrecht capturing four wickets in only 15 deliveries, without conceding a single run, to get rid of the tail end in no time after David Simon had already taken 3/28.
Bosch skipper, Jordan Neill, then smashed five fours on his way to 25 as Rondebosch claimed victory in just under eight overs.
The Cape Town school is already considered to be among the top cricketing schools in the country, and judging by their performance during the Cape Schools Week, they are already living up to that reputation this season.
Their rivals in the southern suburbs, Diocesan College, enjoyed similar success over their three games, though.
Bishops thumped Queen’s College by 187 runs and delivered a batting masterclass against Selborne to overrun them by 255 runs, with James Robb-Quinlan and Calum Daniels both getting their centuries in that 50 overs’ game.
On the final day, they proved to be a mismatch for Union High, dismissing the visitors for 49, which they chased down without losing a wicket.
Pearson showed grit and determination in a 70-run victory over Wynberg Boys’ High in their final match at the festival.
Cayden Wilson, Owen Reineke-Barnard and Jayden Groenewald were standout performers for Pearson, despite the side going down its first two games, and they were at the forefront of the batting onslaught as Pearson scored 256/8.
Groenewald then showed his class when the home team replied, snapping up five Wynberg wickets for only 16 runs. His five-for and three wickets from Wilson helped the visitors bowl out the hosts for 186 to secure a convincing victory.
Pearson looked good in the pre-season, as well, and they will feel they are in a good place as the 23/24 season gets underway.
After coming up just short against Wynberg by nine runs, Grey High picked up steam with impressive performances against the two big Paarl schools.
They beat Paarl Gim by 146 runs, thanks to Michael Molenaar, who struck a solid 75, and Ben Ristow, who picked up four wickets.
On the final day, Kian Cambier scored an unbeaten half-century to help the team from Gqeberha to a six-wicket triumph over Boishaai.
Even though this year’s tournament had a slow start with the rain delay on the opening day, the action ratcheted up as soon as the players could take to the field, where they produced some thrilling cricket to usher in the new season.
Summarized scorecards:
Day 4 (Limited Overs)
Paul Roos Gimnasium 281/7 (Josh Jordaan 99, Luca Plekker 47, Extras 43, William September 39; Adam Rogers 3/45); Selborne College 159 (Hayden Mckay 42*, Tre Gilbert 28, Jacques van der Merwe 25; Riley Norton 4/16, Callum Appollis 3/44, Dian Winkel 2/26). Paul Roos Gimnasium won by 122 runs.
Somerset College 205 (Nic Rieth 96, Extras 35, Callum Hughes 30; Luphelo Mdyesha 2/12, Christiano Jasson 2/24, Aphiwe Mnyanda 2/26, Murray Tyson 2/40, AJ Jeggels 2/51); Graeme College 149 (Onosizo Ntinga 37, Extras 29, Luphelo Mdyesha 24; Thomas Parsons 4/35, Dion Claassens 2/29). Somerset College won by 56 runs.
St Andrew’s 48 (Naude Botha 16; Graeme Engelbrecht 4/0, David Simon 3/28, Raeeq Daniels 2/17); Rondebosch Boys High 51/1 (Jordan Neill 25; Cullen Kakora 1/9). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by 9 wickets.
SACS 352/6 (Raashied Conrad 90, Joshua Wyngaard 85, Hamish Anderson 73, Oliver Whitehead 39, Fayaad Davids 23*, Extras 23; Nathan Best 2/49); Outeniqua 102 (Zander Nel 38; Oliver Whitehead 3/15, Litha Kraai 2/9). SACS won by 250 runs.
Parel Vallei 288/5 (Extras 64, Joshua Pretorius 57, Quan van der Merwe 52, Sevi Barlow 35, David Botes 31; Imi Tsewu 2/21, Sibongisile Nzima 2/50); Dale College 72 (Joshua Hall 28; Sibulele Makaleni 4/14). Parel Vallei won by 216 runs.
Pearson 256/8 (Cayden Wilson 76, Owen Reineke-Barnard 60, Jayden Groenewald 35, Extras 26; Shadley Allie 2/28, Naas Beets 2/29, Yaseen Moos 2/34); Wynberg Boys’ High 186 (Paul James 66, Divan Linde 30, Storme van Rooyen 23, Extras 22; Jayden Groenewald 5/16, Cayden Wilson 3/43, Nikolai Hector 2/33). Pearson won by 70 runs.
Queens College 186 (Bevaneo Maytham 44, Kholosa Klaas 41; Charles King 5/34); Paarl Gimnasium 187/3 (Marinus Daling 70*, Adriaan Louw 52*). Paarl Gimnasium won by 7 wickets.
Union 49 (Xavier Barlow 15; Matthew Brodziak 3/9, Tiaan Louw 3/13); Diocesan College 50/0 (Kashief Joseph 21*). Diocesan College won by 10 wickets.
Paarl Boys’ High 203 (Christiaan Bourbon-Leftley 46, Pieter Geldenhuys 31, Johan Wege 27; De Wet Goedhals 2/10, Michael Molenaar 2/45); Grey High 204/4 (Kian Cambier 50*,Marco Giaconi 47, Jean Upman 44; Aden Batt 1/20). Grey High won by 6 wickets.
Day 3 (Limited overs)
Diocesan College 327/7 (James Robb-Quinlan 133, Calum Daniels 101, Stan Stavely-Alexander 51, Extras 28; Thomas Marais 2/44, Yolisa Qoboshiyane 2/50); Selborne College 72 (Jacques van der Merwe 27, Hayden McKay 21; Payton Leigh 4/9, Tiaan Louw 3/28). Diocesan College won by 255 runs.
Pearson 146 (Jayden Groenewald 53, Owen Reineke-Barnard 25; Callum Appollis 4/25, Dian Winkel 3/25); Paul Roos Gimnasium 147/2 (Josh Jordaan 55, Cormey van der Watt 38*, Luca Plekker 33; Esa Gangat 1/27). Paul Roos Gimnasium won by eight wickets.
Rondebosch Boys’ High 254 (Declan Gillespie 50, Jordan Neill 42, Extras 32, Daniel Bosman 25, Noah Heath 24, Daniel Cooke 20; Kevin Geldenhuys 3/64, AJ Jeggels 2/36); Graeme College 175 (Extras 33, Athandile Feni 29, Rhys Wiblin 24, Ethan Beyleveld 22; Jordan Neill 2/14, Declan Gillespie 2/17, Raeeq Daniels 2/25). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by 79 runs.
Dale College 61 (Gavin Walton 19; Litha Kraai 5/13, Hamish Anderson 2/12, Fayaad Davids 2/18); SACS 64/4 (Joshua Wyngaard 37; Hlumelo Ntlola 22/3). SACS won by six wickets.
Grey High 270/7 (Michael Molenaar 75, Corby van Heerden 43; Adriaan Louw 2/41); Paarl Gimnasium 124 (Charles King 43*, Marinus Daling 34; Ben Ristow 4/30). Grey High won by 146 runs.
Outeniqua 87 (Zander Nel 41; Paul James 3/7); Wynberg Boys’ High 89/2 (Paul James 46*, Storme van Rooyen 29*; Trent Huisamen 2/23). Wynberg Boys’ High won by eight wickets.
Union High 95 (Extras 21, Makuhanye de Beer 16; Henry Jones 3/20, Josua Smit 2/9, Jameel Ismail 2/20, Christopher Hughes 2/22); Parel Vallei 96/5 (Extras 47, Marco Karsten 18*; Shaakir Kazi 2/33). Parel Vallei won by five wickets.
St Andrew’s 155 (Naude Botha 36, Jordan van den Bergh 31; Christiaan Bourbon-Leftley 3/34); Paarl Boys’ High 149 (Johan Wege 52; JC Young 5/19; Schalk Liebenberg 4/38). St Andrews won by 6 runs.
Queen’s College 135 (Akho Ngesi 55, Ryan Denston 28; Dion Claassens 4/29, Massimo Kontopirakis 2/18, Thomas Parsons 2/28); Somerset College 137/7 (Chad Ayford 28, Antonio de Souza 26; Mbasa Thomas 6/39). Somerset College won by three wickets.
Day 2 (Time Cricket)
Rondebosch Boys’ High 257/8 (Raeeq Daniels 50*, Jordan Neill 45; Esa Gangat 5/55, Cayden Wilson 2/54); Pearson 74 (Jordan Collier 22; Declan Gillespie 3/17, Raeeq Daniels 2/11). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by 183 runs.
Somerset College first innings 283/5 (declared) (Thando Prusent 118*, Callum Hughes 53*, Extras 42, Rieth 30; Hlumelo Ntlola 2/68); Dale College first innings 77 (Joshua Hall 23; Thomas Parsons 4/21, Christopher Varie 3/10); Dale College second innings 24/5 (Dion Claassens 2/4, Callum Hughes 2/5). Somerset College won by 182 runs.
Graeme College 111 (Rhys Wiblin 40*; Litha Kraai 3/28, Hamish Anderson 2/23, Oliver Whitehead 2/13); SACS 115/3 (Ben Levitt 48, Joshua Wyngaard 27; AJ Jeggels 2/5). SACS won by seven wickets.
Paarl Boys’ High 143 (Gideon du Toit 45, Johan Wege 23; Kazi Shaakir 4/21, Kazi Yaseen 2/15); Union 39 (Josh Basson 7; Aden Batt 4/10, Christiaan Bourbon Lefty 2/2) Paarl Boys’ High won by 104 runs.
Outeniqua 147 (Stefan May 71, Charles King 6/42); Paarl Gimnasium 148/1 (Marinus Daling 52*, Willem Matthee 50*, Jandre Botha 34; Nathan Best 1/27). Paarl Gimnasium won by nine wickets.
Diocesan College 291/5 (Adnaan Lagadien 121, Ollie Chevallier 53, Kashief Joseph 43, Calum Daniels 30*, James Robb-Quinlan 25; Ryan Denston 1/62); Queen’s College 104 (Ryan Denston 51; Tiaan Louw 5/24). Diocesan College won by 187 runs.
Paul Roos Gimnasium 113 (Riley Norton 23; JC Young 5/17); St Andrew’s (Bloemfontein) 90 (FG Botha 19, Joshua Zietsman 4/28). Paul Roos Gimnasium won by 23 runs.
Wynberg Boys’ High 297/7 decl. (Beni Hansen 120*, Divan Linde 67, Paul James 40, Jordan Nel 28; Michael Molenaar 2/25, Xander Elkington 2/56); Grey High 288 (Dylan Garrod 73, Corby van Heerden 50, Jean Upman 44, Ben Ristow 34, De-Wet Goedhals 29, Extras 23; Divan Linde 3/53, Naas Beets 3/68, Yaseen Moos 2/55). Wynberg Boys’ High won by nine runs.
Selborne College 277/9 (Ben van der Merwe 92, Jacques van der Merwe 72, Waeden Plaatjes 25, Ethan Currin 20*; Joshua Smit 4/43, Christopher Hughes 2/48, Sibulele Makaleni 2/55); Parel Vallei 172 (Extras 39, Joshua Smit 31*, Joshua Pretorius 21, David Botes 20; Ethan Currin 3/40, Jacques van der Merwe 2/8, Ben van der Merwe 2/26, Bungqina Nuku 2/30). Selborne College won by 105 runs.
Day 1 (35 Overs)
Outeniqua 173/6 (Stefan May 80*, Extras 35; Thando Prusent 3/23); Somerset College 175/3 (Nicholas Rieth 57*, Antonio de Souza 43, Chad Ayford 35, Jonno Firth 20*; Christiaan van den Berg 1/23). Somerset College won by seven wickets.
After eight thrilling action-packed tournaments, played over the course of two months, a dozen teams are set to compete at Loftus Versveld this weekend for the honour of being crowned the champions of the 2023 FrogFoot Sevens Champion of Champions.
The penultimate day of the Izuntaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival saw Brackenfell hold on for a victory over Voortrekker from Bethlehem in a highly entertaining clash between these two unlikely opponents.
The Westville Boys’ High Invitational Team put up two centuries in a match for the second consecutive day as they cruised to a 289-run triumph over Brackenfell on Saturday, the second day of the Izintaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival.
Klerksdorp High School racked up more success on Saturday with an impressive second victory in their game against a Glenwood Invitational XI on the second day of the Izintaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival. Meanwhile, the Affies Invitational team bounced back to winning ways against Stellenberg.
