Midstream College has been a force to be reckoned with in the B Section of the Finsbury League this year. In fact, despite it being their first campaign in the B Section, Midstream may well earn promotion to the A Section.
Their five-wicket victory over Potchefstroom Gimnasium on Saturday, in Midran11d, has likely set them up for a promotion/relegation clash against Hoërskool Rustenburg on 21 February.
Wian de Bruin and Christian Olwagen laid the groundwork for Saturday’s victory with the ball, thus enabling Rikus Cilliers and his batting outfit to execute a successful run chase.
Midstream won the toss and, after electing to bowl first, De Bruin struck early with the new ball.
He captured 3/15, while Olwagen knocked over 2/12, which included the prized wicket of Gimmies‘ mainstay, Christivan Coetzer. Coetzer, however, delivered a quickfire 34 from 26 balls before his departure.
Henré Cronje led the lower-order contributions, with 28, while Bernard Juddels and Thloni Tabatha added 27 each to help Potch Gim to 207 all out, which looked like a decent enough total on a pitch that offered something to the bowlers.
The composure of Midstream opener Rikus Cilliers proved decisive in their reply. He batted patiently yet positively, scoring at more than a run a ball. He was eventually dismissed through an excellent piece of fielding by Tabatha, run out for a well‑played 57, but Cilliers had set his side up to succeed.
Further meaningful contributions from Ryan Strauss (38) and Maarten Nortjé (33) carried the home side across the line in the 35th over with five wickets in hand.
In Benoni, an in‑form Aiden Shaw powered Hoërskool Hans Moore to a dominant seven-wicket win over Hoërskool Montana. Shaw’s century – a ruthless 130 from only 86 balls, which included 10 sixes and nine fours- ensured Moories chased down the 206 they needed for victory in just 24 overs.
Leejan van Jaarsveld was Montana’s standout performer, standing firm despite being put under heavy pressure before falling for a determined 65, which was not enough to overshadow Shaw’s commanding display on home soil.
In Nelspruit, Safwaan Muller, of Hoërskool Nelspruit, produced the bowling performance of the round to guide Nellies to a tightly contested three-wicket victory over Hoërskool Marais Viljoen.
Despite a well‑played 69 from Trent Shrives, the visitors posted only 137. Muller claimed six wickets, including that of Shrives, while conceding 41 runs from his seven overs.
The Alberton school refused to go down without a fight. Zaim Hashim, with 3/49, and Hendré Cilliers, with 2/17, struck back for Marais Viljoen with strong spells. However, they didn’t have sufficient runs to defend, and an unbeaten 48 from Juan Maritz secured victory for Nelspruit in Mbombela.
Summarised scorecards
Potchefstroom Gimnasium 207/10 (Christivan Coetzer 34, Henré Cronje 28, Bernard Judels 27, Thloni Tabatha 27, Bennet Keet 21, Extras 20; Wian de Bruin 3/15, Christian Olwagen 2/12); Midstream College 208/5 (Rikus Cilliers 57, Ryan Struass 38, Maarten Nortjé 33, Hanro de Villiers 23, Extras 23; Damian Kruger 2/29). Midstream College won by five wickets.
Montana 205/10 (Leejan van Jaarsveld 65, Migael Kock 49, Extras 23; Nathan King 2/18, Issac Aube 2/18); Hans Moore 206/3 (Aiden Shaw 130, Xavier van Biljon 36, Extras 23; Du Preez Prinsloo 2/31). Hans Moore won by seven wickets.
Paarl Boys’ High won the toss and opted to bat first in their limited-overs bout against Rondebosch Boys’ High on Saturday. They lasted almost their full allotment of 50 overs, finishing on 232 all out from 49.3.
Opener AB Jacobs provided some impetus up front, making 30 before his departure left Boishaai on 65/2.
Christo Muller replaced him and set about the ‘Bosch bowlers, striking six fours and two sixes in his hefty 82 off 81 balls.
Entering the contest after the fall of the third wicket, Reese Petersen contributed 24 in a 68-run fourth-wicket partnership with Muller.
Arin Spiller and Alex du Plessis were the most successful Rondebosch bowlers, with Spiller nabbing 2/42 in 10 overs, while Du Plessis claimed 2/36 from eight.
In reply, Rondebosch opener Romano Pedro just missed out on a half-century. He spent 64 balls at the crease and hit five fours and a six in his 49.
Timothy Short and Raa’id Davids boosted the Rondebosch response with a 67-run sixth-wicket partnership, with Short’s contribution of 45 off 52 featuring five fours and two sixes. Davids recorded a flashy and unbeaten 34 off 22, with six fours.
Zion van Rensburg and Davids then delivered ‘Bosch to victory with an unbroken 66-run partnership for the eighth wicket. Van Rensburg finished with 28 not out at better than a run a ball.
Ed-Lee Koopman led the visitors’ bowling attack with 3/54 in 8.2 overs, and Christo Muller bagged 2/62 in eight overs.
It took Rondebosch 42.2 overs to reach 236/7, thus scoring a three-wicket victory.
Grey High vs Boland Landbou
Boland Landbou visited the Pollock Oval for a 40-over showdown with Grey High on Saturday. They chose to bat first after winning the toss.
Beaten by St Andrew’s College the previous day, the Farmers were eager to return to winning ways, but their innings never caught fire and, after only 30.2 overs, they were all out for just 124.
Alejo Nota led the Grey High attack, knocking over 4/19 in 6.2 overs, while Logan Groch picked up 2/17 and Connor Parry 2/22.
Johannes Goosen top-scored for Boland Landbou. Batting fifth in the order, he went on the offensive, smashing four fours and two sixes in his rapid 45 off 33 balls.
Gunther Schmidt looked promising, but his innings was ended by a run out, the product of good work between James Upton and Logan Goddard-Ford, when he had 20.
Grey High’s run chase was built around a 71-run second-wicket partnership between opener James Upton and Connor Parry, batting at three. Upton contributed a circumspect 39 off 72, while Parry sent six deliveries to the boundary in his 43 off 64. Logan Goddard-Ford weighed in with 22 off 34, and Grey High won by six wickets after spending 31.1 overs at the crease.
Kobus Conradie captured 3/38 in seven overs, but Grey High walked away with the win.
Summarised Scorecard
Paarl Boys’ High 232/10 (Christo Muller 82, AB Jacobs 30, Reese Petersen 24, Tom Krige 22; Alex du Plessis 2/36, Arin Spiller 2/42); Rondebosch Boys’ High 236/7 (Ramano Pedro 49, Timothy Short 45, Raaid Davids 34*, Zion van Rensburg 28*, Ethan De Heer Kloots 23; Ed-Lee Koopman 3/54, Christo Muller 2/62). Rondebosch won by three wickets.
Boland Landbou 124/10 (Johannes Goosen 45, Gunther Schmidt 20; Alejo Nota 4/19, Logan Groch 2/17, Connor Parry 2/22); GreyHigh 125/4 (Connor Parry 43, James Upton 39, Logan Goddard-Ford 22; Kobus Conradie 3/38). Grey High won by six wickets.
When the toss went Wynberg Boys’ High‘s way against Paul Roos Gimnasium(PRG) on Saturday morning, they sent their Stellenbosch hosts out to field first in their 50-over contest.
PRG met the challenge head-on, with Morné Pauw dismissing both openers, on his way to a return of 2/35 from six overs.
Wynberg hit back through Noah du Plooy, batting at three, and Hugo Norambuena, at four, who were the only visiting batsmen to build a solid partnership. Together, they added 58 runs for the third wicket.
Norambuena cracked three fours and a six in his tally of 31 off 45, while Du Plooy whacked two fours in a contribution of 29 off 69.
Marcus Conradie backed up the good work done by Morné Pauw by picking up 2/21 in seven tidy overs. Roux Joubert fared even better. He dismissed the big hitters in the middle-order before returning to clean up the tail to finish with a telling 4/26 from 10 overs.
After 45.3 overs, Wynberg was all out for 164.
Paul Roos Gimnasium’s reply was led by Janko Webb, who continued his outstanding form by smashing 11 fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 98 off 83 balls.
Marcus Conradie chipped in with 23, and Christiaan Fouché made 22, as PRG reached 164/7 after 30.2 overs to win by three wickets.
Damian Harris was the only visiting bowler to claim multiple wickets, claiming 2/32 in 7.2 overs.
Parel Vallei High vs Curro Durbanville
Parel Vallei High produced a tidy effort in the field against Curro Durbanville on Saturday to set them up for a home win in their 40-over contest.
Openers Alex van der Westhuizen and Reece Bald gave the visitors a sound start with a 61-run opening stand, with Van der Westhuizen making a patient 21 off 68 balls, while Bald took the lead, cracking eight fours in his 41 off 35. Number three batsman, Ryan Lategan, struck two sixes and two fours in a useful 36 off 59.
After the top three exited, James Miller took charge with the ball, bowling all four of his victims in a six-over spell that brought him 4/24. Daniel Adonis chipped in with 2/17 from four, while Dirk van Zyl took 2/49 in 10.
After an encouraging start, Curro Durbanville was dismissed for a modest 133.
Parel Vallei was rocked when Ryan Lategan dismissed both openers. Once they were gone, though, PV hit the accelerator and raced towards the finishing line. Lategan did his best to keep them in check, picking up 3/26 in five overs.
Number three batsman, Daniel Adonis, was having none of it, though. He roared to 84 not out off only 38 balls, blasting nine fours and four sixes. Chris Hughes helped with 20 off 22 balls.
With Parel Vallei batting at 8.6 runs per over, the chase lasted only 15.4 overs, and it ended with Parel Vallei, on 134/3, the winners by seven wickets.
Summarised Scorecard
Wynberg Boys’ High 164/10 (Hugo Norambuena 31, Noah du Plooy 29, Fawaaz Hendricks 21, Extras 20; Roux Joubert 4/26, Marcus Conradie 2/21, Morné Pauw 2/35); Paul Roos Gimnasium 167/4 (Janko Webb 98*, Marcus Conradie 23, Christiaan Fouché 22; Damien Harris 2/32). Paul Roos won by six wickets.
Curro Durbanville 133/10 (Reece Bald 41, Ryan Lategan 36, Alex van der Westhuizen 21; James Miller 4/24, Daniel Adonis 2/17, Dirk van Zyl 2/49); Hoërskool Parel Vallei 134/3 (Daniel Adonis 84*, Chris Hughes 20; Ryan Lategan 3/26). Parel Vallei won by three wickets.
Lincoln Casias in action during his unbeaten half-century in a losing cause against Pretoria Boys High in Pretoria on Saturday. Photo: Jeppe High School for Boys on Facebook.
It was a day of mixed results, with surprises in both directions, for two of Johannesburg’s leading cricket schools, King Edward VII School (KES) and Jeppe High School for Boys.
Both crossed the Jukskei River, with KES, playing at Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies), producing a noteworthy six-wicket victory over the high-flying home side.
Just across the road, on Pretoria Boys High‘s Hofmeyr Oval, Jeppe, who beat Waterkloof the previous weekend, went down by five wickets to a spirited Boys High.
Rain and unfavourable weather conditions resulted in both matches being reduced from 50-over clashes.
KES won the toss and elected to bowl in their 40-over game against Affies, and Connor Kuijers relished that decision, leading a strong performance from the visitors in the field, which ended with Affies all out for just 144 within 36 overs.
Kuijers returned the outstanding figures of 4/20 at a miserly economy rate of 2.5 runs per over from his eight overs. He was well supported by Stelle Grooteman (2/7) and Tyler Cloete (2/25), who shared four wickets for a combined 32 runs.
All-rounders, Paul Bester (31) and Zian Labuschagne (26), contributed valuable runs towards the end of the Affies’ innings, not enough, though, to set KES a more challenging total.
When the Johannesburg school batted, Urav Mukhija appeared to be playing on a different pitch entirely, compiling an excellent 63. His opening partnership of 67 with Matthew Bromley (30) broke the back of the chase and created an ideal platform for Abdullah Mohammed, who delivered the knockout blow with a composed 30.
Victory was secured off the first ball of the 31st over.
At the Hofmeyr Oval, a half-century from the in‑form Lincoln Casias was overshadowed by the heroics of Boys High‘s Ethan Nel, who produced a match-winning knock of 58.
Casias finished unbeaten on 50, but he found limited support from his teammates, aside from the 32 contributed by Vegas Scott.
Ruan Coetzee spearheaded a disciplined effort from the home side’s attack, capturing 3/20 to help restrict Jeppe to 131/7 from their 35 overs.
Nel’s innings, aided by a valuable 27 from Tim Gordon, ensured Boys High kept their run rate healthy, and they overhauled the Jeppe total inside 33 overs.
The visitors’ spin stalwart Shreshth Kumar fought valiantly to apply pressure on the home side’s batting line‑up, but even his return of 2/28 was not enough to derail the Boys High charge to victory.
In the context of Jeppe‘s impressive season, it was a momentous win for Boys High.
Summarised scorecards
Affies 144/10 (Paul Bester 31, Zian Labuschagne 26; Connor Kuijers 4/20, Stelle Grooteman 2/7, Tyler Cloete 2/25); King Edward VII School 147/4 (Urav Mukhija 63, Matthew Bromley 30, Abdullah Mohammed 30; Lukas Cronje 2/29). King Edward VII School won by six wickets.
Jeppe 131/7 (35) (Lincoln Casias 50*, Vegas Scott 32; Ruan Coetzee 3/20, Dylan Kruger 2/19); Pretoria Boys High 132/5 (Ethan Nel 58, Tim Gordon 27; Shreshth Kumar 2/28). Pretoria Boys High won by five wickets.
Clifton captain Shiraz Perumal led his team to a strong bounce-back win over St John’s College (Harare). Photo: Brad Morgan.
Michaelhouse beat Durban High School by 28 runs on Saturday morning at Northwood to put the final nail into School‘s attempt at winning a third successive Clifton T20 Tournament title.
While plenty of rain was forecast, five matches were completed, with some of them reduced to a shorter format, while another, between Westville Boys’ High and St Charles College, was decided by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method. Just two games had to be abandoned, which, given the dire weather forecast, was better than most had hoped for.
Michaelhouse, after a convincing 37-run win over Hoërskool Waterkloof on Friday, won in impressive style once again despite both Ismaeel Omar and Josh van Biljon hitting fifties for DHS.
Early on, Michaelhouse was in serious trouble, on 37/4 after seven overs. That became 64/5 in the tenth over, but, by then, Ben Heuer had already begun an extraordinary counterattack, and he found a willing and able partner in Thandanani Zuma, the seventh man to the crease. They spent 55 balls together and advanced the ‘Housetotal by 98 runs to turn the tide.
Heuer was out seven deliveries before the end of Michaelhouse’s 20 overs, but by then he had inflicted terminal damage on DHS, smashing seven sixes and two fours in his 75 from just 37 balls. Zuma went on to finish unbeaten on 38 from 32, with three fours and a six. Victor North played his part, too, launching two sixes and adding a four in his unbeaten 18 from only six deliveries.
To win, DHS needed to bat at 9.6 runs per over – a tall ask. For a long time, though, they were on track to challenge Michaelhouse, with Omar and Van Biljon combining for a 104-run partnership for the second wicket off 86 balls.
Still, they needed to hasten their chase after Omar exited for 61 off 42, having struck four fours and three sixes. Van Biljon followed in the 16th over, caught by Heuer off the bowling of Rendani Nonge for 58 from 52, with three fours and two sixes.
Bonga Maphanga laid into a couple of deliveries, on his way to an unbeaten 15 off seven, but DHS found themselves unable to accelerate, and their challenge petered out, with the Horsefliesfinishing on 153/5.
Michaelhouse will have to beat Waterkloof for a second time in succession in an eliminator match on Sunday to make the semi-finals of the Clifton T20 Tournament. Photo: Brad Morgan.
Kearsney College, the highest scorers on Friday, with 196/1 against St John’s (Harare), came close to matching that with 188/4 against Hilton College, led by 65 from Rivaan Moodley and 58 not out from Aaron Blackburn. Then, James Bishop, with 4/16, put the skids under Hilton’s reply, which lasted only 16.3 overs and ended on 132 all out, leaving Kearsney the winners by a handsome 56-run margin.
That undid the good work Hilton had done in a 50-run win over Clifton College on the opening day, and it came back to bite them when the hosts hung a 71-run defeat on St John’s (Harare). With their schoolmates filling the stands and providing plenty of vocal support, the Clifton 1st XI excelled in the field, and that big win took them above Hilton in the Group A standings.
Later, Kearsney’s match against Clifton and Hilton’s game against St John’s were abandoned partway through, which left Kearsney top of the standings, followed by Clifton, and then Hilton.
Clifton’s 148 all out against St John’s owed a lot to Hayden Drieselmann. He was one of three batsmen run out in Clifton’s loss to Hilton, but he put that disappointment behind him to club four fours and a six in his 41 from 25 balls, which was 25 more than any other batsman managed in the match.
Clifton’s spinners, then, ripped through the St John’s batting, taking nine of the 10 wickets to fall. Keegan Watson bagged 3/15, Blake Johnson took 3/17, Shiraz Perumal 2/15, and Muhammed Malek 1/1. The remaining wicket came from a run out.
Waterkloof, fresh off a win over DHS, faced Glenwood, who had also beaten DHS on Friday. The contest, though, ended in a decisive 77-run victory for Klofies, who posted a big 185/7, led by Juan Swart‘s big hitting. He cracked eight fours and two sixes in his 50 off only 24 balls. Kreesan Pillai, with 3/36, was, by far, the best of the Durban side’s bowlers.
Glenwood’s reply featured five batsmen who made it into the teens but didn’t exit them, and that resulted in them being bowled out for only 108. Rian Klopper, Rivan Booysen, and Vorster de Villiers picked up two wickets each as the Green Machine‘s response failed to gain traction.
Maritzburg College endured a tough opening day, going down to two defeats. While they suffered a third against Northwood on Saturday, it came down to the last ball of a contest reduced to 18 overs a side. Luke Venter bowled Keegan Reeves off the second last ball, but Thomas Oosthuizen raced through for a single off the final delivery to secure a six-wicket win for the Knights.
College posted 120/5 behind Rory Schirge‘s unbeaten 50 from only 38 balls, which featured five fours and two sixes. Northwood’s reply leaned heavily on two players, David de Bruyn and Luc Boyall. De Bruyn opened the innings and contributed 47 at slightly better than a run a ball, while Boyall was unbeaten on 53 off 43. They also partnered for 90 off 79 balls.
Westville Boys’ High picked up a DLS win over St Charles College in a game that lasted only 20 overs in total, with Saintsbatting for 15 of those. They put up 121/4, with openers Thando Zama and Joshua Nicholson combining for a hasty 78 off 10.1 overs.
Zama top-scored with 67 off 48 balls, slamming four fours and four sixes, while Nicholson added 33 off 28. The highlight of the contest, though, was a hat-trick for Westville skipper, Kyle McGough, who dismissed Zama, Ryan Clarke, and Caleb Sharp off successive deliveries in the final over of the St Charles innings.
The Griffinsreplied with 56/2 in five overs to claim the win. Tristin Delvin led the way, hitting three fours and two sixes in his undefeated 31 off 15 balls.
While Kearsney’s game against Clifton was abandoned with Kearsney on 98/2, Asher Hollister finished with an unbeaten 63, which left him top of the run-scoring chart, with 170 to his name from three innings. He previously made 106 not out against St John’s (Harare) and was run out for one against Hilton.
Summarised scorecards
Michaelhouse 181/6 (Ben Heuer 75, Thandanani Zuma 38; Bonga Maphanga 3/16, Josh Morley 2/27); Durban High School 153/5 (Ismaeel Omar 61, Josh van Biljon 58; Rendani Nonge 3/37). Michaelhouse won by 28 runs.
Kearsney College 188/4 (Rivaan Moodley 65, Aaron Blackburn 58*; Sange Qangule 1/26); Hilton College 132/10 (Robert Burman 28, Ben Wilson 28, James Peattie 23, Sange Qangule 22; James Bishop 4/16). Kearsney won by 56 runs.
Clifton College 148/10 (Hayden Drieselmann 41; Sean Reilly 4/36); St John’s College (Harare) 77/10 (James Manning 18; Keegan Watson 3/15, Blake Johnson 3/17, Shiraz Perumal 2/15). Clifton College won by 71 runs.
Waterkloof 185/7 (Juan Swart 50, Wian du Plessis 37*, AJ de Villiers 32, Franco Schimdt 29; Kreesan Pillai 3/36); Glenwood High 108/10 (Akhil Sinath 18; Rian Klopper 2/4, Rivan Booysen 2/16, Vorster de Villiers 2/19). Waterkloof won by 77 runs.
Maritzburg College 120/5 (Rory Schirge 50*, Reece Willson 27; Ryan van Zyl 2/29); Northwood 121/4 (Luc Boyall 53*, David de Bruyn 47; Reece Willson 2/20). Northwood won by six wickets.
Hilton College 101/5 (James Peattie 36; Shivaan Chouhan 3/10). St John’s (Harare) did not bat. Match abandoned.
St Charles College 121/4 in 15 overs (Thando Zama 67, Joshua Nicholson 33; Kyle McGough 3/32); Westville Boys’ High 56/2 in 5 overs (Tristin Delvin 31*, Aidan Baudach 19; Jayden Saville 1/9). Westville Boys’ High won by eight wickets.
Kearsney College 98/2 after 14 overs (Asher Hollister 63*; Blake Johnson 1/18). Clifton College did not bat. Match abandoned.
PLAYOFF FIXTURES
Sunday, 15 February
Eliminator
Michaelhouse vs Waterkloof
Westville Boys’ High vs Hilton College
Positional playoffs
Clifton College vs Glenwood
St Charles College vs St John’s College (Harare)
Maritzburg College vs Durban High School
Semi-finals
Kearsney College vs winner of Eliminator 1
Northwood vs winner of Eliminator 2
Tapiwa Chikwava played a match-winning innings from the lower order to set up St John’s for victory. Photo: Supplied.
Tapiwa Chikwava and Bryn Gilmour starred with the bat and ball in St John’s College‘s emphatic 117-run Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method win over ParktownBoys’ High in their 50-over contest on the Mitchell Oval at St John’s on Saturday.
The Blues won the toss, chose to bat first and were bowled out for 201 in 48.2 overs. The visitors were wobbling on 56/6 after 24 overs when the match was interrupted by lightning.
Parktown’s innings was then reduced to 43 overs with a revised target of 199. They never challenged that total and were restricted to 81/8.
Chikwava played a gem of an innings to rescue the home side’s innings from imploding. The number seven batsman scored an invaluable 85 from 70 balls to catapult St John’s to a winning total.
When he walked out to bat, the Blues were on 68/5 after 18.4 overs. Batting positively, the all-rounder played his shots while Joshua Hall anchored the innings at the other end.
Hall’s was an obdurate resistance. He accumulated 26 runs from 107 deliveries while the pair added 116 for the sixth wicket. The next best partnership for St John’s was a 41-run opening stand between Nkosana Sibiya (28) and Luke Fry (17).
When Parktown batted, Bryn Gilmour was the pick of the St John’s bowlers, knocking over 4/14 in nine economical overs. The spinner enjoyed good support from Ethan Robinson, who took a brace of wickets, and Chikwava and Herman Basson, who chipped in with a wicket each.
Abdullah Wadee was Parktown’s top scorer with a patient 22 runs from 56 balls. Josh van Rensburg (15*) and Siya Dube (11) were the only other two Parktown batsmen to reach double figures.
St David’s vs Helpmekaar
Christopher Emslie and Kyle Butler combined their skills with ball and bat to help St David’s Marist Inanda record a four-wicket win over HelpmekaarKollege at Helpmekaar on Saturday.
Roberto Mariano, the St David’s captain, called correctly at the toss and opted to bowl first. His bowlers made him look good by bowling out Helpmekaar for 134 in 29.4 overs. Butler then played an inspired knock with the bat to shepherd St David’s to 137/6 in just 22.3 overs.
Emslie, who shared the new ball with Butler, claimed 3/39. Butler did the hard work, accounting for three of Helpmekaar’s top four batsmen, to claim 3/31 from six overs. Hayden Campbell rounded off the wicket-takers with a tidy 2/14 in six overs.
The St David’s reply didn’t go smoothly at first. They meandered their way to 67/6 before Butler arrived at the crease in the 10th over.
The visitors, who had recovered from losing their captain in the first over by mounting a 50-run second-wicket partnership, had suffered a collapse that left them staring at defeat in the face after Heinrich Minnaar and Frederick Zeelie took five wickets for 16 runs in 5.1 overs to give the hosts the upper hand.
Butler, though, fought fire with fire and blitzed an unbeaten 53 runs from 40 balls to steer St David’s home. He also shared an unbroken 70-run seventh-wicket partnership with Maru Challies, who was the foil to Butler’s aggressive stroke play. He finished with an unbeaten 15 runs from 43 balls.
Summarised Scorecards
St John’s College 201/10 (Tapiwa Chikwava 85, Nkosana Sibiya 28; Keagan Johnson 3/33, Ashton Govender 2/16). Parktown Boys’ High 81/8 (Abdullah Wadee 22, Josh van Rensburg 15*; Bryn Gilmour 4/14, Ethan Robinson 2/6). St John’s won by 117 runs (DLS Method).
Helpmekaar Kollege 134/10 (Zuan Joubert 17, Sebastian Kloek 17; Christopher Emslie 4/39, Kyle Butler 3/31). St David’s Marist Inanda 137/6 (Kyle Butler 53*, Sohail Seonath 34; Heinrich Minnaar 4/50, Frederick Zeelie 2/39). St David’s won by four wickets.
Rieket Kruger’s century and Potchefstroom Volkskool’s dominant 137‑run victory over Hoërskool Kempton Park in Potchefstroom highlighted the penultimate round of A Section fixtures in the Finsbury League on Saturday.
Kruger spearheaded the Volkies‘ innings as they posted a commanding 333 in their 50 overs. His superb 120 was the highest individual score of the round.
He also received excellent support from opening batsman AW van der Merwe, who struck a fluent 86, and Schalk Pienaar, who hammered four fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 71 from just 45 balls.
Kruger’s innings, however, outshone them all. Batting at four, he controlled the tempo masterfully, striking 13 boundaries, three of which cleared the ropes. He faced 117 deliveries and scored at just over a run a ball.
A significant portion of his effort was shared with Van der Merwe, with the pair sharing a match‑defining 127‑run partnership.
Despite heavy pressure, Kempies‘ William van den Berg produced an admirable bowling display, taking two of the five wickets to fall while conceding only 39 runs. The trend of double‑strikes continued, with Volkies’ top three bowlers also claiming two wickets apiece.
Andries Venter led the way with 2/31 and was well supported by Pierre Joubert, with 2/31, and Johandré Jacobs, with 2/48. Eventually, the visitors from Kempton Park were dismissed for 196.
Ethan Kotze fought bravely for his 47, the standout knock of their reply. His only significant support came from Jeandré Potgieter (39) and Kamogelo Matlala (38).
In Centurion, Heinrich Klue, of Hoërskool Eldoraigne, tore through Hoërskool Rustenburg‘s batting line‑up, putting the Eldos in a commanding position. However, rain brought the contest to a premature end, with the hosts facing only four deliveries before play was abandoned.
Eldoraigne needed just 132 for victory following Klue’s outstanding return of 4/30 from his full 10‑over spell. The left‑arm off-spin of Benyal Morkel brought him 2/12, and Zavier Zeelie snapped up 2/26 to keep Rusties under pressure.
Tristan van der Linde top‑scored for the visitors with 30. Several batsmen made promising starts, but none were converted.
Summarised scorecards
Potchefstroom Volkskool 333/5 (Riekert Kruger 120, AW van der Merwe 86, Schalk Pienaar 71*, Extras 24; William van den Berg 2/39); Hoërskool Kempton Park 196 (Ethan Kotze 47, Jeandré Potgieter 39, Kamogelo Matlala 38; Andries Venter 2/31, Pierre Joubert 2/35, Johandré Jacobs 2/48). Potchefstroom Volkskool won by 137 runs.
Hoërskool Rustenburg 131 (Tristan van der Linde 30, Dehan Jacobs 26*, Thian Labuschagne 24, Rejean van der Venter 20; Heinrich Klue 4/30, Benyael Morkel 2/12, Zavier Zeelie 2/26). Eldoraigne 2/0. Match Abandoned.
James Badenhorst enjoyed a laugh with his peers while they clapped in celebration of his 50th cap for the St Andrew’s College 1st XI. Photo: St Andrew’s College on Instagram.
St. Andrew’s College vs Boland Landbou
After their fixture against Kingswood College was washed out by rain on Thursday, Boland Landbou was happy to walk out to the crease against St. Andrew’s College on Friday.
After College won the toss and chose to field in the 40-over clash, the Paarl outfit responded with 223 all out in 39.5 overs.
Boland Landbou captain Francois Prins entered the fray at four and smashed eight fours and four sixes in an explosive 79 off 45 balls. Tailender, Caleb Seroot, impressed with five fours in an unbeaten 51 off 61.
Ethan Malan dismissed two middle-order batsmen for ducks in his 4/56 from eight overs, while Thomas Bussiahn captured 2/24 in a three-over spell.
When St Andrew’s College took to the crease, Kobus Conradie dispatched both opening batsmen, on his way to 2/37 in eight overs. It was, nonetheless, a fairly straightforward chase for the home side.
Connor Holder batted superbly at four to lead the run pursuit, bludgeoning four fours and six maximums in a ferocious 116 off 84 deliveries.
Caleb Emslie, the next man in, partnered Holder for 140 runs for the fourth wicket, and was undefeated on 49 off 47 at the end.
St Andrew’s made it over the line with 15 balls to spare, reaching 227/3 to record a comfortable seven-wicket margin.
Milnerton High vs Hoërskool Parel Vallei
Also on Friday, Milnerton High hosted Parel ValleiHigh (PV), also in a 40-overs-a-side clash.
Millieswon the toss and elected to field first. At first, PV struggled for consistency, but Chris Hughes, their number four batsman, and Divan Sander, batting at six, delivered it.
Hughes aimed to survive, and he took up 49 deliveries to contribute 25 runs. Sander’s innings, which included two fours, provided a similar return. He top-scored with 32 off 54.
Tristan Logie and Bradley Barnes were the home side’s dangermen, with Logie capturing 3/32 in eight overs, while Barnes nabbed 3/30 in his eight overs as Parel Vallei accumulated 138/9 after their 40.
Millies got off to a slow start in reply. RyanTrollip, with 24 off 39, produced the best return from their top four. Arriving in the middle at six, Tristan Logie matched PV’s Sander with the match’s top score of 32 runs, with his knock featuring two fours and two sixes.
Each of the five bowlers used by Parel Vallei bowled their full quota of overs and picked up a wicket, except Daniel Dreyer, who claimed 2/23 and was also involved in a run out.
Milnerton’s innings lasted to the final ball of their 40 overs, when they were all out for 126, leaving Parel Vallei with a tight 12-run win.
Summarised Scorecards
Boland Landbou 223/10 (Francois Prins 79, Caleb Seroot 51*, Johannes Goosen 29, Louis du Plessis 28; Ethan Malan 4/56, Thomas Bussiahn 2/24); St Andrew’s College 227/3 (Connor Holder 116*, Caleb Emslie 49*, Corné van der Merwe 23; Kobus Conradie 2/27). St Andrew’s College won by seven wickets.
Parel Vallei High 138/9 (Divan Sander 32, Chris Hughes 25; Bradley Barnes 3/30, Tristan Logie 3/32); Milnerton High 126/10 (Tristan Logie 32, Ryan Gretchel 24; Daniel Dreyer 2/23). Parel Vallei won by 12 runs.
St Charles College made a winning start to the Clifton T20 Tournament, decisively beating their Pietermaritzburg rival, Maritzburg College. Photo: Brad Morgan.
The unpredictability of the shorter format of the game revealed itself in Durban on Friday, the first day of the third annual Clifton T20 Tournament, where the two-time defending champion, Durban High School, suffered back-to-back defeats.
In the morning, they went down to Glenwood High by 15 runs. Then, in the afternoon, Hoërskool Waterkloof avenged a loss to DHS in a group match on the opening day of the 2025 Clifton T20.
Only one other team, Maritzburg College, went winless in their two matches on the opening day. In the morning, they were well beaten by their Pietermaritzburg rival, St Charles College, and Westville Boys’ High also enjoyed much the better of their clash later in the day.
No team that played two matches won both. Waterkloof went down to Michaelhouse, while Westville tied with Northwood, who also cruised to a big win over St Charles.
Group A opened with Saintsagainst College, and Thando Zama and company, after being sent in to bat at the Crusaders Club, posted a solid 159/8, with a second-wicket partnership of 78 from only 49 balls between Zama and Ryan Clarke being the primary driver of their innings.
At the death, Caleb Sharp and Lebo Mokoena combined for 37 runs, while Owen Widdows and Connor Simpson shared a 31-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Clarke, with 41, which included six fours, was the top scorer, while Zama cracked five fours in 37 from 25 deliveries, and Sharp played well to the long-off boundary in his 25 from 14.
Ethan Fabre, the seventh bowler used by College, nabbed 3/16 in three overs, while the skipper, Reece Willson, claimed 2/29 in three.
In reply, College put 16 runs on the board before losing their first wicket, but the run out of Kyle de Bruyn sparked a collapse, with the Red, Black, and White slipping from 16 without loss to 31/4.
Dax Jursa and Luca van der Merwe briefly slowed the St Charles attack, but four wickets then went down for only 10 runs, with Lebo Mokoena inflicting the most damage. He snared 3/8 in three overs to put the skids firmly beneath the College batting effort.
Needing 160 to win, the contest was almost done and dusted, with Maritzburg College on 68/8, but, with typical College fight, they made it to triple figures. However, when their tenth wicket went down on 109, St Charles had won by 50 runs to secure a bonus point victory.
Matters were far tighter between Westville and Northwood at the Riverside Sports Club, where Westville opted to bowl first. It was hard to criticise that decision when the Griffins limited the Knights to only 101/7 from their 20 overs.
A run a ball 23 not out from Hamza Amla, and 23 off 28 from David de Bruyn was the best that Northwood could muster, which was better than Westville did, with their captain, Kyle McGough, top scoring with only 19.
Still, it came down to the last ball, and Aarin Rasmussen scored two runs off James Searle to rescue a tie for his team, with Westville finishing on 101/8.
Left-arm spinner Ewan du Toit spun a web around Northwood, snapping up 3/13 in four overs, while McGough captured 2/10 in two.
James Searle claimed three for Northwood, conceding 20 runs from his four overs, while Hamza Amla took 2/17 in four.
Later, at DHS, the inconsistency of St Charles in 2026 was on show as Northwood cantered to a nine-wicket win, needing only 14.4 overs to overhaul the 112/8 put up by Saints.
That was the product of a poor start, with the Pietermaritzburg school crashing to 6/3 only seven balls into their innings, which included the run out of Joshua Nicholson for a duck.
Run outs were a theme of the day, with some poor running between the wickets and some good fielding resulting in 15 batsmen being run out in nine matches. That included Clifton College losing three of their top five in that manner against Hilton College, which ruined their run chase.
Hilton College captain Rob Burman led from the front, top scoring for his side in a bonus-point victory over Clifton College. Photo: Brad Morgan.
Hilton won the match because of their performances at the start of both innings. On the batting front, Hilton’s opening batsmen, Barack Munawa and captain, Rob Burman, also gave their side a superb start, putting on 104 in only 71 balls for the first wicket.
The Hilton opening pair was helped when Munawa was put down in the covers early in his innings, and he made Clifton pay, lashing five fours and two sixes in a 36-ball stay that brought him 55 runs. Burman led the way with 63 off 49, with seven fours and a six, as Hilton tallied 165/4.
Clifton did a good job of slowing Hilton down in the second half of their innings, with Hilton adding only 61 runs from their last 50 balls. Keegan Watson and Blake Johnson went at six runs per over, and both picked up a wicket, while leg-spinner Shiraz Perumal caused the batsmen some discomfort with his sharp turn and drift, but still went for 28 from his four overs.
Clifton’s disastrous running between the wickets left the hosts out of it on 18/5 after five overs. All credit to Hilton College, though. They had to make their opportunities count, and they did.
Their quicks, Sechaba Gude and Sange Qangule, also made good use of the short ball to force some skied shots out of the Clifton batsmen. Daniel Rea fought hard, cracking two fours and two sixes while scoring 29 off 19 balls, while Perumal weighed in with 23 off 28 before going for a big blast and being castled by Sean Burman.
Gude led the Hilton attack, capturing 4/23 in 3.4 overs, while Sean Burman bagged 2/19 in four, as Clifton was bowled out for 105.
Only one century was scored, and it went to Kearsney College‘s Asher Hollister, who slammed seven fours and six sixes in his unbeaten 106 off only 66 balls against St John’s College (Harare). He and captain Keegan de Jager shared an unbroken second-wicket stand of 179 off only 107 deliveries to propel the Botha’s Hill boys to 196/1, the biggest total of the day.
St John’s replied with a healthy 150/4 but still went down by 46 runs. James Manning launched an effective counterattack, clubbing 11 fours and three sixes in his 83 off 57 balls.
Perhaps the result of the day was Glenwood’s win over DHS because the Green Machine had been in indifferent form heading into the Clifton T20. Playing at Northwood, though, they scored a telling victory.
Led by Mishael Gunawardana‘s 46, they tallied 141/8 before restricting DHS to 126/6 in reply. The first five batsmen in the Horseflies‘ batting order made it into double figures, and two reached the twenties, but 28 by Mohammed Asmal was the best they mustered.
Crucially, only Taine Havermann, with 25 from 21 deliveries, with two fours and a six, bettered a run rate of 100.
Kamo Moloto hurt DHS with a superb return of 3/11 from three overs, while Qhamani Sikutshwa ratcheted up the pressure, with his tight four overs going for just 15 runs.
Waterkloof struck early and often against DHS, but they were held up by School skipper, Josh van Biljon. Photo: Brad Morgan.
If there was a result that matched the impact of Glenwood’s win over DHS, it was Michaelhouse‘s comfortable 37-run victory over Waterkloof. Playing at DHS, Klofies won the toss and elected to field. Michaelhouse made them regret that choice.
Captain Graydon Leslie and Riley Muir got ‘House off to a flyer, racing to 47 in the fifth over before the skipper exited for 33 from only 16 balls. He had hit six of them for four. Muir went on to the innings’ top score of 47.
Critically, the openers were well supported. Ben Heuer chipped in with 26 from 17 balls before Thandanani Zuma and Victor North took it to Waterkloof with an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership that delivered 53 runs from the last four overs.
Zuma finished on 35 not out from 22 balls, while North blasted three fours and two sixes in his aggressive, unbeaten 30 from only 13 deliveries.
As they do, Waterkloof went hard from the start in an attempt to chase down a daunting target. They lost their openers cheaply, but their middle order stood firm, with Juan Swart taking only 13 balls to make 36. Eight of those deliveries went for boundaries, including one six.
Vorster de Villiers weighed in with 32, and Wian du Plessis contributed 25, but the Michaelhouse new ball pair, Thandanani Zuma and Rendani Nonge, kept picking up wickets to undermine the Waterkloof run chase. It lasted 17.4 overs before it was stopped on 154 all out.
Zuma captured 3/24 in 2.4 overs, while Nonge claimed 3/39 in four. Liam O’Dwyer, with 2/26, also played a key role in an important win for an in-form team.
Summarised scorecards
St Charles College 159/8 (Ryan Clarke 47, Thando Zama 37, Caleb Sharp; Ethan Fabre 3/16, Reece Willson 2/29); Maritzburg College 109/10 (Rory Schirge 41, Lebo Mokoena 3/8). St Charles won by 50 runs.
Glenwood High 141/8 (Mishael Gunawardana 42, Jonah Chita 23*, Akhil Sinath 20; Josh Morley 3/32, Matt Potgieter 2/22, Taine Havermann 2/33); Durban High School126/6 (Mohammed Asmal 28, Taine Havermann 25; Kamo Moloto, Mishael Gunawardana 2/32). Glenwood won by 15 runs.
Northwood School 101/7 (David de Bruyn 21; Ewan du Toit 3/13, Kyle McGough 2/10); Westville Boys’ High 101/8 (Kyle McGough 19; James Searle 3/20, Hamza Amla 2/17). Match tied.
Michaelhouse 191/6 (Riley Muir 47, Thandanani Zuma 35*, Graydon Leslie 33, Ben Heuer 26; Johan Liebenberg 2/26); Hoërskool Waterkloof154/10 (Juan Swart 36, Vorster de Villiers 32, Wian du Plessis 25; Thandanani Zuma 3/24, Rendani Nonge 3/39, Liam O’Dwyer 2/26). Michaelhouse won by 37 runs.
Hilton College 165/4 (Robert Burman 63, Barack Munawa 55; Blake Johnson 1/18); Clifton College 105/10 (Daniel Rea 29, Shiraz Perumal 23; Sechaba Gude 4/23, Sean Burman 2/19). Hilton won by 60 runs.
Kearsney College 196/1 (Asher Hollister 106*, Keegan de Jager 66*; Sean Reilly 1/24); St John’s College 150/4 (James Manning 83, Riley Ettlin 33, Luca Spagnuolo 28; Matthew Rice 1/12, Daniel Miskey 1/13). Kearsney won by 46 runs.
Westville Boys’ High 164/4 (Liam de Villiers 34*, Kyle McGough 34, Tristin Delvin 29, Aarin Rasmussen 25*; Ethan Fabre 1/16). Maritzburg College 123/10 (Reece Willson 22, Akhil Bharath 20; Ewan du Toit 2/13, Lwandle Bulose 2/16, Aarin Rasmussen 2/19). Westville won by 41 runs.
St Charles College 112/10 (Caleb Sharp 35, Christiaan Prinsloo 22; Ryan van Zyl 2/24); Northwood School 113/1 (David de Bruyn 56*, Ross McGlashan 35; Keegan Vermaak 1/14). Northwood won by nine wickets.
Durban High School 99/10 (Josh van Biljon 24, Mohammed Asmal 23; Christiaan Smit 3/7, Rivan Booysen 2/13); Waterkloof 103/5 (Johan Feuth 29*, Vorster de Villiers 26; Bonga Maphanga 2/28, Taine Havermann 2/22). Waterkloof won by five wickets.
Michaelhouse is one of the four semifinalists at the Vides Water Polo Tournament. Photo: Shani Lombard
The defending champion of the Vides Water Polo Tournament, St David’s Marist Inanda, kept their hopes of a title defence alive on Friday by booking a place in the semifinals.
The side from Johannesburg impressed during a drama-filled day at Selborne College‘s main pool and at the Clarendon Aquatic Centre.
After opening their campaign with a comfortable 9-3 win over Paarl Boys’ High on Thursday, coach Dean Whyte‘s team went on to beat Glenwood House and Grey High to finish atop Pool C.
In the last eight, they met a tough opponent, facing St Andrew’s College(SAC), in a repeat of last year’s final.
St David’s was forced to dig deep for their win. Eventually, though, they held out for an 8-6 victory, moving on to the final four.
While the 2025 champs progressed, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) and Michaelhouse continued their dominance.
PRG had finished in first place in Pool B after beating Selborne 11-8 in their key group stage clash, so they were confident heading into the playoffs.
That confidence showed, and coach Vaughn Marlow’s charges were brave, playing without fear, in their quarterfinal clash against Reddam House Constantia.
It was an entertaining match, end-to-end stuff, and it ended in a thrilling 9-9 draw before PRG snatched the win 5-4 on penalties.
Michaelhouse didn’t need any shootouts to progress, and they got the job done against the hosts with relative ease.
After dominating Pool A, the Balgowan boys upped the ante in the playoffs, eliminating Selborne 6-4 in their quarterfinals showdown.
That victory sets up a semifinal berth against St David’s, while PRG will lock horns with Wynberg Boys’ High, who defeated Grey High School 6-5 in their quarterfinal match.
The final day’s action kicks off with a clash between Stirling High and St Alban’s College in the Plate playoffs.
The first semifinal takes place at 09:40, with the second following at 10:30. The final is scheduled for 17:10.
Results | Day 2
@Selborne College
Reddam House 8-5 St Alban’s
Selborne 9-2 Grey College
Paarl Boys’ 5-16 Grey High
St Andrew’s 4-8 Wynberg
Collegians (2) 5-5 (4) St Alban’s
Selborne 8-11 Paul Roos
St David’s 10-5 Grey High
St Andrew’s 12-2 Stirling
@Clarendon
Michaelhouse 18-6 Collegians
Pearson 0-15 Paul Roos
St David’s 16-7 Glenwood House
Stirling 6-9 Woodridge
Michaelhouse 16-8 Reddam House
Pearson (4) 5-5 (3) Grey College
Paarl Boys’ 6-10 Glenwood House
Wynberg 10-8 Woodridge.
Playoffs:
Grey College 10-6 St Alban’s College (Plate QF 1)
Pearson 8-6 Selborne Collegians (Plate QF 2)
Glenwood House 18-8 Stirling High (Plate QF 3)
Woodridge College 8-7 Paarl Boys’ High (Plate QF 4)
Michaelhouse 6-4 Selborne College (Cup QF 1)
Paul Roos 9 (5) – 9 (4) Reddam House (Cup QF 2)
St David’s Marist Inanda 8-6 St Andrew’s College (Cup QF 3)
Grey High School 5-6 Wynberg (Cup QF 4)
Day 3 Fixtures
@Selborne College
08:00 – Selborne vs St Andrew’s College
08:50 – Reddam House vs Grey High
09:40 – Michaelhouse vs St David’s
10:30 – Paul Roos vs Wynberg
@Clarendon
08:00 – St Alban’s College vs Stirling
08:50 – Selborne Collegians vs Paarl Boys’ High
09:40 – Grey College vs Glenwood House
10:30 – Pearson vs Woodridge
Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Paarl Boys’ High
