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After going winless on the second day of the Peninsula Cricket Festival, the Cape schools bounced back on Friday, day three, picking up four wins.

In the match of the day, Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) gutted out a hard-fought one-wicket win over Bishops, with a 10th-wicket stand of 25 between Schalk Coetzee and Armin Snyman dragging them to victory and preventing the Cape sides from scoring a clean sweep.

With the win, Affies ended the day as the only team with three wins from three outings. Their Pretoria rivals, Waterkloof remain undefeated, too, but they drew one of their three matches.

Bishops Diocesan College vs Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies)

After suffering a batting collapse in a loss to Pretoria Boys High on Thursday, Bishops welcomed Affies to the Frank Reid Oval on Friday with the format changing from declaration cricket to 50-overs-a-side matches.

When Affies called the coin flip incorrectly, Bishops’ skipper Alex Vintcent chose to bat first. His batsmen responded with a much better outing than they produced the previous day, totalling 234/8.

Opening batsman, Ibraheem Taliep, and Harry Morgan, set the standard, putting on 82 for the third wicket, which took Bishops to 131 before Taliep was caught off JP Botha for 68. His diligent innings had taken 108 balls and produced seven fours and a six.

Morgan followed four runs later for 42, which proved to be the third highest score of the innings. Litha Mbiko, batting seventh in the order, bettered Morgan by three runs, smashing 45 from only 24 balls, four of which he launched for six, and three of which were dispatched for four.

Zian Labuschagne claimed 2/48 in 10 overs and Vihan Pretorius 2/59, also from 10, but JP Botha and Nico Loggenberg kept Bishops tied down with tight 10-over spells, picking up 1/25 and 1/29 respectively.

A 46-run first wicket partnership set Affies on course for what seemed to be a routine run chase and 75 for the second wicket between Christiaan Linde and AJ Morkel further strengthened their position. Linde’s contribution was 27 from 39 balls.

Vihan Pretorius then joined De Villiers in the middle where he played aggressively, striking two fours and a six to score a lively 24 from 15 deliveries. However, his dismissal, on 151, triggered a collapse, with Affies tumbling from 151/2 to 159/7 as Matthew Edwards led a Bishops’ fightback.

Morkel was still there, though, and he stuck around to advance the total to 172 before he became the eighth wicket to fall, one of four Edwards’ victims. His contribution was a telling 91 from 93 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes.

There was still work to do, and Zian Labuschagne and Schalk Coetzee were up for the challenge, partnering for 41 runs for the ninth wicket. However, when Labuschagne was caught by Litha Mbiko off the bowling of Waco Bassick for 29, the odds tilted in favour of Bishops.

Then came the gritty unbroken last wicket stand between Coetzee and Snyman, which took Affies to victory.

Edwards finished with 4/45 from eight overs, while Waco Bassick and Raa’id Arendse picked up two wickets each.

Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Pretoria Boys’ High

Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) put their undefeated record on the line against Rondebosch Boys’ High on the Cricket A Field at ‘Bosch. When the toss went their way, PBHS chose to take first strike, and it worked out well.

After the early departure of Ethan Nel, Joshua Hall and Tim Gordon added 78 runs for the second wicket before Hall exited for a circumspect 27 from 64 deliveries.

Gordon’s innings came to an end when he was LBW to Eli Aufrichtig for 57, with the total on 110. He’d hit six fours and three sixes.

That left Dylan Kruger and Louis Kruyshaar in the middle, and they proceeded to tear into the ‘Bosch bowling, with Kruger, especially, proving extremely destructive.

He hammered 121 from 99 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes, before he was caught by Tim Short off of Alex du Plessis. Kruger and Kruyshaar had shared a huge 163-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Rondebosch claimed two more wickets without the addition of a run, reducing PBHS to 273/6, with the Pretoria side going on to finish their 50 overs on 276/6. That hiccup, losing three wickets without scoring a run, would come back to haunt them. Kruyshaar was 50 not out from 54 balls, which included four fours.

Alex du Plessis was the pick of the home team’s attack, nabbing 4/29 from six overs, but it was a tough outing for ‘Bosch’s bowlers.

Set a daunting victory target, Rondebosch met the challenge head-on, but they found themselves on the back foot on 58/3, with their top three in the batting order out.

Schalk Fourie and Ethan De Heer Kloots changed the complexion of the contest, however, with a decisive 148-run partnership for the fourth wicket, with the latter leading the charge. He smashed six sixes and five fours in his 84 from 79 balls, while Fourie weighed in with 68 from 109 deliveries.

Fourie was out on 206. Two runs later, De Heer Kloots followed. Another two runs were added, then Raa’id Davids exited, and Tim Short followed soon after, with just two further runs scored. From 206/3, Rondebosch slid to 212/7. Advantage Pretoria Boys High.

‘Bosch had got something special out of De Heer Kloots and Fourie, but they needed another special innings, and Zion van Rensburg delivered it. He went after the Boys High bowlers, cracking six fours and two sixes in a 26-ball stay that produced an unbeaten 49 runs.

Rondebosch, though, lost Ethan Strydom for 14 after a 54-run stand with Van Rensburg, but Van Rensburg was there are the end, when ‘Bosch reached 280/8 after 48.5 overs. It was a first loss at the Peninsula Week for PBHS.

Euan Gottfried picked up 2/51 in seven overs for Boys High, while Victor Louw and Ruan Coetzee returned identical figures of 2/54 from 10.

Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Potchefstroom Gimnasium

After back-to-back defeats on the first two days of the festival, Paul Roos Gimnasium snatched their first win of the five-day event with an edge-of-the-seat one-wicket victory over Potchefstroom Gimnasium on the PRG Oval, in Stellenbosch.

Ulrich Botha and the in-form Lukas Kotze partnered for a strong second-wicket stand of 44 for Potch Gim, but, after Botha’s departure for 19, they were reduced to 53/3 when Bernard Judels followed for a duck.

Kotze and Bennet Keet stabilised the innings with a partnership of 42 for the fifth wicket. It ended when Kotze was caught by Dion Slabber off the bowling of James Holm for 41. He had faced 75 balls and hit four fours. When he exited, Potch Gimnasium was on 95/4, but Holm was only getting started.

In only 4.3 overs, he ruined the North West school’s innings, capturing 5/4, which included dismissing three middle order batsmen in succession for ducks, all trapped leg before wicket.

Potchefstroom Gimnasium’s innings fell apart under Holm’s attack. From 95/3, they crashed to 109 all out in 33.3 overs, losing their last seven wickets for only 14 runs.

Noah Appolis delivered a neat spell, returning 2/11 from five overs, to complement Holm nicely, while Aiden Titus picked up 2/9 in a single over.

Paul Roos, needing only 110 to win, faced what appeared to be a simple run chase, but it was anything but that.

The top three batsmen in their order were sent packing for single figure scores, which left PRG on 35/3, but Janko Webb and Marcus Conradie stuck around for a while. Webb was the fourth man out, with the total on 59, but he had done a decent job, cracking five fours in his knock of 30 from 54 balls.

While Conradie doggedly kept the Potch Gim attack at bay, Henré Cronje decimated the middle order. With Cronje leading the way, Paul Roos fell from 59/3 to 66/8.

Eventually, though, Conradie found a resilient partner in Roux Joubert and they tacked on 42 runs, taking the total to 108, before Joubert became the ninth man out, caught off Cronje for a vital seven from 35 balls.

Seth Muirhead, then, faced only two balls as Marcus Conradie shepherded PRG to a last-gasp victory. They finished on 113/9 after 28 overs, with Conradie undefeated on 49 from 59 balls, seven of which he sent to the boundary.

Henré Cronje ended with a fantastic 5/31 from 10 overs and opening bowler Adriaan van Niekerk claimed 3/28 from four, but the home team did just enough to bag a morale-boosting win.

SACS vs St Stithians College

St Stithians College‘s batting, which faltered in an opening day loss against Bishops, continued to look somewhat fragile when they took on SACS on De Villiers Field.

At first, they performed solidly after SACS chose to bowl first. Hamzah Shaikh and Akhil Challa put on 55 for the first wicket, but both were out on that total, with Shaikh contributing 35 and Challa 18.

Thomas Collins chipped in with 22, while Didier le Roux hit four fours in his 23, and Matthew Anderson made 18, but none of the Saints‘ batsmen truly pushed on. Aqeel Waggie was one of the primary reasons for that. He snared 5/13 in 5.1 overs to put the brakes on the St Stithians’ run scoring efforts.

Vaughn van den Berg was a good foil for Waggie’s excellent performance, capturing 3/18 in six overs as Saints mustered 134 all out in 34.1 overs.

Despite that modest total, St Stithians made SACS work hard for victory, but the Cape Town school came away with the win, scoring 136/4 after 35.2 overs.

Up front, Litha Kraai gave the home side a fast start, striking two sixes and three fours in a quickfire 28 from 31 deliveries before he was bowled by Zaakir Hanslo.

Kraai was the third man out in the 12th over, which reduced SACS to 55/3. Still, they had plenty of overs in hand and had accumulated those runs hastily.

When Aqeel Waggie followed for 12, SACS was four-down for 74. Saints might have fancied their chances of pulling off a reversal of fortune, but captain Ulrich Roth and Mickey Watson put a damper on such thoughts. They added an unbroken 62 for the fifth wicket to guide SACS to victory with 58 balls to spare.

Roth was 39 not out, with two fours, while Watson’s 32 not out included three fours and a six.

Zaakir Hanslo led the St Stithians’ bowling attack, with 2/30 from nine overs, while Tajandra Naidu clamped down on the SACS’ run chase, taking 1/25 from 10 tight overs.

Wynberg Boys’ High vs Hilton College

Hilton College decided to field first on the Jacques Kallis Oval and delivered a solid performance, led by new ball bowler, Sechaba Gude, who claimed 5/37 from 10 overs as Wynberg Boys’ High tallied 177/9 from their 50 overs.

They made a sound start to their innings, with Fawaaz Hendricks and Matthew Saunders producing an opening stand of 81 runs. Hendricks was the first to go, bowled by Benoit Rey for 47 from 52 balls, which included four fours and a six.

Saunders was the third man out and the first of Gude’s victims after scoring a focused 49 from 103 deliveries. His departure left Wynberg on 110/3 and, from there, they lost momentum.

Chad Campbell blasted a six in his 21 from 25 balls, but, besides him, only Noah du Plooy, with 15, and Matthew Mills, with 14, made it to double figures.

While Gude starred with a five-for for Hilton, Benoit Rey’s contribution should not be underestimated. He tied down the Wynberg batsmen, returning 1/27 from 10 tidy overs.

Hilton’s run chase began well. Barack Munawa and Ben Wilson batted steadily, putting on 96 for the first wicket in 29 overs before Noah du Plooy trapped Munawa in front for 61 from 102 balls, eight of which were hit to the boundary.

Wilson and Sange Qangule advanced the total to 136, which was when Qangule was bowled by Nicholas Stafford for 25. Five runs later, with the total on 141, Wilson followed for a conservative 39. Suddenly, Hilton College had two new batsmen at the crease and less than nine overs to score 37 runs on a tricky pitch.

With the Hilton batsmen under pressure, their innings went south, and that had everything to do with Noah du Plooy, who produced the best bowling figures of the festival thus far, capturing a spectacular 7/39 from 9.4 overs to bring about Hilton’s downfall.

He received good support from opening bowler Damien Harris, who picked up two middle order wickets and finished with 2/19 from eight overs.

With three balls remaining in their innings, Hilton’s challenge ended on 162. They had done many things right, but Du Plooy’s exceptional spell proved pivotal.

Hoërskool Waterkloof vs St Charles College

St Charles College, who edged out Wynberg by one wicket on Thursday, were well beaten by Hoërskool Waterkloof, who romped to an eight-wicket win on the Wally Wilson Oval at the Western Province Cricket Club.

Saints were put in to bat and that decision paid early dividends for Klofies, who had the Pietermaritzburg school on the ropes when they reduced them to 44/6 after 15 overs, with Christiaan Smit to the fore. He went on to deliver a decisive 4/29 from his 10 overs.

Caleb Sharp, batting at three, held up the Waterkloof attack, striking five fours in a 67-ball stay that brought him 35 runs, but he became the seventh player to fall, with the total on 80.

Connor Simpson replaced him in the middle and turned the tide in belligerent fashion, lashing five sixes and seven fours in a blistering 88 from only 80 balls. He and Lebo Mokoena, who made 28, advanced the total by 94 runs for the eighth wicket.

Simpson was, eventually, the last man out, with St Charles having posted 209 all out after 48.1 overs.

Rian Klopper got stuck into the Saints’ lower order and joined Christiaan Smit by bagging four wickets. His haul was 4/41 from 9.1 overs. Jean Cloete bowled well, too, picking up 1/26 in nine overs.

A fine opening stand set up Waterkloof’s victory. AJ de Villiers and Liam Breedt took 27.5 overs and scored at a healthy run rate as they put on 146 for the first wicket. From there, it was a relatively simple chase.

Breedt was the first to go, caught by Mokoena off the bowling of Sharp for 51. He faced 78 balls and hit six of them for four. De Villiers played a more attacking knock and was out for 86 from 100 deliveries, which included 16 fours. His departure left Waterkloof on 157/2 after 30.2 overs.

Exactly eight overs later, the Pretoria side had won. Wian du Plessis was on 16 not out and Rico van der Walt had 35 from just 32 balls.

Ryan Clarke, with 1/36 from nine overs, was, arguably, the best of the Saints’ bowlers.

Summarised scorecards

Bishops 234/8 (Ibraheem Taliep 68, Litha Mbiko 45, Harry Morgan 42; Zian Labuschagne 2/48, Vihan Pretorius 2/59); Affies 238/9 (AJ Morkel 91, Schalk Coetzee 29, Zian Labuschagne 29, Christiaan Linde 27, Vihan Pretorius 24; Matthew Edwards 4/45, Raa’id Arendse 2/27, Waco Bassick 2/40). Affies won by one wicket.

Pretoria Boys High 276/6 (Dylan Kruger 121, Tim Gordon 57, Louis Kruyshaar 50*, Joshua Hall 27; Alex du Plessis 4/29); Rondebosch Boys’ High 280/8 (Ethan De Heer Kloots 84, Schalk Fourie 68, Zion van Rensburg 49*, Eli Aufrichtig 21; Euan Gottfried 2/51, Victor Louw 2/54, Ruan Coetzee 2/54). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by two wickets.

Potchefstroom Gimnasium 109/10 (Lukas Kotze 41; James Holm 5/4, Aiden Titus 2/9, Noah Appolis 2/11); Paul Roos Gimnasium 113/9 (Marcus Conradie 49*, Janko Webb 30; Henré Cronje 5/31, Adriaan van Niekerk 3/28). Paul Roos Gimnasium won by one wicket.

St Stithians College 134/10 (Hamzah Shaikh 35, Didier le Roux 23, Thomas Collins 22; Aqeel Waggie 5/13, Vaughn van den Berg 3/18); SACS 136/4 (Ulrich Roth 39*, Mickey Watson 32*, Litha Kraai 28; Zaakir Hanslo 2/30). SACS won by six wickets.

Wynberg Boys’ High 177/9 (Matthew Saunders 49, Fawaaz Hendricks 47, Chad Campbell 21; Sechaba Gude 5/37); Hilton College 162/10 (Barack Munawa 61, Ben Wilson 39, Sange Qangule 25; Noah du Plooy 7/39, Damien Harris 2/19). Wynberg Boys High won by 15 runs.

St Charles College 209/10 (Connor Simpson 88, Caleb Sharp 35, Lebo Mokoena 28; Christiaan Smit 4/29, Rian Klopper 4/41); Hoërskool Waterkloof 211/2 (AJ de Villiers 86, Liam Breedt 51, Rico van der Walt 35*). Hoërskool Waterkloof won by eight wickets.

DURBAN: The South African under-19 side recorded a comfortable 31-run triumph over Zimbabwe under-19 Women in the opening match of the Youth T20 Tri-Series that took place at the Chatsworth Oval in Durban on Friday.

The SA U19 Women posted a competitive total of 135/4 in their allotted 20 overs, with valuable contributions from captain Mieke van Voorst (35) and Karabo Meso (29). In reply, Zimbabwe fought bravely but were eventually restricted to 104/8, with Miya Lalor (2/13) and Ziya Mohanlall (2/18) leading the way with the ball for the hosts.

Winning the toss, South Africa elected to bat first. Despite losing opener Chris-Mari Bezuidenhout (1) in the second over, the innings was stabilised by a 51-run partnership between Meso (29) and Shreeya Subbiah (13). The pair guided the hosts to 56/1 near the halfway mark before Zimbabwe struck back.

Tawananyasha Zvomarima (1/25) and Salem Museka (1/30) removed both batters in the space of four deliveries, reducing South Africa to 63/3 in the 10th over. A further half-century stand between Van Voorst (35) and Ashley Barnard (24*) restored momentum for the host nation, taking the total to 121/3 after 18 overs.

Van Voorst was the last wicket to fall, with Barnard and Nobubelebesisa Zwane (7*) adding valuable runs in the final two overs to get the SA U19 Women to a defendable score.

In their chase, Zimbabwe got off to a flyer with bat in hand, although South Africa continued to chip away at the wicket’s column. The touring side raced to 45/3 after five overs, despite key wickets from Melissa van der Merwe (1/31) and Lalor, as well as a sharp run out from wicketkeeper Meso.

Following the competitive start to the innings, South Africa began to take control of the proceedings by slowing down the visitors’ scoring rate while picking up wickets at regular intervals. Spinners Mohanlall, Ashleigh van Wyk (1/18) and van Voorst (1/7) picked up the last four wickets in the day, with Zimbabwe restricted to 104/8 in 20 overs.

The second T20 match will take place on Saturday, 10 January, where the SA U19 Women will face the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Youth XI at the Chatsworth Oval in Durban from 13h00. The match will be streamed live on CSA’s YouTube page.

SA U19 Women Squad

Ashley Barnard (Mpumalanga), Chris-Mari Bezuidenhout (Mpumalanga), Jae-Leigh Filander (Western Province), Miya Lalor (Western Province), Karabo Meso (Central Gauteng Lions), Anelisa Mhlongo (KZN Coastal), Ziya Mohanlall (KZN Coastal), Shelfa Mukhari (Limpopo), Shreeya Subbiah (KZN Coastal), Melissa van der Merwe (Boland), Mieke van Voorst (Eastern Storm), Ashleigh van Wyk (Eastern Storm), Cayleigh Wanckel (Eastern Province), Nobubelebesisa Zwane (KZN Coastal)

SA U19 Women’s Youth T20 Tri-Series against Zimbabwe U19 Women and CSA Youth XI

Friday, 09 January – 1st Youth T20 at 13h00 – SA U19 Women vs Zimbabwe U19 (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)

Saturday, 10 January – 2nd Youth T20 at 13h00 – SA U19 Women vs CSA Youth XI (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)

Monday, 12 January – 3rd Youth T20 at 13h00 – SA U19 Women vs CSA Youth XI (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)

Tuesday, 13 January – 4th Youth T20 at 13h00 – CSA Youth XI vs Zimbabwe U19 (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)

Thursday, 15 January – 5th Youth T20 at 13h00 – SA U19 Women vs Zimbabwe U19 (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)

Friday, 16 January  – 6th Youth T20 at 13h00 – CSA Youth XI vs Zimbabwe U19 (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)

Sunday, 18 January – Youth T20 Tri-Series Final at 13h00 – TBC (Chatsworth Oval, Durban)

Issued by: Cricket South Africa – Corporate Communications

Hoërskool Eldoraigne was crowned the new Kovsie Smash champion after completing a superb five-day campaign with an unbeaten record in the T20 competition following a commanding victory in Friday morning’s final.

The Eldos faced what appeared to be their sternest test of the tournament when they took on their fellow unbeatens, Hoërskool Transvalia, in the title contest at the Fichardtpark Oval.

The Centurion outfit passed the challenge emphatically, cruising to a nine-wicket win with a huge 9.4 overs to spare.

Captain Rowan McLaren once again led from the front, rocking Valia early by capturing 3/4 from his four overs.

McLaren’s damaging spell opened the door for Heinrich Klue, who claimed 2/7, to take his tally for the tournament to 13 wickets. Leg-spinner Ruan Boshoff also enjoyed success, taking two wickets as Transvalia, under relentless pressure, mustered only 90 all out.

A last-wicket stand of 38 between top scorer Ashton Cachia (31*) and Eduann Raubenheimer (10) was the lone highlight for the Vanderbijlpark school.

Needing 91 to win, and with their batsmen, especially Benyael Morkel and Vince Lotz, in rich form, Eldoraigne chased down the victory target with ease.

Morkel finished unbeaten on 33 to end the tournament with an outstanding 282 runs, while Lotz raised his bat for another half-century, finishing on 50 not out exactly, to take his aggregate to 216 runs across the five days.

In the third-place playoff, Hoërskool Kalahari returned to winning ways with a clinical eight-wicket victory over the hosts, Hoërskool Fichardtpark.

Carl Thole anchored a successful run chase with an unbeaten 45 in pursuit of 131. Earlier, Janko Noeth had knocked over 3/21 to impair Fichies‘ batting effort.

In an all-Pretoria clash for fifth place, Hoërskool Overvaal edged out Oos-Moot by three wickets in a thrilling finish.

Zander Oliver laid the platform for victory, returning a superb 3/13 with the ball. Then, Ethan Kruger‘s 40 and a composed unbeaten 35 from Cameron van der Westhuizen sealed the win off the final ball of the match.

In a Bethlehem derby, Witteberg handed Voortrekker a six-wicket defeat. The tournament’s leading wicket-taker, Xander Fourie, claimed 2/32, while Dumisani Johnson played his part by nabbing 2/30.

Fourie‘s strong influence continued with the bat. He struck a match-winning 69 not out and was lent strong support by Pieter Wessels, who contributed an unbeaten 36.

For a second day in succession, Christiaan Schoeman, of Hoërskool Driehoek, was a thorn in the side of Hoërskool Duineveld.

On Thursday, he scored a masterful 80 against the Upington side. On Friday, he bettered that, finishing with an unbeaten 90, the highest individual score of the day. That big innings lifted his aggregate to 364 runs, which made him the tournament’s leading run scorer.

With Schoeman to the fore, Driehoek completed a double over Duineveld, rolling to a convincing 73-run victory to close out their campaign.

Summarised scorecards

Final 

Transvalia 90/10 (Ashton Cachia 31*; Rowan McLaren 3/4, Heinrich Klue 2/7, Ruan Boshoff 2/13); Eldoraigne 91/1 (Vince Lotz 50*, Benyael Morkel 33*; Declan Steinmann 1/35). Eldoraigne won by nine wickets. 

Third-place playoff

Fichardtpark 130/9 (Juan 30, Davyd Oosthuizen 27, Jayden Geldenhuys 27; Janko Noeth 3/21, Kabelo Pitsoyagkosi 2/23, Wilrigh Moster 2/23); Kalahari 131/2 (Carl Thole 45*, Louhan Noeth 35, Liam Laing 20*; Dillan Geringer 1/31). Kalahari won by eight wickets. 

Other results

Oos-Moot 119/7 (Elmar Theron 34*, Ian Labuschagne 20*; Zander Olivier 3/13, Cameron van der Westhuizen 2/24); Overvaal 121/7 (Ethan Kruger 40, Cameron van der Westhuizen 25*; Henco Erasmus 2/14, Marnus Broodryk 2/28). Overvaal won by three wickets. 

Potchefstroom Volkskool Stayers 188/2 (Nolan Roets 75*, Jacques Oosthuizen 70, Damian Pretorius 25*; Hennie Schoeman 2/40); Hoërskool Pietersburg 166/8 (Stephan Swanepoel 59, Alez Thomson 23; Pierre Joubert 2/31). Potchefstroom Volkskool Stayers won by 22 runs. 

Trio 87/10 (Robbie van der Vyver 28; Henco Roets 4/12, Dean Harris 3/17); Hoërskool Sasolburg 90/3 (Liam Singleton 29*, Henco Toets 21*; WJ van Niekerk 2/10). Hoërskool Sasolburg won by seven wickets. 

Voortrekker 167/6 (Vlag Janse van Rensburg 50*, Jayden Strydom 44, Thato Nthebere 30; Dumisani Johnson 2/30, Xander Fourie 2/32); Witteberg 168/4 (Xander Fourie 69*, Pieter Wessels 36*, WJ Geldenhuis 21; Janno Olivier 2/32). Witteberg won by six wickets. 

Sentraal 119/10 (Damian Smith 38, Daniel Pienaar 25; Johan van Dyk 3/27, Cobus Wilken 2/12); Jim Fouché 120/2 (Jordan Vorster 64, Niel Wilken 29; Ruardt Kleynhans 1/23). Jim Fouché won by eight wickets. 

Goudveld 125/5 (Jenadré Ferreira 49, Edrich du Plessis 22; Reinhardt Cronje 1/6); Hoërskool Lichtenburg 123/9 (Dovhan Wiese 31; Delan van Zyl 4/22, Edrich du Plessis 2/18). Goudveld won by two runs. 

Driehoek 171/5 (Christiaan Schoeman 90*, Janco Smit 35; Marnus Myhburg 2/18); Duineveld 98 (Wilmar Myburgh 38; Durandt Lubbe 4/12, Jaden Heckler 2/13, Divan Dreyer 2/26). Driehoek won by 73 runs. 

Paarl Boys’ High vs Helpmekaar College

After suffering losses on the first two days of the HJS Cricket Festival, the tournament hosts, Paarl Boys’ High, secured their first win at the third attempt on Thursday.

The format was, once again, 50 overs a side for their clash with Helpmekaar College at Brugstraat’s A Field.

Batting first, the Johannesburg school didn’t quite see out their full quota of overs, being bowled out for 232, with seven balls remaining.

AB Jacobs was the pick of the Boishaai bowlers, knocking over 4/23 in 5.5 overs.

Then, Christiaan van der Heever, batting sixth in the order, led a successful run chase, which brought Boys High victory by two wickets.

He struck nine fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 88 runs off 107 deliveries, which steered the home team over the line with 5.2 overs to spare.

Hoërskool Garsfontein vs Westville Boys’ High

Brugstraat’s B Field hosted a battle between the sides which had beaten Paarl Boys’ High on the previous two days.

Hoërskool Garsfontein, after winning the toss, elected to bat first against Westville Boys’ High and put up 224 all out, losing their last wicket to the second ball of their final over.

Righard Joubert and Riaan Boshoff combined for a 60-run third-wicket partnership, which was the second highest of the match. Joubert contributed three fours and two sixes in his 46 off 72 balls, while Boshoff hit two fours and three sixes in his 38 off 40.

The Griffins‘ Misbah Nair was once again a standout performer with the ball, claiming 3/27 in five overs.

Unfortunately for the KZN crew, they didn’t have enough in the tank to make it across the line, despite some fight from their middle order. Liam de Villiers tallied 43, batting at six, while Kai Cotton, at seven, smashed six fours and a six in a hasty 40 off 30 balls.

They also shared the highest partnership of the match, adding 69 runs before De Villiers became the fifth Griffin to lose his wicket.

Alzjandro Potgieter, with 5/17 in eight overs, undermined Westville’s run chase, while Ruan Coetsee’s 3/13 from six overs also severely damaged Westville’s hopes of victory. They were all out in the 43rd over for 175, leaving Garsies with a convincing 49-run win and their third victory on the trot.

Stellenberg High vs Hoërskool Marais Viljoen 

Stellenberg High won the toss at home and opted to bat against Hoërskool Marais Viljoen (MV).

After a bumpy 46.3 overs, the Jade Brigade tallied 180 all out. Opener Roux Wasserman anchored their innings, making the Marais Viljoen bowlers work hard for their wickets as he tallied 36 off 51 deliveries. Wilhelm Smet held the middle order together, contributing a patient 40 from 72 balls.

Trent Shrives was the most penetrating MV bowler and snapped up 3/19 in six overs. Then, when the Alberton school batted, he pounded three fours and three sixes to record the contest’s highest score of 54, which came off 80 balls.

Despite Shrives’ strong individual showing, Marais Viljoen came up well short of Stellies’ 180. Their reply lasted into the 43rd over, which was when they lost their last wicket with 135 runs on the board.

With a 45-run victory, Stellenberg, like Garsfontein, takes a three from three record into Friday’s fixtures.

Hoërskool Parel Vallei vs Hoërskool Dr. E.G. Jansen 

Juan Ungerer’s unbeaten 57 off 100 deliveries was the difference maker in the match between Hoërskool Dr. E.G. Jansen and Hoërskool Parel Vallei (PV) in Somerset-West on Thursday.

After losing the toss and being put in to bat first, Jansies scrambled their way to 165/9 in their 50 overs. PV‘s response was a grinding 110 all out in 43.5 overs.

Stian Ungerer, Juan Ungerer, and Henri Juan Coetzee took three wickets apiece to see their side to a 55-run win.

Boland Landbou vs Hoërskool Noordheuwel

On the Stiaan van Zyl Oval, Gunther Schmidt was once again at the heart of the action for Boland Landbou, capturing 3/17 in 8.3 overs against Hoërskool Noordheuwel. He was well supported by Kobus Conradie, who grabbed 3/27 from his 10 overs as Nories limped to 109 all out after 36.3 overs.

The Farmers‘ batsmen produced a more consistent effort in their pursuit of a modest total, with both openers, Conradie and Gideon Kotze, making 21. There were a few bumps along the way, but they secured a four-wicket win when they reached 114/6 after 31.5 overs at the crease.

Summarised Scorecards

Helpmekaar College 232/10 (AB Jacobs 4/23, Reese Petersen 2/42, Ed Lee Koopman 2/51); Paarl Boys’ High 233/8 (Christiaan van den Heever 88*, Extra 31, JP Immelman 29, Ruan Heyns 29, Charl du Toit 20). Paarl Boys’ High won the match by two wickets.

Hoërskool Garsfontein 224/10 (Righard Joubert 46, Riaan Boshoff 38, Alzjandro Potgieter 33, Charl van Staden 23, Extras 20; Misbah Nair 3/27, Liam de Villiers 2/14); Westville Boys’ High 175/10 (Liam de Villiers 43, Kai Cotton 40, Jamie Hasselbach 32; Alzjandro Potgieter 5/17, Ruan Coetsee 3/13). Garsfontein won by 49 runs.

Stellenberg High 180/10 (Wilhelm Smet 40, Roux Wasserman 36, Extras 22; Trent Shrives 3/19, Jacques Ferreira 2/20); Hoërskool Marais Viljoen 135/10 (Trent Shrives 54, Ethan van Rooyen 35, Rieshaeel Hashim 22; JJ Rothman 3/22, John Naudé 2/3, Aidan Pienaar 2/32, Jan-Jak Alberts 2/40). Stellenberg won by 45 runs. 

Hoërskool Dr. E.G. Jansen 165/9 (Jayden Barnes 57*, Brenton Francis 36, Extras 20; Imtiaz Olivier 3/28, Daniel Adonis 3/33, Chris Hughes 2/26); Hoërskool Parel Vallei 110/10 (Matthew Vermeulen 25, Ruben du Plessis 20; Stian Ungerer 3/14, Henri Juan Coetzee 3/24, Juan Ungerer 3/24). E.G. Jansen won by 55 runs.

Hoërskool Noordheuwel 109/10 (Kian Liebenberg 22; Gunther Schmidt 3/17, Kobus Conradie 3/27, Francois Prins 2/28); Boland Landbou 114/6 (Louis du Plessis 24, Matthew Geldenhuys 23, Gideon Kotze 21, Kobus Conradie 21; Hanru Begemann 3/7). Boland Landbou won by four wickets. 

Chad Roodt and David Loudon produced a sensational double act to power Kingswood College to a win over Steyn City School in their Time Cricket match, played on City Lords, at the Makhanda Cricket Festival, on Thursday.

Roodt scored a century, and Loudon chipped in with a half-century, to help Kingswood, who won the toss and elected to bat first, record a total of 274 all out from 55 overs.

Max Burroughs and Josh Michau emulated Roodt and Loudon, but their strong batting efforts were not quite enough to see Steyn City over the finish line.

The Gauteng side was bowled out for 250 in 55.1 overs, leaving Kingswood with a 24-run win.

Roodt and Loudon joined forces in the 12th over of the home team’s innings, and they mounted a brilliant 153-run fifth-wicket partnership that set Kingswood on course to victory.

Roodt raced to a 92-ball 127, smashing 11 fours and nine sixes, while Loudon weighed in with a steady 50 from 94 balls. Rogan Goliath, batting at 10, added a useful 30 off only 27 balls. 

Keith Losch stood tall with the ball for Steyn City, knocking over 6/63 in 13 overs. Keegan Smallbone lent good support, claiming 3/23 from eight overs.

After his good showing with the bat, Loudon picked up the ball and put in a long shift that resulted in 4/87 from 21 overs. While impressive, he played second fiddle to Daniel Jakins, who snapped up 4/48 in 17.1 overs. Their four-wicket hauls proved to be just enough to hold off Steyn City.

Max Burroughs played a great knock, scoring 119 from 115 balls, 13 of which he dispatched for four and another five for six, while Josh Michau scored a run-a-ball 51, but victory went Kingswood’s way.

Michaelhouse vs Graeme College

Grayden Leslie played a proper captain’s innings to set Michaelhouse up for an emphatic 72-run win over Graeme College on Somerset Field.

The Michaelhouse skipper won the toss and chose to bat first before top-scoring for the KwaZulu-Natal side with 66 off 78 deliveries, which helped to lift Michaelhouse to 194 all out in 62.1 overs.

Leslie shared a wonderful 66-run second-wicket partnership with Rex Wardlaw (46) that planted ‘House on a solid footing. Kits McConnachie nabbed 4/21 and Caleb Jattiem 4/36 to keep Graeme College in the contest.

When the home team took to the crease, McConnachie dropped anchor and tried to navigate Graeme College to victory. Coming in at number four, the all-rounder contributed an unbeaten 51 runs from 70 balls.

Unfortunately, for him, though, batting support was sparse. No other Graeme College batsmen made it beyond the teens, and they were bowled out for 122 in 35.1 overs.

Nathan Simmons was Michaelhouse’s most successful bowler, capturing 3/19 runs in 5.1 overs. Preston Greene and Rex Wardlaw supported him well and finished with two wickets apiece.

St David’s Marist Inanda, meanwhile, withstood a strong challenge from Zimbabwe’s Peterhouse, successfully defending their 189 all out to win by a hard-fought 17 runs.

Hayden Campbell, with 64, led the way with the bat, while Kyle Stokoe, with 4/49, was the pick of the St David’s bowlers. The best of the bowlers was, however, Peterhouse’s Victor Watama, who captured 5/22.

The match between St Andrew’s College and St Alban’s College ended in a draw. Eastern Province Khaya Majola Week representative, Rhys Wiblin, helped the Makhanda school to 228/9 declared. top scoring with 54 and then took 2/25 as St Alban’s replied with 152/7, with Jesse Eckard ending unbeaten on 41.

Summarised Scorecards

Kingswood College 274/10 (Chad Roodt 127, David Loudon 50; Keith Losch 6/63, Keegan Smallbone 3/23). Steyn City 250/10 (Max Burroughs 119, Josh Michau 51; Brandon Lea 22; Daniel Jakins 4/48, David Loudon 4/87). Kingswood won by 24 runs.

Michaelhouse 194/10 (Grayden Leslie 66, Rex Wardlaw 46; Caleb Jattiem 4/36, Kits McConnachie 4/21). Graeme College 122/10 (Kits McConnachie 51*; Nathan Simmons 3/19, Rex Wardlaw 2/18, Preston Greene 2/19). Michaelhouse won by 72 runs.

St David’s Marist Inanda 189/10 (Hayden Campbell 64, Maru Challies 30; Victor Watama 5/22, Tawonashe Nyamasoka 4/54). Peterhouse 172/10 (Victor Watama 42, Cameron Oosthuizen 31; Kyle Stokoe 4/49, Kai Davis 2/15). St David’s Marist Inanda won by 17 runs.

St Andrew’s College 228/9d (Rhys Wiblin 54, Ethan Malan 46; Kyle Earle 5/35, Jesse Eckard 2/32). St Alban’s College 152/7 (Jesse Eckard 41*, Tiashin Naidoo 30; Rhys Wiblin 2/25, Warrick Campbell 2/12). Match drawn.

Miles Feltham started the year in style as he carved an outstanding century that put Framesby in a strong position in their Grey Cricket Festival declaration match against a St Charles XI at Old Grey Sports Club, in Gqeberha, on Thursday.

Feltham’s 102 from 136 balls helped Framesby, who won the toss and chose to bat first, to a first innings total of 259 all out.

At stumps, Saints were on 139/6, trailing Framesby by 120 runs.

Feltham transformed Framesby’s innings by sharing in four partnerships, which were worth a combined 197 runs. When he arrived at the crease, Framesby was in a spot of bother, on 11/2 after 2.4 overs. Feltham and Keagan Wium then added 19 runs for the third wicket.

Feltham needed better support, however, if Framesby was to mount a decent total, and he got it from Dandré Henwick (32), with whom he shared a 75-run fourth-wicket stand. Next, Feltham joined forces with Nicholas Joubert (28) to add 50 runs for the fifth wicket. His final act was a 53-run sixth-wicket partnership with Egan Julyan.

Josh Nicholson led the St Charles’ reply with a solid 56 from 51 balls. However, the KwaZulu-Natal side’s innings progressed in fits and starts, with Framesby grabbing wickets at regular intervals, which left Saints with only one partnership worth more than 50 runs in the 40 overs they batted.

That came from a second wicket stand of 79 between Nicholson and Tlotlang Kobe (21). None of the other six partnerships was worth more than 20 runs.

St Charles had Will Rhodes (31*) and Chris Uys (5*) at the crease at stumps.

Northwood vs Jeppe

Northwood’s Josh Mills and Ryan van Zyl scripted drama and intrigue on the Siya Kolisi Field at Grey High in the final minutes of play on Thursday. They captured three wickets for five runs in the last two overs of the day to tilt their contest against Jeppe in favour of the Durban school.

The flurry of wickets meant that Jeppe ended the day with a slender 11-run lead over Northwood with seven second innings wickets in hand.

The Gauteng side won the toss, elected to bat first and scored 196 all out in their first innings. Northwood battled hard and were dismissed for 190 in their reply before Mills and Van Zyl worked their magic against the Jeppe top order late in the day.

Aiden Reyneke showed great temperament in his 36.5-over stay at the crease in Jeppe’s first innings. The number three batsman scored an evenly paced 60 from 108 balls and shared a 102-run fourth wicket partnership with Lincoln Casais (46) as he powered Jeppe forward.

Their stand was Jeppe’s highest partnership and the only one that was worth more than 30 runs. Part of the reason for that was Trevor von Vollenstee‘s brilliant bowling, which brought him a respectable 4/28 from 11 overs.

Jeppe enjoyed the upper hand well into Northwood’s reply before Keegan Reeves mounted an outstanding rearguard fightback to keep his side in the contest. When Reeves strode to the crease, the KwaZulu-Natal side was on 75/5, which soon became 77/6 when Ross McGlashan was dismissed for a patient 34.

Reeves, though, stabilised matters, striking 12 fours and a six in his 80 from only 95 deliveries, which pushed Northwood to within touching distance of Jeppe’s total.

In other matches, Grey College took charge of their clash against Glenwood by dismissing the Green Machine for only 87. By stumps, the Bloemfontein school enjoyed a massive 172-run lead, on 259/8.

The clash between Selborne College and Potchefstroom Volkskool was evenly poised after Selborne posted 131 all out in their first innings, to which Volkies replied with 132 all out. At stumps, Selborne was on 53/2 in their second innings.

Summarised Scorecards

Framesby 259/10 (Miles Feltham 102, Dandré Henwick 32; Matthew Buckley 3/61, Nuraz Amod 2/27). St Charles 139/6 (Josh Nicholson 56, Will Rhodes 31*; Corne Pieterse 3/26, Durandt Rootman 1/8). St Charles trails by 120 runs.

Jeppe 196/10 (Aiden Reyneke 60, Lincoln Casias 46; Trevor van Vollenstee 4/28, Ryan van Zyl 2/25). Northwood 190/10 (Keegan Reeves 80, Ross McGlashan 34; Keagan Cockburn 2/12, Shreshth Kumar 2/27). Jeppe 5/3 (Aiden Reyneke 1, Lincoln Casias 0*; Joshua Mills 2/0, Ryan van Zyl 1/1). Jeppe leads by 11 runs.

Glenwood 87/10 (Nuzayh Mahomed 25, Jayden Pillay 17; Danny Hayidakis 2/7, Bergh Vorster 2/11). Grey College 259/8 (Daniel Hattingh 67, Aiden Dodd 49*; Keegan Pillai 2/60, Jonah Chaita 2/29). Grey College leads by 172 runs.

Selborne College 131/10 (Cian O’Niell 53, Matthew Hendry 20; Zander Nel 4/19, Johandre Jacobs 3/31). Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom 132/10 (AW van der Merwe 38, Schalk Pienaar 15*; Avethandwa Manyongwa 3/27, Rosh Els 2/13). Selborne College 53/2 (Josh Wilkie 17*, Merrick Collins 14*; Handré de Beer 2/14). Selborne leads by 52 runs.

The inaugural Pretoria Boys High School (PHBS) Basketball Festival kicked off on Thursday, 8 January morning in Pretoria, featuring 12 leading basketball-playing schools from the Gauteng region.

The line-up includes, among others, PHBS A, ESCA, King Edward VII School (KES), and St David’s Marist Inanda, who were among the first sides to make an impact on the festival’s opening day.

The home team, PHBS A, kicked off the festival with a hard-fought 42-35 victory of their city rivals, St Alban’s College. After the lunch break, PHBS A ratcheted up their momentum with an impressive 76-11 demolition of Crawford College.

It was, unfortunately for Crawford College, a challenging opening day. They also went down 10-34 to St John’s College A.

St Alban’s College, after suffering defeat in their opener, showed marked improvement in their second outing, displaying greater energy in a 40-29 victory over St John’s College A.

Pool B features, among others, ESCA, KES, and The King’s School Linbro Park, with the first two expected to be right in the thick of the title challenge.

Both ESCA and KES enjoyed title-winning successes in 2025, with ESCA winning titles at the Westville Boys’ High Invitational School Stayers’ Basketball Tournament and The King’s School Linbro Park Basketball Tournament. KES lifted the Inanda Hoops Classic Challenge, held at St David’s Marist Inanda, in October.

Both teams demonstrated their prowess on the festival’s opening day. KES initiated their winning streak with a 43-28 victory over Linbro Park. They followed up with a 52-24 defeat of St John’s College B.

ESCA beat St John’s College B 57-35 in the morning and came away with a 36-27 win over King’s Linbro later in the day.

In Pool C, Jeppe defeated PHBS B 31-19 in the first match of the group. St David’s also secured a victory, downing St Stithians College 31-18 in their first game.

Saints bounced back in the afternoon, handing Jeppe a 42-23 loss, while St David’s made their record two from two with a 36-18 win over PBHS B.

RESULTS 

Thursday, 8 January 

Pool A

PHBS A 42-35 St Alban’s College
St John’s A 34-10 Crawford
St Alban’s College 40-29 St John’s A
PHBS A 76-11 Crawford

Pool B

KES 43-28 Linbro Park
ESCA 57-35 St John’s B
ESCA 36-27 King’s Linbro
KES 52-24 St John’s B

Pool C

Jeppe 31-19 PHBS B
St David’s 31-18 St Stithians College
St Stithians College 42-23 Jeppe
St David’s 36-18 PHBS B

It took four days for the first century to be recorded at the 2026 Kovsie Smash in the City of Roses, Bloemfontein.

With the attention firmly on Thursday afternoon’s semi-finals, Hoërskool Sentraal‘s Erik Prinsloo seized the spotlight with a blistering knock.

He took just 49 deliveries to smash a breathtaking 125, which powered the Bloemfontein outfit to a commanding 125-run victory over Hoërskool Lichtenburg.

Prinsloo’s innings formed the backbone of Sentraal‘s imposing total of 253/7 from their 20 overs, which was the highest team score recorded at the tournament thus far.

In reply, the Liggies‘ Johan Duvenhage impressed with a patient 70, which was a notable effort given the demands of the shorter format of the game.

Heading into Thursday’s matches, three teams retained perfect records. It was, however, the two pre-tournament favourites, Hoërskool Eldoraigne and Transvalia, who booked their places in Friday morning’s final.

The Eldos brought an end to Hoërskool Kalahari‘s unbeaten run with a convincing 68-run victory. Captain Rowan McLaren registered his second half-century of the week, but it was Ruan Steyn who dominated proceedings with a commanding 66, which guided the Centurion-based side to a competitive 186/6.

Once again, the Eldoraigne bowling unit delivered collectively. Every bowler played their part with disciplined spells, most notably Vince Lotz, who returned figures of 2/9. Kalahari was restricted to 118/9, with Myburgh‘s 26 the lone highlight of the innings.

Transvalia produced a ruthless display to dismantle the hosts, Hoërskool Fichardtpark. The home side struggled from the outset against one of the most effective bowling attacks of the tournament, and Valia enhanced their reputation with another strong showing in their penultimate match.

Janco Jacobs was outstanding, claiming three wickets without conceding a run. He was well supported by Declan Steinmann, who returned figures of 2/8, and Aden Matthee, whose 2/9 further tightened the vice as Fichardtpark was skittled for only 54. Kriegler Botha‘s unbeaten 23 ensured the run chase was completed with ease.

A final which pits Transvalia‘s formidable bowling attack against Eldoraigne‘s powerful batting line-up promises a fitting climax to the tournament.

In other matches, Hoërskool Driehoek‘s Christiaan Schoeman struck 80 in his side’s comprehensive 83-run victory over Duineveld, while Hoërskool Overvaal‘s Janco de Lange recorded the third-highest individual score of the day, blasting an unbeaten 76 in a losing cause against Potchefstroom Volkskool‘s Stayers.

Summarised scorecards

Quarterfinals 

Transvalia 160/3 (Jeandré Barnard 71*, Declan Steinmann 36*, Divan Knoetze 34; Evan van der Merwe 1/14); Potchefstroom Volkskool Stayers 119/7 (Nolan Roets 39, Christiaan Stoop 21; Declan Steinmann 2/16). Transvalia won by 41 runs. 

Eldoraigne 218/4 (Vince Lotz 54, Jean du Randt 47*, Ruan Steyn 45, Benyael Morkel 33; Luke Venter 2/26); Oos-Moot 65/10 (Marnus Broodryk 24; Anhus Myers 3/5, Niclas Moller 2/8). Eldoraigne won by 153 runs. 

Hoërskool Pietersburg 89/10 (Stephan Swanepoel 25; Liam Laing 4/9, Carl Thole 3/9); Kalahari 90/0 (Louhan Noeth 52*, Carl Thole 25*). Kalahari won by 10 wickets. 

Fichardtpark 140/6 (Diederik de Vos 45, Jayden Geldenhuys 36, Davyd Oosthuizen 29*; Luann Le Roux 2/35); Overvaal 119/6 (Janco de Lange 42; Jayden Geldenhuys 3/13, Henrich Kemp 2/21). Fichardtpark won by 21 runs. 

Other results

Witteberg 151/5 (Janco Botha 74, Xander Fourie 52; Danny Botes 2/23, Erik Prinsloo 2/24); Sentraal 140/8 (Janré Bornman 51, Damian Smith 32, Riwan van der Westhuizen 23; Dumisani Johnsen 2/16, Lwazi Mosea 2/19, Xander Fourie 2/26). Witteberg won by 11 runs. 

Voortrekker 142/7 (Vlag Janse van Rensburg 39, Paul Naudé 37, Thato Nthebere 22; 2/13, Cobus Wilken 2/36); Jim Fouché 73/10 (Jayden Strydom 3/20, Janno Olivier 2/8, Vlag Janse van Rensburg 2/11). Voortrekker won by 69 runs. 

Hoërskool Sasolburg 152/6 (Stephan Roets 43, Andriaan van der Merwe 32, Jan-Hendrik Espach 32; Waldo van der Westhuizen 2/38); Goudveld 142/6 (Edrich du Plessis 42*; Nathan Bower 2/24). Hoërskool Sasolburg won by 10 runs. 

Merensky 148/7 (Waldo Mouton 52*; Divan Dreyer 3/25, Drikus Meiring 2/21); Driehoek 149/7 (Christiaan Schoeman 31, Ian van der Westhuizen 26*; Conrad Venter 3/22). Driehoek won by three wickets. 

Semi-finals 

Eldoraigne 186/6 (Ruan Steyn 66, Rowan McLaren 50, Jean du Randt 20; Wilrigh Mostert 2/20); Kalahari 118/9 (Myburgh de Klerk 26, Janko Noeth 24, Wilrigh Mostert 22; Vince Lotz 2/9, Juandré Badenhorst 2/15). Eldoraigne won by 68 runs. 

Fichardtpark 54/10 (Neven Olivier 8; Janco Jacobs 3/0, Declan Steinmann 2/8, Aden Matthee 2/9); Transvalia 56/1 (Kriegler Botha 23*; Jayden Geldenhuys 1/21). Transvalia won by nine wickets. 

Other results

Sentraal 253/7 (Erik Prinsloo 125, Daniel Pienaar 30, Damain Smith 29; Miquel Goncalves 3/35, Jurgen Hesse 2/43); Hoërskool Lichtenburg 128/3 (Johan Duvenhage 70*, Dovhan Wiese 20*; Ruardt Kleynhans 1/9). Sentraal won 125 runs. 

Potchefstroom Volkskool Stayers 159/8 (Damian Pretorius 34, Callum Campbell 26, Christiaan Stoop 20; Ethan Kruger 2/32, Zander Olivier 2/41); Overvaal 160/4 (Janco de Lange 76*, Luann le Roux 25, Zander Olivier 20*; Hanru Combrinck 2/21, Pierre Joubert 2/35). Overvaal won by six wickets. 

Hoërskool Pietersburg 101/8 (Stephan Swanepoel 30, Willem Viljoen 28*; Elmar Theron 3/10, Henco Erasmus 3/13); Oos-Moot 104/3 (Liam du Preez 58*; AJ Galloway 1/8). Oos-Moot won by seven wickets. 

Witteberg 151/5 (Dumisani Johnsen 53, Xander Fourie 37, Pieter Wessels 22*; WJ van Niekerk 2/29); Trio 152/7 (Myburgh 42, Dylan Young 30, Pedri Wilken 30; Dumisani Johnsen 2/35). Trio won by three wickets. 

Driehoek 174/7 (Christiaan Schoeman 80, Janco Smit 22; Wilmar Myburgh 3/23, Xander O’Connell 2/30); Duineveld 91/10 (Du Preez Faber 56; Leanardo Visser 2/1, Chris Saayman 2/10, Ian van der Westhuizen 2/10). Driehoek won by 83 runs. 

Voortrekker 137/5 (Paul Naudé 42, Jano Olivier 30, Andries Rautenbach 20*; Nathan Bower 2/25); Hoërskool Sasolburg 138/5 (Jan-Hendrik Espach 56, Liam Singleton 30*; Jordan Buitendag 2/16). Hoërskool Sasolburg won by five wickets. 

In recent years, Cape schools have dominated the Peninsula Cricket Festival. On Thursday, though, four of them suffered defeats, with the fifth, Rondebosch Boys’ High, settling for the only draw of the day.

Wynberg Boys High vs St Charles College

The most thrilling declaration match on Thursday unfolded on the Jacques Kallis Oval, at Wynberg Boys’ High, where St Charles College scraped a heart-in-mouth one-wicket win over the home team.

Batting first, Wynberg tallied 142 all out. Saints‘ opening bowler Jayden Saville put the skids under their effort, however, knocking over 4/17 in 10 overs. Ryan Clarke, coming on as the first change bowler, claimed 2/26 in 11.

Qaeed Shaik was the leading run scorer for Wynberg, striking two fours and a six in his 35 from 50 balls, while Chad Campbell chipped in with 24, which included a couple of sixes.

The St Charles’ run chase was anything but smooth. They lost their opening batsmen, Christiaan Prinsloo and Matthew Weightmann, with only two runs on the board, and when Keegan Vermaak followed soon after, they were wobbling on 17/3.

Rebogile Mokoena and SA Colts‘ opener, Thandolwethu Zama, batting at five on this occasion, turned the tide. Mokoena made 21 while Zama doubled him up, hitting four fours and six in his 42 from 74 balls. Saints, though, needed a fighting innings from Ryan Clarke to see them over the line.

When victory was achieved in the 55th over of their innings, Clarke was unbeaten on 41, having denied Wynberg’s bowlers for 71 balls while striking three fours and a six.

Noah du Plooy, the seventh bowler used by Wynberg, came close to snatching victory for his side, decimating the Saints’ lower order as he snared 4/24 in eight overs. Fawaaz Hendricks, who took the new ball, kept matter tight and returned a tidy 2/36 from 17.3 overs.

Paul Roos Gimnasium vs St Stithians College

After suffering a galling 10-wicket loss to Bishops on Wednesday, St Stithians bounced back on Thursday with a convincing four-wicket win over Paul Roos Gimnasium at the PRG Oval, in Stellenbosch.

The toss went the way of Paul Roos and they opted to bat first, but that didn’t work out well for them. After 36.2 overs, they were all out for a modest 115, with only Jason Raal, with 22, and Dion Slabber, with 20 not out, making it out of the teens.

Together, they shared the highest partnership of the innings, 42 runs, for the ninth wicket, after PRG had been reduced to 70/8.

Tendai Kadyamadare and Zaakir Hanslo were the architects of PRG’s batting downfall, capturing 4/39 and 4/44 respectively.

Defending a low total, Paul Roos made early inroads into the Saints‘ batting, getting rid of three of the top four batsmen cheaply, which left the Johannesburg side in some trouble on 27/3.

Opener Hamza Shaikh stood firm, however, and he became one of three batsmen to tally exactly 30 – the others were Matthew Katzenstein and Matthew Anderson – and that proved to be sufficient with only 116 required for victory.

After 32 overs, St Stithians made it to 117/6 to claim a morale-boosting win.

Morné Pauw did his best to deny Saints, knocking over 4/24 in nine overs, but Paul Roos needed a similar performance from another bowler, given the light total they were defending, to have any chance of claiming an unlikely win.

SACS vs Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies)

Affies, the winners by five wickets over Wynberg Boys’ High on Wednesday, followed up with an even more emphatic eight-wicket defeat of SACS on De Villiers Field on Thursday.

SACS had comfortably topped 300 runs against St Charles on Wednesday, but they found the Affies’ bowling attack to be a far tougher challenge. Despite spending 53 overs at the crease, they posted only 107 all out after choosing to bat first.

Zian Labuschagne and Armin Snyman played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the game early in the contest when they ran through the SACS top order, leaving the Capetonians floundering on 8/4 in the fourth over. From there, the home side struggled to build a substantial innings.

Benji Tilbury, batting sixth in the order, was the sole batsman to properly halt the Affies’ onslaught, top scoring with a battling 37 from 67 balls, with five fours and a six, but the next highest score was only 15, scored by Tim Hodgkinson.

Labuschagne tore through the SACS batting, capturing 4/14 in nine tight overs, while Snyman finished with 1/7 from seven. The other five wickets were shared by Nico Loggenberg, who snapped up 3/32 in 13, and JP Botha, whose contribution was 2/18 from seven.

All that Affies needed was a good start and they would be well on the path to victory. They, however, lost opening batsman AJ Morkel in the second over. Forced to perform as openers, JP Botha and Christian Linde did the job well, sharing a 71-run stand for the second wicket before Linde was run out for 34 from 42 balls.

Dawie Barnard, then, joined JP Botha to see Affies to victory in just 20.5 overs. When the contest ended, Botha was unbeaten on 62 from 69 balls, having struck 10 fours and a six.

Potchefstroom Gimnasium vs Hilton College

On the Wally Wilson Oval at the Western Province Cricket Club, Potchefstroom Gimnasium, who were sent in to bat by Hilton College, accumulated 210 all out in 64.2 overs. Their batting effort, as was the case on Wednesday against Pretoria Boys High, was powered by Lukas Kotze.

The number three batsman top scored with a patient 84 from 152 deliveries, which featured nine fours and a six. He also partnered with Ulrich Botha for a 66-run stand for the second wicket and added 53 with Bernard Judels for the third wicket. Botha’s contribution was 23, while Judels made 28.

Potch Gim suffered a big blow, however, when their prolific opening batsman, Christivan Coetzer, was run out by Ben Wilson for only two.

Sechaba Gude starred for Hilton, picking up five wickets while disrupting Potch Gim’s middle order batting effort. He finished with 5/41 from 11 overs. No other bowler took more than one wicket.

Hilton’s Achilles’ heel in 2025 had been their batting, but the Hilton batsmen showed up well in their opening match against Rondebosch Boys’ High on Wednesday, and they showed admirable composure on Thursday to chase down Potch Gim’s 210 runs.

Hilton enjoyed consistent contributions from their top order, something that was sorely lacking last year, to record an impressive four-wicket win.

Openers, Barack Munawa and Ben Wilson gave them 58 runs for the first wicket, with Munawa making 38, 32 of which came from fours. Then, captain Robert Burman, and Luke Wilson added 81 for the third wicket, with Burman exiting for 52 from 65 balls with the total on 146. He had sent nine balls to the boundary.

Wilson continued to graft hard and shared a 50-run stand with Cameron Hargroves, before he eventually lost his wicket for 41 from 94 deliveries. Hargroves was out four runs later, on 200, after a crucial knock of 40 from only 27 balls, which featured eight fours.

James Peattie lost his wicket a run later, but the hard work had been done and Hilton reached 212/6 after 50.2 overs to pick up the win.

Henré Cronje tried valiantly to stop Hilton’s run pursuit and removed four batsmen at a cost of 52 runs from 13.2 overs.

Bishops Diocesan College vs Pretoria Boys High

Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) tallied 188 all out against Bishops Diocesan College on the Frank Reid Oval after the toss went their way. At first, that decision backfired as Boys High stumbled out of the gate, slipping to 17/3.

Tim Gordon led their fightback, however, cracking seven fours in his 36 from only 31 deliveries. He fell with the total on 55 and Tshepang Baloyi followed without the addition of a run, which left PBHS in trouble on 55/6.

But Louis Kruyshaar and Justin Basdeo staged a rescue act, combining for 62 runs for the seventh wicket before Basdeo was caught off the bowling of Raa’id Arendse for 30. Kruyshaar followed five runs later for 31, and, when Jayden Knott-Craig was dismissed cheaply, Pretoria Boys High was on the verge of a low total, on 127/9.

Victor Louw and Liam Brooker, though, weren’t about to throw in the towel and they frustrated Bishops by adding 61 for the tenth wicket.

Louw was the last man to lose his wicket, but he had done an outstanding job batting at 10, slamming two sixes and four fours in a run-a-ball 45. Brooker finished with a resilient 25 not out from 50 deliveries.

Bishops pulled off two run outs, and four bowlers bagged two wickets apiece. Raa’id Arendse nabbed 2/5 in only four overs, Daniel Perold returned 2/19 in seven, Matthew Edwards 2/28 in seven, and captain Alex Vintcent 2/42 from eight.

Bishops made stuttering progress at the crease in their reply. They lost both openers, Cameron Macbeth and Ibraheem Taliep, for only nine each with the total on 20. When Thaafier Japhta and Litha Mbiko followed cheaply, they slid to 46/4.

Alex Vintcent and Harry Morgan steadied the innings with a 57-run partnership for the fifth wicket, which ended when Vintcent was caught off the bowling of Euan Gottfried for a run-a-ball 40, which had featured seven fours and a six. When he departed, Bishops was on 103/5.

Raa’id Arendse and Harry Morgan advanced the total to 120 before Arendse was sent packing by Liam Brooker. Brooker, then, joined forces with Victor Louw to engineer a collapse, which saw the home side lose their last five wickets for only 10 runs, which left them on 130 all out.

Morgan was the seventh man out for the innings’ top score of 41, which had taken him 81 deliveries and included seven fours.

Brooker returned a stellar 3/13 from 6.3 overs, while Louw snagged 3/27 from seven, and Gottfried 3/31 from 11 as Pretoria Boys High claimed a big scalp and a comfortable 58-run win.

Their big tenth wicket stand had proved to be the difference in the match. It also left them tied with their Pretoria rivals, Affies, as the only team with a perfect record of two from two after the opening two day of the festival.

Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Waterkloof

A decision to bat first on Rondebosch Boys’ High‘s A Field worked out well for Hoërskool Waterkloof, who enjoyed consistent contributions from their top six, which helped them to a healthy 271/8.

That strong effort was built around 85 from number three batsman, Juan Swart, who hit eight fours and three sixes in a 92-ball stay.

The openers, AJ de Villiers and Wian du Plessis, chipped in with 36 each and partnered for 64 runs for the first wicket. Rico van der Walt made 41, Franco Schmidt 30, and Johan Feuth 24 as Klofies took the attack to the ‘Bosch bowlers.

Schalk Fourie picked up 2/39 in 9.4 overs for the home side, while Alex du Plessis took 2/39 from 10, and Arin Spiller bowled tidily to claim 2/45 from 15.

Rondebosch replied with 245/7, with opener Eli Aufrichtig anchoring their innings. He faced 153 balls and scored 84, with five fours and a six. He and Tyler Heyns added 87 for the second wicket before Heyns was caught by Rico van der Walt off the bowling of Johan Liebenberg for 50.

Ethan De Heer Kloots gave the ‘Bosch batting effort a boost, smashing three fours and two sixes in his 42 from 45 balls, and Matthew Brooks also sparkled, taking only 41 deliveries for his 43, which included five fours and a six.

Liebenberg, though, messed with Rondebosch’s run chase, snaring 4/71 from 22 overs as captain Franco Schmidt used nine bowlers.

In the end, though, Bosch ran out of overs and finished only 26 runs short of Waterkloof’s effort. That meant their clash was the only one of the day that didn’t produce a winner.

Summarised scorecards

Wynberg Boys’ High 142/10 (Qaeed Shaik 35, Chad Campbell 24; Jayden Saville 4/17, Ryan Clarke 2/26); St Charles College 145/9 (Thandolwethu Zama 42, Ryan Clarke 41*, Rebogile Mokoena 21; Noah du Plooy 4/42, Farwaaz Hendricks 2/36). St Charles College won by one wicket.

Paul Roos Gimnasium 115/10 (Jason Raal 22, Dion Slabber 20; Tendai Kadyamadare 4/39, Zaakir Hanlo 4/44); St Stithians College 117/6 (Hamzah Shaikh 30, Matthew Katzenstein 30, Matthew Anderson 30; Morné Pauw 4/24). St Stithians College won by four wickets.

SACS 107/10 (Benji Tilbury 37; Zian Labuschagne 4/14, Nico Loggenberg 3/32, JP Botha 2/18); Affies 108/2 (JP Botha 62*, Christian Linde 34). Affies won by eight wickets.

Pretoria Boys High 188/10 (Victor Louw 45, Tim Gordon 36, Louis Kruyshaar 31, Liam Brooker 25*, Justin Basdeo 30; Raa’id Arendse 2/5, Daniel Perold 2/19, Matthew Edwards 2/28, Alex Vintcent 2/42). Bishops Diocesan College 130/10 (Harry Morgan 41, Alex Vintcent 40; Liam Brooker 3/13, Victor Louw 3/27, Euan Gottfried 3/31). Pretoria Boys High won by 58 runs.

Potchefstroom Gimnasium 210/10 (Lukas Kotze 84, Bernard Judels 28, Ulrich Botha 23; Sechaba Gude 5/41); Hilton College 212/6 (Robert Burman 52, Luke Wilson 41, Cameron Hargroves 40, Barack Munawa 38; Henré Cronje 4/52). Hilton College won by four wickets.

Hoërskool Waterkloof 271/8 (Juan Swart 85, Rico van der Walt 41, AJ de Villiers 36, Wian du Plessis 36, Franco Schmidt 30, Johan Feuth 24; Schalk Fourie 2/34, Alex du Plessis 2/39, Arin Spiller 2/45); Rondebosch Boys’ High 245/7 (Eli Aufrichtig 84, Tyler Heyn 50, Matthew Brooks 43, Ethan De Heer Kloot 42; Johan Liebenberg 4/71). Match drawn.

Paarl Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Garsfontein

After defeating Paarl Gimnasium by eight wickets on Tuesday, Hoërskool Garsfontein took on another Paarl school, the tournament hosts, Paarl Boys’ High, on Wednesday.

The home side was the first to pick up the willow at  Brugstraat’s A Field. Like all of the matches on the day, this one was a 50-over affair.

Boishaai lasted 44.1 overs at the crease against the Pretoria powerhouse before being bowled out for 174.

Number five batsman, Roan Haynes, top-scored for the hosts, smashing six fours and two sixes in his 57 runs off 73 balls.

Garsfontein was subjected to a tougher chase than they faced on Tuesday, but the Pretoria school had the answers, claiming a narrow two-wicket win when they reached 179/8 despite a 3/12 haul from Ra-eez Isaacs.

Paarl Gimnasium vs Westville Boys’ High 

After Tuesday’s draw against Cornwall Hill College left a strong Westville Boys’ High outfit frustrated, the KZN side took out their frustrations on Paarl Gimnasium on Wednesday.

The hosts won the toss and opted to bat first. Wian Munnik, batting at three, scored his second consecutive fifty of the festival, walloping seven fours and three sixes in his 64 off 70 deliveries.

De Waal Vivier, who made his way to the crease after the fall of the fourth wicket, stirred up the excitement in the middle overs, blasting four fours and a maximum in an unbeaten 62 off 68 balls as Gim tallied 235 all out off of the second-last ball of their 50 overs.

Four Westville bowlers picked up two wickets each, with Misbah Nair‘s 2/18 from 2.5 overs being his side’s best return.

In reply, it took the Griffins 48.2 overs to get across the finishing line, which they achieved for the loss of eight wickets, thus recording a two-wicket win.

Misbah Nair shone again. Batting at 10, he struck a vital and undefeated 37 from only 20 balls, including three fours and a six to power his team past Gim’s total. Ewan du Toit, though, provided the crucial anchor innings, top scoring with 82.

Boland Landbou vs St John’s College (Harare)

In their contest against St John’s College (Harare), Boland Landbou opted to bat first on their Stiaan van Zyl Oval after the coin flip fell their way.

Both Matthew Geldenhuys and Johannes Goosen weighed in with half-centuries. Geldenhuys struck five fours in his 58 off 75 balls, while Goosen sped up the tempo, clobbering two fours and two sixes, in his 51 off 49.

Fergus Dorward claimed 2/20 in three overs for the Zim outfit, which was tidy. However, they conceded a huge 43 extras, which included 25 wides. That helped the Farmers to total 221 before they were bowled out in the 46th over.

In reply, St John’s never really got going. Gunther Schmidt was one of the primary reasons for that, capturing 3/27 in seven overs, which put the skids under the visitors’ efforts.

Their innings lasted 38 overs before they were dismissed for 145, resulting in a 76-run victory for the Farmers.

Hoërskool Hans Moore vs Hoërskool Diamantveld 

On the Brugstraat B Field, Hoërskool Hans Moore delivered a dominant performance against Hoërskool Diamantveld.

The Benoni school posted a strong total of 256 all out, which they achieved in 46.2 overs, thanks mainly to opener, Xavier van Biljon, who was on fire, clubbing eight fours and eight sixes in a superb 114 runs off only 83 deliveries.

In their chase, the Kimberley locals were able to muster only a quarter of the Moories‘ total. Their innings ended on 64 all out in the 23rd over, leaving Hans Moore the runaway winners by a mighty margin of 192 runs.

Parel Vallei High School vs Cornwall Hill College

Parel Vallei (PV) lost the toss on their A Field, where they faced Cornwall Hill College, and were made to bat first.

The Centurion team’s Kirill Broughton made it a difficult innings for PV, snapping up 3/21 in 10 overs and, although the home side spent 46.5 overs at the crease, they tallied only 109 all out. Their best knock came from Divan Sander, who top-scored for the hosts with a slow and steady 28 off 56 balls.

Defending a modest total, the Somerset West school made early inroads into the Cornwall Hill batting order. The tide turned, however, when Oliver Richards came in at seven to guide his team to a three-wicket victory.

He stroked five fours in an unbeaten 38 off 54 deliveries, which lifted Cornwall Hill to 112/7 after 38.2 overs.

Hoërskool Durbanville vs Napso Namibia 

Hoërskool Durbanville‘s Vissershok Field saw Napso (Namibian Private Schools Organisation) become the first non-South African outfit to earn a victory at this year’s edition of the festival.

Durbies won the toss and decided to bat first. Napso responded well to the challenge as an emerging trend of four bowlers taking two wickets each continued.

The home team’s batting effort was inconsistent, but two batsmen stood out. In the top order, Liam Kirsten hit four fours in his 35 off 57, while Jeandré Janse van Rensburg, batting at 10, weighed in with a quickfire 34 off 25 balls, which included three fours and a six.

After 43.1 overs, Durbanville was all out for 178, which wasn’t enough to prevent the Namibians from picking up a three-wicket win.

They batted at almost exactly the same run rate as Durbies, taking 42.4 overs to reach 181/7. Drikus Swart, who made his way to the middle at the fall of the fourth wicket, led the way, striking five fours in an undefeated 50 off 66 deliveries.

Summarised Scorecards

Paarl Boys’ High 174/10 (Roan Haynes 57, Extras 22); Hoërskool Garsfontein 179/8 (Ra-eez Isaacs 3/12, Ed Lee Koopman 2/26, Aden Batt 2/52). Garsfontein won by two wickets. 

Paarl Gimnasium 235/10 (Wian Munnik 64, De Waal Vivier 62*, Louis Koen 23, Waldus de Jager 22, Extras 21; Misbah Nair 2/18, Tristin Delvin 2/32, Aarin Rasmussen 2/40, Kyle McGough 2/65); Westville Boys’ High 236/8 (Ewan du Toit 82, Misbah Nair 37*, Aarin Rasmussen 24*, Kai Cotton 22; De Waal Vivier 3/50, Wian Munnik 3/50). Westville Boys’ High won by two wickets.

Boland Landbou 221/10 (Matthew Geldenhuys 58, Johannes Goosen 51, Extras 43; Fergus Dorward 2/20, Shivaan Chouhan 2/33, Hayden Saunders 2/33); St. John’s College (Harare) 145/10 (Hayden Croxford 31, Luca Spagnuolo 24, Shivaan Chouhan 24, Shaylen Parmar 20; Gunther Schmidt 3/27, Caleb Seroot 2/12, Matthew Geldenhuys 2/20). Boland Landbou won by 76 runs.

Hoërskool Hans Moore 256/10 (Xavier van Biljon 114, Josh Venter 45, Duan Maree 34; Hanru Rademeyer 2/13, Janno Du Plessis 2/14, Arno Mostert 2/28, Rulo van der Merwe 2/35); Hoërskool Diamantveld 64/10 (Josh Venter 2/13, Isaac Aube 2/19). Hans Moore won by 192 runs.

Hoërskool Parel Vallei 109/10 (Divan Sander 28, Chris Hughes 20, Extras 20; Kirill Broughton 3/21); Cornwall Hill College 112/7 (Oliver Richards 38*; Imtiaz Oliver 4/17, Chris Hughes 2/17). Cornwall Hill won by three wickets.

Hoërskool Durbanville 178/10 (Liam Kirsten 35, Jeandré Janse van Rensburg 34, Juan van Coller 24, Extras 23; Abri Oberholtzer 2/21, Drikus Swart 2/22, Emile Kuhn 2/25, Christiaan Kriel 2/25); Napso Namibia 181/7 (Drikus Swart 50*, Janco Schlechter 27, Abri Oberholtzer 27, Jandré de Jager 26, Christof Van Der Merwe 24; Juan van Coller 4/35). Napso Namibia won by three wickets.