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Nomandi outplayed Stirling High School, defeating them by 105 runs in the final of the girls’ section of the Eastern Province and Border Schools SA20 regional tournament at Buffalo Park, in East London, on Saturday afternoon.

Grey High goes up against Pearson in the boys’ final on Sunday morning at the same venue.

Grey and Pearson have been a class apart from the rest of the teams competing in the boys’ section. Neither has lost a match on their way to qualifying for the final.

Grey shrugged aside all opposition to qualify for the final with four wins from four games, while their Gqeberha rivals, Pearson, registered three wins in their three completed matches.

A big 108-run win over Queen’s College on Saturday afternoon launched Grey into the final, while Pearson secured their place with a four-wicket win over Selborne College.

Nomandi registered the highest total in the girls’ section’s matches in the final after being put in to bat first by Stirling High captain Cayleigh Wankel. Enkosi Mditshwa paved the way with a 35-ball 27 on a surface that offered assistance to the spinners.

Sikho Khetho, with whom Mditshwa shared a 29-run third-wicket partnership, had little trouble taking the baton from the opener. She struck seven fours on her way to an unbeaten 39 off 40 balls as Nomandi tallied 138/5. Stirling did not do themselves any favours with the numerous wides and no balls they served up to Nomandi, who benefitted from 39 extras.

It was the second meeting of the sides in as many days. On Friday, Nomandi, astonishingly, bundled out Stirling for only 11 runs. While Stirling was a little better and surpassed that score in the final, they failed to tally as many runs as the extras they conceded. They had trouble reading the Nomandi spinners and medium pacers and slumped to 33 all out.

Enkosi Mditshwa, Yamkhela Mnqabashe, Chumani Majambe, and Kwanele Kratshi bagged a brace of wickets each.

In the boys’ semi-finals, Luke Tait and Charl Posthumus acquitted themselves well, with both registering half-centuries that catapulted Grey High to 167/5 in their showdown with Queen’s College. They ran hard and dispatched any bad balls that were sent their way while compiling a hasty 123-run opening partnership, which lasted 15.2 overs.

Posthumus finished with a brilliant 65 from 45, while Tait added 64 from 59. After their dismissals, no other Grey batsmen were able to exit single figures. However, they had done enough damage to lift them to an unassailable total.

Teun Kloppenberg was Grey High’s hero with the bat on Friday, when they met Queen’s for the first time. In the semifinals, he showed up with the ball and captured two wickets for nine runs as Grey restricted Queen’s to just 59/7. The pick of the Grey bowlers, though, was Nathan Howell, who snapped up two for five in three overs.

The victory over Queen’s came after an eight-wicket victory over Mqanduli Village in the morning session.

Sulaymaan Gangat spun a web around Selborne College as Pearson limited the locals to 87 all out, snaring 3/13 from four overs.

Josh Wilkie, who was at the crease for 10.5 overs, did his best to resist the Pearson bowling attack. However, not even his 37-ball 38 runs could lift Selborne to a defendable total because no other batsmen bettered 10 runs.

Pearson’s reply was uneven as they lost four wickets in the powerplay. However, they assuaged that collapse with runs on the board. They had already scored 57 and needed only 31 more runs when they lost their fourth wicket in the sixth over.

That was in large part thanks to Cayden Wilson, who refused to be tied down by the Selborne bowlers and blasted an 11-ball 28. Luke Hector carried on the good work, with 21 off 18, and by the time he departed, Pearson required only two runs to win.

Bungqina Nuku did his best for Selborne, claiming three wickets for 31 runs. That wasn’t enough, however, to stop Pearson. Not even a double strike in a single over by Michael Hess could turn the tide.

Given the form of the finalists, the clash between Grey High and Pearson could be a humdinger of a contest. They lock horns at 09:30 on Sunday morning.

Scorecards

Girls’ section

Nomandi 138/5 (Sikho Khetho 39*, Enkosi Mditshwa 27, Addyson Stanton 2/23, Cayleigh Wankel 1/16) Stirling 33/10 (Tama Tandwa 9, Chloe Henricks 5, Enkosi Mditshwa 2/5, Yamkhela Mnqabashe 2/4). Nomandi won by 105 runs.

Boys’ section

Semifinals

Grey High 167/5 (Charl Posthumus 65, Luke Tait 64, Khazimila Simama 1/30, Geza Culumanco 1/25). Queen’s College 59/7 (Duncan Hayes 24, Fitzhenry Ross 14, Nathan Howell 2/5, Teun Kloppenberg 2/9). Grey High won by 105 runs.

Selborne College 87/10 (Josh Wilkie 38, Connor Fowles 9, Sulaymaan Gangat 3/13, Kade Myburgh 2/20). Pearson High 90/6 (Cayden Wilson 28, Luke Hector 21, Bungqina Nuku 3/31, Michael Hess 2/4). Pearson won by four wickets.

Morning session

Mqanduli Village 54/4 (Sinawo Nongalo 21, Bulumnko Didi 7, Nathan Howell 1/2, Connor Parry 1/7). Grey High 55/2 (Charl Posthumus 23, Teun Kloppenberg 13, Sanele Mphathelwa 2/16, Iviwe Ntengwane 0/35). Grey High won by eight wickets.

Queen’s College 30/10 (Geza Culumanco 10*, Aiden van Jaarsveld 9, Daniel Ritchie 3/5, Jadyan Ward 2/10). Pearson 32/0 (Jude Septoo 16*, Matthew Burton 15*, Mthokozisi Mbambo 0/20, Khazimla Simama 0/11). Pearson won by 10 wickets.

Selborne 147/6 (Connor Fowles 30, Reece Waite 28, Kwakhanya Jayiya 3/34, Baphelele Silo 2/23). Jumba 74/10 (Baphelele Silo 19, Chulumanco Soyizwaphi 14, Michael Hess 4/10, Mjo Lukhanyiso 3/11). Selborne won by 73 runs.

Grey College heads into the semi-finals as the only unbeaten side at the Schools SA20 regional playoffs in Potchefstroom after another emphatic victory on Saturday morning.

Relive all the action on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)

The Bloemfontein boys were made to work hard by the only other unbeaten team at that stage, Potchefstroom Gimnasium.

The Gimmies, having batted first on the JB Marks Oval posted a solid 143/5 in their 20 overs. Lukas Kotze (47) deserved a half-century but fell just three runs short, while the consistently impressive Ulrich Botha (44) also made a telling contribution.

Botha was the local side’s mainstay with the ball, too, heaping pressure on Grey by capturing three wickets for 26 runs.

The limelight, however, belonged to Grey’s star opening batsman, Christian Kind, and the all-rounder Daniel Hattingh. Kind made 53 at the top of the order, while Hattingh top-scored with 56 runs.

Their 81-run partnership bolstered Grey’s reply, which enabled the Bloemfontein school to maintain its winning streak. They will head into the playoffs as the favourites to go all the way.

St Andrew’s School, the Free State Schools SA20 champion, also, secured a semi-final spot after charging to a big 72-run victory over Kalahari at Potchefstroom Gimnasium’s Witrand Oval. The side from Kuruman mustered a disappointing 92 all out while chasing 165 for victory, with Janko Noeth providing nearly half their runs with a well-played 42.

Naudé Botha‘s batting prowess, however, stole the show. The 67 from his blade paved the way for Saints. Botha’s fellow opener, Andrew Sobiech, also chipped in with 37 of his own, while the spinners, FG Botha (3/12) and Nikhil Sukraj (3/20), inflicted irreversible damage with the ball.

In the upset of the weekend, Hoërskool Upington toppled Hoërskool Rustenburg by 16 runs on the Puk Oval. That defeat meant Rusties finished the event without a victory in Potchefstroom, which was where they won the North West Schools SA20 in September 2024.

After Upington posted only a moderate 121/8 in their 20 overs, their bowlers knew it was up to them to secure victory, and they delivered.

The Uppies‘ Vaylen Lombaard claimed two scalps for only nine runs and Likumi Aide played his part with two wickets, too. In the end, Rustenburg made just 105 all out.

Summarised scorecards

Potchefstroom Gimnasium 143/5 (Lukas Kotze 47, Ulrich Botha 44, Ruhann Steenkamp 24; Edrich Hanekom 2/32); Grey College 144/7 (Daniel Hattingh 56, Christian Kind 53; Ulrich Botha 3/26, Adriaan van Niekerk 2/26). Grey College won by three wickets.

St Andrew’s School 164/5 (Naudé Botha 67, Andrew Sobiech 37, Reuben van Aarde 21; Janko Noeth 2/28); Kalahari 92/10 (Janko Noeth 42; FG Botha 3/12, Nikhil Sukraj 3/20, Erhard Barends 2/16). St Andrew’s School won by 72 runs.

Hoërskool Upington 121/8 (Roux Erasmus 28, CJ Botha 26; Waide Davey 2/15, Henlo van Rooyen 2/13); Hoërskool Rustenburg 105/10 (Waide Davey 18*; Vaylen Lombaard 2/9, Likumi Aide 2/19). Hoerskool Upington won by 16 runs.

Northwood School became the inaugural champion of the Schools SA20 in KwaZulu-Natal after edging out Hilton College on the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Friday afternoon is a roller-coaster ride of a final that delivered thrills and some fine cricket from both teams.

After day one, Maritzburg College was in the driving seat, having won both of their matches on Thursday, but both Northwood and Hilton were one and one and in with a shot at making the title decider. The Knights had beaten Hilton but gone down to College, while Hilton beat Glenwood in their second game.

On Friday, though, Hilton outplayed College, bagging two bonus points after bowling out the Red, Black, and White for just 55 to win by 46 runs. Northwood, meanwhile, comfortably handled Glenwood, winning by six wickets with 32 balls to spare.

That set up a rematch of the finalists’ opening game, which had also been played on the Pietermaritzburg Oval, with Northwood winning by five wickets, with only three balls in hand on that occasion. This time it was for the title.

After winning the toss, Hilton captain Ben Hockly, elected to bat. He and his opening partner Alex Pitman turned that decision into a very good one. They looked comfortable from ball one.

Hockly played the shot of the match in the early going, sending a half-volley from Thabiso Mtambo over extra cover for six with a beautiful flourish of the bat. At the other end, Alex Pitman produced a gem of an innings. He kept the Northwood bowlers off balance with innovative shot-making and clever judgement, sometimes hitting out and at others playing with soft hands to steal quick singles. It was a knock of the highest class.

Together, Hockly and Pitman raced to 57 in the seventh over before the skipper was bowled by left-arm spinner Jordan Matthews for 21 from 15 deliveries.

With Pitman dominating, he and Robert Burman added 34 for the second wicket before Matthews struck again, castling Burman for 12 from 16.

Pitman fell in the 14th over, which reduced Hilton to 97/3, when he offered Ben Cilliers a simple caught and bowled chance. The opening batsman was disappointed to provide a tame dismissal after an excellent innings.

Northwood captain Kyle White spread his field to prevent Hilton’s batsmen from going for the big shot and that worked to bring the Knights two wickets as both Simon Steyn and Stewart Falconer holed out in the deep. Jayden Roux chipped in with 12, but Hilton, after a superb start, lost some momentum and finished with 131/6. It was a solid total, but they will know it could have been better.

Matthews finished with 2/21 from his four overs, while White bagged 2/26, also from four. Off-spinner Ben Cilliers snapped up 1/21 from four, as the spinners pulled the Knights back into the contest after Hilton’s fast start.

If they were going to challenge, Hockly and company, Northwood needed a good start. They got it. Although not quite as rapid as Hilton’s, it was, nonetheless, exactly what the doctor ordered.

David de Bruyn and Ross McGlashan started off manipulating the ball off the bat to get the scoreboard rolling. Later, though, when opportunities arose, they were not afraid to hit out, and that brought McGlashan a couple of sixes.

He and De Bruyn shared an opening stand of 66 before McGlashan was removed, LBW to Simon Steyn for 40 from 31, with a four and those aforementioned sixes. Northwood was on 66/1 after 10 overs.

“They stuck to their game plan, which was almost to play tip ‘n run cricket, and I think they did that superbly,” Northwood captain Kyle White said afterwards.

“When we needed to go, we went, and that’s what paid off. As soon as we got out of the power play, and the field was spread, hitting out is usually not really what you do, but as soon as the fielders were out it was almost as if we had been freed up a bit.”

Five runs after McGlashan’s departure, De Bruyn was caught by Obakeng Motsepa off the bowling of Simon Steyn for 29 from 34. The fact that he didn’t hit a single boundary reflected how well the opening pair had run between the wickets. Tuswa Phetha followed that playbook, contributing a vital 23 not out from 26 balls, without the aid of a boundary.

The balance of the contest swayed as the remaining balls diminished. Hilton did a good job of restricting boundaries, but Northwood kept the scoreboard ticking over, scrambling for every run, while Hilton missed out on two decent run out opportunities.

The Midlands’ school worked hard to tighten the screws on the Knights, but, with one massive blow, Northwood’s captain Kyle White turned the tide with a timely six. He led from the front, cracking 28 from 21 balls before being caught by Jayden Roux off the bowling of Sechaba Gude when the total was 120. Victory, though, was in sight.

Once again, as they had done on Thursday against Hilton, Northwood made it with three balls to spare, but this time they had seven wickets in hand.

It was a contest worthy of a final and the result was in the balance until the end.

“All credit to the guys for their guts and, especially to Hilton. They played very well,” Knights’ skipper Kyle White said.

“We knew they’re very strong up front. They have two classy openers. But we backed our spinners through the middle overs and then we produced good death bowling.”

“We’ve had a slow start in the past couple of games, but it’s about sticking to the processes, which is good for us.”

After underperforming in the early part of 2024’s fourth term, Northwood has turned a corner and they’re a team that returns a lot of players, which makes them dangerous.

“The way we ended off last year, in terms of the Schools SA20 KZN Dolphins’ competition, and then going to Bloemfontein (to the Grey College Cricket Festival), our process has been really good, and we have stuck to it, and we have understood the game plan,” White said.

“We’re looking to make a big statement this year.”

Summarised scorecards

Glenwood 109/7 (Karabo Ntsieng 23, Kamogelo Moloto 23, Kenzo Mchunu 21, Jamie Wimble 3/15); Northwood 110/4 (Ross McGlashan 42, Jamie Wimble 31*, Kyle White 21, Akhil Maharaj 3/21). Northwood won by six wickets.

Hilton College 101/8 (Ben Hockly 25, Alex Pitman 22, Daniel Nadasan 3/8, Karl Dedekind 2/24); Maritzburg College 55/10 (Dominic du Toit 15, Luke Campbell 3/9, Obakeng Motsepa 3/15, Jayden Roux 2/8). Hilton College won by 46 runs.

Final

Hilton College 131/6 (Alex Pitman 58, Ben Hockly 21, Jordan Matthews 2/21, Kyle White 2/26); Northwood 132/3 (Ross McGlashan 40, David de Bruyn 29, Kyle White 28, Tuswa Phetha 23*, Simon Steyn 2/21). Northwood won by seven wickets.

The girls’ final of the KwaZulu-Natal region, played at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Friday morning, pitted Dr John L Dube High School against Bonginhlanhla High for the title of the Schools SA20 champions of KZN.

Batting first after winning the toss, Bonginhlanha, led by a good knock from opening batter, Ngwenya Nombulelo, posted 79/8, with Nombulelo responsible for 29 of those runs, including two of the three fours her team scored.

She and Hlatshwayo Sbongankoke shared a stand of 44 for the fourth wicket before Sbongankoke let her concentration slip and was stumped off the bowling of Zama Mdunga for 12.

From there, the innings lost its impetus as Bonginhlanha slumped from 71/3 to 79/8 just when they needed to accelerate their scoring in the final overs of their innings.

Dr John L Dube’s reply was impressive, with Enthle Mkhalipa and Amahle Ndlanzi sharing an opening partnership of 44 before Ndlanzi was run out.

The duo had looked in complete control after safely negotiating the first five overs and had taken advantage of a misfield off the ball before Ndlanzi fell to score two runs. Then, when the ball was bobbled by a fielder off the next delivery, they misjudged it and Ndlanzi was run out for 13 from 31 after trying for a second run that wasn’t there.

Hlengiwe Dlamini, in at three, chipped in with eight from a 14-ball stay. Crucially, though, she provided a solid foil to Mkhalipa’s attacking play. They put on 34 for the second wicket, bringing Dr John L Dube to within three runs of victory before Dlamini departed.

Shortly after that, it was all over, with the KwaMashu school winning by eight wickets with 26 balls in hand.

Dr John L Dube coach Mzwandile Sibiya said his school has been playing cricket for only five years. The results, truly, are remarkable and the enthusiasm for the game is through the roof.

He said support from the school, as well as a donation from the Kagiso Rabada Foundation, which provided Dr John L Dube with equipment, had served as inspiration and enabled the school to perform strongly.

“They have fallen in love with cricket,” Sibiya said about his team and their parents.

“The principal, everyone, was so happy that we were going to play in the final. You could see the goosebumps!”

Sibiya said most of his players have played provincial cricket already, but, he suggested, there was more to come from them because, he felt, they lacked some sharpness having only recently returned from school holidays.

He touched on some reasons for his players’ successes, saying they started playing the game young, at eight or nine years of age, and they also played club cricket. Some of the players had only just moved up from the u13 ranks, but they were not out of their depth.

“If you don’t have young players, you don’t have a future,” he said.

Many of his players have played club cricket with national team players, and the success of the South African women’s cricket team has inspired them; they see what is possible.

The introduction of the Schools SA20 has expanded the cricket possibilities for girls. It’s an exciting innovation that has created opportunities that are needed to grow the game. On that point, one should consider the losing finalists, Bonginhlanhla, who played some good cricket.

They’re not from one of the big urban areas and had to drive five hours to Pietermaritzburg for the final. Yet, they showed that cricket is alive and growing in all corners of KZN and that girls have embraced the game and the opportunities it offers.

Summarised scorecard

Bonginhlanha High 79/8 (Ngwenya Nombulelo 29, , Anelisa Mhlongo 2/7, Zukiswa Miya 2/14); Dr John L Dube High School 81/2 (Enthle Mkhalipa 41*, Sihle Mamba 1/13). Dr John L Dube won by 8 wickets.

Friday afternoon’s matches in the regional final of the Schools SA20 tournament in Potchefstroom – featuring the top teams from the North West, Northern Cape, and Free State -, demonstrated the unpredictability of T20 cricket, especially at the schoolboy level.

Relive all the action on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)

Potchefstroom Gimnasium remained one of only two unbeaten teams after toppling St Andrew’s School on the Puk Oval.

The boys from Bloemfontein couldn’t quite replicate what they did in the morning against Hoërskool Rustenburg and came up 19 runs short against the locals. The Gimmies‘ victory was led by an exceptional bowling performance from Thloni Thabatha.

Saints were well on track to record a second win, batting at nearly 10 runs an over, before Thabatha intervened. The seamer dismantled coach AJ van Wyk‘s side in just three overs. In that decisive spell, he captured five wickets while conceding only 11 runs.

Earlier, Ulrich Botha (55) and Jahndré Coetzee (54*) had batted superbly and combined for a vital 81-run partnership, which ultimately laid the foundation for Potchefstroom Gimnasium’s victory.

Saints’ Naudé Botha (37) and Jonathan Hickly (26*) fought valiantly, but their efforts were ultimately in vain.

Hoërskool Rustenburg suffered a second loss, going down by four wickets to a spirited Kalahari side on the University of Potchefstroom’s Ibbies Oval.

The off-spin of Janko Noeth proved integral to his sides’ success as he snared 4/17. Leander Smith (3/11) and Liam Laing (2/14), once again, provided good support as Rusties were restricted to only 101/9 from their 20 overs.

Hendré Robinson was Rustenburg’s mainstay with the bat, scoring a valuable 46 runs. Unfortunately, Tristan van der Linde (25) was the only other Rustenburg batsman to make a noteworthy contribution.

Kalahari’s SW van Heerden, as he had done in the recent Kovsie Smash tournament, came to his side’s rescue with an unbeaten 38 runs to seal a four-wicket win.

Grey College stayed in the ranks of the unbeaten sides, alongside Potchefstroom Gimnasium, after racing to a nine-wicket win over Hoërskool Upington at Potchefstroom Gimnasium’s Witrand Oval.

Off-spinner Lamla Mgezi‘s three wickets for only nine runs, supported by Edrich Hanekom‘s 2/7 kept the Uppies under pressure and they mustered only 54/7 from their 20 overs.

Opening batsman, Christian Kind, made light work of the run chase, smashing 22 not out as the Grey boys charged past the victory target in a flash for the second time on Thursday, thus firmly establishing themselves as one of the favourites.

Summarised scorecards

Potchefstroom Gimnasium 126/4 (Ulrich Botha 55, Jahndré Coetzee 54*; Andrew Sobiech 2/25); St Andrew’s School 107/10 (Naudé Botha 37, Jonathan Hickley 26*; Thloni Thabatha 5/11). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by 19 runs.

Hoërskool Rustenburg 101/9 (Hendré Robinson 46, Tristan van der Linde 25; Janko Noeth 4/17, Leander Smit 3/11, Liam Laing 2/14); Kalahari 103/6 (SW van Heerden 38*; Henlo van Rooyen 2/18, Thian Labuschagne 2/20). Kalahari won by four wickets.

Hoërskool Upington 54/7 (Extras 17, Wian Pienaar 12; Lamla Mgezi 3/9, Edrich Hanekom 2/7); Grey College 55/1 (Christian Kind 22*, Pieter Smit 20; Kriel du Plessis 1/11). Grey College won by nine wickets.

Grey High all-but confirmed their qualification for the semifinals of the Eastern Province and Border Schools SA20 tournament by beating Queen’s College by eight wickets in the second round of matches in East London on Friday afternoon.

All has not been decided, but Grey High has one foot in the semifinals after posting back-to-back wins in Pool A.

Their morning victory over Selborne was thanks to Connor Parry’s patient innings, and their afternoon win was courtesy of some serious hitting from Teun Kloppenberg.

Josh Wilkie scored the first half-century in the tournament as Selborne bounced back from their morning loss with a vengeance, overrunning Mqanduli Village by 123 runs.

Pearson is in a good position after recording their first win in the afternoon, a comprehensive 10-wicket victory over Jumba High, after they shared the points with Mqanduli Village because of a waterlogged outfield in the morning.

Teun Kloppenberg launched more sixes than the Queen’s batting line-up combined, lashing four on his way to an unbeaten 28 off 13 deliveries to lead the Gqberha boys to an emphatic eight-wicket victory. He arrived at the crease in the sixth over, with Grey High on 29/2, chasing only 59 runs to win.

The target was low because of an incredible shift put in by Grey’s spin contingent, led by Drisden Pretorius. The left-arm spinner was practically unplayable in his four overs, one of which was a maiden. He conceded only three runs for his three wickets. Led by his star turn, Grey High rolled Queen’s for only 58 in 19 overs.

Grey, then, needed only 8.5 overs to get to 63/2 and claim the spoils.

When Kloppenberg arrived at the crease, Luke Tait had laid a platform with his 17-ball 18. The right-hander, then, shared an unbroken 39-run third-wicket partnership with Connor Parry (11*) that saw Grey High over the line.

Selborne College bounced back from a defeat at the hands of Grey in the morning with a comprehensive 123-run win over Mqanduli Village, thanks to a Josh Wilkie masterclass with the bat, which brought him a brilliant 66 off 53 deliveries. Wilkies’ effort was the first half-century of the tournament, on a day when batsmen struggled to get themselves, which resulted in teams being knocked over for low totals.

Wilkie also shared a 57-run fifth-wicket stand with Reece Waite (39). Theirs’ was the highest partnership in all matches played on Friday. Their efforts also helped Selborne chalk up the highest total of the day, 174/8. That total proved to be a mountain too high for Mqanduli Village, who stuttered their way to 51/8 in reply.

Siphumeze Nonwana (21) was the only Mqanduli Village batsman who offered resistance to the Selborne bowling attack, which was led well by Michael Hess and Mjo Lukhanyiso. Hess sent down three overs, one of them a maiden, conceded three runs, and took two wickets. Lukhanyiso also bagged a brace while conceding 11 runs from his three overs.

Pearson powered their way to a first victory with an emphatic 10-wicket win over Jumba High. Pearson’s bowling and fielding were outstanding, and they enjoyed immediate success, grabbing two wickets in the first over. For the first wicket, Jonathan Holmes clean-bowled Momeleze Nama. For the second, Jadyan Ward executed a run out to send Baphelele Silo packing.

Those two dismissals led to a procession of wickets falling, with Jumba High’s batsmen falling like dominoes. None made it to 10 runs. Their highest scorer was Chulumanco Soyizwaphi, with eight. Jadyan Ward was outstanding with the ball for Pearson, capturing three wickets for four runs, while Sulaymaan Gangat was equally good, snaring three wickets for two runs in 1.1 overs.

Matthew Burton (15*) and Jude Septoo (6*) made light work of the run chase, needing only 11 balls to see Pearson to victory. Burton creamed three fours, while Septoo found the boundary once, to match Jumba High’s number of fours.

In the girls’ section, Nomandi put together a brilliant performance against Stirling, who had played well against Pearson in their morning match. In that clash, Stirling took just under nine overs to reach 67/3 and claim victory, thanks to Cayleigh Wankel’s brilliance with the bat. Against Nomandi, at Hudson Park, their batting failed.

Wankel put on another brilliant show, bagging four wickets for a paltry five runs as Stirling skittled Nomandi for 77 runs. However, her performance was matched by Enkosi Mditshwa’s five-wicket haul for Nomandi.

Mditshwa was a handful as she knocked over 5/8 in 3.4 overs. She was superbly backed up by Thembakazi Gegesi (3/2) and Olwethu Njani (1/1), as Nomandi destroyed the Stirling batting lineup, dismissing the East London school for only 11 runs in 7.4 overs to claim a big 66-run victory.

Earlier in the match, Mditshwa top-scored for Nomandi with 16 runs. Njani (10) and Sikho Khetho (14) were the only other batters to reach double figures. Stirling’s leading batter was Tama Tandwa (5).

Scorecards

Queen’s College 58/10 (Joe Aucamp 12, Duncan Hayes 9, Drisden Pretorius 3/3, Connor Parry 2/2). Grey High 63/2 (Teun Kloppenberg 28*, Luke Tait 18, Khazimla Simama 2/16, Mthokozisi Mbambo 0/14). Grey High won by eight wickets.

Jumba 22/10 (Chulumanco Soyizwaphi 8, Ahlume Honono 4, Jadyan Ward 3/4, Sulaymaan Gangat 3/2). Pearson 23/0 (Matthew Burton 15*, Jude Septoo 6*, Baphalele Silo 0/7, Chulumanco Soyizwaphi 0/16). Pearson won by 10 wickets.

Selborne 174/8 (Josh Wilkie 66, Reece Waite 39, Bulumnko Didi 3/16, Awande Siganga 2/38). Mqanduli Village 51/8 (Siphumeze Nonwana 21, Sinawo Nongalo 5, Michael Hess 2/3, Mjo Lukhanyiso 2/11). Selborne won by 123 runs.

Girls’ section

Nomandi 77/10 (Enkosi Mditshwa 16, Sikho Khetho 10, Cayleigh Wankel 4/5, Lwando Kese 2/11). Stirling 11/10 (Tama Tandwa 5, Cayleigh Wankel 1, Enkosi Mditshwa 5/8, Thembakazi Gegesi 3/2). Nomandi won by 66 runs.

Chad Mason top-scored and claimed two wickets but it was not enough as the South Africa u19 Men’s team was swept aside by England in the opening contest of their three-match Youth One-Day International (ODI) series at Western Province Cricket Club in Cape Town on Friday.

The tourists won by five wickets after bowling out the home side for only 87. They, then, chased down the low target in 18.3 overs.

KZN Inland Tuskers’ star Mason was one of just two players to record double figures, contributing 23 off 47 balls, while Bandile Mbatha managed 12.

Then, with the ball, Mason captured two for 22 in fours overs, while Jason Rowles snared two for 12, but it wasn’t enough as the visitors won comfortably to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Earlier in the day, SA captain Beni Hansen called the toss correctly and chose to bat first, but the junior Proteas struggled as the England bowlers wreaked havoc.

James Minto removed three of the top five on his way to a superb return of three for 15, which included the prize wicket of Cubs Week Batter of the Week, Rowles, for seven. The other top-order batsmen were dismissed by Harry Moore (2/17), which left South Africa in desperate trouble on 27 for five.

Mason and Mbatha did their best to conjure up some sort of target and, with the aid of extras (17), they managed to set 88.

Ben Dawkins fell early to Nqobani Mokoena (1/20) for one, before Ben Mayes (51 off 48 balls, 8 fours, 1 six) and Archie Vaughan (26) seized command with a stand of 68, which killed off any hopes of a win for the home side.

In the end, the English cruised home with more than 31 overs to spare.

Coach Malibongwe Maketa’s side returns to the Western Province Cricket Club on Sunday with an opportunity to bounce back and level the series in the second ODI.

SA u19 Men’s Youth ODI Squad against England U19
Beni Hansen (captain, Western Province), Daniel Bosman (Western Province), Raeeq Daniels (Western Province), Divan de Villiers (Titans), Carl Fryer (North West), Paul James (Western Province), Enathi Khitshini (Garden Route Badgers), Adnaan Lagadien (Western Province), Chad Mason (KZN Inland Tuskers), Bandile Mbatha (Dolphins), Nqobani Mokoena (Dolphins), Lethabo Phahlamohlaka (Titans), Semal Pillay (Dolphins), Jason Rowles (Lions), and Ntando Soni (Dolphins).

SA u19 Men’s Youth Test Squad against England U19
Beni Hansen (captain, Western Province), Daniel Bosman (Western Province), Muhammad Bulbulia (North West), Raeeq Daniels (Western Province), Divan de Villiers (Titans), Paul James (Western Province), Martin Khumalo (Eastern Storm), Adnaan Lagadien (Western Province), Chad Mason (KZN Inland Tuskers), Nqobani Mokoena (Dolphins), Lethabo Phahlamohlaka (Titans), Nathan Rossouw (North West), Jason Rowles (Lions), Jorich van Schalkwyk (Titans), and Sandiswa Yeni (Dolphins).

SA u19 Men’s Tour against England U19

Youth ODI Series

Friday, 17 January at 10:00
South Africa u19 lost to England u19 by 5 wickets – Western Province Cricket Club, Cape Town

Sunday, 19 January at 10:00
South Africa u19 vs England u19 – Western Province Cricket Club, Cape Town

Wednesday, 22 January at 10:00
South Africa u19 vs England u19 – Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch

Youth Test Series

27-30 January at 10:00
South Africa u19 vs England u19 – Coetzenburg Oval, Stellenbosch

3-6 February at 10:00
South Africa u19 vs England u19 – Western Province Cricket Club, Cape Town

You couldn’t have asked for a better start to the North West, Northern Cape, and Free State regional playoffs in the second phase of the Schools SA20.

Relive all the action on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)

St Andrew’s School secured a tense two-wicket victory over Hoërskool Rustenburg at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on Friday morning. Saints, though, found themselves in a massive pickle in their run chase after Augie Behrens threw the cat amongst the pigeons.

Defending only 124, after Thian Labuschagne‘s heroic 66, Behrens dismantled the Saints’ top order in a single over, snapping up three wickets in his first six balls.

The run out of Leon Athanasiou (2) off a no-ball, just an over later, added to the dismay of the Bloemfontein side. Reuben van Aarde (23) steadied their innings with a key contribution. However, another two quick wickets from Henlo van Rooyen (2/28) had Saints wobbling until Nikhil Sukraj and Grové du Preez came together.

With only two wickets in hand, Sukraj took charge, striking an unbeaten 24 runs, while 23 came from Du Preez’s bat, as the pair combined for a match-winning and unbroken 36-run partnership.

Besides Sukraj and Du Preez, Jonathan Hickley surely received congratulations in the changing room for his 4/6 from two overs, which played a significant role in restricting Rustenburg.

Grey College nearly let it slip against Kalahari in their clash on the North West University’s Ibbies Oval. Although it was in a losing cause, Kalahari’s Liam Laing’s efforts will surely haunt the Grey boys somewhat. He was by far the standout for Kalahari, top-scoring with 37 and claiming  3/22 with the ball, which had Grey scrambling at a stage.

The impressive Henru de Wet was once again Grey’s mainstay. He led the Bloemfontein school’s attack as they restricted Kalahari to 113/8 from their 20 overs. Then, he kept a calm head as wickets tumbled around him, accumulating an unbeaten 32 runs, which was what his team needed, and Grey College went on to a four-wicket victory.

Caiden Seleka smashed a 20-ball 44 not out to lead Potchefstroom Gimnasium to a convincing nine-wicket victory over Hoërskool Upington on the Puk Oval. Ulrich Botha (3/7) and Jahndré Coetzee (3/12) inflicted serious damage on Upington, sharing three wickets each, as their opposition was bundled out for a disappointing 56.

Seleka’s antics with the willow saw the local side chase down the score in the sixth over to build up momentum before their clash against St Andrew’s School on Friday afternoon.

Summarised scorecards

Hoërskool Rustenburg 123/8 (Thian Labuschagne 66; Jonathan Hickley 4/6); St Andrew’s School 124/8 (Nikhil Sukraj 24*, Grové du Preez 23*, Reuben van Aarde 23; Augie Behrens 3/9, Henlo van Rooyen 2/28). St Andrew’s School won by two wickets.

Kalahari 113/8 (Liam Laing 37, Myburgh de Klerk 33; Henru de Wet 2/10); Grey College 115/6 (Henru de Wet 32*, Daniel Hattingh 23; Liam Laing 3/22, Carl Thole 2/29). Grey College won by four wickets.

Hoërskool Upington 56/10 (Kriel du Plessis 16; Ulrich Botha 3/7, Jahndré Coetzee 3/12, Ruhann Steenkamp 2/10); Potchefstroom Gimnasium 57/1 (Caiden Seleka 44*; Kriel du Plessis 1/16). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by nine wickets.

Connor Parry played an outstanding patient innings to help Grey High grind out a four-wicket win over Selborne College on Friday, while Queen’s College bowled their way to a 56-run victory over Jumba High School in the first round of the Eastern Province and Border Schools SA20 playoffs, hosted by Selborne and Border Cricket in East London.

Mqanduli Village and Pearson High were the first teams to score points in the tournament. Their match was considered unsafe to play due to a wet outfield. That resulted in the sides sharing the points.

The region had been subjected to persistent rain over the past few days and the result was a slow and sticky surface and slow outfield.

Boundaries were hard to come by. Between them, Grey High and Selborne struck four fours and five sixes across 40 overs.

Grey’s Frederick Jansen carved a four and two sixes in his knock of 23 off 14 balls to pull his side to victory. His strike rate of 164 was unmatched in the contest.

Jansen’s knock was possible thanks to a patient and outstanding 31 from 34 balls from opener Connor Parry, who expertly guided his side through a tricky powerplay.

Selborne’s Bunqina Nuku and Joshua McKay kept Grey High’s top order in check with their disciplined bowling, and they were rewarded with two early wickets. However, Parry held Grey’s innings together with a watchful knock. When he departed, he passed the baton to Jansen, with whom he had shared a 23-run fourth-wicket partnership.

Jansen combined with Logan Goddard-Ford (24 from 35) for a match-winning 37-run fifth-wicket partnership that took Grey to the brink of victory. When Jansen lost his wicket, coach Richard Gilbert‘s side was only 10 runs away from victory with 3.5 overs in which to accomplish the task.

Like Jansen, Goddard-Ford was unable to see his side past the finishing line. However, when he was dismissed, the match was almost over. Grey needed two runs from two over.

The difference between the two sides was partnerships. Selborne College’s highest partnership was their 27-run opening stand between Aaron Senekal (12) and Joshua Wilkie (13). After that, they had a couple of partnerships that were worth 20 runs or more. However, none breached the 30-run mark.

Khazimla Simama and Geza Culumanco were outstanding with the ball for Queen’s College in their game against Jumba High. The pair ran riot, sharing six wickets, as they led an assault on Jumba’s batters. Queen’s had battled their way to 98 all out after batting first.

Aiden van Jaarsveld led from the front with a brisk 16-ball 22. However, his dismissal in the fifth over, after sharing a 20-run second-wicket partnership with Duncan Hayes, was the beginning of Queen’s problems with the bat.

Mangaliso Mosehle’s side struggled to settle in tough batting conditions and only three other batsmen reached double figures. The  Queen’s struggles were further emphasised by the fact that they were unable to see out their 20 overs and were bowled out in 17.5.

However, their bowling attack came to their rescue, led by Simama and Culamanco. They conceded only 20 runs between them to thrust their side into a winning position. In just 14.1 overs, Queen’s bundled out Jumba for 42 to claim their first victory of the playoffs.

In the girls’ section, Stirling High made light work of the 63/7 chalked up by Pearson High. Amyoli Mgebe and Malakiwe Somhlahlo snapped up six wickets between them as they ran through Pearson’s batting order, with only one Pearson batter, Kisa-li Borman, with 14, making it into double figures.

Stirling needed just under nine overs to chase down the required total. Cayleigh Wankel smashed an unbeaten 28-ball 42 to lead the charge to victory. However, she had to do it all on her own. None of her partners made it out of single figures.

Scorecards

Selborne College 102/8 (Cian O’Neil 23, Matthew Hendry 18*, Drisden Pretorius 2/12, Ameer Muller 1/14). Grey High 102/6 (Connor Parry 31, Logan Goddard-Ford 24, Joshua McKay 2/15, Aventandwa Manyongo 1/11) Grey High won by four wickets.

Queen’s College 98/10 (Aiden van Jaarsveld 22, Duncan Hayes 14, Baphele Silo 3/16, Kwakhanya Jayiya 2/13). Jumba High 42/9 (Liso Mfisi 16, Ahlume Honono 7, Khazimla 3/7, Geza Culumanco 3/13). Queen’s won by 56 runs.

Girls’ section

Pearson 63/10 (Kisa-li Borman 14, Emma Tinley 9, Malakhiwe Somhlahlo 3/14, Amyoli Mgebe 3/21). Stirling High 67/3 (Cayleigh Wankel 42*, Malakhiwe Somhlahlo 9*, Kisa-li Borman 2/26, Tara Nel 1/16). Stirling won by seven wickets.

Following the holidays and a pre-season preparing for the opening game of the 2025 water polo season, Jeppe High School for Boys’ coach Lucky Letshabo believes his side is ready and raring to go in their tough forthcoming home fixture against Jon-Marc de Carvalho’s St John’s College on Saturday, 18 January.

Jeppe showed great improvement in the fourth term of 2024, and they closed it on a high note by remaining unbeaten at home.

Letshabo looked back on those games proudly, telling SuperSport Schools Plus: “Reflecting on the first team’s result over the last term, we had three home fixtures. There was an exciting 10-10 draw against Affies, and wins over King Edward VII (KES) and St Alban’s College.”

Jeppe also played some good games at the Saint Stithians Water Polo Invitational, which brought together top sides from around the country, Letshabo said.

“There was some really good water polo displayed by the players against some really difficult teams. I think our game of the tournament was in a losing effort against SACS, in which we went 10-13 down. It showed how vast the improvements the boys have made are.”

Jeppe’s improvements were also reflected in the selection of nine players for Central Gauteng teams that contested the 2024 Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament, including Ethan Horn and Mukhethwa Maemu in the u19B team, and Aiden Khoury in the gold medal-winning u16 side.

Diego Caetano and Brayden Macfie turned out in the u16B side, while Everett Carlin was a member of the u15A team, and Ayanda Mabaso, Joshua Dobrowsky, and Trent Horn were included in the u15B side.

“Again, that shows the growth that Jeppe is experiencing at the moment,” Letshabo said.

After a welcome break following the IPTs, the coach feels his team is well set to perform strongly. “The players were involved in pre-season from last week. They have a clean bill of health and everybody is ready for the season,” he shared.

However, trying to keep a clean home record against De Carvalho’s St John’s College side will be a tough challenge.

“We didn’t for some reason have a fixture with St John’s in last year’s calendar, so it will be interesting to see how the boys shape up there, but our preparations have gone well,” Letshabo said. “We are also preparing for the Grey College tournament that happens in a fortnight.

“I know St John’s is preparing for the St Andrew’s Shield, so it is an opportunity for myself and Jon-Marc de Carvalho to put some final things in place ahead of those two tournaments next week.

“We are expecting an exciting fixture against a St John’s team that includes provincial players who were standouts in last year’s IPT. We want to kick off our season, so we are very much looking forward to it,” said Letshabo in conclusion.