Blog

Playing in his final game for the Maritzburg College 1st XI on Saturday, on Goldstone’s, College captain Chad Mason produced an outstanding all-round performance to lead his side to victory over Kearsney College.

While the toss went the home team’s way, victory looked a long way off when their innings began disastrously.

They lost both of their openers, Daniel Nadasan and Llewellyn Sutherland, cheaply, and they were soon joined by Tian van Niekerk, as the hosts slipped to 26/3 in the the eighth over of their innings.

However, the player who would turn around their fortunes, the skipper, Chad Mason, was already at the crease and keeping the visiting bowlers at bay. He has enjoyed a spectacular year with the bat and he ensured he would finish it on an appropriately high note by playing the cornerstone innings for the Red, Black, and White.

While he was at the crease, College added 131 runs before Mason, eventually, was the sixth man out, caught off the bowling of Jason De Gryse for 75 from 110 balls. His decisive innings had included 13 fours.

A number of other batsmen offered some support, with the players that followed Mason in the batting order all chipping in. Michael Gibson scored 16, Oliver Da Costa 16, Karl Dedekind 24, and Sphamandla Dzanibe 22.

In the last of their 50 overs, Maritzburg College, though, was bowled out for 213. Left-arm paceman Litha Gonya led the Kearsney attack with distinction, knocking over 3/23 in eight overs, while Bonga Maphanga claimed 2/34 in 9.1.

Jason De Gryse kept a lid on the scoring, snaring 1/25 in eight, and Kearsney captain Ross Coetzee, although wicketless, delivered 10 neat overs, surrendering only 31 runs.

Like College, Kearsney didn’t enjoy the best start to their innings, losing both of their openers within the first four overs.

Aaron Blackburn and Dolphins’ u18 captain, Ross Coetzee, stopped the bleeding, joining forces in a 74-run stand for the third wicket from 135 balls.

Coetzee’s counterpart, Mason, who, surprisingly, came on late, the eighth bowler used by College (who employed nine in total), ended his innings, caught by Llewellyn Sutherland for 38 from 59 balls, with three fours.

One run later, Blackburn was also on his way, bowled by Mason for 32 from 91, with four fours. Mason, though, was not yet done. He also got rid of Keegan de Jager for only four, with his dismissal shifting the momentum College’s way as Kearsney slipped to 112/5 in the 32nd over.

When Oliver Da Costa had Nicholas Comrie caught behind by Tian van Niekerk, in the very next over, College had the bit between their teeth.

Cole Young held up the host’s push for victory for a while, striking a six and four fours in his innings of 29 from 36 deliveries, but his dismissal, from a run out in the 42nd over, left Kearsney with a mountain to climb. Their innings had lost momentum and too many batsmen. They were in trouble on 142/7.

Just past the 150-run mark, Daniel Miskey also fell victim to a run out. Two of those in the Kearsney innings were telling.

Bonga Maphanga hit out defiantly, cracking a six and three fours, before he was the ninth man out for 22 from 17 in the 46th over, but Kearsney’s resistance finally ended in the 49th over, when they were all out for 181.

Mason had led the College attack, snapping up three crucial wickets for 38 runs in 10 overs. Up front, opening bowler Reece Willson set the wheels in motion for the home side, removing both openers, on his way to a return of 2/11 from six.

Oliver Da Costa exerted huge pressure on Kearsney’s batsmen, snaring 1/20 in 10 overs, while Michael Gibson picked up 1/9 in 2.2, and Daniel Nadasan delivered 1/27 in five.

Summarised Scorecards

Maritzburg College 213/10 (Chad Mason 75, Karl Dedekind 24, Sphamandla Dzanibe 22, Litha Gonya 3/23, Bonga Maphanga 2/34); Kearsney College 181/10 (Ross Coetzee 38, Aaron Blackburn 32, Cole Young 29, Chad Mason 3/38, Reece Willson 2/11).

Maritzburg College won by 32 runs.

Hoërskool Hans Moore showed why they are one of the best teams north of the Vaal River by claiming a historic spot in the Fain Noordvaal Final.

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

The side from Benoni withstood a fiery spell from Die Hoërskool Menlopark‘s quicks, Tiaan Serfontein and Monré Koekmoer, just before lunch on their way to a comfortable seven-wicket victory in Pretoria on Saturday.

After an impressive display with the ball and in the field, the Moories had momentum on their side as they headed to the crease, thanks to their young spin bowlers, Kyle Wratten and Kearan Weyers, who delivered a masterclass in left-arm spin bowling, sharing five wickets between them.

Wratten led the way with an impressive return of 3/22 from his quota of 10 overs, while Weyers, who had converted from a left-arm seamer to a spin bowler earlier in the year, backed up his colleague with an impressive 2/21 from his 10 overs.

Kenan Shaw added another two wickets to his 2024 tally while keeping Menlopark’s batsmen quiet, snapping up 2/13 in 7.1 miserly overs.

Parkies’ James Badenhorst was a thorn in the side of Hans Moore, top-scoring with a mature 39 runs. He and Monré Koekemoer (28) combined nicely for a vital 48-run partnership, which lifted the home side to 131 all out, which could’ve been a challenging target on an unfamiliar pitch for the visitors.

Xavier Coetzee and captain Warren Minnaar, however, put Menlopark under the pump with some classy batting, steering the visitor’s ship to safety with a match-winning 53-run partnership to which Coetzee contributed a well-played 40 runs.

Minnaar kept going after the demise of Coetzee, who fell victim to Menlo’s Murray Hofmeyr (1/34). The skipper punished the Parkies’ bowlers, especially behind square, going on to finish with an unbeaten 42 as Hans Moore secured victory in just 19 overs.

In an u15 semi-final. Hoërskool Garsfontein overcame Potchefstroom Gimnasium, winning by 69 runs to book their place in the final against Hoërskool Waterkloof.

The Garsies’ Arrie Verster shone with a superb 68 runs not out. He was well supported by Ruan Cuyler‘s 54 and a vital 39 runs from Nathan Ferreira lower down the order. Gimmies’ Ruan Steenkamp did the bulk of the damage, claiming three Garsonfontein scalps for only 19 runs.

The Potchefstroom school was set 209 to win, but Jaydon Schmidt and Ruan Cuyler had other plans. Schmidt sent four batsmen back to the pavilion at a cost of only 27 runs, while Cuyler claimed 3/47, as the Gimmies were held to 139 all out.

Summarised scorecards

Menlopark 130/10 (James Bronkhorst 39, Monré Koekemoer 28, Jan-Willem 24; Kyle Wratten 3/22, Kenan Shaw 2/13, Kearan Wyers 2/21); Hans Moore 132/3 (Warren Minnaar 42*, Xavier Coetzee 40; Monré Koekemoer 1/23). Hans Moore won by seven wickets.

u15

Garsfontein 208/10 (Arrie Verster 68*, Ruan Cuyler 54, Nathan Ferreira 39, Extras 34; Ruhan Steenkamp 4/19, Adriaan van Niekerk 2/41, Ulrich Botha 2/59) Potchefstroom Gimnasium 139/10 (Wicko Cato 42, Ulrich Botha 34; Jaydon Schmidt 4/27, Ruan Cuyler 3/47). Garsfontein won by 69 runs.

Nkosana Sibiya scored a brilliant century to lead St John’s College to a 59-run victory over King Edward VII School (KES) in their 50-over encounter at KES on Saturday.

St John’s won the toss, elected to bat first, and posted a match-winning 306 in 49.1 overs. The visitors then bowled out KES for 247 in 45.1 overs.

It was the second time that St John’s had defeated KES this year. The two sides previously met in a Johnny Waite Knockout contest, with St John’s winning that one by 32 runs, thanks to top knocks from Joe MacRobert and Alec Loveland.

On Saturday, in the contest’s key performance, Sibiya creamed 23 fours on his way to a match-winning 153 off 154 deliveries.

The number three batsman was the mainstay of the St John’s innings. After arriving at the crease in the first over, following the dismissal of Connor van der Walt, he shared a 51-run second-wicket stand with James Yuill (18). That stand proved to be St John’s second-highest partnership.

The visitors’ best partnership was for the seventh wicket, with Sibiya and Aiden Barberrini adding 84 runs. Barberrini also chalked up the second-highest individual score for the visitors, making 26 from 30 deliveries, while Malan du Plessis chipped in with 22 and Michael Stubbs with 16.

Christian Sabela was the pick of the KES bowlers, although he was a touch on the expensive side, picking up three wickets for 52 runs in 10 overs. Matthew Burgess and Wade McQuinn picked up two wickets apiece, and Connor Kuijers, Luke Clarke, and Eric Southey got in on the act by taking one each.

Set a daunting 307 to win, KES needed some of their batsmen to get in and make hay. Troy Gordon scored a valiant 73 off 85 deliveries to do his bit to keep KES in the contest. Batting third, his innings began in the eighth over and continued until his departure in the 39th.

Gordon and Zieg Roos, who made 36, shared a 57-run fourth-wicket partnership, which was the best of their side’s innings, and which also illustrated why they weren’t able to haul in the St John’s total.

Malan du Plessis was the pick of the bowlers for St John’s, snapping up three wickets for 46 runs in 9.1 overs. Ethan Robinson and Aiden Barberrini both removed two batsmen, and David Ireland picked up a wicket, too, to deny the hosts.

Sibiya, who played a proper captain’s knock, is leading St John’s in the absence of Alec Loveland, who is injured. He’s taken on the leadership role in his school’s last two matches and has come out on the right side of both. In the first, coach Bongani Ntini’s boys beat Steyn City by 30 runs in a Johnny Waite T20 fixture earlier in the week.

Summarised Scorecards

St John’s 306/10 (Nkosana Sibiya 153, Aiden Barberrini 26; Christian Sabela 3/52, Wade McQuinn 2/43); KES 247/10 (Troy Gordon 73, Zieg Roos 36; Melan du Plessis 3/46, Ethan Robinson 2/32).

St John’s won by 59 runs.

Glenwood visited Northwood on Saturday for a limited-overs clash on the Robin Smith Oval. It turned into a good day for the visitors, who tallied 188 all out and then bowled out the Knights for 133 to score a solid 55-run win.

The Green Machine were expertly led by their captain and SA Schools’ opening bowler, Ntando Soni, who made telling contributions with both the bat and ball.

He called the coin flip correctly and chose to bat first, but Glenwood lost Karabo Ntsieng early.

Krian Jugoo, who replaced him out in the middle, likes to play strokes and he played some good ones in his knock of 49 from 70 balls, striking seven fours and a six, before falling to Kyle White, but Jugoo had helped his side add 64 for the second wicket, lifting the total to 69.

When Kressan Pillai was caught off Luke Allen for 19, Glenwood skipper Soni made his way to the crease. He’s become a valuable contributor with the bat in 2024 and, once again, he delivered a crucial knock. In just 52 balls, he hit six fours and made 47 to give his side’s batting effort a sharp boost.

Bandile Mbatha, who, like Soni, was recently included in the Dolphins’ Khaya Majola Week team for a second year in succession, did his bit by adding 25 runs, coming in at number seven.

With only seven balls remaining in their 50 overs, Glenwood was bowled out for 188. Northwood opening bowler Mason Storm caused the visitors problems, capturing 4/43 in 8.5 overs, while Kyle White and Ben Erasmus bowled tidily and claimed two wickets apiece. White finished with 2/22 from 9.3 overs and Erasmus with 2/33 from 10.

On the Robin Smith Oval, 188 is a decent effort, and that became crystal clear when Soni extracted good bounce and carry, and struck in the first over of Northwood’s reply, bowing Alistair Duncan for one.

Tuswa Phetwa and Mfana Shange kept Glenwood at bay for a short while, but Mbatha ended their partnership, which was worth 19 runs, when Phetwa was caught off his bowling for three.

Kyle White joined Shange in the middle and together they put their heads down and grafted hard, adding 63 runs for the third wicket before Shange was caught by Krian Jugoo off the bowling of left-arm spinner Sibonelo Phewa for 56. His stubborn stay had lasted 103 balls and included six fours and a six.

Shange’s dismissal left the Knights on 86/3 and still very much in the contest, but his removal precipitated a collapse as another three batsmen followed in quick succession.

The wickets were shared around. Mbatha got rid of Ross McGlashan for a duck, Phewa ended Thomas Oosthuizen‘s brief innings for one, and off-spinner Kyle Bryan brought about the end of Mason Storm for another duck.

With Northwood on 91/6, Glenwood was firmly in the driver’s seat. But Luke Allen and Kyle White advanced the home team’s total to 111, which is when Nelson struck…twice.

Soni had Allen caught by Mbatha for seven and then removed Jordan Matthews with the very next ball. At 111/8, Northwood was in deep trouble, although Kyle White continued to defy the Glenwood attack. He helped advance the host’s total to 128 but, then, became the ninth man out, LBW to Soni for a fighting 53 runs from 83 balls, six of which he’d hit for four.

Soon, it was over, with Northwood all out for 133 after Soni grabbed his fifth wicket. The Glenwood skipper shone, finishing with the sparkling analysis of 5/15 from 8.4 overs, which included two maidens.

Sibonelo Phewa snared 2/30 in six, and Bandile Mbatha took 2/40 in nine. Kyle Bryan tied the Knights in knots, claiming 1/14 in 10 miserly overs.

Both Shange and White batted well for Northwood, but the other nine batsmen mustered only 18 runs between them, and that was simply not enough.

Summarised scorecard

Glenwood 188/10 (Krian Jugoo 49, Ntando Soni 47, Bandile Mbatha 25, Mason Storm 4/43, Kyle White 2/22, Ben Cilliers 2/33); Northwood 133/10 (Mfana Shange 56, Kyle White 53, Ntando Soni 5/15, Sibonelo Phewa 2/30, Bandile Mbatha 2/40, Kyle Bryan 1/14).

Glenwood won by 55 runs.

Corné Botha produced a great performance with the bat, scoring a quickfire half-century, as Hoërskool Noordheuwel registered a two-wicket win over St Benedict’s College in their 50-over league match at Noordheuwel on Saturday.

Botha won the toss and chose to bowl first, and Noordheuwel dismissed Bennies for 198 in 38.4 overs. It took the home side only 29.1 overs to claim the win, but they were made to work hard for it, eventually finishing on 204/8.

The victory was, in large part, thanks to the skipper, who was one of the top scorers and wicket-takers when Noordheuwel defeated St David’s Marist Inanda in the Lions region Schools SA20 final on Friday He provided an encore to that excellent performance by cracking an unbeaten 80 off 47 deliveries, blasting five sixes and eight fours in his knock.

Botha arrived at the crease in the 15th over and was still settling in when he lost two partners, JJ Basson and Wander Roolvink, in six deliveries. However, he kept his head and bided his time. Then, in the 25th over, he unleashed on Mark Munava, taking the bowler for 25 runs. He was also part of Noordheuwel’s highest partnership, teaming up with JD Bezuidenhout, who scored 33 runs, to add 83 for the seventh wicket. 

Besides Botha and Bezuidenhout, Tidimalo Moeketsane (25) and Corné Olivier (16) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.

Russell Jones was the pick of the Bennies’ bowlers, knocking over four wickets for 41 runs in 10 overs. Clayton Horlick claimed two wickets for 56 runs in 10, while Alex Johnston and Matthew Hickman-Steel took one each.

Earlier in the day, Horlick scored a brilliant half-century to keep St Benedict’s in the contest. He hit six fours and five sixes in his 74 from only 58 balls, despite wickets tumbling around him. His innings began in the fourth over and lasted 20 overs, during which time he shared the crease with five different partners.

Russell Jones showed off his all-round ability by scoring a fighting 46 off 52 as he tried to stretch the innings so that the boys from Bedfordview batted through their 50 overs. However, his effort was curtailed by Bezuidenhout in the 38th over.

Corné Olivier was the pick of the bowlers for Noordheuwel, claiming three wickets for 36 runs from nine overs. JD Bezuidenhout, Gomolemo Phiri, and Gerhard Roolvink struck twice each, and Marius Penning removed one batsman.

Summarised Scorecards

St Benedict’s College 198/10 (Clayton Horlick 74, Russell Jones 46; Corné Olivier 3/36, JD Bezuidenhout 2/40); Noordheuwel 204/8 (Corné Botha 80*, JD Bezuidenhout 33; Russell Jones 4/41, Clayton Horlick 2/56). Noordheuwel won by two wickets.

Durban High School (DHS) had strung together a very impressive 10-match winning streak before Clifton College brought it to an end in the Schools SA20 on 24 October. On Saturday, though, School emphatically avenged that loss, beating Clifton by eight wickets at the Riverside Sports Club.

DHS captain Semal Pillay won the toss and chose to field. Far too often, it is almost a reflex action to bat first, but Pillay decided against that and his decision paid off handsomely.

The visitors bowled well, and there was a little something in the pitch, but Clifton’s batsmen did not help themselves either. None of the first five batsmen made it into double figures.

As was the case when the teams met in the Schools SA20, DHS opened with left-arm spinner Dhilan Naraidu at one end, and he, again, enjoyed tremendous success. In 10 overs, he snared 4/19, bowling 50 dot balls along the way, to wreck Clifton’s innings. His victims included opener Byron Ward, number-three batsman Shahzaad Perumal, his brother Shiraz, and Clifton’s dangerman Tim Saulez.

The speed merchant, Bayanda Majola, got rid of the other Clifton opener, Hayden Drieselmann, caught by Joshua van Biljon for four.

While Shiraz Perumal fell to Dhilan Naraidu, he did, at least, start a run of four batsmen who made it into double figures. The problem for Clifton was that the highest score among that quartet was only 14, by Callum Watson and Gabriel Vermeulen.

DHS captain Semal Pillay also played his part in the host’s downfall, getting rid of their lower order to pick up 3/24 in 6.3. Majola took 1/11 in five and Sfundo Mthembu snapped up 1/0.

With not much to defend, Clifton needed an early breakthrough to start the ball rolling, and they got one in the second over when Ismaeel Omar, uncharacteristically, lofted a simple catch to extra cover. He was caught off the bowling of Callum Watson for five.

Five runs later, DHS was in a spot of bother on 14/2 in the fifth over after Saulez bowled Sfundo Mthembu for one.

His dismissal brought Semal Pillay and Joshua van Biljon together. How they went would go a long way towards determining the outcome of the contest.

At first, the Clifton bowlers caused them an issue or two, but the duo soon took charge, especially Joshua van Biljon, who went on the attack. He smashed an unbeaten 57 from only 40 balls, including five sixes and six fours, while sharing an unbroken stand of 77 with his captain, which took DHS to a comfortable eight-wicket victory after only 18 overs.

Pillay held down his end, finishing with a watchful 19 not out from 50 balls, with only one four to his name.

Tim Saulez bowled well up front for Clifton and challenged the DHS batsmen. He claimed 1/18 from six overs, while his new ball partner, Callum Watson, took a while to find his rhythm, but then pressed on to pick up 1/16 in four.

Unfortunately for Clifton captain Shahzaad Perumal, Joshua van Biljon targeted his bowling, and it paid off. Perumal went for 42 runs in only five overs, and that was almost half the runs that the Horseflies required for victory.

Summarised scorecard

Clifton College 87/10 (Callum Watson 14, Gabriel Vermeulen 14, Dhilan Naraidu 4/19, Semal Pillay 3/24); Durban High School 91/2 (Josh van Biljon 57*, Semal Pillay 19*, Callum Watson 1/16, Tim Saulez 1/18).

Durban High School won by 8 wickets.

That’s 16 wickets in just three Noordvaal matches.

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

Hoërskool Middelburg‘s 1st XI will remember 2 November for a long time.

They had already made history by qualifying for the semi-finals of the Fain Noordvaal tournament, but the Middies took it another step further by knocking out the defending champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof, in what was, arguably, the biggest upset of the 2024 school cricket season so far.

It’s hard to believe that young Gavin Genis is still only 16 years old after witnessing his BMT in a showdown against one of the country’s most prolific and aggressive schoolboy batting lineups.

Defending only 155, the Middelburg off-spinner bowled his side to victory by snaring a third consecutive five-for, which included three of Waterkloof’s big fish.

In nine overs, Genis sent down 34 dot balls while picking up six wickets and conceding 51 runs to increase his tally in the Noordvaal competition to an astonishing 16 in just three games.

The all-rounder also delivered with the bat, contributing a vital 32 runs. He combined with Hendré Nel, who made 33, in a vital partnership of 54 runs for the ninth wicket, to help the Middies to 155 all out after 44.4 overs. Opener, Zubair Desai, however, led the way with the willow. His fighting knock of 36 runs was the top score for the home side.

Eduan Strydom provided superb support to Genis, returning 4/44 to restrict the Klofies to only 117 all out in just 19 overs. Wian Ruthven was the Pretoria side’s mainstay scoring a bitter-sweet half-century. His 54 came from just 40 balls and included five fours and four sixes, but his departure, the ninth man out, left Waterkloof on the brink of defeat.

The Klofies will, however, have a finalist in the Fain-Noordvaal competition this year after their u15 side hammered Hoërskool Kempton Park by 178 runs. After some early trouble, thanks to a good start from Kempies’ Tristan Brits (4/26) and Tiaan Pretorius (2/15), Jean Cloete stepped up to the plate.

Showing good composure, he sent 13 balls to the boundary in an innings of 94 runs. Lian Claasen weighed in with an important knock of 56, while Mieder Erasmus chipped in with a quick 37 runs to see Waterkloof to a respectable total of 259 all out.

They felt confident defending that total and it showed in their bowling, with William van den Berg making early inroads on his way to a return of 3/24.

Rivan Booysen (2/10) and Mieder Erasmus (2/0) chipped in with two wickets each as the Kempies stumbled to a disappointing 81 all out in reply.

Summarised Scorecards:

Hoërskool Middelburg 155/10 (Zubair Desai 36, Hendré Nel 33, Gavin Genis 32; Marcus Bakker 3/26, Jaydon Blom 2/4, Johan Feuth 2/21); Waterkloof 117/10 (Wian Ruthven 54; Gavin Genis 6/51, Eduan Strydom 4/44). Hoërskool Middelburg won by 38 runs.

u15 semi-final

Waterkloof 259/10 (Jean Cloete 94, Lian Claasen 56, Mieder Erasmus 37; Tristan Brits 4/26, Tiaan Pretorius 2/15, Zian Ferero 2/43); Hoërskool Kempton Park 81/10 (Anthony Stockigt 29; William van den Berg 3/24, Mieder Erasmus 2/0, Rivan Booysen 2/10). Waterkloof won by 178 runs.

Corné Botha produced a polished all-round performance to lead Hoërskool Noordheuwel to a four-wicket victory over St David’s Marist Inanda in the Lions region’s final of the Schools SA20 at Wits University’s A field on Friday afternoon.

St David’s won the toss and elected to bat first. After they clawed their way to 120/7 in their 20 overs, Noordheuwel replied with 121/6 in 17.5 overs.

However, despite losing the final, the good news for St David’s is that they have another opportunity to make an impression in the Schools SA20 tournament. The top two teams qualify for the national rounds.

JJ Basson forced St David’s onto the back foot early on, when the left-arm fast bowler dismissed Jason Rowles in the third over.

Seven balls later, St David’s slid into deeper trouble when Botha bagged his first wicket, dismissing Kamogelo Phiri, who became the first of three victims of the Noordheuwel skipper. He also accounted for Armaan Manack and Hayden Campbell.

The big wicket was that of Armaan Manack. The opener appeared to be batting on a different surface compared to the rest of the St David’s batting lineup. A strike rate of 105 is often considered slow by modern T20 standards. However, in the context of the game, he was racing along. He scored the only half-century of the match, a 60-ball 63 that featured four fours and two sixes, while no other St David’s batsmen reached double figures.

Botha produced the best bowling figures of the match, capturing an outstanding three wickets for 14 runs in four overs. Basson, JD Bezuidenhout, and Sage Pretorius dismissed a batsman each.

Morteza Manack gave St David’s hope of defending a moderate total when he executed a run out off the first ball of the Noordheuwel innings to get rid of Wander Roolvink for a duck. Just two overs later, he trapped Brandon Peters in front. However, Manack’s tight bowling – he went at only 2.25 runs in his four overs – was undermined by Corné Botha and Ethan Smith’s 60-run third-wicket partnership.

The pair racked up the runs at a brisk rate, facing 45 deliveries for their 60. When the partnership was broken in the 12th over, the contest had very much tilted in Noordheuwel’s favour. The Krugersdorp school needed 47 runs from 50 balls, and the only thing that stood in the way of victory was a collapse of great proportions, but that never happened.

Noordheuwel lost a couple of more wickets after the dismissals of Botha and Smith. However, Basson scored a crucial 21 and Marius Penning and Bezuidenhout maintained cool heads to guide their side to victory.

Kyle Butler was the pick of the bowlers for St David’s with three wickets for 34 runs in 3.5 overs. Morteza Manack and Jared Stern rounded up the wicket-takers with one each.

Summarised Scorecards

St David’s 120/7 (Armaan Manack 63, Hayden Campbell 9; Corné Botha 3/14, JJ Basson 1/25); Noordheuwel 121/6 (Ethan Smith 39, Corné Botha 30; Kyle Butler 3/34, Morteza Manack 1/9).

Noordheuwel won by four wickets.

Kayla Reyneke produced an outstanding all-round performance as South Africa Women u19 won the final two matches of their Youth T20I five-match series at the Tuks Oval in Pretoria on Friday to subject Ireland Women u19 to a 5-0 whitewash.

Reyneke scored an outstanding half-century to help South Africa to 168/6 in their 20 overs after they were asked to bat first in the morning encounter.

During the Ireland chase, the South African captain was, also, among the wickets as the hosts restricted the visitors to 131/4 to win by 37 runs.

In the second match, South Africa bowled first and restricted Ireland to just 104/9. The hosts then proceeded in fits and starts until they reached 105/9 in 14.4 overs to scrape a one-wicket win.

Reyneke was awarded the Player of the Series accolade after finishing as the leading run-scorer with 138 runs from five innings, which she supplemented with seven wickets.

The former HS Bellville learner arrived at the crease in the third over, and by then, South Africa was in trouble on 4/2, having lost their openers for ducks. Reyneke proceeded to play a proper captain’s innings, recording a career-best 42-ball 73 that featured two fours and eight sixes. The Ireland batting lineup struck none.

She shared an 83-run third-wicket partnership with Simoné Lourens, who made 32,  to take the game away from the visitors. Reyneke and Karabo Meso then combined for a 25-run fourth-wicket stand. Following Reyneke’s departure, Meso, who scored the first half-century of the series, took control of the match and steered South Africa to 168 for six, finishing with an unbeaten 36 off 20.

Amy Hunter took charge of Ireland’s run chase. The Irish captain lost her opening partner, Lucy Neely early in the innings, but she stayed focused, scoring a fighting half-century, 73 off 52 balls before she was run out. However, that effort was in vain. South Africa’s 168 proved to be more than enough as the visitors were kept to 131/4.

Kayla Reyneke, Fay Cowling, and Monalisa Legodi were South Africa’s wicket-takers, with each bagging a single wicket. Cowling produced the best figures, returning 1/23 from her four overs. With the victory, South Africa moved 4-0 clear in the series.

The afternoon clash was a low-scoring thriller. Nthabiseng Nini spearheaded an on-fire South African bowling attack that did not give much away. Only three Ireland batters reached double figures – Freya Sargent (21), Lara McBride (33), and Alice Walsh (10). However, none bettered a strike rate of 100.

Nini was outstanding in her four overs, capturing two wickets for 12 runs. Reyneke was equally miserly, knocking over two wickets for 11 runs in three overs. Fay Cowling and Ashleigh van Wyk weighed in with a wicket each.

The hosts would have been expected to chase down Ireland’s total at a canter, given how they had batted throughout the series. However, that was not to be.

Besides Simoné Lourens, with 29, and Diara Ramlakan, with 21, and their 38-run second-wicket stand, the home side struggled to build meaningful partnerships. They lost wickets with alarming regularity and had to rely on their tailenders, Ashleigh van Wyk (7*) and Nthabiseng Nini (9*), to see them home.

The pair valiantly held on, sharing an unbroken 17-run 10th-wicket partnership to snatch victory for South Africa to complete the whitewash.

Aimee Maguire was the pick of the bowlers for Ireland, snapping up four wickets for 17 runs in four overs. She was well-supported by Freya Sargent and Lucy Neely, who both sent two batters packing.

Summarised Scorecards

South Africa Women u19 168/6 (Kayla Reyneke 73, Karabo Meso 36; Aimee Maguire 2/31, Alice Tector 1/12); Ireland Women u19 131/4 (Amy Hunter 73, Annabel Squires 19*; Kayla Reyneke 1/18, Fay Cowling 1/23). South Africa won by 37 runs.

Ireland Women u19 104/9 (Lara McBride 33, Freya Sargent 21; Nthabiseng Nini 2/12, Kayla Reyneke 2/11); South Africa Women u19 105/9 (Simoné Lourens 29, Diara Ramlakan 21; Aimee Maguire 4/17, Freya Sargent 2/29). South Africa won by one wicket.

It was the hosts, Hilton College, against Maritzburg College in the final of the Tuskers’ Schools SA20 competition on Friday afternoon at Hilton.

The hosts secured their place in the title decider with a four-wicket win over Michaelhouse in the morning, while College edged past St Charles by two wickets.

In the final, the toss went Hilton’s way and they chose to bat. They made hay at the top end of their order but lost momentum later on to finish with a decent total of 160/7, nonetheless.

Ben Hockley and Alex Pitman gave the home team a good start, partnering for 58 runs for the first wicket in just over seven overs. Pitman was, then, caught by Dom du Toit off Karl Dedekind‘s bowling for 17 from 18.

That led to Robert Burman teaming up with Hockly and they added another 27 runs from 23 deliveries before Hockly was bowled by Nathan Pembridge for 47 from 37. His attacking knock had featured three sixes and two fours. When he departed, Hilton had reached 85/2 in 11 overs.

Jayden Roux supported Burman nicely as the established batsman took over as the aggressor. He struck a six and three fours, on his way to 41 from 31, before he was caught by Sphamandla Dzanibe off the bowling of Samuel Hughes. Together with Roux, Burman had added 57 runs in 36 balls. However, his dismissal on 142 sparked a collapse.

From 142/2, Hilton tumbled to 147/7 as they chased runs late in their innings. Roux was run out by Daniel Nadasan for 13 and Stewart Falconer was also caught out of his ground for a single. Sphamandla Dzanibe, meanwhile, sent two batsmen packing for ducks.

Simon Steyn, though, stood strong and finished with an unbeaten 13 from 10 balls, with a six and a four.

Dzanibe led the College bowlers with a return of 2/22 from three overs. Dedekind claimed 1/12 from two, and Nathan Pembridge was tidy, taking 1/22 in four.

Maritzburg College’s reply began well as Daniel Nadasan and Tian van Niekerk partnered for 54 runs from 7.3 overs. Their stand was ended by off-spinner Luke Campbell, who had Van Niekerk caught by Roux for 23 from 24, with two fours.

The very next ball, Campbell was at it again, with Dzanibe, College’s top batsman in their semi-final win over St Charles, caught by Sechaba Gude when he pulled the delivery to leg.

Nadasan advanced his total to 30 before he became the third man out, bowled by Benoit Rey in the eleventh over, with the total on 72. He had hit three fours in a 29-ball stay.

Campbell struck for a third time soon after that, bowling Doelyn Naidoo for a duck, which reduced College to 72/4.

Rey, also an off-spinner, kept up the pressure on College by snapping up two more wickets to have the Red, Black, and White six-down before they had reached 100, and when they got there they promptly lost a seventh wicket, with Simon Steyn having Reece Willson caught behind by Ben Hockly.

Twenty-five balls remained and Maritzburg College needed 61 to win. They had a mountain to climb.

Dom du Toit weighed in with 14 from 12 balls, but Hilton kept him from reaching the boundary, and Du Toit lost his wicket in the 19th over, caught by Ben Erasmus off Sechaba Gude. College was on 123/8 and the game was out of reach.

With a late flurry, they finished on 142/8, with Karl Dedekind, who had fought a lone battle for much of the latter part of their innings, finishing on 50 not out from 33 balls. He’d smashed two sixes and three fours.

Hilton College, though, had won by 18 runs. Their off-spinners, Luke Campbell and Benoit Rey, played key roles in the victory. Campbell finished with 3/23 from four, while Rey snared 3/19 from his four.

It hasn’t been a smooth run for the Hilton 1st XI in the fourth term. They’ve come out on the wrong end of a good number of matches, but securing a place to represent their region in the Schools SA20 Final will be a welcome boost to their cricket programme.

Summarised Scorecards

Hilton College 160/7 (Ben Hockly 47, Robert Burman 41, Alex Pitman 17, Sphamandla Dzanibe 2/22, Karl Dedekind 1/12); Maritzburg College 142/8 (Karl Dedekind 50*, Daniel Nadasan 30, Tian van Niekerk 24, Benoit Rey 3/19, Luke Campbell 3/23).

Hilton College won by 18 runs.