{"id":85710,"date":"2025-10-27T13:17:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T11:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=85710"},"modified":"2025-10-27T13:17:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T11:17:06","slug":"du-preez-dominant-in-ysbere-triumph-van-breda-destroys-monnas-with-six-of-the-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=85710","title":{"rendered":"Du Preez dominant in Ysbere triumph, Van Breda destroys Monnas with six of the best"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_85721\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-85721\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-85721\" src=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Potch-Gimmies-vs-Middelburg-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-85721\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PHOTO: Tap Light Edits.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Big players are expected to step up when the occasion demands it, and that is exactly what <strong>Reuben van Zyl<\/strong> did on Saturday in <strong>Ho\u00ebrskool Garsfontein<\/strong>&#8216;s four-wicket victory over <strong>Ho\u00ebrskool Waterkloof<\/strong> in the quarter-final round of the Fain Noordvaal Series.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Van Zyl delivered a match-winning knock of 58 runs, a bona fide masterclass against the Klofie spinners, as the Ysbere advanced to the semi-finals. It was, however, <strong>Wikus du Preez<\/strong>&#8216;s all-round performance that stole the show on the day.<\/p>\n<p>Du Preez&#8217;s heroics kicked off with the ball, after the visiting Waterkloof had won the toss and elected to bat first. The Waterkloof top order, led by <strong>Wian du Plessis<\/strong> (34), got off to a good start. However, the wickets continued to fall just as partnerships started to develop, largely due to Du Preez&#8217;s right-arm medium bowling.<\/p>\n<p>Du Preez&#8217;s 4\/26 in just 7.2 overs proved to be the biggest pebble in the visitors&#8217; shoe. <strong>Jared Carr<\/strong>, as reliable as ever, supported well with his 10 overs going for an economical 36 runs, while <strong>Nathan Ferreira<\/strong> chipped in with 2\/31. The collective effort saw Waterkloof reach only 188 before the last wicket fell.<\/p>\n<p>Come his turn with the bat, Du Preez delivered alongside Van Zyl. He was the cornerstone of a nail-biting run chase with a patient 45 from 109 deliveries, also playing his part in the 114-run opening stand.<\/p>\n<p>The innings went without a hitch until a piece of one-handed brilliance by <strong>Darius Maritz<\/strong> in the field sent <strong>Charl van Staden<\/strong> (33) packing. Du Preez followed just seven balls later, which sparked a certain amount of panic in the Garsfontein middle order.<\/p>\n<p>Captain <strong>Xander Venter<\/strong>, however, pulled the chestnuts out of the fire. Although he only contributed 18 not out, his presence and calmness under pressure eventually saw the Ysbere home in the 38th over.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Potchefstroom Gimnasium<\/strong> were equally impressive in their comprehensive 107-run victory over last year&#8217;s runners-up, <strong>Ho\u00ebrskool Middelburg<\/strong>, in Middelburg. <strong>Henr\u00e9 Cronje<\/strong> was the knight in shining armour, capitalising on the back of a good batting performance led by the ever-present <strong>Caiden Seleka<\/strong> (74) and aggressive <strong>Christivan Coetzer<\/strong> (65) at the top of the order. A cameo of 39* by <strong>Ruhann Steenkamp<\/strong> also deserves a special mention after it helped Gimmies to a competitive 269\/9 in the allotted 50 overs.<\/p>\n<p>Cronje&#8217;s spectacular spell with the ball then made it a bridge too far for the Middies. Completing his allotted 10 overs, which cost only 25 runs, Cronje ripped the heart from the home side&#8217;s batting lineup with five wickets to add to his economy rate of 2.5 to the over.<\/p>\n<p>Seleka (2\/34) and <strong>Damian Kruger<\/strong> (2\/22) were in on the action again, to ultimately help restrict the chase by Middies to only 162.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stian van Breda<\/strong> delivered the best bowling performance of the quarter-final round to see<strong> Ho\u00ebrskool Kempton Park<\/strong> soar to a six-wicket victory over <strong>Ho\u00ebrskool Monument<\/strong>. What made it more impressive is that the Kempies&#8217; opening bowler needed only six overs to inflict maximum damage. His 6\/25 will long be remembered as one of the great spells for the side from the East Rand.<\/p>\n<p>Monnas&#8217; <strong>Andr\u00e9 van Niekerk<\/strong> stood tall amid the destruction of the batting lineup around him. His run-a-ball 50, however, was his side&#8217;s only noteworthy contribution in a disappointing 100 all out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sheldon Kruger<\/strong> handled most of the heavy lifting in the home side&#8217;s run chase, scoring 44, which enabled his side to reach the target in the 21st over.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dewald Erasmus<\/strong> of <strong>Ho\u00ebrskool Dr Malan<\/strong> also delivered a top-class performance in the quarter-finals, with the willow, leading the side from Meyerton to a profound eight-wicket victory over <strong>Merensky Landbou Akademie<\/strong>, in Meyerton. Erasmus top-scored across the four quarters, boasting a 68-ball 97, just three runs short of what would&#8217;ve been a memorable century. As a consolation, though, his innings, which included 11 fours and four sixes, ended unbeaten.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jacques Nel<\/strong> supported Erasmus with an unbeaten 61 (75b), as the pair&#8217;s unbeaten 161 partnership for the third wicket saw the Dokkies chase down Merensky&#8217;s 196 with ease. The Plasies&#8217; opening batsman, <strong>James Durant<\/strong>, was the visitors&#8217; best on the day, scoring 74 (94b). <strong>Xander Schoeman<\/strong>, in his last outing for the outfit from Tzaneen, made 41.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ho\u00ebrskool Kempton Park<\/strong> now hosts <strong>Dr Malan<\/strong> in Kempton Park, while <strong>Garsfontein<\/strong> welcomes the dangerous <strong>Potchefstroom Gimnasiun<\/strong> in Pretoria for what promises to be two tightly contested semi-finals come Saturday.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Summarised scorecards<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Waterkloof 188\u00a0<\/strong>(Wian du Plessis 34, Riley Miller 28, Franco Schmidt 22, Rico van der Walt 22; Wikus du Preez 4\/26, Jared Carr 3\/36, Nathan Ferreira 2\/31);\u00a0<strong>Garsfontein 192\/6\u00a0<\/strong>(Reuben van Zyl 58, Wikus du Preez 45, Charl van Staden 33; AJ de Villiers 2\/38, Ricardo Crous 2\/38).\u00a0<strong>Garsfontein won by four wickets.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Potchefstroom Gimnasium 269\/9\u00a0<\/strong>(Caiden Seleka 74, Christivan Coetzer 65, Ruhann Steenkamp 39*, Extras 38, Henr\u00e9 Cronje 23; Ricardo Ras 2\/33, Hendr\u00e9 Nel 2\/43, Eduan Strydom 2\/47, Herman Potgieter 2\/53);\u00a0<strong>Ho\u00ebrskool Middelburg 162\u00a0<\/strong>(Extras 26, Herman Potgieter 21, Lohan Botha 20; Henr\u00e9 Cronje 5\/25, Damian Kruger 2\/22, Caiden Seleka 2\/34).\u00a0<strong>Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by 107 runs.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Monument 100\u00a0<\/strong>(Andr\u00e9 van Niekerk 50; Stian van Breda 6\/25, Shaun Nash 2\/21);\u00a0<strong>Ho\u00ebrskool Kempton Park 102\/4\u00a0<\/strong>(Sheldon Kruger 44; Lejean Banks 2\/30).\u00a0<strong>Ho\u00ebrskool Kempton Park won by eight wickets.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Merensky Landbou Akademie 196\u00a0<\/strong>(James Durant 74, Xander Venter 41, Extras 24; Dewald Erasmus 3\/33, Damian du Plessis 3\/35, Hendrich Jansen van Rensburg 3\/49);\u00a0<strong>Dr Malan 199\/2\u00a0<\/strong>(Dewald Erasmus 97*, Jacques Nel 61*; Rinaldo Bornman 2\/25).\u00a0<strong>Dr Malan won by eight wickets.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Big players are expected to step up when the occasion demands it, and that is exactly what Reuben van Zyl did on Saturday in Ho\u00ebrskool Garsfontein&#8216;s four-wicket victory over Ho\u00ebrskool Waterkloof in the quarter-final round of the Fain Noordvaal Series. Van Zyl delivered a match-winning knock of 58 runs, a bona fide masterclass against the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":85721,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=85710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/85721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=85710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=85710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=85710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}