While rain caused many midweek Schools SA20 matches across KZN to be called off, and camps caused the postponement of others, some schools managed to get their games completed, including Clifton College, who made short work of Umlazi Comtech High at Kingsmead.
Clifton, after impressing at the St John’s Rams T20 in Harare over the weekend, where they made the semi-finals, blasted their way past Umlazi Comtech High, winning by a huge 176 runs.
After winning the toss, Clifton didn’t hesitate to bat. They lost Byron Ward early, but Hayden Drieselman and Riven Moodley, then, laid into the Comtech bowlers, sharing a rollicking 134-run partnership for the second wicket.
Drieselman was the first to fall, bowled by Asande Mthembu for 68. His knock had taken 45 balls and included 10 fours and a six. As happens quite often after a big partnership, his partner, Riven Moodley, followed soon after, LBW to Mthembu for 59 from 45, which featured seven fours and two sixes.
He and Drieselman exited only one run apart, but that brought Tim Saulez to the wicket and he provided the innings with an extraordinarily astonishing boost, smashing eight sixes in an unbeaten 14-ball stay, which brought him 49 runs.
At the end of their 20 overs, Clifton had tallied 211/4.
While all around him his teammates were punished, opening bowler Asande Mthembu bowled well to return the excellent figures of 4/21 from his four overs.
Unfortunately for Umlazi Comtech High, their innings was a procession of players entering the field of play and soon leaving it.
Their innings lasted 17.2 overs and it crawled along until it ended in the 18th over, with Umlazi Comtech all out for only 35. Their highest contribution came from 15 extras.
They lost their first two wickets before a run had been scored and were reduced to 5/4 shortly after that. There was no coming back from that disastrous start to their reply.
Opening bowler Blake Johnson led the way for Clifton, capturing 4/9 in four, while Regan Radley was miserly, snapping up 3/5 in four.
While Mthembu enjoyed some success with the ball for Umlazi Comtech, their batsmen had nothing to offer in the face of the Clifton attack.
Ashton College, meanwhile, kept Crawford College La Lucia in check with a tight bowling performance to ease their way to an 89-run win.
SCORES
Clifton College 211/4 (Drieselman 68, Riven Moodley 58, Tim Saulez 49*, Asanda Mtehmbu 4/21); Umlazi Comtech High 35/10 (Blake Johnson 4/9, Regan Radley 3/5)
Clifton won by 176 runs
Ashton College 151/10 (D. Pather 33, A Bodasinj 21, M. Hariken 2/27, Shrayen Naidoo 2/31, A. Singh 2/35); Crawford College La Lucia 62/7 (S. Sallabajee 17, M. Kitch 2/5, D. Johnston 2/11)
The 18th edition of the St Anne’s Water Polo Tournament explodes into action at the Hilton school from Friday, 20 September, to Tuesday, 24 September, bringing together 20 top teams from KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Western Cape.
The sides are split into four pools with the hosts in Pool A where they will face last year’s runners-up, Roedean, The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC),Danville, and Kingsmead.
The 2022 winners, CrawfordLa Lucia, will face a stiff challenge in Pool B from Herschel, who finished last year’s tournament in fourth place, and who were the runners-up at the Mackenzie Cup this past weekend. Reddam House Umhlanga, St Dominic’s, and the St Anne’s junior side, the Stingrays Club, complete the Pool B lineup.
Pool C promises to be interesting, pitting the 2023 champions, St. Stithians Girls College, who are no longer the all-conquering juggernaut of last year, but who remain strong, nonetheless, against Durban Girls College (DGC), who placed fifth in the St Anne’s tournament last year and also won the 2023 MacKenzie Cup.
This year’s McKenzie Cup winners, Reddam House Constantia, are in Pool D. They placed third in last year’s tournament. They’ll be challenged by Rhenish, Westville Girls’ High School (WGHS), and St Mary’s Waverley and St Mary’s Kloof, who both finished in the top 10 in 2023.
The action begins at 13:00 on Friday, with St Anne’s taking on familiar opposition in the form of The Wykeham Collegiate. Their juniors, the Stingrays Club, are next in the pool, tackling Reddam House Umhlanga, while DGC faces Maris Stella in an all-Durban clash in the third game.
With very cold and rainy weather forecast for Friday and Saturday, how the teams handle the conditions will play a crucial role in how they perform during the pool stage of the competition.
The current champions, St Stithians, begin their title defence on Saturday against DGC. Their team includes Ngcali Metu,Keira Hollard, Emily Carle and Ginna Squazzin, who all received Half Colours at the Johannesburg school’s first term Awards. Cadha Mosehla, who received the Most Promising Senior Player Award, and Erin Blackburn, who was recognised as the Most Improved Senior Player, are also in their lineup.
The games will be played in the St Anne’s Pool, with Hilton College hosting four playoff games on Tuesday, too.
POOLS
Pool A: St Anne’s; TWC; Roedean; Danville; Kingsmead Pool B: Stingrays Club; Reddam Umhlanga; Herschel; Crawford La Lucia; St Dominic’s Pool C: DGC; Maris Stella; Reddam Bedfordview; Beaulieu; St Stithians Pool D: St Mary’s Kloof; Westville GHS; St Mary’s Waverley; Reddam Constantia; Rhenish
FIXTURES
Friday, 20 September
13:00 – St Anne’s vs TWC (A)
13:40 – Stingrays vs Reddam Umhlanga (1)
14:20 – DGC vs Maris Stella (2)
15:00 – St Mary’s Kloof vs Westville GHS (3)
15:40 – Kingsmead vs Danville (4)
16:20 – Herschel vs Crawford (5)
17:00 – Reddam Bedfordview vs Beaulieu (6)
Saturday, 21 September
07:00 – St Mary’s Waverley vs Reddam Constantia (8)
07:40 – Roedean vs Danille (9)
08:20 – St Dominic’s vs Reddam Umhlanga (10)
09:00 – DGC vs St Stithians (11)
09:40 – St Mary’s Kloof vs Rhenish (12)
10:20 – St Anne’s vs Roedean (13)
11:00 – Stingrays vs Crawford (14)
11:40 – Maris Stella vs Reddam Bedfordview (15)
12:20 – St Mary’s Waverley vs Westville GHS (16)
13:00 – Kingsmead vs TWC (17)
13:40 – Herschel vs St Dominic’s (18)
14:20 – Beaulieu vs St Stithians (19)
15:00 – Reddam Constantia vs Rhenish (20)
15:40 – St Anne’s vs Danville (21)
16:20 – Crawford vs Reddam Umhlanga (22)
17:00 – DGC vs Reddam Bedfordview (23)
17:40 – St Mary’s Kloof vs St Mary’s Waverley (24)
18:20 – Roedean vs Kingsmead (25)
19:00 – Stingrays vs St Dominic’s
Sunday, 22 September
07:00 – Maris Stella vs St Stithians (27)
07:40 – Westville GHS vs Rhenish (28)
08:20 – Roedean vs TWC (29)
09:00 – Herschel vs Stingrays (30)
09:40 – DGC vs Beaulieu (31)
10:20 – St Mary’s Kloof vs Reddam Constantia (32)
11:00 – St Anne’s vs Kingsmead (33)
11:40 – St Dominic’s vs Crawford (34)
12:20 – Reddam Bedfordview vs St Stithians (35)
13:00 – St Mary’s Waverley vs Rhenish (36)
13:40 – Herschel vs Reddam Umhlanaga (37)
14:20 – Maris Stella vs Beaulieu (38)
15:00 – TWC vs Danille (39)
15:40 – Westville GHS vs Reddam Constantia (40)
16:20 – 2B vs 3C (41)
17:00 – 2C vs 3B (42)
17:40 – 2A vs 3D (43)
18:20 – 2D vs 3A (44)
Monday, 23 September
Playoffs 13-20
07:00 – 4A vs 5D (45)
07:40 – 4B vs 5C (46)
08:20 – 4C vs 5B (47)
09:00 – 4D vs 5A (48)
Playoffs 1-8
09:40 – 1A vs W42 (49)
10:20 – 1B vs W44 (50)
11:00 – 1C vs W43 (51)
11:40 – 1D vs W31 (52)
Playoffs 9-12
12:20 – L43 vs L44 (53)
13:00 0 L42 vs L44 (54)
Playoffs 17-20
13:40 – L45 vs L47 (55)
14:20 – L46 vs L48 (56)
Playoffs 13:16
15:00 – W45 vs W47 (57)
15:40 – W46 vs W48 (58)
Playoffs 5-8
16:20 – L51 vs L53 (59)
17:00 – L 52 vs L54 (60)
Playoffs 1-4
17:40 – W51 vs W53 (61)
18:20 – W52 vs W54 (62)
Tuesday, 24 September
Hilton Pool
19th/20th – 07:00 – L55 vs L56 (63)
17th/18th – 07:40 – W55 vs W56 (64)
15th/16th – 08:20 – L57 vs L58 (65)
13th/14th – 09:00 – W57 vs W58 (66)
St Anne’s Pool
11th/12th – 07:00 – L53 vs L54 (67)
9th/10th – 07:40 – W53 vs W54 (68)
7th/8th – 08:20 – L59 vs L60 (69)
5th/6th – 09:00 – W59 vs W60 (70)
3rd/4th – 09:40 – L61 vs L62 (71)
1st/2nd – 10:30 – W61 vs W62 (72)
Maritzburg College plays host to the 64th Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week from Saturday, 21 September, to Tuesday, 24 September, with 24 teams in action in Pietermaritzburg and its surrounds.
That’s an increase of four sides over 2023’s event. The additions are St Alban’s College, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Hudson Park, and a CSA Hub Team.
The lineup features 10 KZN schools – Maritzburg College, Clifton, Durban High School (DHS), Northwood, Glenwood, Westville, Kearsney, St Charles, Hilton College, and Michaelhouse.
They’re joined by an equal number of schools from Gauteng – Pretoria Boys High, St Stithians, Cornwall Hill, St David’s Marist Inanda, Affies, St John’s, St Alban’s, Jeppe, Waterkloof, and KES – plus Hudson Park, from the Eastern Cape, Paul Roos, from the Western Cape, Grey College, from the Free State, and the CSA Hub Team.
In 2023, only Affies and St Stithians emerged from the event with four wins out of four. They’ll have to be on their game to repeat that record, not only because of the quality of their opponents but, in the case of Affies, because they’ll be without the prolific Jorich van Schalkwyk, who has enjoyed an outstanding season for his school. He’s on national duty, but, make no mistake, Affies remains loaded.
Saints will be a tough out. They’re experienced and their lineup includes paceman Kwena Maphaka, who made his debut for the Proteas earlier this year, and batsman Richard Seletswane, who has earned SA Schools’ selection for the past three years. Like Affies, their quality runs deep.
There’ll be interest in the performances of Maritzburg College’s captain Chad Mason, who has enjoyed an outstanding year. The College skipper is closing in on a rare double of 1 000 runs and 50 wickets in a calendar year and heads into the Michaelmas Week with 905 runs and 41 wickets to his name.
Another team to keep an eye on is Hoërskool Waterkloof. They’ve been in scintillating early season form and their results have included a convincing win over Affies. They boast an established and proven line-up with multiple batting threats, especially.
The SA Emerging u19 team is touring Zimbabwe, which means a number of players who would have been in action at the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week are missing. Besides Van Schalkwyk, they include Dayalan Boyce (Westville Boys’ High), Ben Hockly (Hilton College), Bayanda Majola (DHS), Rowen Rajah (St Charles College), Jason Rowles (St David’s Marist Inanda) and Ntando Soni (Glenwood). Even without those talented players, the cricket will remain of a very high standard, with the participants representing some of the richest cricket nurseries in South Africa.
In excess of 100 players who participated in the Michaelmas Week have gone on to play international cricket, representing, among others, South Africa, Namibia, New Zealand, England, The Netherlands, Scotland, Zimbabwe, Australia, the USA and Ireland.
Nine South African cricket captains – AB de Villiers (Affies), Francois du Plessis (Affies), Hashim Amla (DHS), Kepler Wessels (Grey College), Hansie Cronje (Grey College), Ali Bacher (KES), Graeme Smith (KES), Shaun Pollock (Northwood School) and David Miller (Maritzburg College) have been part of the week, while Kevin Pietersen (Maritzburg College) and Tony Greig (Queen’s College) skippered England, and Ross Taylor (Palmerston North) captained New Zealand.
On the coaching front, Corrie van Zyl (Grey College) took the reins for the Proteas, as did Ray Jennings (KES) and Mickey Arthur (Westville), who has also taken charge of Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Lance Klusener (DHS) coached Afghanistan, while Riaan Minnie (Northwood) currently serves as Namibia’s Analyst and Fielding Coach.
FIXTURES
Saturday, 21 September
Maritzburg College vs Pretoria Boys High, Goldstone’s
Clifton vs Hudson Park, Barns
CSA Hub Team vs St Stithians, Collegians
DHS vs Cornwall Hill, Woodlands
Kearsney vs St David’s Marist Inanda, Eston
Hilton vs Grey College, Hilton
St Charles vs Affies, St Charles
Westville vs St John’s, Varsity 1
Northwood vs St Alban’s, Varsity 2
Michaelhouse vs Jeppe, Michaelhouse
Glenwood vs KES, Richmond
Paul Roos vs Waterkloof, HowickSunday
Sunday, 22 September
Maritzburg College vs Affies, Goldstone’s
Glenwood vs Cornwall Hill, Barns
Kearsney vs St Stithians, Collegians
CSA Hub Team vs Jeppe, Woodlands
Northwood vs Pretoria Boys High, Eston
Hilton vs KES, Hilton
St Charles vs Grey College, St Charles
Paul Roos vs St Alban’s, Varsity 1
Clifton vs St John’s, Varsity 2
Michaelhouse vs St David’s, Michaelhouse
Westville vs Waterkloof, Richmond
DHS vs Hudson Park, Howick
Monday, 23 September
Maritzburg College vs Hudson Park, Goldstone’s
CSA Hub Team vs St John’s, Barns
Grey College vs Jeppe, Collegians
Kearsney vs Waterkloof, Woodlands
DHS vs Affies, Eston
Hilton vs Paul Roos, Hilton
St Charles vs KES, St Charles
Glenwood vs Pretoria Boys High, Varsity 1
Westville vs St Stithians, Varsity 2
Michaelhouse vs St Alban’s, Michaelhouse
Northwood vs St David’s, Richmond
Clifton vs Cornwall Hill, Howick
Tuesday, 24 September
Maritzburg College vs St David’s, Goldstone’s
Westville vs KES, Barns
Clifton vs Waterkloof, Collegians
Grey College vs St Alban’s, Woodlands
Glenwood vs Hudson Park, Eston
Hilton vs St John’s, Hilton
St Charles vs Cornwall Hill, St Charles
DHS vs St Stithians, Varsity 1
CSA Hub Team vs Affies, Varsity 2
Michaelhouse vs Pretoria Boys High
Kearsney vs Paul Roos, Kearsney
Northwood vs Jeppe, Howick
The South African u20 men’s national team (Amajita), has been officially announced and will gather for a pre-tournament training camp on Sunday, 22 September, in preparation for the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) u20 Championship.
The Cosafa Champs will be hosted in Maputo, Mozambique, from 25 September to 5 October and the stakes are high as both finalists will secure themselves a place in the 2025 CAF u20 Africa Cup of Nations.
Amajita Head Coach Raymond Mdaka‘s squad includes some of South Africa’s most exciting football talent, including Emile Witbooi, who turned 16 at the end of August.
He made a significant impact for the u17 national team during the Fifa u17 TDS Tournament held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire earlier this month, helping the team to two victories over Tanzania and a remarkable 7-4 triumph against Algeria.
In recognition of his outstanding performance, Witbooi, despite his youth, has also been included in Cape Town FC’s line-up for the 2024/25 Betway Premiership.
The squad has been further strengthened by two overseas-based players, Fletcher Smthye-Lowe, who plays for Astoria Praia in Portugal, and Shandre Campbell, who turns out for Club NXT in Belgium.
Speaking to the South African Football Association (Safa), coach Mdaka emphasised the importance of the South African team doing well at the Cosafa Championships.
“Although some clubs failed to release the players we requested for this important tournament, I believe we have selected a strong, quality squad and will be able to achieve our objectives,” he said. “Our objective for the Cosafa Championships was clear from the day I came into office. We must go to the 2025 u20 Fifa World Cup, and to do so, we need to be in the top two of the Championships.
“We are grateful to all the clubs who have released their players, and we will ensure that we accomplish the mission at hand,” he added.
South Africa has been drawn in Group C for the Cosafa Championship and will open their challenge with a match against Malawi on Friday, 27 September. Two days later, they take on Lesotho, which will be followed by a last group outing against The Comoros on 1 October.
Should Amajita progress, they’ll be in semi-finals action on 3 October.
At that tournament, Kraai was in top form, and he played a massive role in helping his team win their third u18 inter-provincial title in a row.
He was accurate and deadly in front of goal, finding the back of the net 10 times, which saw him finish the tournament as the second-highest goal scorer behind Boland’s Reuben Sendzul (Paul Roos Gimnasium), who topped the charts with 12 goals.
At the end of the tournament, Kraai was included in the SA Schools u18A side and was later also chosen for the SA u17 team, which will visit Malaysia later this year to compete in the Mirnawan Cup.
A lot has changed for Kraai since he sat down for a chat with SuperSport Schools Plus. His talent and skills have never been in doubt, but the national coaches are presenting him with more opportunities and greater responsibilities.
Over the past week, he helped the SA u21 men‘s team win the Senior Inter-Provincial Tournament for the first time in their history. In a nail-biting final, they defeated Southern Gauteng 2-1 on penalties after regulation time had finished level at 1-1.
Only a couple of days later, he was named in the South African Indoor Hockey Men’s squad for the forthcoming Nkosi Cup, which takes place in December, and next year’s FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, which will be played in Poreč, Croatia, in February.
He’s the only uncapped player in the squad, and his selection comes after Kraai showcased his skills and impressed the coaches at a preparation camp held in Cape Town last month.
“Being named in the team feels amazing. It’s a dream come true,” he told SuperSport Schools.
“It’s such a big deal for me, something I never imagined would happen. The support from the team and coaches has been incredible, and it motivates me to keep pushing myself every day.”
Earlier in the year, he represented the Western Province Men’s Indoor team. In field hockey, he turned out for the Langa Hockey Cluband SACS, for whom he played a key role in helping the team to number one status in South Africa for a second season in succession. Beyond that, he was in action for the Western Province u18 side and the SA u21 team. No doubt, 2024 has been his busiest year yet.
Kraai represented the SA u21 Men’s team at the recently concluded senior IPTs in Johannesburg, which the SA u21 side won for the first time. Photo: ES Media
Despite his busy workload, motivation is not hard to come by, Kraai said.
“What has kept me going this season is the passion for the sport, the desire to improve, and the camaraderie with my teammates,” he shared.
“Even during tough times, the love for the game and the shared goals with the team keeps me motivated and focused.”
One slight drawback of his selection for the SA Men’s Indoor team is that the Nkosi Cup clashes with the Mirnawan Cup, so Kraai, who was part of the 2023 tournament in Malaysia, has withdrawn from this year’s event.
Instead, he will make his bow for the national Indoor team in the Nkosi Cup in December before the focus shifts to February’s Indoor World Cup.
“With playing in the Indoor Men’s team, my ultimate goal is to strive for excellence, to push my limits, and to contribute to the team’s success,” Kraai said.
“I want to improve my skills, learn from every experience, and hopefully, together, we can achieve great things on the court,” he concluded.
SA Indoor Hockey Mens Squad – Nkosi Cup & FIH Indoor World Cup
The hosts, Grey College, will be among the favourites to win the Champions Tournament in both age groups. Photo: Grey College on Facebook.
Grey College will play host to the country’s leading teams when the High School Sevens Series, proudly sponsored by Toyota, concludes with the Champions Tournament, in Bloemfontein, on Friday and Saturday.
The event brings together the top u15 and u17 sides from events in the series that have already taken place around South Africa.
The hosts are in Pool A of the u17 competition with Kempton Park, Cambridge, Welkom Gimnasium, and Bloemfontein Invitation, while Pool B features Sarel Cilliers, Dinamika, Durbanville, Jim Fouché and Monument.
Grey’s toughest opposition in Pool A of the u17 event would appear to be their Free State neighbours, Welkom Gimnasium, the winners of the Heidelberg Sevens.
Gimmies are renowned for playing an attractive running game and giving the ball air in the 15-man format and that translates well to Sevens where, given more space to operate in, their imagination is given full rein.
In Pool B, Monnas, who won the Monument Sevens going away, look like the team to beat, but Pool B also appears to be, at a glance, a more open group. Sarel Cilliers, Durbanville, and Jim Fouché won the Pionier Sevens, Cape Schools Sevens, and Jim Fouché Sevens respectively, and Durbanville’s win in the Cape Schools tournament included beating the Stellenbosch powerhouse, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG), in the semi-finals.
The u15 competition features two fewer teams, with Grey College, Kempton Park, Monument, and BloemfonteinInvitation in Pool A, and Graeme College, Northwood, Noordheuwel, and Sentraal in Pool B.
One of the first things to note is that Kempton Park has matched Grey and Monument by having teams in both the u17 and u15 events, so that, in itself, is already quite some achievement. Pool A, though, is likely to come down to a showdown between the home team and Monument.
Pool B is less predictable, although Noordheuwel was a hugely impressive winner of the Heidelberg Sevens. Northwood claimed the Glenwood Sevens‘ title where the competition among the top u15 teams in KZN is extremely tight.
They beat Glenwood in that final. Two A couple of weeks later, at the DHS Sevens, it was DHS against Westville in the final, and Northwood finished as the runners-up in the Plate competition. They’ll need to be on their game from the first match to the last if they are to challenge for the honours in Bloemfontein.
U17 Champions Tournament
Pool A
Kempton Park
Grey College
Bloemfontein Invitation
Cambridge
Welkom Gimnasium
Pool B
Sarel Cilliers
Dinamika
Durbanville
Jim Fouché
Monument
Friday, 20 September
Pitch One
12:00 – Kempton Park vs Welkom Gim
12:20 – Grey College vs Cambridge
12:40 – Dinamika vs Jim Fouche
13:00 – Kempton Park vs Bloemfontein Invitation
13:20 – Sarel Cilliers vs Durbanville
13:40 – Jim Fouche vs Monument
14:00 – Dinamika vs Durbanville
14:20 – Grey College vs Bloemfontein Invitation
14:40 – Sarel Cilliers vs Jim Fouche
15:00 – Kempton Park vs Cambridge
15:20 – TBA vs Welkom Gim
15:40 – Dinamika vs Monument
16:00 – Durbanville vs Jim Fouche
16:20 – Kempton Park vs Grey College
16:40 – Sarel Cilliers vs Dinamika
17:00 – Bloemfontein Invitation vs Cambridge
17:20 – Durbanville vs Monument
17:40 – Grey College vs Welkom Gim
Pitch Two
12:00 – Sarel Cilliers vs Monument
13:40 – Cambridge vs Welkom Gim
Saturday, 21 September
Playoff Games
09:00 – 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool B (21)
09:20 – 3rd Pool B vs 4th Pool A (22)
09:40 – Winner Pool A vs 2nd Pool B (23)
10:00 – Winner Pool B vs 2nd Pool A (24)
Final Placings
10:20 – 9th/10th – 5th Pool A vs 5th Pool B
10:40 – u15 7th/8th – Loser Bowl semi 1 vs Loser Bowl semi 2
11:00 – 7th/8th – Loser 21 vs Loser 22
11:20 – u15 5th/6th – Winner Bowl semi 1 vs Winner Bowl semi 2
11:40 – 5th/6th – Winner 21 vs Winner 22
12:00 – u15 3rd/4th – Loser Cup semi 1 vs Loser Cup semi 2
12:20 – 3rd/4th – Loser 23 vs Loser 24
12:40 – u15 Cup final – Winner Cup semi 1 vs Winner Cup semi 2
13:00 – Cup final – Winner 23 vs Winner 24
U15 Champions Tournament
Pool A
Grey College
Kempton Park
Monument
Bloemfontein Invitation
Pool B
Graeme College
Northwood
Sentraal
Noordheuwel
Friday, 20 September
Pitch Two
14:00 – Grey College vs Kempton Park
14:20 – Monument vs Bloemfontein Invitation
14:40 – Graeme College vs Northwood
15:00 – Sentraal vs Noordheuwel
15:20 – Grey College vs Bloemfontein Invitation
15:40 – Monument vs Kempton Park
16:00 – Graeme College vs Noordheuwel
16:20 – Sentraal vs Northwood
16:40 – Grey College vs Monument
17:00 – Northwood vs Noordheuwel
17:20 – Kempton Park vs Bloemfontein Invitation
17:40 – Graeme College vs Sentraal
Satturday, 21 September
Pitch Two
Semi-finals
09:00 – Bowl Semi 1 – A3 vs B4
09:20 – Bowl Semi 2 – B3 vs A4
09:40 – Cup Semi 1 – A1 vs B2
10:00 – Cup Semi 2 – B1 vs A2
Finals
Pitch One
10:40 – 7th/8th – Loser A3 vs B4 vs Loser B3 vs A4
11:20 – 5th/6th – Winner A3 vs B4 vs Winner B3 vs A3
12:00 – 3rd/4th – Loser A1 vs B2 vs Loser B1 vs A2
12:40 – Cup final – Winner A1 vs B2 vs Winner B1 vs A2
St John’s College withstood the challenges of three KZN schools – Kearsney College, Clifton College, and Maritzburg College – defeating each of them on the way to lifting the St John’s Rams T20 title in Harare on Sunday.
It was a triumph of teamwork for the hosts whose success came from excellence in the field and everyone chipping in with the bat.
Throughout the event, they didn’t produce many big individual batting contributions, but there were few failures on their scorecards as contributions down the order enabled them to produce enough runs to defend.
The three KZN schools all made it to the semi-finals, with Kearsney, the defending champions, going on to face St John’s for the title.
In the final, after the Rams had posted 154/8, it came down to Kearsney needing a six off the last ball to tie the game, and Asavela Khambule very nearly delivered it.
He smashed a delivery from Toana Zimhunga towards the boundary, and it appeared as if it was headed for the maximum, but Connor Lovatt snatched a super catch out of the sky to secure the title for St John’s.
Their innings was led by Takudzwa Nduku‘s 39 and 28 from Dhaneel Goven, while Sandiswa Yeni removed four batsmen, capturing 4/.22 from his four overs.
In reply, Kearsney found themselves in early trouble, with four of their top five back in the hut and only 30 runs on the board after Cameron Rowbotham snapped up 3/15 in three.
Skipper Ross Coetzee, together with Matthew Lamplough, put a halt to the Rams’ successes, lifting the Kearsney total to 82 before Coetzee fell for 47 from 33 deliveries, with six fours and a six. Lamplough followed with the total on 94, out for 22 runs from 21 balls.
Cole Young, with a much-needed 26 from 13, which featured three fours and two sixes, and Sandiswa Yeni with 19 from 16, gave Kearsney a chance, but Asavela Khambule’s big blast for glory was caught.
St John’s didn’t emerge from the tournament unscathed. They were beaten by CBC Bulawayo in a pool match.
Clifton sparkled in pool play, crushing Churchill by 113 runs, St George’s College by 39 runs, and Falcon College by 87 runs. In the semi-finals, though, St John’s had the Durban school’s number and they powered their way to a 60-run victory after bowling out Clifton for 85.
Tim Saulez provided the individual highlight for Clifton, blasting an unbeaten 101 from only 50, which included 12 fours and two sixes, in their win over St George’s.
However, not even Saulez could match Kearsney’s astonishing effort against Hellenic Academy. In that game, they tallied a massive 281/4 in their 20 overs, led by 118 off only 49 balls from the Batsman of the Tournament, Jack O’Donovan. His innings featured 10 towering sixes and nine fours. Ross Coetzee, meanwhile, went wild. He clubbed an astonishing 79 from just 22 balls, launching nine sixes and five fours.
The Batsman of the Tournament, Kearsney’s hard-hitting Jack O’Donovan.
Even more incredible was their 100-run partnership, which came up in only 22 balls. Is it a South African schoolboy cricket record? Who knows, but it has to be one of the most brutal partnerships ever put together at 1st XI level.
O’Donovan finished the festival with 249 runs at an average of 62.25, and a strike rate of 244.12 runs per 100 balls, while Coetzee was not far behind him, with 218 runs at 54.50 and a strike rate of 213.73.
Maritzburg College captain Chad Mason was also one of the leading run scorers, with 179 runs at 59.67, and a strike rate of 116.23. He was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, too, dismissing 13 batsmen, three more than any other bowler managed, at an average of just nine.
Thanks to that all-round excellence, Mason was named the St John’s Rams T20 Most Valuable Player.
College, playing in the event for the first time, started as if they were familiar with the conditions, charging to a 75-run win over Harare’s Prince Edward after bowling the local team out for 110 behind Mason’s 5/21, and then thumping CBC Bulawayo by nine wickets in their second game.
While Clifton cruised on Saturday, the second day of the event, dismissing Falcon College for a lowly 63 to score a big 87-run win, Kearsney and Maritzburg College were shown that it wasn’t going to be plain sailing.
The defending champs needed their last-wicket pair to get them past Peterhouse, who were defending only 106/7, while College ran into St John’s and came up 25 runs short after being bowled out for 143.
That defeat sent the Red, Black, and White into an eliminator against Falcon College, and 97 off 57 from Michael Gibson, who was run out for 10 in the loss to St John’s, helped College to a challenging 200/4.
Falcon made a valiant effort to chase down that daunting total, but they were never quite up to the required pace and were held to 172/5, which meant the Pietermaritzburg boys advanced to the semi-finals where they would face a familiar foe in Kearsney.
Unfortunately for Mason and his men, Kearsney was all over them in that meeting. Only Mason, with 21 from 33, and Daniel Nadasan, with 22 from 19, made it into double figures as Maritzburg College was rolled for just 73.
Ryan Browning, with 3/21, Sandiswa Yeni, with 2/8, and Asavela Khambule, with 2/10, did the damage, and Kearsney needed less tha four runs an over to win.
They took only nine to book their place in the title decider, with an unbeaten 38 off 17 from Jack O’Donovan, which included three sixes and four fours, and 29 from Jonty Wiggett, steering them to an easy victory.
The other semi-final also didn’t take long to complete. After putting up 145/9. St John’s bowled out Clifton for 85 in just 12 overs to move on to the final.
Connor Lovatt, who would take the last catch in the final, knocked over 4/14 and Cameron Rowbotham claimed 3/15. Caleb Naicker shone for Clifton with a return of 3/14.
FINAL STANDINGS
St John’s College (Harare)
Kearsney College
Clifton College
Maritzburg College
Wise Owl
Falcon College
CBC Bulawayo
Peterhouse
St George’s College
Prince Edward
Hellenic Academy
Churchill
SCORES
Clifton College 189/8 (Zach Williamson 48, Rivan Moodley 34, Byron Ward 29, Tim Saulez 29, Ryan Madzima 2/27, Wesly Maramwidze 2/49); Churchill 76/10 (Itai Makono 23, Tim Saulez 3/11, Shiraz Perumal 2/20)
Clifton College won by 113 runs
Hellenic Academy 138/8 (Daniel Makings 88*, Tafadzwa Jashaya 4/22, Ryan Moyo 3/17); Peterhouse 139/2 (Tyler Chapman 59, Luke Marillier 28*, Kohl Eksteen 23*)
Maritzburg College 185/3 (Oliver Da Costa 76, Chad Mason 68, Shayne Garwe 2/41); Prince Edward 110/10 (Shayne Garwe 34, Nigel Mazhindu 31, Chad Mason 5/21, Nathan Pembridge 3/20)
Maritzburg College won by 75 runs
St George’s College 133/8 (Takudzwa Magaya 47*, Munesu Chitongo 29*, Takudzwa Mangena 20, Bradley Wentzel 3/17, Benjamin Williams 3/35); Falcon College 137/3 (Nathaniel Hlabangana 53, Callum Orford 36*)
Kearsney College 281/4 (Jack O’Donovan 118, Ross Coetzee 79, Cameron Veenstra 46, Luke van Zyl 3/36); Hellenic Academy 138/8 (Matthew Landman 38, Christian Des Fontaine 35, Ryan Browning 2/9, Asavela Khambule 2/31)
Kearsney College won by 143 runs
Clifton College 194/7 (Tim Saulez 101*, Rivan Moodley 20, Jayden Petersen 2/20, Takudzwa Magaya 2/40); St George’s College 155/5 (Takudzwa Magaya 60, Takudzwa Mangena 51, Mutsawashe Choto 23, Gabriel Vermeulen 3/26)
Clifton College won by 39 runs
CBC Bulawayo 116/9 (Munashe Chimusoro 55, Chad Mason 4/26, Oliver Da Costa 2/15); Maritzburg College 117/1 (Daniel Nadasan 32*, Chad Mason 30*, Oliver Da Costa 23)
Maritzburg College won by 9 wickets
St John’s College 227/5 (Luke Wright 70, John-Mark Benade 58, Connor Lovatt 32, Takudzwa Nduku 20, Peterson Makatare 2/29); Prince Edward 105/10 (Keith Mabhena 29, Peterson Makatare 24, Dhaneel Goven 3/11, Connor Lovatt 2/15)
Peterhouse 106/7 (Sean Bennett 30, Luke Marillier 21, Asavela Khambule 3/12); Kearsney College 110/9 (Jack O’Donovan 32, Kohl Eksteen 3/34, Tafadzwa Kashaya 2/12 Ryan Moyo 2/31)
Kearsney College won by one wicket
CBC Bulawayo 156/9 (Joshua Armstrong 35, Rowyn Konson 25, Sydney Ndlovu 23, Munashe Chimusoro 20, Shane Garwe 3/24, Keith Mabhena 2/33); Prince Edward 160/4 (Shayne Garwe 47, Nigel Mazhindu 41, Academy Chauke 33*, Takudzwa Maposa 2/40)
Prince Edward won by 6 wickets
St John’s College 168/9 (Connor Lovatt 44, John-Mark Benade 33, Dhaneel Goven 29, James Manning 23*, Samuel Hughes 3/31, Chad Mason 2/16); Maritzburg College 143/10 (Tian van Niekerk 50, Joseph Currie 31*, Chad Mason 25)
St John’s College won by 25 runs
Clifton College 150/10 (Byron Ward 46, Tim Saulez 22, Hayden Drieselman 21, Reed Merick 3/25, Liam Nel 2/26); Falcon College 63/10 (Shiraz Perumal 4/13, Tim Saulez 3/13, Shahzaad Perumal 2/10)
Maritzburg College 200/4 (Michael Gibson 97, Chad Mason 35, Oliver Da Costa 36); Falcon College 172/5 (Callum Orford 58*, Neil Rosenfels 30*, Karl Dedekind 3/11)
Herschel Girls School hosted its annual u14 Pink Fest Basketball Tournament at the Herschel Indoor Center, on Friday, 13 September, bringing together some of the leading schools and basketball clubs from the region for competition in the u14 age group.
In the A Division, the Eagles Basketball Club claimed the title, edging out the hosts in an intense clash. There was next to nothing in it, with the Eagles snatching a 16-14 victory. Westerford High School finished third.
St. Cyprian’s emerged as the winner of the B Division after a 12-8 victory over Waldorf Constantia in the final. Herschel’s u14B team had to settle for third place.
AWARDS
Most Spirited Team: Westerford High School
Best Defender: Amy Adams (Herschel Girls)
Best Shooter: Abby de Jongh (Waldorf Constantia)
B Division MVP: Teagan Giles (St. Cyprian’s)
Best Technical Team: St. Cyprian’s
Sportsmanship Award: Katherine Esselaar (Eagles Basketball Club)
A Division MVP: Jodi Bao (Eagles Basketball Club)
The winners of the boys’ section of the Steyn City tournament, Reddam House Helderfontein. Photo: Reddam House Helderfontein on Facebook.
The Reddam House Bedfordview girls’ first team and the Reddam House Helderfontein boys’ first team clinched the 2024 Steyn City Water Polo Tournament titles on Sunday at Steyn City School after three days of competition.
Reddam House Bedfordview cantered to the girls’ crown, downing the St Stithians Girls College’s second team 9-3 in the final.
From their first game to their last, the Reddam girls were large and in charge. They opened their challenge with a comfortable 8-1 win over Steyn City School and were even more dominant in their next two group outings, thumping Reddam House Helderfontein 15-1 and Rand Park Ridge 20-0.
That left them with 43 goals scored and only two conceded after their group games. No other team came close to matching Reddam Bedfordview’s prolific scoring record.
Meanwhile, the silver medallists, St Stithians, endured a rough start, going down 2-5 to the Parktown High School for Girls’ first team and Crawford Lonehill by the same score.
In their final pool game, Saints pulled off a 3-1 victory over Roedean‘s second side. That win was enough to earn St Stithians a place in the quarterfinals, where they faced Steyn City. In a closely contested clash, Saints dug deep to pull out a 6-4 win.
In the semi-finals, they kept rolling, snatching a nail-biting 4-3 win over Crawford Lonehill to reverse their earlier loss to the same opposition in their pool game.
In the boys’ competition, there was little in it, but Reddam House Helderfontein had enough firepower to pull off a 7-5 victory over Steyn City School in the final. Both sides had emerged from their pools with unblemished records.
Steyn City blanked Crawford Lonehill 4-0 in their first match, then beat the Pretoria Boys High second team 4-2. The Affies second side pushed them all the way, but Steyn City sneaked a 6-5 win in that contest. It was more comfortable against the St Benedict’s College second side, with Steyn City claiming a convincing 8-2 victory.
Reddam House Helderfontein scored more freely in their pool matches. They powered out of the gate with an 18-4 win over Rand Park Ridge and followed up with a 12-2 romp against the St Alban’s College second side. They, then, secured full points with a 7-4 defeat of Reddam House Bedfordview.
Affies finished third, with Reddam Bedfordview fourth, Crawford Lonehill fifth, and Pretoria Boys High School sixth.
FINAL STANDINGS
GIRLS
Reddam House Bedfordview 1st team
St Stithians College 2nd team
Parktown Girls High School 1st team
Crawford High School-Lonehill 1st team
Steyn City School 1st team
Reddam House Helderfontein 1st team
Rand Park Ridge HS 1st team
Roedean SS 2nd team
BOYS
Reddam House Helderfontein 1st team
Steyn City 1st team
Affies HS 2nd team
Reddam House Bedfordview HS 1st team
Crawford I. HS – Lonehill 1st team
Pretoria Boys HS 2nd team
St Benedict’s College 2nd team
St Albans College 2nd team
The pair was at the forefront of their team’s success as the Ysbere delivered a statement victory by beating Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) at Affies on Saturday.
Venter led the way with the bat, top-scoring with a well-played 65. Struwig, then, showed that he’s not only a threat with the ball, but more than handy with the bat as he smashed a quickfire 55* from only 30 balls.
Wikus du Preez and Reuben van Zyl played their part, too, laying a sound platform for Venter and Struwig. Du Preez anchored the innings, contributing 38, while his fellow opener, Van Zyl, chipped in with 34.
Ruben Groenewald proved his worth for Affies once more, doing most of the damage with the ball for his side. He bagged four Garsfontein scalps while conceding only 27 runs from his 10 overs and followed up with a solid 43 runs in the Affies’ innings.
Affies’ captain, Divan de Villiers, who was his side’s best player on the day, shone with both bat and ball. After picking up 2/46 with the ball, the talented right-hander scored a masterful 80 runs.
Janco Purchase marked his return to the team with a well-played 40 from 44 balls.
It was, however, Struwig who decided the game for the umpteenth time this season. His return of 4/35 caused the Affies’ batting lineup to wobble and, with a contribution of 2/70 from Sebastian Bouwer, that was enough to keep Affies to 247 all out, which left them 31 runs short of the Garsfontein total.
The golden bat of Charl Prinsloo saw Hoërskool Centurion finally bag their first league victory. Earlier in the season, he had struck a scintillating 137 against Hoërskool Waterkloof. This time around, it was Cornwall Hill College’s turn to face the music as the talented top-order batsman produced a corking 120.
He and Anton Stassen were almost solely responsible for the Woeries’ total of 256. Stassen played the supporting role coolly, scoring 63, as he combined with his captain to put together a match-winning 168-run partnership before they both fell victim to the bowling of Oliver Richards, who finished with 2/42.
Cornwall captain Lethabo Phahlamohlaka showed signs of his best form with an innings of 41 from just 24 balls. He and Michael Blignaut fought valiantly but a good performance with the ball from Carlo Kotze, who snapped up 3/27, meant that not even Blignaut’s unbeaten 44 was enough to stop the Woeries’ momentum.
Prestige College made Hoërskool Waterkloof work hard for their three-wicket victory. Hadji Mafadza, with 2/18, and Lesedi Mabena, with 2/30, turned the screws tight after a sublime 77 from Keamogetswe Semenya and 53 from Mabena lifted them beyond the 200-run mark.
Wian Ruthven, though, led the Klofies‘ winning effort again. He weighed in with a vital 54 and also returned 3/42 with the ball as Waterkloof further enhanced their impressive record.
After a well-rounded batting performance, led by Dian van Zyl’s 51 runs, Gerhard Engelbrecht knocked over 5/20 to lead Hoërskool Menlopark to an important 42-run victory away from home over Pretoria Boys High.
A silver lining for the Boys High side was the performance of their star leg-spin bowler Adam Cannata. Operating in tandem with Johan Coetzer, he bowled well to grab three wickets, which Coetzer matched, despite facing an explosive batting lineup.
Summarised scorecards
Garsfontein 278/9 (Xander Venter 65, Eckardt Struwig 55*, Wikus du Preez 38, Reuben van Zyl 34, Extras 24, Rickardt Joubert 20; Ruben Groenewald 4/27, Xavier de Wet 2/46); Affies 247/10 (Divan de Villiers 80, Ruben Groenewald 43, Janco Purchase 40, Henré Smith 25; Eckardt Struwig 4/35, Sebastian Bouwer 2/70). Garsfontein won by 31 runs.
Hoërskool Centurion 256/6 (Charl Prinsloo 120, Anton Stassen 63, Extras 20; Oliver Richards 2/42, Lhuan-dré Pretorius 2/45); Cornwall Hill College 214/10 (Michael Blignaut 44*, Lethabo Phalamohloka 41, Lhuan-dré Pretorius 33, Extras 33; Carlo Kotze 3/27, Morné Venter 2/22, Wouter Kileblock 2/32). Hoërskool Centurion won by 42 runs.
Prestige College 200/7 (Keamogetswe Semenya 77, Lesedi Mabena 53; Wian Ruthven 3/ 42, Jaco van der Walt 2/45); Waterkloof 202/7 (Wian Ruthven 54, Beukes van den Berg 39, Rico van der Walt 35*; Hadji Mafadza 2/18, Lesedi Mabena 2/30). Waterkloof won by three wickets.
Menlopark 221/9 (Dian van Zyl 51, Steve Stolk 44, Wian van Deventer 41, Matt van der Westhuizen 31; Johan Coetzer 3/40, Adam Cannata 3/53); Pretoria Boys High 165/10 (Tim Gordon 43; Gerhard Engelbrecht 5/20, Ewald Meyer 2/30, Pierre de Villiers 2/32). Menlopark won by 56 runs.
While rain caused many midweek Schools SA20 matches across KZN to be called off, and camps caused the postponement of others, some schools managed to get their games completed, including Clifton College, who made short work of Umlazi Comtech High at Kingsmead.
The South African u20 men’s national team (Amajita), has been officially announced and will gather for a pre-tournament training camp on Sunday, 22 September, in preparation for the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) u20 Championship.
Herschel Girls School hosted its annual u14 Pink Fest Basketball Tournament at the Herschel Indoor Center, on Friday, 13 September, bringing together some of the leading schools and basketball clubs from the region for competition in the u14 age group.
