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An amazing spell of bowling by Darion Rabie ensured Grey College wouldn’t leave Johannesburg without a victory under their belt.

The all-rounder snared 6/17 to leave the St John’s College batting lineup in tatters in their limited-overs match on Mitchell Field on Sunday. His 10-over spell also included four maidens.

Rabie wasn’t the only bowler to inflict damage on the home side’s batsmen. Henru de Wet, with 3/24, also got in on the action as he and Rabie did a stellar job of defending the 236/8 Grey College had totaled, batting first.

At first, St John’s appeared to be on cruise control in pursuit of Grey’s score, with Nkosana Sibiya (47) and Thomas Ievers (28) compiling a solid 71 for the first wicket in just 11 overs. However, once the openers departed, it went horribly awry for the Houghton school as they folded and crumbled to 111/7.

Grey, on the other hand, benefitted from telling contributions up and down their batting order.

Casper Troskie top scored with 45 at just better than a run a ball, while Christiaan Kind weighed in with 42 at the top of the order, and Adam Niewoudt, Henru de Wet, Jaco Prinsloo and Neil Hattingh all made scores in the twenties.

David Ireland, one of the younger players in the St John’s side, picked up 2/58, while four bowlers claimed a wicket each.

Grey College, however, ran out comfortable 95-run winners after dismissing St John’s for only 141.

King Edward VII (KES) sent St Andrew’s School, who were beaten by St John’s on Saturday, home with another defeat.

Callum Ritchie starred with the ball for KES, knocking over 3/6 in four overs, while Michael Holmes, with 2/9, and Fayaaz Vawda, with 2/25, also impressed.

Only Reuben van Aardt (38) and Andrew Sobiech (30) looked comfortable at the crease for Saints. Even with those decent contributions, the Bloemfontein boys tallied only 117 all out.

St Andrew’s enjoyed some success early in the KES reply, reducing the hosts to 36/3 after nine overs, but Callum Ritchie rubbed salt into the visitors’ wounds by making 50 not out from 59 balls.

At the other end, Michael Holmes calmly went about his business, hitting an unbeaten 32 from 54 deliveries, as he and Ritchie’s unbroken stand of 83 took KES to victory in the 27th over, with seven wickets still in hand.

Summarised Scorecards

Grey College 236/8 (Casper Troskie 45, Christiaan Kind 42, Neil Hattingh 28, Jaco Prinsloo 25, Henru de Wet 25, Adam Niewoudt 34; David Ireland 2/58); St John’s College 141/10 (Nkosana Sibiya 47, Thomas Ievers 28; Darion Rabie 6/17, Henru de Wet 3/24). Grey College won by 95 runs.

St Andrew’s School 117/10 (Reuben van Aardt 38, Andrew Sobiech 30; Callum Ritchie 3/6, Michael Holmes 2/9, Vawda 2/25); King Edward VII 118/3 (Callum Ritchie 50*, Michael Holmes 32*; JC Young 1/32). King Edward VII School won by seven wickets. 

Twee briljante beurte deur Waterkloof se kaptein, Beukes van den Berg, en die aanvangskolwer, Divan Behrens, was genoeg om die Pretorianers se tweede oorwinning, teen Hoërskool Centurion, in die A-afdeling van die Finsbury-reeks te verseker.

Van den Berg het die toon aangegee met ‘n bydrae van 126 lopies van 87 aflewerings. Sy beurt het 10 viere en ses sesse ingesluit, en was ook die Klofies se hoogste telling vir die dag.

Behrens het sy goeie spelpeil van die eerste ronde voortgesit. Hierdie keer kon hy egter die 100-merk verbysteek vir die Klofies se tweede honderdtal. Die aanvangskolwer se 101 lopies het van slegs 112 balle gekom.

Hy en van den Berg het verdere sout in die Woeries se wonde gesmeer na Behrens se openingsvennootskap met AJ de Villiers (65) van 122 lopies.

Die twee het uitstekend gekombineer om ‘n verdere vennootskap van 146 lopies tot die span se reuse-totaal van 349/6 by te dra in die toegelate 50 boulbeurte.

Met ‘n enorme taak op hande, het die Woeries se kaptein, Charl Prinsloo, die druk goed absorbeer vir sy 63 lopies. Louniel Prins (38, 27b), Rehan Lues (31, 29b) en Judah Phillips (25, 44b), het op hul beurt ook ‘n verbete terugvegpoging geloods.

Die Klofie-boulaanval het nietemin aanhou druk toepas en die aanslag, gelei deur Jaydon Blom (3/26), was eenvoudig té veel vir die Woeries. Dit het beteken dat die span van Centurion slegs 230 bymekaar kon maak voordat die laaste paaltjie gekantel het.

Hoërskool Nelspruit het ‘n droewige naweek ervaar nadat hy twee nederlae in soveel dae gely het. Hoërskool Rustenburg was Vrydag té sterk vir die span van Mpumalanga, en die Rusties het ‘n goed-afgeronde spanpoging afgesluit met met ‘n oorwinning van 59 lopies.

Wessel Oosthuizen het met die kolf vir die Rusties uitgeblink. Hy het ‘n indrukwekkende 66 lopies bygedra, terwyl Zander Diedricks ook ‘n nuttige bydra van 41 lopies kon maak.

Nathan Rossouw was die gevaarman met die bal. Hy kon met syfers van vier paaltjies vir slegs 19 lopies spog.

Vir die Nellies was dit weereens Vaughn van Zyl wat die kollig gesteel het. Van Zyl was die Nellies se voorste lopiemaker met 45, terwyl hy met die bal ook twee slagoffers kon eis.

In Nellies se wegwedstryd teen Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom het sake vir die besoekers skeefgeloop. Volkies se boulers het geen genade betoon nie.

Dian Liebenberg het die meeste skade berokken met drie paaltjies, terwyl Schalk Pienaar (2/12) en die draaier, Olefa Padi (2/19), vier paaltjies tussen die twee van hulle kon plattrek.

Die Volkies het daarna nie op hul laat wag nie en die 127 lopies wat benodig was in slegs 22 beurte behaal. Louis van Wyk het baljaar met ‘n totaal van 35. Sy bydrae, tesame met dié van Diaan van der Merwe (26*) en Attie Liebenberg (22*), was genoeg om ‘n oorwinning van sewe paaltjies vir Volkies te verseker.

Menlopark het op sy beurt ligte werk van Hoërskool Rustenburg gemaak. Wian van Deventer het die leiding geneem met ‘n beurt van 67 lopies. Dian van Zyl (45) en Marcus De Aguar (34*) se latere aanslag het die span van die Jakarandastad tot ‘n telling van 223/8 aangevoer.

Logan Russouw was die Rusties se uitblinker. Hy het vyf Menlo-kolwers terug pawiljoen toe gejaag in ‘n boulskof wat net 30 lopies gekos het.

Sy kolwers kon egter nie dieselfde tempo as die Menlo-kolwers handhaaf nie. Wessel Oosthuizen was die voorste lopiemaker met 24 lopies. Hendre Robinson (22, 47b) en Logan Rossouw (21, 20b) het hul bes probeer maar was dit was helaas nie goed genoeg nie, met die laaste Rustie-paaltjie wat met die telling op 134 geval het.

Beknopte telkaarte:

Waterkloof: 349/6 (Beukes van den Berg 126, Divan Behrens 101, AJ de Villiers 65, Riley Miller 25; Rehan Lues 3/76). Centurion: 230 (Charl Prinsloo 63, Louniel Prins 38, Rehan Lues 31, Judah Phillips 25; Jaydon Blom 3/26, Jaco van der Walt 2/42). Waterkloof wen met 119 lopies. 

Rustenburg: 211 (Wessel Oosthuizen 66, Zander Diedricks 41, Wesley Bruwer 30; Nathan Duncan 2/7, Duan Smal 2/30, Vaugh van Zyl 2/33, Jayden Meyer 2/47). Nelspruit: 152 (Vaughn van Zyl 45, Jaco Breyl 31; Nathan Rossouw 4/19). Rustenburg wen met 59 lopies.

Nelspruit: 126 (Nathan Duncan 26, Jayden Blom 23; Dian Liebenberg 3/25, Schalk Pienaar 2/12, Olefa Padi 2/19). Hoër Volkskool Potchefstoom: 129/3 (R Smith 41*, Louis van Wyk 35, Diaan van der Merwe 26, Attie Liebenberg 22; Liam Pringle 2/26). Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom wen met sewe paaltjies.

Menlopark: 223/8 (Wian van Tonder 67*, Dian van Zyl 45, Marcus De Aguar 34*, James Bronkhorst 20; Logan Rossouw 5/30, Marnus de Witt 2/48). Rustenburg: 134 (Wessel Oosthuizen 24, Hendre Robinson 22, Logan Rossouw 21; Matt van der Westhuizen 3/22, Gert-Nico van Zyl 3/34, Gerhard Engelbrecht 2/35). Menlopark wen met 89 lopies.

 

A decision to field first bore fruit for Graeme College as they raced to a four-wicket victory over Queen’s College in Queenstown on Sunday.

Playing a limited overs format, the home side began their innings with Beveaneo Maythan and Akho Ngesi laying a solid foundation. Maythan top scored with 35 from 40 balls, including two fours, while Ngesi made 17 from 26.

The problem was that no other Queen’s batsmen made it into double figures as AJ Jeggels ripped through their batting order. He was devastating, capturing 6/23 from his 10 overs, which included three maidens. The home team had few answers to the challenges he posed.

Andrew Muir delivered the support Jeggels needed, and Queen’s struggled mightily with his bowling, too. Muir’s six overs brought a reward of 3/27 as Queen’s just stretched into triple figures, eventually dismissed for 107 after only 25.3 of their 50 overs.

Like their opponents, Graeme’s highest score came from their opening batsman, with Enrique Strydom playing maturely for 36 from 72 balls, with four fours.

Queen’s hurt their chances of victory by conceding 22 extras, which was the second-highest tally of the Graeme reply. Mind you, Graeme was also wasteful, with 27 extras, but seven Queen’s batsmen made no more than four, and three of those were ducks.

An unbeaten and quickfire 16 from Ashton Williams, which included four fours, delivered a six-wicket win to Graeme, who took only two more balls than Queen’s had taken to post their 107 all out.

Ryan Denston was the pick of the home team’s bowlers, claiming 3/39 in 10, while Beveaneo Maythan caused Graeme all sorts of problems. He finished with 2/17 from seven.

In Makhanda, the DLS Method decided the game between the Futura Academy and St Andrew’s College.

The visitors set College a challenging run chase after posting 256/9 in their 50 overs. Nico van der Westhuizen led the way, playing with controlled aggression to score 119 from 115 balls. He smashed six sixes and eight fours in his knock.

Luke Grimaldi offered good support, playing carefully for an important 35 from 64 balls. He and Van der Westhuizen pulled the Futura Academy out of some early strife, which saw them floundering on 34/4 in the ninth over.

Roman van Zyl did the damage, removing three of the top four batsmen, on his way to a return of 4/33 from 10. His fellow opening bowler Joe Wostenholm took 2/37 in 10.

College needed to bat at 5.14 runs per over to win, and they made a fair start, with William Beamish and Mitch Coventry sprinting to 41 before Beamish fell to Adam Rogers in the sixth over.

Coventry went on to make a rapid 35 from 21 balls, with five fours and a six, while Myles Sansom struck two sixes in his unbeaten 27 from 34. Samuel Scheckter finished with 20 not out when bad weather forced the players from the field in the 22nd over.

St Andrew’s were on 119/4, but they never had a chance to improve on their position as the weather prevented any further play.

The Duckworth Lewis calculations were made, and the Futura Academy won by 62 runs.

Summarised scores

Queen’s College 107/10 (Beveaneo Maythan 35; AJ Jeggels 6/23, Andrew Muir 3/27); Graeme College 108/6 (Enrique Strydom 36; Ryan Denston 3/39, Beveaneo Maythan 2/17) Graeme College won by four wickets.

Futura Academy 256/9 (Nico van der Westhuizen 119, Luke Grimaldi 35; Roman van Zyl 4/33, Joe Wostenholm 2/37); St Andrew’s College 119/4 after 21.2 overs (Mitch Coventry 35, Myles Sansom 27*, Samuel Scheckter 20*; Adam Rogers 2/16, Ethan Currin 2/35) Futura Academy won by 62 on the DLS Method.

The Maritzburg College 1st XI travelled to the Riverside Sports Club, the home of Clifton College sport, on Saturday, intent on victory after a hard-fought defeat to Westville Boys’ High the previous weekend.

Clifton, for their part, had gone down to Michaelhouse in their last weekend outing, so they, too, were in need of a win.

The home side elected to bat first and openers, Byron Ward and Cohen Naidoo, partnered for 32 for the first wicket before the nagging accuracy of Michael Gibson accounted for Ward. Naidoo followed on the same score, a victim of Ollie Da Costa‘s spin, for a bright 23 from 30 balls, which featured three fours and a six.

When KZN u16 star Tim Saulez was run out for only five, Clifton’s innings was in danger of sliding towards disaster. College, though, helped the home side recover by spilling a number of catches.

Shahzaad Perumal did a good job for the home team and together with Lawson Dinsdale added 43 for the fifth wicket before Dinsdale departed for 18. Four runs later, with the total on 112, Perumal joined him on the side of the field.

Perumal’s 48 proved to be the highest score of the match, and it came from 67 balls, five of which he despatched across the boundary rope for four.

Clifton lost a further batsman on the same total, when Ollie Da Costa got rid of Callum Watson.

Gabriel Vermeulen presented stubborn resistance, making 16 before he was the second batsman to go out. Simon Hill followed soon after and Clifton were all out for 146 after 47.4 overs.

Da Costa stole the bowling spotlight with a return of 4/19 from 12 overs, which included five maidens. Julian Konigkramer enjoyed success, too, picking up 3/31 in 6.4 overs, and Michael Gibson kept the batsmen tied down, claiming 1/12 from five with the new ball.

It wasn’t an imposing victory target that College faced and their opening batsmen, Daniel Nadasan and Llewelyn Sutherland, produced a steady start to the run chase. The put on 49 before Shiraz Perumal removed Sutherland for 35 from 44 balls, which included six fours.

After a patient 60-ball stay, Nadasan was out, with the total on 65, for 20, the first of two victims of Simon Hill.

Chad Mason knuckled down and worked the ball around, knowing he didn’t need to chase runs. He and Ollie Da Costa made 42 for the third wicket before Hill removed Da Costa for 14.

Mason then came oh so close to seeing his side to victory, but Rivan Moodley picked up the College skipper’s wicket with only 13 runs needed to win. Mason’s innings of 39 runs had taken 89 balls, and he had struck four fours.

It was left to Michael Gibson, who finished undefeated on 21, to see Maritzburg College to a six-wicket win with 6.1 overs to spare.

Simon Hill led the Clifton bowlers, taking 2/26 in six, while Shiraz Perumal snared 1/34 in 10, and Rivan Moodley 1/39, also from 10. Shahzaad Perumal kept the College batsmen quiet but went unrewarded while conceding only 22 runs from his 10 overs.

At Hilton, the home side stormed to victory in double-quick time against Glenwood.

Hilton’s bowlers got their teeth into the visiting team’s batting lineup early on and once they had the Green Machine in trouble they kept pressing and sent Glenwood packing for only 72 as Natenzi Denenga and Ethan van Heerden picked up three wickets each.

Robert Burman, with an unbeaten 40, and Ben Hockly, with 31 not out, then made light of a pitch that had challenged Glenwood to race to victory in 11.5 overs.

Summarised scores

Clifton College 146/10 (Shahzaad Perumal 48, Cohen Naidoo 23, Oliver Da Costa 4/19, Julian Konigkramer 3/31); Maritzburg College 147/4 (Chad Mason 39, Llewelyn Sutherland 35, Michael Gibson 21*, Daniel Nadasan 20, Simon Hill 2/26) Maritzburg College won by six wickets.

Glenwood 72/10 (Nathan Moodley 19; Natenzi Denenga 3/10, Ethan van Heerden 3/25, D Hill 2/16, Kyle Christie 1/17); Hilton College 73/0 (Robert Burman 40*, Ben Hockly 31*) Hilton College won by 10 wickets.

Late goals by Nicholas Fall and Conor Melling-Williams sealed a hard-fought 9-7 win for South African College High School (SACS) over Bishops Diocesan College in the final of the SAC Shield at St Andrew’s College in Makhanda on Sunday.

The sides had met on day one of the tournament, with Bishops claiming an exhilarating 11-10 win in their Pool A showdown.

SACS were undoubtedly out for revenge because they had also succumbed to a humiliating 5-11 defeat against the same opponents in the opening round of the SACS Night Series on Tuesday.

In the title-decider, there was nothing to separate the sides in the first two chukkas, as they traded goals.

There were 11 of them in all, with Bishops leading 6-5 at the break, courtesy of goals netted by Matt Fenn, Tim Young, Thomas Truter, and Milo Letschert, a double from the skipper, Ross Stewart, and an acrobatic goal by Michael Voogt.

In the last two chukkas, SACS came alive and changed the trajectory of the match. Firstly, they limited the go-forward of coach Jabulani Sibiya’s charges, forcing them to slow their pace before closing them down in the box.

SACS’ coach Devon Card’s final speech in the dugout must’ve hit the mark because his team came out firing and capitalised on a lapse in Bishops’ concentration, which saw Bishops’ shooting go awry.

Fall powered a five-metre penalty into the back of the net, before Melling-Williams scored the ninth and final goal to secure the SAC Shield for SACS.

It was only the second time that they had lifted the title, with their previous success having been achieved in 2019. Their focus will now shift back to round two of the SACS Night Series, which resumes on Wednesday, 31 January, with an eye also being cast towards some forthcoming tournaments.

Classification matches

In other matches on the final day, St John’s College finished their campaign on a high by beating Rondebosch Boys’ High 6-5 in the 3^rd/4^th play-off match.

There were also wins for Paul Roos, St Stithians College, and Clifton College, while the hosts lost 7-8 against Michaelhouse, which left them second last in the final standings.

Scorers from SACS vs Bishops

SACS 9 (5): Jandro Rojo-Roos (x2), Mac Lecuona, Zack Cicero (x3), Matt Forbes, Nicholas Fall, Conor Melling-Williams; Bishops 8 (6): Matt Fenn (x2), Tim Young, Thomas Truter, Milo Letschert, Ross Stewart (x2), Michael Voogt.

Results: Day 4

Michaelhouse 8-7 St Andrew’s College
St Stithians College 11 (3)- 11 (1) Hilton College
Clifton College 4-3 Westville Boys’ High
Paul Roos 9-4 Selborne College
St John’s College 6-5 Rondebosch Boys’ High
SACS 9-8 Bishops Diocesan College

Final standings

South African College School
Bishops Diocesan College
St John’s College
Rondebosch Boys’ High
Paul Roos Gymnasium
Selborne College
Clifton College
Westville Boys’ High
St Stithians College
Hilton College
Michaelhouse
St Andrew’s College
Grey High School

New champions were crowned at the 2024 Brian Baker Water Polo Tournament when Herschel Girls defeated Reddam House Constantia 14-11 in the final to claim top honours and the bragging rights in Makhanda on Sunday.

While the sides battled it out at the Kingswood College pool, SACS and Bishops were also in action in the final of the SAC Shield, a few kilometres away at St Andrew’s College.

Herschel’s focus, however, was entirely on their final as they took the fight to Reddam in the opening exchanges.

There was little to separate the two after the first half, with Herschel taking a slender 5-4 lead into the dugout.

In the final two chukkas, however, the girls from Claremont turned up the heat. With one to go, they led by two goals.

That advantage was extended by a further goal in the final chukka. Reddam tried to claw their way back into the contest, but Herschel had done just enough and scored their final goal with a second left to clinch victory by a three-goal margin.

Classification matches

Third place went to Roedean School, who signed off on positive note by breezing to a 14-7 win over Clarendon.

The hosts, Kingswood College, completed their campaign with a 10-9 victory over Reddam House Bedfordview, while there were also wins for Diocesan School for Girls, Pearson High, and last year’s champions, St Stithians College, who finished in ninth spot.

Results: Day 4, Sunday, 28 January @Kingswood College

Herschel 7-4 Roedean School
Reddam House Constantia 13-8 Clarendon Girls
Diocesan School for Girls 10-9 St Mary’s Waverley
Kingswood College 10-9 Reddam House Bedfordview
Roedean School 14-7 Clarendon
Herschel Girls 14-11 Reddam House Constantia

Results: Day 4, Sunday, 28 January @DSG

Pearson High School 10-5 Crawford Lonehill
St Dominic’s 8-5 Collegiate
Rhenish 7-6 St Anne’s 
St Stithians College 9-6 Durban Girls’ College.

Final standings

Herschel Girls
Reddam House Constantia
Roedean School
Clarendon
Kingswood College
Reddam House Bedfordview
Diocesan School for Girls
St Mary’s Waverley
St Stithians College
Durban Girls College
Rhenish Girls
St Anne’s Diocesan
St Dominic’s
Collegiate
Pearson High School
Crawford Lonehill
Hudson Park High School
Woodridge College
Stirling High School
Alexander Road High School

Bishops Diocesan College kept their impressive unbeaten streak for the year alive with exciting wins over Grey High and Wynberg Boys’ High on Friday and Saturday respectively.

On Friday, Bishops handled the touring Grey High in dominant fashion with Waco Bassick scalping five Grey batsmen to help his side secure a big victory by 123 runs.

On Saturday, they took on their peninsular rivals, Wynberg Boys’ High, and after a heated battle, emerged triumphant once again.

The southern suburbs’ derby turned into a nail-biting affair with Mikhail Tarentaal delivering a spectacular performance on the Jacques Kallis Oval to mow down five of the visitors’ batsmen.

Despite the persistent hammering by the home team’s bowlers, Thaafier Japhta and Calum Daniels did well to dig in and produce a stubborn partnership of 68 runs for the third wicket.

Japhta played confidently and sped to 57 runs off of 66 deliveries, 10 of which he put away for boundaries.

Set 201 to win, Wynberg made a good run at it, with star batsman Paul James missing out on a half-century by only six runs.

Bishops’ bowlers’ Michael Kotze, Peyton Leigh and Waco Bassick captured three wickets apiece to dash the home team’s hopes and keep their winning record alive as the last Wynberg batsman fell with the total on 190.

In Friday’s win over Grey High, Adnaan Lagadien (66) and Japhta (41) led the charge for Bishops as they tallied 258 all out.

Grey’s dynamic Xander Elkington took four wickets, but the local batsmen scored at nearly a run a ball to build a useful buffer for their bowlers.

Bassick emphatically undid the visitors’ run chase, snapping up 5/26, to leave the visitors well short of their target at 135 all out.

Bishops will seek to continue a memorable start to their season when they take on Paarl Boys’ High next weekend.

After their match against the southern suburbs’ powerhouse, Grey made their way to Stellenbosch to face Paul Roos on Saturday and Sunday.

Paul Roos produced a commanding performance for a first innings victory in their declaration match on Saturday before Grey bounced back on Sunday in their T20 battle.

Marco Giaconi‘s unbeaten ton steered the visitors to a narrow 15-run victory, which brought their time in the Western Cape to a positive close.

Summarised Scorecards

Diocesan College 200 (Thaafier Japhta 57, Calum Daniels 32, Adnaan Lagadien 31, Waco Bassick 23; Mikhail Tarentaal 5/33, Luke Kleinsmith 2/27, Divan Linde 2/42); Wynberg Boys’ High 190 (Paul James 44, Beni Hansen 25, Xavier Garvs 23, Storme van Rooyen 21; Michael Kotze 3/50, Waco Bassick 3/57, Peyton Leigh 3/60). Diocesan College won by ten runs.

Diocesan College 258 (Adnaan Lagadien 66, Thaafier Japhta 41, Extras 36, Calum Daniels 33, James Robb-Quinlan 22, David Handley 22; Xander Elkington 4/52, Tristan Kemp 2/30, Nathan Howell 2/33); Grey High School 135 (Teun Kloppenberg 36, Xander Elkington 26; Waco Bassick 5/26, Peyton Leigh 3/31). Diocesan College won by 123 runs.

Grey High School 180/4 (Marco Giaconi 100*, Kian Cambier 48; Keanu Williams 2/29, Callum Appolis 2/38); Paul Roos Gimnasium 165 (Liam Basson 39, Kornel Swart 36*, Callum Appolis 29; Nykunu 4/30, Ben Ristow 3/20, Tristan Kemp 2/50). Grey High School won by 15 runs. (T20).

On Saturday in Johannesburg, King Edward VII (KES) hosted Bloemfontein’s Grey College and, after the hosts won the toss, they put Grey in to bat first on the John Hurry Oval.

Niels Momberg, a Grey College old boy (Class of 1983) and now a member of the KES governing body, was afforded the privilege of opening the day’s play with the ringing of the bell to signal the start of the action.

It proved to be a good toss to win, with the hosts restricting the visitors to 169 all out from 44.5 overs.

Daniel Hattingh, with 38 not out from 39 balls, and Cullen Marais, with 33 from 30, performed well on a difficult batting surface.

In response, the Red Caps’ opener Tiaan Goosen made light of the conditions, blasting his way to 77 runs from 73 balls, which included nine fours and three sixes, before falling to Darion Rabie, who picked up 2/36.

Skipper Troy Gordon’s patient innings of 42 not out from 72 balls then saw his side to a four-wicket victory with just under 18 overs to spare.

Just down the road in Houghton, at St John’s College, St Andrew’s School, too, fell victim to a strong bowling performance, with the hosts successfully defending a moderate total of 174 to win by a margin of 20 runs.

After opting to bat first, St Johns were bowled out in the 49^th over, with only Joe MacRobert properly coming to terms with the Saints’ attack. All-rounders’ Cole Francis (23, 39b) and Oliver Tait (24, 35b) chipped in with twenties to help their side post a fair total.

St Andrew’s bowlers, FG Botha and Daklo Leketa, picked up three wickets a piece, which also served to stem the flow of the runs. Botha’s wickets were particularly timely, coming just when the St John’s tail threatened to wag.

Cole Francis and Alec Loveland then set the tone for St John’s in the field, with both bowling disciplined lines and picking up crucial wickets early on to exert severe pressure on the visiting batsmen.

St Andrew’s appeared well out of it, but a courageous last-wicket partnership between CM Geel (29*, 65b) and Mosa Maqunqu (26, 39 b), which produced 51 runs, made the game a lot closer than it had appeared it would be.

Spinner Daniel Bruwer was the pick of the home team’s bowlers, snaring 4/23 from 10.1 overs, while Alec Loveland continued his wicket-taking form with a return of 3/34, and Cole Francis contributed, as usual, with his tight spell being rewarded with 2/21 from nine.

Jeppe High School for Boys squared up against St Stithians College in a 60/50 declaration match.

Saints compiled a challenging 270/6 from 60 overs, with their captain Emile Odendaal reveling in his decision to bat first, scoring a fine 112 from 139 balls, which included seven fours and five sixes. He was well supported by Tahseen Hanslo, who ended on 51 runs from 79 balls.

Together, they shared in a third-wicket partnership of 123 runs before Jeppe’s first change bowler, Luke Cannon, separated them and went on to capture 5/60 from 13 overs, which included two maidens. Both batsmen were set, but Cannon then accounted for them, thus ensuring that the St Stithians’ innings did not get out of hand.

In response, Jeppe’s classy opener Kai Van Aardt put together a well-played 110 runs from only 96 balls, including 14 fours and two sixes, before he was caught and bowled by opening bowler Joshua Meyer.

Van Aardt received solid support from his fellow opener Munib Ayob, who batted patiently for his 50 from 100 balls, before he was the first man out after an opening stand of 130 runs.

The game was called a draw after Jeppe had faced 44 overs and made an assured 220/3.

St David’s Marist Inanda clinched a humdinger, sneaking a seven-run win over Helpmekaar Kollege. Man of the match Jason Rowles delivered with both ball and bat for the winners, grabbing 5/41 from his 10-over spell, before weighing in with a valuable 34 runs from 32 balls at the top of the order.

Helpmekaar’s frontline batsmen came out all guns blazing, with Kyle Swanepoel (74, 43b) and Anrich Liebenberg (38, 34b) sharing an opening partnership of 87 runs from 61 balls. A mix-up between the pair resulted in a run-out, with St David’s Amaan Manack acting swiftly to take advantage of the opposition’s misstep.

After the breakthrough, Rowles picked up wickets regularly, which led to Helpmekaar running out of steam and getting bowled out in the 34^th over. In retrospect, Helpmekaar might look back on the match as a missed opportunity. Their openers had set them up for victory and had the rest of the batsmen simply applied themselves, because most of the damage had been done upfront, the result could have favoured them.

Reece Reddy scored a crucial 71 runs from 88 balls in the St David’s innings, which steadied the ship. He was well aided by Kamogelo Phiri’s knock of 50 from 65 balls, which helped his team total 209 all out.

Meanwhile, the Parktown Boys’ High fixture against Queens High was abandoned due to bad weather. Parktown tallied 173 all out in 41 overs, with openers’ Miles Makudo (51, 66b) and Zain Jansen (34, 77b) scoring the bulk of the runs for their team.

Pranay Tailor, the Queens’ skipper, snared 4/11 from four overs, which included an impressive 17 dot-balls as he ended the Parktown innings. Before the match was called off, he had scored an unbeaten 20, which helped Queens to 44/2 from nine overs in their reply.

Scores

Grey College 169/10 from 44.5 overs (Daniel Hattingh 38*, Cullen Marais 33; Zieg Roos 2/19, Matthew Burgess 2/53); King Edward VII 172/6 from 32.2 overs (Tiaan Goosen 77, Troy Gordon 42*; Darion Rabie 2/36) King Edward VII won by four wickets.

St John’s College 174/10 from 48.5 overs (Joe MacRobert 39, Oliver Tait 23; FG Botha 3/32, Dakalo Leketa 3/33, JC Young 2/18, Mosa Maqunqu 2/24); St Andrew’s School 154/10 from 49 overs (CM Geel 29*, Mosa Maqunqu 26, FG Botha 23; Daniel Bruwer 4/23, Alec Loveland 3/34, Cole Francis 2/21) St John’s College won by 20 runs.

St Stithians College 270/6 from 60 overs (Emile Odendaal 112, Tahseen Hanslo 51, Liam Mudenda 39; Luke Cannon 5/60); Jeppe High School for Boys 220/3 from 44 overs (Kai van Aardt 110, Munib Ayob 50, Aiden Reyneke 25; Oliver Watson 1/35) Match Drawn.

St David’s Marist 209/10 from 48.1 overs (Reece Reddy 71, Kamogelo Phiri 50, Jason Rowles 34; Zander Jackson 3/26, Juan Minnaar 2/35); Helpmekaar Kollege 202/10 from 34 overs (Kobus Swanepoel 74, Hannu Marais 39, Anrich Liebenberg 38; Jason Rowles 5/41, Shavir Maharaj 2/45). St David’s Marist won by seven runs.

Parktown Boys’ High 173/10 from 41 overs (Miles Makudo 51, Zain Jansen 34, Extras 31; Pranay Tailor 4/11, Aditya Tandel 2/25, Fuzail Faroom 2/32); Queen’s High 44/2 from 9 overs (Pranay Tailor 20*; Yahya Baba 2/31) Match Abandoned.

Stian Kruger het Saterdag ‘n onvergeetlike wedstryd in die Rosestad beleef om vir Fichardtpark tot oorwinning teen Welkom Gimnasium te dryf.

Beleef elke oomblik van die aksie op SuperSport Schools – Registreer nou – Skakel na die wedstryd

Eben Botha het die eerste Gimmie-paaltjies geneem voordat Kruger in slegs 7.1 beurte van ‘n halfdosyn Welkom-kolwers ontslae kon raak vir slegs 11 lopies.

Die besoekers kon geen antwoorde vind vir die twee Fichie-boulers nie, en na 27.3 beurte was almal reeds terug in die kleedkamer.

Bryan Haywood kon twee van die tuisspan se kolwers se paaltjies neem, maar MJ Herbst se blitsige 38 het vir Fichardtpark die oorhand gegee.

Kruger het toe weer die kollig gesteel om met ‘n onoorwonne 45 lopies vir Fichardtpark tot ‘n indrukwekkende sege te dryf.

Davyd Oosthuizen het vyf grenshoue geslaan om ‘n verdere 26 lopies by te dra.

Fichardtpark se volgende ligawedstryd is op 3 Februarie teen Hoërskool Trio, terwyl Welkom Gim dadelik weer sal wil probeer momentum herwin wanneer hulle vir Voortrekker die stryd aansê.

Hoërskool Sasolburg het weer hul spiere gebult die naweek deur vir St Dominic’s vir ‘n skrale 77 lopies uit te boul.

Daardie wedstryd is ook beskikbaar op SuperSport Schools – Skakel na die wedstryd

Jandré Grobler en Meyer Pretorius kon met die eerste bal van die 11de boulbeurt die oorwininning aan hul span besorg.

Volgende naweek pak die manne van Sasolburg vir Sentraal in Bloemfontein.

Juan Theunnissen het 119 lopies vir Voortrekker aangeteken in hul wedstryd teen Sentraal, maar die Tralies het nooit die geleentheid gekry om te antwoord nie. Die wedstryd is kortgeknip na Voortrekker se beurt en eindig dus onbeslis.

Beknopte telkaarte:

Welkom Gimnasium: 137 (Donovan Mouton 36, Kayden Barrows 27, Jedwin Booysen 22, Ekstras 20; Stian Kruger 6/11, Eben Botha 3/39). Fichardtpark: 139/3 (Stian Kruger 45*, MJ Herbst 38, Davyd Oosthuysen 26; Dean Katzin 2/29). Fichardtpark wen met sewe paaltjies.

St Dominic’s: 77 (Ekstras 28, Lathi Tole 14; Liam Singleton 4/13, Nathan Swanepoel 2/9, Nathan Bower 2/18). Hoërskool Sasolburg: 83/1 (Jandré Grobler 34*, Wiandré Singleton 26; Sihle Nziyana 1/17). Hoërskool Sasolburg wen met nege paaltjies.

Jim Fouché: 142 (RG Vorster 46, Ekstras 21; Dumisani Johnsen 3/19, Mila Oerson 2/25, Stefan Geldenhuys 2/27, Lesego Mosikidi 2/35); Witteberg: 144/6 (Stefan Geldenhuys 39, Zander Fourie 33, Ekstras 28; Lian Theron 3/30). Witteberg wen met vier paaltjies.

Voortrekker: 265 (Juan Theunissen 119, Extras 44, Craig Mann 22; Liam Pretorius 4/65, Reshe Wales 3/36, Johan van den Heever 2/38); Sentraal: kolf nie. Wedstryd onbeslis.

Johan Coetzer’s remarkable spell of five wickets for just 16 runs in seven overs was a crucial factor in Pretoria Boys’ High’s victory over their old rivals Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) on Saturday.

The opening bowler’s heroics had Affies in serious trouble on 66/5 as he and his team-mates doggedly defend their middling total of 151.

Coetzer’s wasn’t a lone venture, however, as he found good support from Adam Cannata (3/27) and Connor Hall (2/31), who shared the other five wickets.

Marc van der Merwe also played his part in the Boys High victory, with his 66 runs proving to be a vital difference-maker.

Coetzer was also in the thick of things with the bat, delivering a valuable cameo of 25 runs after a collapse in the middle order, which enabled PBHS to establish a total which they were, ultimately, able to defend.

Divan de Villiers was mostly responsible for the Boys’ High collapse. The all-rounder led the Affies’ attack, knocking over four wickets for only 27 runs.

However, only Janco Purchase, among the Affies’ batsmen, looked comfortable at the crease, while all around him the heavy pressure exerted by the Boys High attack resulted in a steady procession of batsmen entering and exiting the crease.

Purchase contributed a well-played 37 runs from 48 deliveries before becoming Cannata’s second victim. After his departure things went pear-shaped for Affies, who managed only 121 before they were bundled out.

In the end, Pretoria Boys’ High secured a stunning, but well deserved, 30-run victory.

Summarised scorecard:

Pretoria Boys High 151 (Marc van der Merwe 66, Johan Coetzer 25, Extras 20; Divan de Villiers 4/21, Petrus Rautenbach 2/17); Affies 121 (Janco Purchase 37, Extras 24; Johan Coetzee 5/16, Adam Cannata 3/27, Connor Hall 2/31). Pretoria Boys’ High won by 30 runs