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Grey College exhibited its enduring class on the weekend of the school’s 168th anniversary by clinching both the u15 and u17 trophies at this year’s High Schools Sevens Series Champions Tournament, which reaffirmed their dominance on the schools’ sevens’ rugby scene.

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Their journey to the silverware was by no means easy. After an early loss to Marais Viljoen on Saturday morning, the Grey boys had to regroup and dig deep to edge Noordheuwel 26-21 in a thrilling semi-final.

In the final, Boland Landbou appeared to have the hosts on the ropes but, as they so often do, the Grey boys rose to the occasion to claim the prestigious title by a 28-12 margin.

The Grey u15 team, like their senior counterparts, suffered an early setback, but persevered and came back strongly to claim the crown.

After Graeme College defeated them 19-17 in the group stages, the Grey College youngsters showed their tenacity on the way to a solid 29-12 victory over the same opponents in the final.

This dual triumph reflects the depth of talent and character within the Grey College rugby programme.

Noordheuwel were in fine form throughout the tournament and looked like the team to beat after the action on the first day.

The Krugersdorp lads dished up an exciting brand of sevens, with Lindsay Jansen, Jaundre Uithaler, Jenemo Luiters and Jade Muller all catching the eye.

They overran Boland Landbou by 40-7 to top their pool and had Grey College on the ropes at 21-12 with less than a minute to play in the semi-finals.

A spectacular fightback by the home team, rounded off by a brilliant try by the ubiquitous Liam Santos, denied the Nories a place in the final, with Grey snatching a come-from-behind 26-21 win.

Rennie Swarts drew first blood in the championship match for Boland Landbou, and although Grey managed to stay within striking range on the scoreboard, the visitors from Paarl had them pinned down inside their own half.

Swarts was on a rich scoring streak, having gone over for a hattrick in his team’s 37-5 triumph over Marais Viljoen in the semi-finals to secure a place in the title-decider for the men in black.

Jayden Brits continued piling on the pressure after the break, scoring early through a brilliant chip and chase to give Boland the lead again.

They kept Grey at bay for as long as they could, but Donnelle Hendricks, who first caught the eye as a primary school player in Lichtenburg, levelled the scores for the hosts with an exceptional return down the field.

With Grey’s tails up, Boland Landbou’s defensive abilities were tested to the maximum, with Phillip McLaren, AJ Meyer and Liam van Wyk leading the home team’s charge.

Taking control, they put a safe buffer between them and their challengers to capture the title in style in front of their elated home supporters.

Swarts, Brits and Ruan Viviers were excellent for Boland, along with their fearless flyhalf, Retagen van Rooi, but they couldn’t match the firepower of the Bloemfontein powerhouse. Nonetheless, although they came up short against the hosts, they will be proud of delivering their best performance of the weekend in the final.

Graeme College deserves a special mention for their performances in the u15 tournament, as do Noordheuwel and Boland Landbou in the senior competition.

The weekend’s event was the culmination of 11 tournaments played over six weekends, which brought together thousands of players across the country to battle for a place in the Champions of Champions event.

The stars aligned for Grey College to claim a double victory on their anniversary weekend in front of their adoring hometown supporters. It was a fitting manner to celebrate yet another memorable year of rugby dominance by the proud Bloemfontein institution.

Grey College u17: Liam Santos, Liam van Wyk, AJ Meyer, Xander Smit, Marcel Coetzee, Ruben Cilliers, Benji van den Berg, Phillip McLaren, Heko Montjane, Alzeadon Felix, Donnelle Hendricks, AJ Booysen.

All the results:

u17

Group stage

Pool A: Grey College 27, Brandwag 5; Marais Viljoen 22, Sarel Cilliers 10; Grey College 50, Sarel Cilliers 10; Marais Viljoen 17, Brandwag 0; Marais Viljoen 15, Grey College 10; Sarel Cilliers 24, Brandwag 17.

Pool B: Boland Landbou 38, Kempton Park 12; Noordheuwel 49, Bloemfontein Invitational 17; Boland Landbou 19, Bloemfontein Invitational 12; Noordheuwel 68, Kempton Park 7; Kempton Park 24, Bloemfontein Invitational 19; Noordheuwel 40, Boland Landbou 7.

Semi-finals

Bowl: Sarel Cilliers 24, Bloemfontein Invitational 19; Kempton Park 25, Brandwag 10.

Cup: Grey College 26, Noordheuwel 21; Boland Landbou 37, Marais Viljoen 5.

Finals

Shield: Bloemfontein Invitational 31, Brandwag 17.

Bowl: Kempton Park 27, Sarel Cilliers 21.

Plate: Noordheuwel 31, Marais Viljoen 24.

Cup: Grey College 28, Boland Landbou 12.

u15

Group stage

Pool A: Boland Landbou 38, Heidelberg Volkskool 10; Zwartkop 52, Pionier 5; Boland Landbou 45, Pionier 0; Heidelberg Volkskool 17, Zwartkop 5; Boland Landbou 12, Zwartkop 12; Heidelberg Volkskool 38, Pionier 7.

Pool B: Graeme College 19, Grey College 17; Helpmekaar College 19, Kempton Park 10; Grey College 32, Kempton Park 21; Graeme College 24, Kempton Park 12; Grey College 36, Helpmekaar College 7.

Semi-finals

Bowl: Zwartkop 21, Kempton Park 5; Helpmekaar College 43, Pionier 12.

Cup: Graeme College 20, Boland Landbou 17; Grey College 24, Heidelberg Volkskool 7.

Finals

Shield: Kempton Park 36, Pionier 14.

Bowl: Helpmekaar College 21, Zwartkop 19.

Plate: Boland Landbou 24, Heidelberg Volkskool 10.

Cup: Grey College 29, Graeme College 12.

 

There was nothing to separate Fichardtpark and Goudveld at the conclusion of a roller-coaster 50-overs-a-side match in Welkom on Saturday.

The visitors, from Bloemfontein, won the toss and elected to field first, allowing Goudveld to set the target.

Despite early success for Michael Cruywagen, who took two wickets in the second over, opener Keagan Frankenfeld laid a solid platform for Goudveld with an innings of 44.

His 60-run partnership with Ruben Crous proved crucial as runs were hard to come by. Eldonn Bodenstein‘s contribution was also hugely important. He played the longest innings of any of the Gouties’ batsmen, sticking around for 58 deliveries and scoring 33 runs.

Towards the end, Cruywagen added a third wicket to his tally to finish with the fine figures of 3/28, which helped Fichies dismiss the home side for 160 in 33.3 overs.

The Gouties’ bowlers had to find their rhythm quickly to protect their low total when Fichardtpark took their turn at bat, and Goudveld got exactly what they needed when Hendro Boardman struck with the first delivery he bowled. He would go on to match Michael Cruywagen’s return of 3/28.

Ulrich Campher and his captain, Eben Botha, batting at three and four, then shared a steady partnership of 45 to give the squad from Bloemfontein a base from which to work. Campher’s 38 was also his side’s highest total on the day.

Bongi Kumalo, though, proved to be a thorn in Fichardtpark’s side, capturing three wickets, including that of the Fichies’ captain, to stunt any momentum that the visitors were building.

At the beginning of the 35th over, though, the visitors needed only three runs to win, but they had only one wicket in hand, on 158/9.

A single and a wide from the first two balls by Boardman drew Fichardtpark level, and it looked like they were going to steal an epic victory.

Boardman tightened his attack, though, and delivered two dot balls. The Fichardtpark tailenders, feeling the pressure, lost patience and tried to scamper for the winning run, only for MJ Hattingh to be run out at the bowler’s end, thus resulting in spectacular tie.

Though Fichardtpark will feel like the victory slipped through their fingers, it was a thrilling match to welcome in the 23/24 season for both teams.

Summarised scorecard:

Goudveld 160 (Keagan Frankenfeld 41, Eldonn Bodenstein 33, Extras 32, Ruben Crous 25; Michael Cruywagen 3/28, Davyd Oosthuysen 2/24, Stian Kruger 2/32); Fichardtpark 160 (Ulrich Campher 38, Extras 38, Michael Cruywagen 24, Eben Botha 21; Hendro Boardman 3/28, Bongi Kumalo 3/33). Match tied.

Die Mangaung-stadion in Bloemfontein het die afgelope naweek gasheer gespeel toe 31 skole en 1089 talentvolle atlete op die baan toegesak het vir die Grey/OMS-atletiekbyeenkoms.

Onder die uitblinkers was Rume Burger van Oranje Meisieskool wat oorwinnings behaal het in die 100- en 200-meter wedlope vir meisies o.15, met tye van onderskeidelik 12.33 en 25.04 sekondes behaal het.

Hierdie vertonings het haar altesaam 1000 en 901 punte besorg.

Charné Vermeulen van Hoërskool Rustenburg het die o.17-afdeling oorheers en in die 100m- en 200m-naellope geseëvier met tye van 11.92 en 23.86 sekondes.

Danell Oelofse van Jim Fouché het in die 3000 m-wedloop vir meisies o.15 die wenstreep in 10:36.20 oorgesteek.

Intussen het Megan Niemann van Menlopark die 90m-hekkies in 12:57 sekondes gewen en daarmee ‘n perfekte 1000 punte verdien.

Danyelle Pienaar, ook van Oranje Meisieskool het albei die 90m-hekkies (12:49) en die 300m-hekkies (44.47) vir meisies o.15 gewen. Pienaar is ook die nasionale 300m-hekkieskampioen en die nasionale naaswenner in die 90m-hekkies.

Diné le Roux van Oranje Meisieksool het die o.16-dogters 100m-hekkies verseker met ‘n tyd van 14.22 sekondes, terwyl Liné de Villiers (Menlopark, o.14) die 300m-hekkies in 58.14 sekondes gewen het.

By die veldnommers het Marli Jacobs (Goudveld-Hoërskool) as wenner uit die stryd getree in die o.14-gewigstoot met ‘n poging van 13.33m, terwyl Ashlynn Nel van Menlopark in die o.16 gewigstoot met ‘n afstand van 14.57m gewen het.

Carli Taljaard van Goudveld-Hoërskool het in die o.15-diskus oorwinning behaal met ‘n afstand van 39.41m gevolg deur Merlé Janse van Rensburg (Menlopark) met 38.92m.

Judy Watson van Fichardpark het tydens die o.16-diskus ‘n gooi van 47.86 gelewer en ‘n perfekte telling van 1000 behaal.

Die o.17-diskus was straf, met Alicia Khunou van Menlopark wat die eerste plek behaal het met ‘n gooi van 50.36m, Mignon le Grange van Hoërskool Rusenburg het die tweede plek met 43.97m verseker, terwyl Cellonika van der Berg van Menlopark die derde plek behaal het met 41.47m.

Jaylin van Dyk, ‘n indiviuele inskrywing, het as oorwinnaar uit die stryd getree in die hamergooi-nommer vir meisies o.16 met ‘n gooi van 54.74m.

It was a glorious outing for Clarendon Girls High School as both their u15 and the first team claimed top honours in this year’s Centennial Stayers Water Polo Tournament in East London on Sunday.

The two teams came into the tournament as obvious favourites but were paired against some of the top co-ed schools in the Eastern Cape region.

Both sides defeated Diocesan School for Girls (DSG), with the junior team claiming an emphatic (5-0) win, while the senior side was made to work for their victory but eventually claimed the win (6-5).

Other impressive performances in the pool came from Merrifield College, with their junior side defeating Collegiate (6-5) on the final day. Whereas Kingswood College got the better of Pearson High School in the u18 section, winning (7-5) to finish within the top overall standings.

Onset dominance propels the junior team:

The u15 side from Clarendon Girls were dominant from their outing in the pool on Friday. The home side was drawn in Pool A, alongside Diocesan Girls School, Merrifield, Stirling, and Alex Road.

In their opening clash, the side scored a whopping 15 goals and kept a clean sheet against City rivals, Stirling High School.

They grew in confidence, and by the time they faced, Merrifield had already set their eyes on finishing at the top of their pool and breezing to the play-off stages.

To complete their group stage domination, they further thumped Merrifield (11-2) before a resounding (16-1) win against Alex Road meant the home side would indeed finish the pool stages on top.

The hosts breezed past Merrifield in the play-offs on day two, and the (10-3) win meant they would face DSG, who also had a pretty impressive tournament and journey to the final.

The final was hard fought, just like many would’ve expected it to be.

There was nothing to separate the two sides in the first chukka with both keepers having to make several saves to keep their teams in the match.

The hosts, however, came back fired up in the second chukka, scoring two goals before another goal in the third chukka saw them lead (3-0) with the final chukka to play.

Three goals quickly turned to five for the home side, as their attack remained brutal in front of goal, converting the opportunities created. DSG, after the first chukka never looked like threatening the goal, and they succumbed to a (5-0) defeat.

Seniors grind it out:

Unlike their junior side, the Clarendon Girls’ first team had a rather challenging journey to glory.

In the final, the hosts were tied at (5-5) with DSG in the final quarter, and a moment of brilliance with 12 seconds left from Clarendon’s striker sealed the victory for the side, much to the satisfaction of the home crowd.

Like the final, most of Clarendon’s matches were ones where the team had to grind out the victories.

In their first pool match against DSG, they won (8-6), also scoring late. They were also given a tough time by Pearson High from Gqeberha, who almost caused an upset, but the home side pulled off a (6-4) win.

Their most dominant match on day one was against Woodridge College.

They scored 16 goals, while only conceding three, a confidence booster needed going into the second day of action.

Despite losing against a strong Collegiate side on day two, the hosts still made their way to the final where they replicated the performance from their u15 side to make it a clean sweep for Clarendon.

Results:

Day 1:

u15

Merrifield 11, Stirling 2; Rhenish 10, Clarendon B 1; Hudson 5, Woodridge 2; Clarendon A 15,  Stirling 0; Collegiate 8, Rhenish 2; DSG 6, Merrifield 5; Hudson 7, Clarendon B 1; Collegiate 14,  Woodridge 1; DSG 13, Alex Road 1; Hudson 1, Rhenish 7; Stirling 10, Alex Road 2; Clarendon A 11, Merrifield 2; Clarendon B 3, Woodridge 4; DGS 5, Stirling 1; Merrifield 12, Alex Road 2; Collegiate 11, Clarendon B 1; Clarendon A 5, DSG 2; Rhenish 11, Woodridge 0; Hudson 2, Collegiate 6; Clarendon A 16, Alex Road 1.

 u18:

Stirling 6, Hudson Park 5; Clarendon 17, Merrifield 2; Pearson 6, Woodridge 1; Stirling 9, Glenwood House 3; Collegiate 13, Hudson 5; Clarendon 8, DSG 6; Kingswood 11, Glenwood House 0; Pearson 10, Merrifield 3; Collegiate 4, Stirling 3; Kingswood College 9, Hudson 3; DSG 19, Merrifield 2; Kingswood a college 11, Stirling 5; Woodridge 8, Merrifield 3; Collegiate 8, Glenwood House 2; Clarendon 6, Pearson 4; DSG 10, Woodridge 0; Hudson 4, Glenwood house 3; Clarendon 16, Woodridge 3.

Day 2:

u15:

DSG 9, Hudson 1; Merrifield 10, Rhenish 4; Stirling 8, Clarendon B 0; Woodridge 4, Alex Road 3; Clarendon A 10, Merrifield 3; DSG 7, Collegiate 6; Hudson 7, Stirling 2; Rhenish 8, Woodridge 1.

u18:

Kingswood 6, Collegiate 0; DSG 5, Pearson 1; Pearson 6, Collegiate 2; DSG 7, Stirling 3; Hudson 1, Merrifield 1; Glenwood House 5, Woodridge 4; DSG 7, Kingswood 2; Pearson 5, Clarendon 2; Collegiate 3, Hudson 2; Stirling 9, Glenwood House 1.

Day 3:

u15:

Alex Road 5, Clarendon B 3; Stirling 6, Woodridge 1; Rhenish 5, Hudson 1; Merrifield 6, Collegiate 5; Clarendon 5, DSG 0.

u18

Woodridge 5, Merrifield 2; Hudson 8, Glenwood House 1; Collegiate 8, Stirling 6; Kingswood 7, Pearson 5; Clarendon 6, DSG 5.

Final standings: 

u15:

Clarendon Girls High School A, DSG, Merrifield, Collegiate, Rhenish, Hudson, Stirling, Woodridge, Alex Road, Clarendon B.

u18:

Clarendon Girls High School, DSG, Kingswood, Pearson, Collegiate, Stirling, Hudson, Glenwood House, Woodridge, Merrifield.

Duineveld returned to Upington with the Champion of Champions trophy after a riveting day of sevens rugby on the Loftus Versveld B-field in Pretoria.

Their performance on Saturday earned them top honours in the annual Frogfoot Sevens Series, after a thrilling final against Strand.

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The Western Cape side were worthy finalists, but it took only two minutes for Duineveld’s speedy flanker, Alek Andrianatos, to breach their defences, as he went over for a try converted by Jacquin Jasson.

Gregon Jansen, who was selected as the player of the tournament for his tireless contributions over the weekend, then increased the advantage for the Velties, scoring just before the break to put his team 12-0 up at halftime.

A few choice words by their coaches during the break seemed to do the trick for Strand as they raised their intensity in the second half and scored almost immediately after play resumed.

Jasson and Jansen then combined well again for Duineveld’s final try, which gave them just enough breathing room to see out the remainder of the game, as Strand kept asking questions to the bitter end.

Although they came up short in the final, Strand will, no doubt, be proud of their boys’ accomplishments over the weekend, with players like Chrisma Prinsloo, Justin Phillips and Ashraf Fanie catching the attention with man-of-the-match performances during their pool games.

Unblemished in the group stages, Duineveld asserted their dominance with impressive victories to reach the final. They convincingly outscored Swartland (34-12) and Ben Viljoen (33-26) to lay claim to the top spot in their pool.

Then, in their cross-pool encounter, they continued their winning streak by putting up 29 points and blanking Die Wilgers.

In the semi-final, they had to get past Grey High School. The team from Gqeberha came into the tournament as one of the favourites and lived up to those expectations in the early going.

In a contest worthy of a final, Grey High produced a skilful showing, but Duineveld cut their campaign short with a 25-19 victory.

Last year’s champions, Secunda, were unlucky to run into Strand in the group stage which meant they were relegated to contending for the Bowl. There, they squeezed by Swartland in an epic clash to win the final by a single point (28-27), with Zander Scheepers producing a phenomenal performance for the winners.

Pietersburg went on to hand Grey their second loss of the weekend in the Plate final by 26-12 and Ligbron beat Menlopark by 27-17 to lift the Shield.

All the results:

Pool A: Secunda 38, Die Wilgers 0; Strand 31, Die Wilger 0; Strand 26, Secunda 0.

Pool B: Duineveld 34, Swartland 12; Duineveld 33, Ben Viljoen 26; Swartland 22, Ben Viljoen 5.

Pool C: Grey High School 17, HTS Tom Naudé 5; Grey High School 26, Ligbron 12; HTS Tom Naudé 28,  Ligbron 17.

Pool D: HTS Drostdy 24, Menlopark 19; Pietersburg 31, HTS Drostdy 19; Pietersburg 22, Menlopark 12.

Cross-pools: Ben Viljoen 26, Strand 24; Ligbron 34, Pietersburg 28; Secunda 21, Swartland 12; HTS Tom Naudé 17, Menlopark 17; Duineveld 29, Die Wilgers 0; HTS Drostdy 28, Grey High School 10.

Semi-finals

Shield: Menlopark 35, Die Wilgers 0; Ligbron 31, Ben Viljoen 24.

Bowl: Secunda 31, HTS Drostdy 19; Swartland 24, HTS Tom Naudé 22.

Cup: Strand 21, Pietersburg 14; Duineveld 25, Grey High School 19.

Finals

Shield: Ligbron 26, Menlopark 17.

Bowl: Secunda 28, Swartland 27.

Plate: Pietersburg 26, Grey High School 12.

Cup: Duineveld 19, Strand 14.

Paul Roos and Diocesan College locked horns on the Frank Reid Cricket Field in Rondebosch on Saturday, with both teams riding high after unbeaten campaigns at last weekend’s Cape Schools Festival.

The hosts won the toss and sent Paul Roos out to bat first.

After Josh Jordaan and Cormey van der Watt laid a solid foundation, it was William September‘s 101 off 107 deliveries that did the damage for the team from Stellenbosch.

Bishops’ bowlers worked hard for their wickets, with Michael Kotze leading the attack with figures of 2/28, but September’s knock left the hosts with a difficult challenge as PRG put up 268/8.

Kashief Joseph starred with the bat for Bishops, falling just two runs short of his half-century, but the home team’s batting lineup failed to produce any meaningful partnerships to alleviate some of the pressure.

Dian Winkel struck four times for the Stellenbosch boys as they dismissed the hosts with 10 overs to spare for a big 105-run victory.

Boland Landbou sent a loud and clear message to their local rivals by outplaying Somerset College.

Stefan Conradie‘s gritty 67 and Marius du Plessis‘ 51 combined to steer Boland Landbou to a commanding total of 253.

Markus Groenewald then stole the spotlight, dismissing four Somerset College batsmen for only 10 runs, as the visitors were sent packing for a miserable 49.

In light of Somerset College’s impressive preseason performances, the boys from Paarl undoubtedly made a resounding statement of intent.

At the recent Cape Schools Festival, Somerset College racked up four wins in succession to showcase their potential. However, Saturday’s encounter with the Boland Landbou bowling attack was a chastening occasion as Somerset wilted before the home side’s challenge.

Parel Vallei flexed their muscles against the local competition, running roughshod over DF Malan and Strand in their two most recent outings, and winning both by nine wickets.

Sibulele Makaleni excelled with the ball, taking 5 for 26 to spearhead DF Malan’s dismissal for a mere 103 runs. Earlier in the week, the Parel Vallei bowlers also dictated the course of the match when they restricted Strand to 78/9.

In both encounters, Parel Vallei’s dependable opener, Quan van der Merwe, displayed class and finesse, steering his side to seemingly effortless wins. A half-century against DF Malan was just reward for his recent efforts at the crease.

The back-to-back victories suggest more good things to come from Parel Vallei this season.

Gerrad Kamalie was instrumental for Stellenberg as they dismantled Fairmont in their own backyard.

He scored 49 runs without losing his wicket and backed up his impressive batting performance by dismissing 6 Fairmont batsmen to help his team stifle the Fairmont attack before it could really get going.

Summarised scorecards:

Paul Roos 268/8 (William September 101, Extras 35, Cormey van der Watt 33, Beor van Reenen 32,  Josh Jordaan 26, Callum Appollis 24; Michael Kotze 2/28, Peyton Leigh 2/45, Tiaan Louw 2/54, Matthew Brodziak 2/70); Diocesan College 163 (Kashief Joseph 48; Dian Winkel 4/36, Calum Appollis 2/30, Riley Norton 2/36). Paul Roos won by 105 runs.

Boland Landbou 253 (Stefan Conradie 67, Marius du Plessis 51, Extras 50, Francois Prins 31; Callum Hughes 4/51, Chris Varie 3/59); Somerset College 49 (Callum Hughes 14; Markus Groenewald 4/10, Janco Visagie 2/10, Marius du Plessis 2/17). Boland Landbou won by 204 runs.

DF Malan 103 (Benjamin Grobler 37, Eddie Fick 24; Sibulele Makaleni 5/26, Josua Smit 3/19); Parel Vallei 105/5 (Quan van der Merwe 52*, Christopher Hughes 32*; Reuben Braxton 1/46). Parel Vallei won by nine wickets.

Strand 78/9 (Nathan Drotskie 27*; Jameel Ismail 3/9, Damian Faure 3/17, Josua Smit 2/4); Parel Vallei 79/1 (Quan van der Merwe 35*, Extras 25; Daniel Theron 1/18). Parel Vallei won by nine wickets.

Stellenberg 248/9 (Extras 58, Gerrad Kamalie 49*, Yiva Dwaleni 33, Wilhelm Smet 27, JJ Rothman 20, Kyle van Santen 20; J Passman 3/47; D Kok 2/38, S Hoctor 2/44); Fairmont 100 (Colby Meade 55, Extras 25; Gerrad Kamalie 6/29, Kyle van Santen 2/20). Stellenberg won by 148 runs.

Charlie Hofmeyr 87 (Extras 36, Louis Reynolds 22; DJ Luck 2/3, Juann Jansen van Vuuren 2/14, Ernst Coetzee 2/16); HTS Drostdy 88/4 (Juann Jansen van Vuuren 21, Ruan Nortjé 21; Louis Reynolds 2/20). HTS Drostdy won by six wickets.

 

Rondebosch Boys’ High booked their place in the semi-final of the Westvaal North-South T20 Tournament with a convincing victory over old rivals SACS on Saturday.

Noah Heath led the way with a well-constructed 86 from 60 deliveries, while Declan Gillespie delivered the aggression for his side, taking just 42 balls for his 77. Those two big knocks enabled Bosch to total a challenging 200/3.

Fayaad Davids shone with the ball for SACS, producing an impressive return of 2/22.

Unfortunately for SACS, their batting woes of Friday continued as they stumbled out of the gate, losing wickets at regular intervals. It was Davids, once again, to the rescue for SACS as he cracked a blistering 54 from 25 balls. Litha Kaai also chipped in with a well-played 39 lower down the order.

SACS, though, were dismissed for 148, leaving them 52 runs shy of the Rondebosch total.

Waterkloof booked their spot in the semi-final against the Cape Town school after coming out on top against Potchefstroom Volkskool in a fixture that was a repeat of last year’s final.

The Klofie bowlers wrought early damage, with GJ de Swardt (3/13) and Ruan van der Vyver (3/16) combining for six wickets between them at a cost of only 29 runs.

Louis van Wyk (19, 15b) offered some resistance, but it wasn’t Volkies’ day as they were bundled out for a disappointing 92.

In pursuit of a low total, Waterkloof didn’t make it easy for themselves. However, a quickfire 23 from Wian Ruthven was exactly what the doctor ordered and the Klofies overhauled Volkskool with four wickets left standing.

Grey College also secured a spot in the final four with a 45-run victory over Hoërskool Centurion.

Opener Juan Viljoen produced an explosive and scarcely believable 55 from just 13 deliveries, at a staggering strike rate of 423, to power the Bloemfontein boys onto the front foot.

Adem Nieuwoudt also continued the onslaught, striking an impressive 75 not out from only 47 balls. Ruben Maree did his bit, too, weighing in with 52 to help Grey power their way to 220 for 4.

Centurion’s innings also got off to a blistering start, thanks to Charl Prinsloo‘s rapid 68 from 35 deliveries at the top of the order. However, most of the Centurion batsmen struggled to come to terms with the daunting required run rate. Divan van Tonder, though, contributed 42.

Unfortunately for the locals, it wasn’t enough. They were bowled out for 175, leaving Grey College the comfortable winners by 45 runs.

Summarised scorecards:

Rondebosch 200/3 (Noah Heath 82, Declan Gillespie 77; Fayaad Davids 2/22); SACS 148/10 (Fayyaad Davids 54, Litha Kaai 39, Josh van Wyngaardt 23; Gillespie 3/20, Graeme Engelbrecht 2/13). Rondebosch won by 52 runs.

Potchefstroom Volkskool 92/10 (Louis van Wyk 19; Ruan van der Vyver 3/16, GJ de Swardt 3/13); Waterkloof 95/6 (Wian Ruthven 23; Olefa Phadi 3/20, Diaan van der Merwe 2/25). Waterkloof won by four wickets.

Grey College 220/4 (Adem Nieuwoudt 75*, Juan Viljoen 55, Ruben Maree 52; Charl Prinsloo 2/44); Centurion 175/10 (Prinsloo 68, Divan van Tonder 42; Kamo Mokoena 3/40, Henru de Wet 2/19, Darion Rabie 2/22). Grey College won by 45 runs.

Other results:

Paarl Boys’ High 236/3 (Johan Wege 91, Dian van der Westhuizen 73, Christian Bourbon Leftley 45; Ethan Currin 1/31); Selborne College 165/6 (Currin 63*, Waden Plaatjies 51; Leftley 2/21, Aden Batt 2/27). Paarl Boys’ High won by 71 runs.

St Stithians 235/5 (Liam Mudenda 77, Lhuan-dre Pretorius 61, Emile Odendaal 30, Chris Anderson 31, Richard Seletswane 27; Connor Nel 3/50); St Andrews 168/10 (Jordan van der Berg 49, JC Young 37, Andre du Preez 21; Tahseen Hanslo 3/43, Seletswane 2/29, Ethan Jacobs 2/30, Pretorius 2/40). St Stithians won by 67 runs

Westville 150/9 (Max Robertson 50, Roxton Payne 26, Nicandro Kristna 21); Zander Nutt 4/30); Grey High 152/5 (Marco Giaconi 66, Xander Ellington 44; Daylan Boyce 1/30). Grey High won by five wickets.

Wynberg Boys’ High 211/5 (Divan Linde 62, Paul James 51, Xavier Garus 35, Ben Hansen 28; DW van Rooyen 2/19); Hoërskool Nelspruit 183/4 (Nathan Duncan 46, Jayden Meyer 45, Brendan Boucher 43, Dawico Kruger 24; Linde 3/31). Wynberg Boys’ won by 28 runs.

 

 

The long wait for Super Steve to come off at the Westvaal North-South T20 Tournament is finally over. The young batsman from Menlopark proved to many why he was acquired by the Pretoria Capitals for the second edition of the SA20 early next year.

Stolk amazed with a breathtaking 152 not out, from just 72 deliveries, in their encounter against Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool. His marvellous innings included a whopping 21 boundaries, consisting of nine fours and 12 sixes, at a rapid strike rate of 212.

Willem Sevenster picked up where he left off the day before, racing to a wonderful 70 from just 41 balls. Together, the pair amassed a stunning 158-run partnership in just shy of 14 overs. With both players rolling along, Menlopark posted a staggering 245/2 against a very good side.

Affies, however, saw that total as a challenge, not as a death sentence. They got away to a flying start, with Lukas Janse van Rensburg (33, 19b) and Jorich van Zyl (32, 16b) combining for an aggressive opening stand of 70-run from just 34 deliveries.

Janco Purchase and Ruben Groenewald also made good use of the batting-friendly conditions to put the Menlopark attack under severe pressure. Purchase made the Menlo fielders chase leather, racing to a blistering 59, while Groenewald was every bit as destructive, contributing 58.

With Affies well on their way to what would’ve been an astounding victory, GN van Zyl turned the tide with a remarkable spell. He bagged the first five-for of the tournament, snaring an econmocial and telling 5/25 in his four overs.

His heroics meant Menlopark managed to defend their mammoth total, barely, with Affies finishing on 239 for 9 after a courageous run chase.

Summarised scorecard:

Menlopark 245/2 (Steve Stolk 152*, Willem Sevenster 70; Nicolai Bester 1/26); Affies 239/9 (Janco Purchase 59, Ruben Groenewald 58, Lukas Janse van Rensburg 33, Jorich van Schalkwyk 32, Divan de Villiers 26; GN vs Zyl 5/25, Pierre de Villiers 2/41). Menlopark won by six runs.

 

Marcus Bakker delivered one of the great T20 schoolboy innings on day two of the prestigious Westvaal North-South T20 tournament. The all-rounder from Waterkloof set Camp Discovery alight with a barely unbelievable 169 not out from just 66 deliveries.

Flying along at the staggering strike rate of 256, Bakker’s innings included eight fours and an eye-opening 19 sixes. This meant that an astonishing 146 of his runs came in boundaries. Bakker’s innings is also the highest ever recorded at the tournament.

Divan Behrens played second fiddle with 29 from 25, showing his maturity as he worked the ball about to get the destructive Bakker on strike as much as possible.

Amidst the chaos, Paarl Boys’ High‘s Marco Cato bagged the impressive figures of 2/44 in his outing with the ball.

Although the Klofies lost a little momentum towards the end of their innings, Bakker’s heroics powered them to a mammoth total of 237/4 in their 20 overs.

Unfortunately for the men from the Paarl, there were to be no heroics on their side as they struggled from the outset to find a response to the big Waterkloof total. Dian van der Westhuizen put up his hand with a wonderful 46 from 27 balls, while Christiaan Wege also weighed in with a quickfire 29.

Jacques van Niekerk proved to be the main threat with the ball for the Klofies, claiming two scalps for only 10 runs. Behrens got back in on the action as he, too, claimed two wickets to help restrict Paarl Boys’ High to 150/8 in their 20, a substantial 87 runs short of their required target.

St Stithians cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Westville. After coming up short against Affies earlier in the day, Saints were desperate to get back to winning ways.

Westville wielded the willow first, a situation that seemed to suit Max Robertson perfectly. In at three, he led the way for the Griffins with a wonderfully constructed 61 from 36 balls. Alongside the left-hander, Nicandro Kristna chipped in with a valuable cameo of 35 not out as the pair’s contributions helped Westville to a competitive total of 177/7 in their 20 overs.

Lhuan-dre Pretorius was the mainstay for Saints with the ball, sending down four overs and capturing 3/16.

Unfortunately for Westville, the in-form top order from St Stithians simply had too much firepower. Aiden van der Westhuizen scored his second half-century for the day with a dominating 61 from just 29 balls, which included six sixes. Richard Seletswane continued his wonderful form as he, too, brought up yet another fifty, contributing a blistering 53 from 23 deliveries, to see Saints cruise to victory.

Rondebosch‘s Jordan Neill proved his class with bat in hand against Affies, scoring a second consecutive century. He backed up his 130 not out against Westville with a classy 119 from only 61 deliveries.

Bongile Mfunelwa, meanwhile, continued to enhance his strong run tally for the tournament with an innings of 42. It seems as if Neill and Mfunelwa enjoy each other’s company as they combined for a 186-run partnership against Affies and a stand of 127 in their win over Westville.

For Affies, it was their stalwart Ruben Groenewald who stepped up to the plate with a blistering 53 off just 23 balls. Janco Purchase also chipped in with a powerful 35 and, together with important cameos from the rest of the Affie batters, the Pretoria side mustered a very competitive total of 212/7.

The Neill and Mfunela combination, however, proved to be a winning recipe for the Capetonians, who recorded a convincing victory with eight wickets to spare.

Summarised scorecards:

Waterkloof 237/4 (Marcus Bakker 169*, Divan Behrens 29; Marco Cato 2/44); Paarl Boys’ High 150/8 (Dian van der Merwe 46, Christiaan Wege 29; Jacques van Niekerk 2/10, Behrens 2/44). Waterkloof won by 87 runs.

Westville 177/7 (Max Robertson 67, Nicandro Kristna 35*, Aryan Gopalan 28; Lhuan-dre Pretorius 3/16, Kwena Maphaka 2/47); St Stithians 182/3 (Emile Odendaal 61, Richard Seletswane 52, Pretorius 26; Gopalan 2/40). St Stithian won by seven wickets.

Affies 212/7 (Ruben Groenewald 53, Janco Purchase 35, Jorich van Schalkwyk 34, Divan de Villiers 33, Lukas Janse van Rensburg 24; Raeeq Daniels 2/31, David Simon 2/33); Rondebosch 217/2 (Jordan Neill 119, Bongile Mfunelwa 42, Noah Heath 31; Andru van Zyl 1/34). Rondebosch won by eight wickets.

Wynberg Boys’ High 146/9 (Beni Hansen 28, Shadley Allie 26, Divan Linde 25; Wouter Kielblock 3/18, Rehan Lues 3/33, Zandre Boezaardt); Hoërskool Centurion 147/7 (Divan van Tonder 29, Judah Phillips 28, Pieter Naude 24, Morne Prinsloo 22, Elgun Broecker 22; Divan Linde 3/15). Centurion won by three wickets.

Willem Sevenster‘s match-winning performance of 113 from only 50 deliveries helped Menlopark cruise to a thumping 150-run victory over SACS in their last pool game in the Westvaal North-South T20 Tournament on Friday.

Opening the batting, Sevenster went out with the intent to take the game to the bowlers.

The wicketkeeper-batsman played some exquisite shots, but the feature of his innings was his ability to hit straight. His knock, played at a tremendous strike rate of 226, included 12 fours and a whopping seven sixes.

Marco Strydom and Pierre de Villiers continued the carnage, with both batting at a run rate of around 200. Strydom, too, peppered the straight boundaries, smashing 36 from just 19 balls. The southpaw, De Villiers, showed an appetite for the spinners, contributing a quickfire 32 in the latter stages of the innings, to help Menlopark tally an intimidating 239/8.

Unfortunately, facing a required run rate of 12 runs per over to win, the visitors from the South crumbled to a disappointing 89 all out. Oliver Whitehead tried valiantly with a counter-attacking 20 from 15 deliveries, but a decisive spell of 4/16 from Steve Stolk sank the SACS hopes of a remarkable victory.

Potchefstroom Volkskool bounced back in style after suffering defeat against Centurion earlier on day two by handing a strong Selborne College outfit a 43-run loss. Louis van Wyk was tremendous with the willow in hand, launching boundaries to all corners of the ground as he pummelled 103 not out from just 45 balls, which set the tone for the Volkies’ batsmen to come.

Berno de Klerk also got in on the act with a significant knock of his own, smashing 86 from 51 deliveries, to lift Volkskool to a massive total of 239 for 9 from their 20 overs.

Selborne, however, weren’t about to lay down and accept defeat. At the crease, they too got off to a good start. Jacques van der Merwe led the charge with a blistering 43 from just 15 balls. Together with Ben van der Merwe (38, 17b) and Ethan Currin (37, 26b) the side from the Eastern Cape put up a valiant fight.

But Berno de Klerk followed up his outstanding batting display with a wonderful spell of 3/41, which played a crucial role in holding the Selbornians to 196 all out.

Grey High came out on top in a one-wicket thriller, won off the last ball of the game, against St Andrew’s School. Kian Cambier‘s 49 from 31 and an important 34 from Marco Giaconi at the top of the order proved pivotal to Grey High’s successful chase of 175 for victory.

For Saints, it was the in-form André du Preez and captain, Connor Nel, who set the tone with the bat. Du Preez notched up a wonderful half-century scoring at more than a run a ball, while Nel’s 50 came off just 29 deliveries as they totalled 174 for 9.

Opening bowler Andrew Sobiech threw the cat amongst the pigeons with an impressive spell of 4/42 to undermine Grey’s run chase. Unfortunately for the Bloemfontein school, it was not quite enough as Grey High sneaked across the line to claim a hard-fought victory.

Summarised Scorecards:

Menlopark 239/8 (Willem Sevenster 113, Marco Strydom 36, Pierre de Villiers 32; Fayyaad Davids 3/49); SACS 89 (Oliver Whitehead 20; Steve Stolk 4/16, Tiaan Serfontein 2/20). Menlopark won by 150 runs.

Potchefstroom Volkskool 239/9 (Louis van Wyk 103*, Berno de Klerk 86, Kobus Pienaar 22; Thomas Marais 2/54); Selborne College 196/10 (Jacques van der Merwe 43, Ben van der Merwe 38, Ethan Currin 37, Aron Senekal 35; Berno de Klerk 3/41, Dian Liebenberg 2/31). Potchefstroom Volskool won by 43 runs.

St Andrew’s School 174/9 (André du Preez 50, Connor Nel 50, Schalk Liebenberg 36; Ben Ristow 2/23, Tristan Grudling 2/44); Grey High School 175/9 (Kian Cambier 49, Marco Giaconi 34; Andrew Sobiech 4/42, Dakalo Leketa 2/15, Conor Nel 2/31). Grey High School won by one wicket.