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Rondebosch Boys’ High claimed the honours at the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield after a hard-fought but convincing 12-7 win over St John’s College in the final in Makhanda on Sunday.

‘Bosch, who entered the tournament after impressing in the pre-season and the opening round of the SACS Nite Series, was, by far, the most impressive team throughout the four-day event.

They played entertaining water polo, scored bucketloads of goals, and defended strongly.

Coach Jared Wingate-Pearse’s charges were drawn in Pool B, along with Paul Roos Gimnasium, Hilton College, St John’s, Selborne College, and Grey High School.

They dominated their pool, scoring 52 goals and conceding just 35.

The Cape Town school kept their winning record going in the knockout stages, handing SACS a 13-9 defeat in the quarterfinals before rolling to an 11-6 win over Selborne in the semi-finals. St John’s defeated another southern suburbs power, Bishops Diocesan College, 8-6 in their semifinal.

‘Bosch was not about to let history repeat itself. They went down a goal behind early on but quickly recovered to take control of the contest.

After the first chukka, they led 3-1, thanks to goals from Luke Burger, James Pinnock, and stalwart Noah Reiback.

St John’s came out fighting in the second chukka, with coach Vlado Trninic’s charges tigerishly refusing to go down without a fight. They netted three goals through Christopher Chapman, Sebastian Bruinders, and Luke Towell but Rondebosch kept chipping away and another Reiback strike, followed by a Rupert Robinson goal, lifted them into a 5-4 lead at the halfway mark.

The third quarter, the “championship chukka,” was tightly contested and produced four goals, two for each side, as the action intensified.

Jack Robinson, Rupert’s brother, and Joshua Ripsold extended ‘Bosch’s lead before Nicholas Searle scored twice for St John’s to make it Rondebosch 7, St John’s 6, heading into the final chukka.

With the game on the line, the Johannesburg outfit was outplayed in the final chukka and mustered only a consolation goal scored by Ethan Wilcocks. ‘Bosch, meanwhile, racked up five more goals, with Reiback striking twice more before the Robinson brothers completed their doubles.

Kieran Bennewith added another as Rondebosch completed a deserved victory to ensure the SAC Shield remains in the Western Cape. Last year, it went to SACS.

The bronze medal match was between Bishops Diocesan College and Selborne College. Both sides were eager to end their campaigns on a high after missing out on the title game.

It was Bishops, under the guidance of coach Jabulani Sibiya, who delivered the necessary performance and recorded a 9-4 win to take third place, one year after going down in the final to SACS.

Hilton College finished as the best of the KwaZulu-Natal teams, in fifth place, while Clifton College claimed seventh spot.

Grey High School had a tournament to forget, going winless after Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) beat them in the playoff for 11th and 12th.

Scorers in the final

Rondebosch Boys’ High 12: Noah Reiback (4), Rupert Robinson (2), Jack Robinson (2), Luke Burger, James Pinnock, Joshua Ripsold, Kieran Bennewith. St John’s College 7: Nicholas Searle (2), Simon Mussett, Luke Towell, Sebastian Bruinders, Ethan Wilcocks, Christopher Chapman.

RESULTS DAY 4

11th/12th – Paul Roos Gimnasium 9-8 Grey High School
9th/10th – St Andrew’s College 9-5 Westville Boys’ High
7th/8th – Clifton College 9-7 St Stithians College
5th/6th – Hilton College 10-9 SACS
3rd/4th – Bishops Diocesan College 9-4 Selborne College
1st/2nd – Rondebosch Boys’ High 12-7 St John’s College

Herschel Girls School, from Claremont, in Cape Town, successfully defended the Brian Baker Water Polo Tournament title on Sunday.

They made it back-to-back titles after beating Reddam House Bedfordview in the title game. Last year, they scored a 14-11 win over Reddam House Constantia to lift the winner’s shield.

In Sunday’s showdown, Herschel started positively and exerted pressure on Reddam House Bedfordview, and that pressure was rewarded when Herschel won a penalty.

Charlotte Wiltshire took the shot and made it count, netting with a top-left bounce shot to put the defending champions ahead.

The tempo of the game picked up after the goal and within three minutes Reddam Bedfordview retaliated with a brilliant strike from Caitlin Scrimgeour.

With both sides battling away, Herschel broke the tie, with Kirsten Bottger getting her name onto the scoresheet. Reddam House, again, found a reply, this time through Alisha Beswick, with her goal levelling matters for Alex Hawkins’ charges.

A Nina Wades’ goal extended the Capetonians’ advantage to two goals, and Wades netted again to put her team three goals to the good.

Reddam Bedfordview was firmly on the back foot, but Caitlin Scrimgeour gave them some hope by netting a third goal for the Gauteng school. Heading into the final chukka, Herschel led 5-3.

The defending champs dialled up the pressure even more with a quarter to go, which delivered them a sixth goal.

In response, Coach Malcolm Ackermann’s Reddam Bedfordview side fought their way down the pool and won a penalty, which they buried to reduce the gap to two points. However, that’s how it ended, with Herschel running out the winners by a 6-4 margin as they clinched the Brian Baker title again.

In the playoff for the bronze medal, Reddam House Constantia beat St Stithians College, with last year’s runners-up winning a tight contest 5-4.

It was a good improvement for Saints, who, after an all-conquering 2023, had to settle for ninth in 2024.

Roedean School, the early pace-setters, took fifth after a 9-5 win over St Anne’s Diocesan College, while DSG Makhanda beat Durban Girls College (DGC) 5-3 to take seventh place.

Although they lost on Sunday, St Anne’s improved from 12th in 2024 to sixth in 2025.

RESULTS

Stirling 10-0 Alexander Road – 19th/20th
Pearson 7-4 Woodridge – 17th/18th
Hudson Park 7-5 Collegiate – 15th/16th
St Dominic’s 6-4 Glenwood House – 13th/14th
St Mary’s Waverley 6-5 Kingswood – 11th/12th
Clarendon 6-3 Rhenish – 9th/10th
DSG Makhanda 5-3 Durban Girls’ College 7th/8th
Roedean 9-5 St Anne’s – 5th/6th
Reddam House Constantia 5-4 St Stithians – 3rd/4th

FINAL

Herschel 6-4 Reddam House Bedfordview

Diocesan College (Bishops) is the champion of the Western Cape.

Bishops convincingly defeated Paarl Boys’ High by nine wickets on Sunday in the Western Cape final of the Schools SA20 to book their place in the national final of the competition.

Boishaai batted first in the final played on the Recreational Ground in Oudtshoorn. They reached 112/7 in their allotted 20 overs thanks to contributions by Bjorn Berry (36) and Ra-eez Isaacs (26).

Bishops’ Waco Bassick (3/19) was the thorn in Boishaai’s flesh. Bassick removed both opening batsmen, Abriam Jacobs (2) and Brent Goosen (1), without them troubling the scorers too much. Jacobs and Goosen were in top form throughout the tournament and would have been targeted by Bishops if they were to beat Boishaai.

Bishops defeated Boishaai by four wickets in the opening match in Oudtshoorn in a cross-pool match. Jacobs (54) struck a half-century in that clash. They booked their place in the regional final with a convincing 99-run victory over SACS in the semi-finals.

In their two pool matches, they defeated Paarl Gimnasium by 32 runs and D’Almeida Hub by nine wickets.

Diocesan College reached the winning target in the final against Boishaai in the 15th over with Kyle Stirk (63*) and James Robb-Quinlan (24*) taking them home. Samuel Stavely-Alexander (26) also made a solid contribution with the bat.

Three other schools have also already booked their place in the national final to be held in Pretoria in March. They are Northwood (KwaZulu-Natal), St Andrew’s School (Central Region), and Pearson of Gqeberha (Eastern Cape).

Summarised Scorecard: 

Paarl Boys’ High 112/7 (Bjorn Berry 36, Ra-eez Isaacs 26; Waco Bassick 3/19; Diocesan College 116/1 (Kyle Stirk 63*, Samuel Stavely-Alexander 26, James Robb-Quinlan 24*; Reese Petersen 1/20). Diocesan College won by nine wickets.

Playing on Goldstone’s, Maritzburg College continued their strong start to 2025 with a commanding 84-run win over Glenwood High School on Saturday.

College batted first after winning the toss and lost an early wicket, but Daniel Nadasan and Reece Willson steadied their innings. They took their time to build a solid platform while adding 44 runs in 99 balls for the second wicket.

Willson departed for 25, caught by Olwandi Zondi off Krian Jugoo‘s bowling, and Jugoo made it two in two when he had Karl Dedekind caught by Akhil Maharaj.

The Red, Black, and White consolidated through Nadasan and Luan van der Merwe, who advanced the total by 49 runs before Van der Merwe fell to Kyle Bryan for 28. Nadasan went on to College’s highest score of 45. It had taken him a patient 118 balls, but it was a crucial contribution.

Bits ‘n pieces contributions from Tian van Niekerk, Sphamandla Dzanibe, Kyle de Bruin, and Dom du Toit helped College to 183/8 after their 50 overs. On the evidence of previous matches on Goldstone’s in 2025, that would be a tough total to chase down.

Krian Jugoo led the Glenwood attack, claiming 3/30 from 10, while Mishael Gunawardana picked up 2/10 in two.

Much like Daniel Nadasan did opening the batting for College, Rehaan Jhungbathur played a solid anchor role for Glenwood. However, whereas Nadasan found some support, Jhungbathur came up empty.

He spent a good amount of time at the crease, making 46 from 107 before he was bowled by Nadasan. No other Glenwood batsmen reached double figures.

When Jhungbathur was the seventh man out, Glenwood was limping on 90/7 after 35 overs. They added nine more runs before being bowled out.

Nathan Pembridge was the pick of the home side’s bowlers, snapping up 4/30 from 10, while Reece Willson returned 2/12 from seven. Nadasan’s contribution was a neat 2/9 from three overs.

One of the features of College’s early successes this year has been how different bowlers have produced star performances in different matches. The danger comes at the opposition from many angles.

Glenwood will be looking forward to the return of SA u19 all-rounder Bandile Mbatha. He was a strong performer for SA u19 in their 2-1 Youth ODI series win over England u19.

Scorecard

Maritzburg College 183/8 (Daniel Nadasan 45, Luan van der Merwe 28, Reece Willson 25, Krian Jugoo 3/30, Mishael Gunawardana 2/10); Glenwood 99/10 (Rehaan Jhungbathur 46, Nathan Pembridge 4/30, Daniel Nadasan 2/9, Reece Willson 2/13). Maritzburg College won by 84 runs.

Hilton College pushed Northwood School to the limit in the KZN regional finals of the Schools SA20 just over a week ago but succumbed to successive defeats with only three balls left in each of those contests. On Saturday, at Northwood, the Knights scored a more comfortable seven-wicket victory in a limited-overs game.

The toss went Hilton captain Ben Hockly‘s way and he chose to bat first. The visitors, though, found run-scoring a grind as Northwood’s attack delivered a disciplined performance.

James Ogilby and Alex Pitman put on 24 for the first wicket, batting at four runs an over, but matters became a lot slower later. Pitman made his way to 23 but, unfortunately for Hilton, he was run out. Stewart Falconer, in a seven, made 20, which was second only to Pitman’s score.

Northwood’s bowlers tied Hilton in knots. Left-arm spinner Jordan Matthews was the pick of the bunch, snaring 3/14 in 10. He was well supported by Connor Leclezio, who picked up 1/19 in 10, and Ben Cilliers, who took 1/22 from his 10. Skipper Kyle White conceded only three runs from his four overs. Add that up and that’s 5/58 in 34 overs.

That huge pressure led to Hilton College mustering only 110/8 from their 50 overs, which included just four boundaries.

Credit to Hilton’s bowlers, they made Northwood work hard for their runs, but 110 was never going to be enough unless wickets fell at a fast and furious rate. Very early on, they did, with Sechaba Gude removing David de Bruyn and Tuswa Phetha with the Knights’ innings only into its third over.

Ross McGlashan has been in good form, though, and the opener found solid support from Kyle White. They added 55 from 118 balls together. It was slow going, but it was exactly what Northwood needed. When their partnership ended, McGlashan was the man to go, out for 31 from 58 balls, caught by Stewart Falconer off Benoit Rey.

Still, the home side had 28 overs to score another 49 runs. It took them 12.1 overs.

White led from the front, finishing with 50 not out from 113 deliveries, with four fours and a beautiful straight six back over the bowler just before victory was clinched. Alistair Duncan, at the other end, finished with 17 not out, and the pair shared an unbroken 48-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Sechaba Gude claimed 2/20 from five overs, while Benoit Rey kept the Knights in check, capturing 1/19 in 10. Luke Campbell was tight, too, conceding only 12 runs from his eight overs, but Hilton didn’t have enough runs to defend.

Michaelhouse vs St Charles College

St Charles College, beaten at home by Clifton College a week earlier, visited Michaelhouse and bounced back in style with an impressive 68-run victory on the Roy Gathorne Oval.

The toss went the home team’s way and they elected to bowl first, but Saints made a steady start, with Thando Zama and Covhan Baatjies sharing an opening stand of 34 runs, which lasted almost 12 overs before Michaelhouse, at last, made the breakthrough.

Baatjies was out for 15, and his effort became a bit of a theme in the St Charles’ innings, with five batsmen making it into the teens without exiting them. Zama, though, anchored the innings. He scored a patient 54 from 101 balls, hitting four fours. When he became the fourth batsman to lose his wicket, Zama had shepherded Saints to 114.

His wicket, though, was the middle of three that went down within the space of three runs, which saw St Charles slip from 114/2 to 117/5. They kept grafting, however, and went on to 172 all out after 48.3 overs.

Opening bowler, Luke Mitchell, led the ‘House attack, claiming 3/29 from nine overs, while Harry Vickery nabbed 2/19 from five. Michael Blignaut returned a neat 2/28 from 10.

It looked as if it was going to be a reasonably comfortable run chase for Michaelhouse when Ethan Muir and Kian Blignaut put on 59 from the first wicket in just over 12 overs. Muir was bowled by Ryan Clarke for 29 to break that stand, but that was merely the beginning of a match-winning performance from the bowler. He got rid of Blignaut, too, for 32. That would prove to be Michaelhouse’s best individual score.

Ben Heuer, batting third in the order, stood firm, making an unbeaten 20 from 56 balls, but the rest of the batsmen crumbled, with none of them reaching double figures.

From 72/2, Michaelhouse collapsed to 102 all out, with the last five wickets going down for only one run.

Clarke was excellent, capturing 6/24 from his 10 overs, including a hat-trick, but he didn’t do it alone. AJ Bosman laid waste to the ‘House innings, knocking over 4/5 in four overs.

Scorecards

Hilton College 110/8 (Alex Pitman, Stewart Falconer 20, Jordan Matthew 3/14); Northwood School 111/3 (Kyle White 50*, Ross McGlashan 31, Sechaba Gude 2/20). Northwood won by 7 wickets.

St Charles College 170/10 (Thando Zama 54, Luke Mitchell 3/29, Harry Vickery 2/19, Michael Blignaut 2/28); Michaelhouse 102/10 (Kian Blignaut 32, Ethan Muir 29, Ben Heuer 20*, Ryan Clarke 6/24, AJ Bosman 4/5). St Charles College won by 68 runs.

Kearsney College, with only two grade 12 learners in their 1st XI, having bade farewell to a host of established stars at the end of 2024, shocked Durban High School on Saturday, scoring a 32-run win on the AH Smith Oval in Botha’s Hill.

Their victory had plenty to do with a superb innings from grade 9 learner, Asher Hollister, who played for the school’s u14A team last year. Kearsney’s winning team also contained four grade 10 boys.

There was plenty of pace and bounce in the wicket, but Kearsney chose to bat first. DHS’s two speedsters, Taine Havermann and the express-paced Bayand Majola revelled in the conditions.

Havermann took the new ball and challenged the host’s batsmen, capturing 4/40 in 10. Majola, who played for the SA u19 Emerging team last year, has been working his way back from a groin injury and didn’t bowl last week against Northwood. Despite coach Fabian Lazarus declaring Majola only about 70 percent fit, he generated good pace from his first delivery, as the first change bowler. In 10 overs, he knocked over 5/25.

Rivan Moodley, opening the innings, did a sound job, spending 49 balls out in the middle and making 34, including four fours, before he holed out off the bowling of Majola, caught on the leg side by Sibusiso Msibi after trying to go over the top. Together with Hollister, he added 43 for the third wicket after Kearsney stumbled to 7/2 in the third over.

Hollister, meanwhile, hung around to make the highest score of the match by some margin. He faced 89 deliveries for his 54 and struck five fours and a six. His composure in the face of some quick bowling, which was aided by the wicket, was impressive, and he even managed a sweet and beautifully controlled pull off a Bayanda Majola short ball.

Aaron Blackburn chipped in with a valuable 29, facing 37 balls, one of which he dispatched over the boundary, with two more being played into it.

After 45 of their 50 overs, Kearsney was bowled out for 166.

Unfortunately for DHS, for a second week in succession, opening batsman, Ismaeel Omar, a steady and reliable run contributor in 2024, was dismissed for a duck, with Hollister pouching the catch off the bowling of Litha Gonya.

Akthar Basha and Taine Havermann steadied the DHS reply with a measured second-wicket partnership of 45 from 79 balls before Daniel Miskey broke the stand, bowling Havermann for 26.

Josh van Biljon, a standout performer for the Coastal Gladiators at the Cubs Week, made his way out to the middle, but Basha didn’t stay around much longer. He was out four overs later, gone for 21, also bowled by Miskey.

Van Biljon bided his time but saw three more batsmen depart while he was at the crease. Then, when Van Biljon was bowled by Matthew Gorrie for 21, only one ball after the dismissal of Bayanda Majola, Kearsney was very firmly on top, with School struggling on 92/7.

Dhilan Naraidu offered some resistance, making 19, while trying to drag DHS to victory. Their innings lasted another 15 overs after the departure of Van Biljon, but more significant contributions had been needed from the top of their batting order.

Bonga Maphanga ended the contest with the first ball of the 46th over when he bowled Ethan Jenkins for two. DHS was all out for 134.

Rivan Moodley did an outstanding job with the ball, snapping up 3/24 in 10 overs, and every bowler Kearsney used grabbed at least one wicket. Miskey claimed a crucial 2/14 off five, while Maphanga captured 2/20 off 8.1.

A plucky performance from Kearsney earned them a somewhat unexpected but well-deserved 32-run victory.

Clifton College vs Westville Boys’ High School

At the Riverside Sports Club, Westville Boys’ High, who lost their unbeaten start to the season at Maritzburg College the previous weekend, scored an impressive 50-run win over Clifton College.

The visitors opted to bat after winning the toss, but they didn’t make the best of starts, losing both of their opening batsmen with only 20 runs on the board. The pitch was taking turn and Clifton had a useful line-up of spin bowlers to make use of the helpful surface.

However, Sean McGough and Seth Simpson brought their side back into the contest, producing a 59-run partnership for the third wicket. It was brought to an end by Clifton’s dangerman, leg-spinner Shiraz Perumal, who bowled McGough for 32. The Westville batsman had hit two sixes and a four in his 46-ball stay.

Simpson was out nine runs later, also bowled by Perumal, for the Griffin’s top score of 37. He had faced 48 deliveries and hit four fours and a six.

Kyle McGough spent longer at the crease than anyone else, compiling 25 runs from 61 balls. Again, Perumal removed a set batsman, trapping McGough in front.

Later, Dalayan Boyce, batting ninth in the order, chipped with a much-needed 19 not out, which helped Westville to 162 all out after 45.2 overs.

Perumal was a shining light for Clifton, snaring 5/37 from his 10 overs. Caleb Naicker, Clifton’s star performer in a win over St Charles College last weekend, captured 2/22 from 7.2 overs, while Blake Johnson and Muhammed Malek bowled tightly, picking up 1/36 and 1/35 respectively from their 10 overs.

Clifton’s run pursuit suffered a hammer blow when Muhammed Malek was run out early in their reply. Hayden Drieselmann and Byron Ward also failed to get going as the opening bowlers, Lwandile Bulose and Dayalan Boyce claimed their wickets. On 16/3, Clifton was in trouble.

Captain Tim Saulez and Zach Williamson were kept in check by tight bowling from Westville, but they added 34 runs before Williamson was caught off the bowling of Misbah Nair. Then, it became the Tristan Delvin show.

The left-arm spinner was responsible for the next four wickets to fall, which left Clifton wobbling on 92/7. Bowling beautifully, he snared 4/22 from his 10 overs, three of which were maidens. Ewan du Toit, another classy left-arm spinner, nabbed 1/29 from his 10, exerting pressure on Clifton with his miserly bowling.

The home side’s skipper, Tim Saulez, stood firm, however, making 68 from 95 balls, including five fours, which was, by far, the highest score of the match. His resistance was, at last, ended by Dayalan Boyce, with Saulez becoming the last wicket to fall with Clifton on 112.

Boyce finished with 2/13 from 3.4 overs, while Lwandile Bulose took 1/6 in three, and Misbah Nair 1/15 in five as Westville won because they handled the challenging pitch better.

Summarised scorecards

Kearsney College 166/10 (Asher Hollister 54, Rivan Moodley 34, Aaron Blackburn 29, Bayanda Majola 5/25, Taine Havermann 4/40); Durban High School 134/10 (Taine Havermann 26, Joshua van Biljon 21, Akthar Basha 21, Rivan Moodley 3/24, Daniel Miskey, Bonga Maphanga 2/20). Kearsney College won by 32 runs.

Westville Boys’ High 162/10 (Seth Simpson 37, Sean McGough 32, Kyle McGough 25, Shiraz Perumal 5/37, Caleb Naicker 2/22); Clifton College 112/10 (Tim Saulez 68, Tristan Delvin 4/22, Dayalan Boyce 2/23). Westville Boys’ High won by 50 runs.

Rhys Wiblin produced a brilliant all-round performance for St Andrew’s College as they played out a draw in their declaration match against Kingswood College at City Lords, in Makhanda, on Saturday.

Queen’s College and Dale College also crossed swords in a declaration match at Dale College. It, too, ended in a draw.

Wiblin struck a brilliant unbeaten century to lead St Andrew’s College to 242/4 declared against their archrivals. Then, he was at the forefront with the ball, taking three wickets as St Andrew’s restricted Kingswood to 122/9 in reply.

St Andrew’s won the toss, elected to bat first, and made the best of the decision. Wiblin led the charge with an outstanding and unbeaten 126 off 170 balls. He shared the crease with five different partners and was part of three stands that contributed 50 or more runs to his team’s total.

The first was a 93-run second-wicket stand with Myles Sansom, who joined Wiblin in the middle in the fourth over, following William Beamish’s dismissal. Sansom, with 53, scored the lion’s share of the runs in the partnership.

The next useful stand that included Wiblin was a 53-run fourth-wicket partnership with Benjamin Coventry (21). After Coventry’s dismissal, Wiblin joined forces with Ben Scharges (30*) for an unbroken 87-run fifth-wicket partnership.

Patrick Mouton starred with the ball for Kingswood, grabbing three wickets for 59 runs in 15 overs. Franco Klopper was the other wicket-taker, claiming one wicket for 30 runs from eight overs.

Kingswood’s reply was anything but smooth. They struggled out of the gate, losing four wickets for 20 runs in the first 10 overs.

Patrick Mouton (36) and Chris Zimmerman (25) arrested the procession of wickets with a 55-run fifth-wicket partnership that stabilised the Kingswood innings. However, after it was broken, Kingswood struggled to form further partnerships. Only David Louden was able to match Mouton and Zimmerman with a score of higher than 20.

Rhys Wiblin was St Andrew’s most successful bowler with three wickets for 25 runs in 14 overs, while William Beamish chipped in with two wickets for 28 runs in eight overs.

Dale College vs Queen’s College

Lihumelo Ncukana registered a five-wicket haul for Dale College, knocking over 5/27 in 13.3 overs when his side took on Queen’s College in Qonce.

His first scalp was that of Aiden van Jaarsveld in the eighth over, which gave Dale College a foothold in the contest because it came only nine balls after Dale had claimed their first wicket.

That double strike destabilised the visitors’ innings and set the tone for the rest of their batting effort, during which they lost wickets at regular intervals. Their highest partnership was a moderate 28 runs for the eighth wicket between Rowan Miles and Chulumanco Geza. Duncan Hayes was the best of the Queen’s batsmen, though, scoring 47 off 70 balls, as the visitors tallied 177 all out.

In reply, Inga Mafanga stroked 11 fours and three sixes for his 109 off 106 balls, to lead Dale to 208/6 in response. When he arrived at the crease in the eighth over, the home side was unsteady on 23/2. Mafanga, though, spent 38 overs at the crease and held Dale’s innings together.

Mthoko Mbambo was the most successful bowler for Queen’s, bagging two wickets for 35 runs in nine overs.

Scorecards

St Andrew’s College 242/4d (Rhys Wiblin 126, Myles Sansom 53, Patrick Mouton 3/59, Franco Klopper 1/30). Kingswood 122/9 (Patrick Mouton 36, Chris Zimmerman 25, Rhys Wiblin 3/25, William Beamish 2/28). The match was drawn.

Queen’s College 177/10 (Duncan Hayes 47, Chulumanco Geza 23, Lihumelo Ncukana 5/27, Sibongisile Nzima 2/28). Dale College 208/6 (Inga Mafanga 109, Endinako Mnguni 27, Mthoko Mbambo 2/35, Caleb Waller 1/17). The match was drawn.

Luka Plekker stroked an outstanding century to help Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) register a 10-wicket win over Grey High School in a two-day declaration match played at Grey High on Friday and Saturday.

After the visitors had limited Grey to only 140 in their first innings, Plekker compiled a patient 104 off 176 balls, which included 10 fours and two sixes. His composed knock led the visitors to a healthy 202-run first innings lead.

The Stellenbosch side chose to field after winning the toss and made use of seven bowlers, with all of them making an impact.

The most expensive economy rate came from James Holm, but he picked up a wicket for only seven runs in a single over. Nathan van der Berg performed an exemplary job, snapping up three wickets for 21 runs in nine overs. Plekker, too, chipped in, dismissing Anfred Jansen and Nathan Howell for 29 runs from 10 overs.

Logan Goddard-Ford battled hard for Grey, keeping the PRG’s attack at bay as scored 55 runs from 93 deliveries.

Paul Roos replied with 342/6 declared, which gave them an intimidating first innings. Plekker’s ton was the cornerstone of their total, but there were many other good contributions. In, after the fall of the first wicket, Plekker shared a 122-run second-wicket partnership with Etienne Serfontein (62). That was one of two major partnerships that put Paul Roos in control. The second was a 114-run third-wicket stand between Plekker and Matthew Seymore (63).

Liam Basson (67) became the third Paul Roos batsman to record a half-century as Grey High’s bowlers toiled for little reward. Nathan Howell, Markus Potgieter, Matthew Tinley, Anfred Jansen, and Teun Kloppeneburg finished with a wicket each.

Jansen stood tall in Grey’s second innings with a brisk half-century. The all-rounder lashed 76 runs off 50 balls to help the home team to 232 all out the second time around. He was also part of an industrious 115-run sixth-wicket partnership with Goddard-Ford, who weighed in with 44 to come close to a half-century in both innings.

Grey’s downfall was their inability to stitch together partnerships, and the one between Jansen and Goddard-Ford stuck out like a sore thumb in a desultory innings.

Nathan van der Berg was, again, the destroyer-in-chief for Paul Roos, knocking over five for 25 in 10.5 overs. That left him with an impressive match haul of eight wickets for 46 runs from 19.5 overs.

Requiring only 32 to win, Paul Roos chased down those runs in 8.2 overs. Enré van Zyl and Etienne Serfontein had no trouble as they shepherded the visitors home with an unbroken 34-run opening partnership.

Scorecards

Grey High first innings 140/10 (Logan Goddard-Ford 55, Charl Posthumus 20, Nathan van der Berg 3/21, Luka Plekker 2/29). Paul Roos first innings 342/6d (Luka Plekker 104, Liam Basson 67, Teun Kloppenburg 1/23, Nathan Howell 1/47). Grey High second innings 232/10 (Anfred Jansen 76, Logan Goddard-Ford 44, Nathan van der Berg 5/25, Etienne Serfontein 3/30). Paul Roos second innings 34/0 (Enre van Zyl 10*, Etienne Serfontein 15*, Iviwe Mazomba 0/1, Conner Parry 0/1). Paul Roos won by 10 wickets.

Keegan Caxeiro and Zizi Mkhize carved outstanding half-centuries to lay the foundation for Jeppe High School for Boys’ comprehensive 176-run home win over St Benedict’s on Saturday.

Across town, Dian Taljaard slashed an unbeaten 66 to help Noordheuwel to a six-wicket win at St Stithians. 

Jeppe’s coach, Casey Arnold, tinkered with his batting order, moving Ryan Young, who has done well at the top of the order, into the middle order, and elevating Zizi Mkhize up a few rungs. That move paid dividends as Mkhize and Munib Ayob gave Jeppe an excellent start with a 102-run opening partnership.

That opening stand formed the foundation of Jeppe’s 292-run total. Mkhize scored an outstanding 78 off 90 balls, while Ayob contributed 34 runs. However, after their partnership was broken, Jeppe suffered a collapse.

Three wickets went down for the addition of only 10 runs in 2.4 overs. Arnold’s charges regrouped and took the game away from Bennies with an 83-run fifth-wicket partnership between Caxeiro and Adam Franken. Caxeiro top-scored for Jeppe with a superb 86 off 76 deliveries.

Ed Smith bagged four wickets for 51 runs from 10 overs for St Benedict’s, which included the crucial wickets of Munib Ayob, Aiden Reyneke, Ryan Young, and Tiago Almeida. However, his four-wicket haul was trumped by Munib Ayob’s four wickets for 37 runs in seven overs for Jeppe.

Ayob was one of five Jeppe bowlers to strike against Bennies. Zizi Mkhize and Sipho Potsane bagged a brace, and Reza Ayob and Franco Nortjie picked up one each.

Jeppe’s bowling was on point, restricting St Benedict’s from playing expansive shots, and that resulted in only one visiting batsman getting beyond 30 runs. Matthew Hickman-Steel top-scored with a laboured 34 off 72, which almost doubled the 18 scored by Alex Johnson and Cruz Pillay, Bennies’ next-highest scorers.

In Sandton, Dian Taljaard flayed an unbeaten 66 off 62 to power Noordheuwel to 124/4 after 22.3 overs and a six-wicket victory over St Stithians. After finding himself at the crease in the fourth over, the number three batsman buckled down and led his side across the finishing line.

In the early going, Noordheuwel struggled to put partnerships together, but, Taljaard’s 64-run third-wicket partnership with Ethan Smith, who made 22, made all the difference. An unbroken 18-run stand with Brandon Pieters secured the victory.

St Stithians, batting first, lost wickets at regular intervals and stumbled to only 121 all out in 34.3 overs. Zaakir Hanslo and Nqaba Mathunda’s 20-run 10th-wicket partnership was their highest in the match. That light total was going to be very difficult to defend.

The host’s inability to get going was because JD Bezuidenhout, Tristan Helmand, Gomolemo Sibi, and Sage Pretorius gave little away. Between them, the quartet captured eight wickets, two each, as they pummeled St Stithians. Sibi returned the best figures of two wickets for 16 runs from 7.3 overs, while Bezuidenhout was hot on his heels with two wickets for 25 runs in eight overs.

Also in Sandton, despite Roberto Mariano’s valiant 93 off 92 balls, St David’s Marist Inanda fell to a 55-run home defeat at the hands of Affies on the La Valla Oval.

The visitors won the toss, elected to bat first, and tallied a daunting 329 all out in their 50 overs. Christian Linde carved eight fours and a single six on his way to 76 off 86, and Dylan Stander struck a hasty 50 off 36.

Morteza Manack’s three-wicket haul and a brace of wickets each from Hayden Campbell, Christopher Emslie, and Kyle Butler were not enough to stem the tide, just as Mariano’s near-century wasn’t quite enough to help St David’s overhaul Affies’ big total.

Scorecards

Jeppe 292/10 (Keegan Caxeiro 86, Zizi Mkhize 78, Ed Smith 4/51, Mark Munava 3/44). St Benedic’s 116/10 (Matthew Hickman-Steel 34, Alex Johnson 18, Munib Ayob 4/37, Zizi Mkhize 2/8). Jeppe won by 176 runs.

St Stithians 121/10 (Zaakir Hanslo 23, Matthew Anderson 20, Gomolemo Sibi 2/19, JD Bezuidenhout 2/25). Noordheuwel 124/4 (Dian Taljaard 66*, Ethan Smith 22, Tendai Kadyamadare 1/8, Zaakir Hanslo 1/22). Noordheuwel won by six wickets.

Affies 329/10 (Christian Linde 76, Dylan Stander 50, Morteza Manack 3/57, Hayden Campbell 2 /60). St David’s 274/10 (Roberto Mariano 93, Armaan Manack 41, Nico Loggenberg 2/18, Zian Labuschagne 2/64). Affies won by 55 runs.