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St David’s Marist Inanda is shifting gears and focus as they look forward to limited overs cricket at the forthcoming Michaelmas Festival in late September.

The Jeff Levin-coached outfit began their preseason by recording back-to-back wins over St Andrew’s School and Bishops Diocesan College at the St David’s Fasken Time Cricket Festival.

“We’re fortunate enough to be invited to the Michaelmas Festival. It will help us get a few limited overs matches under our belt before we get into our main season,” Dave Nosworthy, the St David’s Director of Cricket, said. “It will give our side a little more experience. We’re going into this term with quite a young but exciting side.”

Nosworthy is looking forward to seeing what his side can do, not only at the Michaelmas Festival but through the season. The St David’s brand of cricket has evolved over the years. For a long time, the school resembled a medium pacer with limited skill who bowled a tight line. They did enough to compete, but they were not a big threat.

“We’ve grown our base and our depth to a position where we’re able to ensure that we’re taking games to the opposition, being as positive and aggressive as possible where the game allows it, all while ensuring that our cricket awareness levels are as good as anybody,” Nosworthy said, explaining how St David’s have evolved their game.

Nosworthy, who spent many years coaching in professional cricket, sourced competent support for Levin from that world. He brought in Grant Mokoena, a former SA u19 player, who enjoyed a career that spanned 18 years with the DP World Lions, the Multiply Titans, and the AET Auto Investments North West Dragons. Aya Myoli, another former first-class cricketer, is also part of the coaching staff, whose focus is bowling. Beyond the 1st XI, he also works with the U16, U15, and U14 outfits.

The trio, with the help of the rest of the St David’s cricket staff working with all the cricket teams, has been able to push the team forward in its transformation into a side and a school that plays smart-aggressive cricket. They hope to get the best out of this year’s crop, which is captained by Samrat Basu. The top-order batsman is also handy with the ball, a competent leg spinner with the ability to partner with the team’s frontline spinners, Ethan Greenstein and Morteza Manack.

“We have an all-round factor,” Nosworthy reckoned. “Our batting is very strong, and we bat deep and have got lots of bowling options. In the past, we struggled sometimes with that, but this year we have seam options, with different change-ups.”

Jason Rowles, who was selected for the SA Emerging u19 side that tours Zimbabwe in mid-to-late September, opens the batting with Armaan Manack, who had an outstanding year with the bat last year. Like his twin, Morteza, Armaan is a batting all-rounder. St David’s also has the wicketkeeping talents of Kamolemo Phiri. Phiri is the younger brother of Gomolemo Phiri, the dynamic middle-order batter who turned out for the Gauteng Lions at the previous Khaya Majola Week. Like his brother, Kamolemo is also dangerous with the bat.

With the ball, St David’s will have more than their all-rounders to rely upon. The all-rounders will be there to back up the frontline bowlers. They have the talents of a young and exciting fast bowler, Kyle Butler, whose serious pace makes one forget that he is only 16 years of age. He’ll be supported by Jared Beilings, Chris Emslie and Jared Stern.

St David’s also has Hayden Campbell, Khutso Sekgobela, and Robbie Mariano, who have all turned out for the Lions at u16 provincial level, to further enhance their batting lineup.

They will, though, be without the services of Matthew West, who captained the side earlier in the season, and who was a prolific run scorer. He’s currently attending Lions’ trials and together with Reece Reddy will miss the Michaelmas fixtures to focus on preparing for the matric exams.

In addition to their focus on batting and bowling, St David’s has worked on being a tight unit when in the field. They’re seeking ways to close down spaces, prevent singles, and reduce twos to singles. Besides challenging for the title in their league, this multi-pronged approach has St David’s geared up for a good go at the newly unveiled Schools SA20 tournament.

“It’s high pressure in terms of knockouts. You just get one or two chances to get it right when you only have three or four games to make it through to the Nationals,” Nosworthy reflected.

“It’s not a long competition, very much a knockout competition, but our team is quite well geared for T20 cricket, so hopefully we can stand up and be counted.”

St David’s Fixtures

Michaelmas Week

21 Sep v Kearsney
22 Sep v Michaelhouse
23 Sep v Northwood
24 Sep v Maritzburg College

2024 season

2 Oct v St Benedicts (h) T20
5 Oct v St Benedicts (a) 50
9 Oct v KES (a) JW*
11 Oct v TBA SA20
12 Oct v Northcliff (h) 50
16 Oct v St Stithians (h) JW
19 Oct v St John’s (h)  50
23 Oct v Queens (a) J W
30 Oct v Helpmekaar (h) JW
2 Nov v Pretoria Boys (h) 50

*JW denotes Johnny Waite Trophy

Die Noordvaal Skolerugby-vereniging (NVSRV) sal vanaand tydens ‘n vergadering so bietjie poets aan die SDC Noordvaal Cup se struktuur.

“Die struktuur van dié reeks moet dinamies bly. Krag teen krag bly vir ons ongelooflik belangrik. Ons het wel versoeke ontvang en daar is ‘n paar opsies op die tafel. So ons moet maar die politoer uithaal en so bietjie poets aan die struktuur,” het Tinus Diedericks, voorsitter van die NVSRV gesê.

Die huidige struktuur van die kompetisie is sedert 2018 in plek. Dié struktuur is destyds bymekaar gesit om te verseker dat krag teen krag teen mekaar in die onderskeie afdeling sake sal uitspook.

Die twee jaar wat die reeks weens die Covid-pandemie in 2020 en 2021 nie kon plaasvind nie, het sonder twyfel in ‘n impak gehad dat die reeks se model homself regskud.

Boonop het die Hoërskool Waterkloof van Pretoria in 2019 weer tot die reeks toegetree na hy in 2017 daaraan onttrek het. Dit het veroorsaak dat die Beker-afdeling tot nege skole gegroei het.

Daarna was daar ook ‘n twis aan die einde van 2023 waarna daar besluit is dat die Hoërskool Menlopark nie sou afskuif na die Plaat-afdeling nie. Hoërskool Rustenburg het wel opgeskuif wat die Beker-afdeling tot tien spanne vergroot het.

“Ons het versoeke ontvang om die struktuur van die reeks te hersien. Daar is skole wat ‘n magdom kilometers aflê in die reeks, maar ons kan ook nie wegbeweeg van krag teen krag nie. Nie alle skole is dieselfde nie en beskikbare begrotings verskil,” het Diedericks gesê.

Daar is ‘n hele paar opsies op die tafel wat onder andere ‘n opsie insluit waar skole soos voor 2018 eers in hul onderskeie unies sake uitspook asook waar daar in van die afdelings eers in streke meegeding word. Die huidige struktuur is ook steeds op dié tafel.

Die bestuur het terugvoer vanuit al die provinsies ontvang en behoort vanaand ‘n finale besluit te neem. Skole betree binnekort hul begrotingstydperk en die reeks se bepalings van 2025 sal voor dan uiteengesit moet word.

Indien die status quo vir 2025 behou word sal Transvalia van Vanderbijlpark volgende jaar tussen die groot honde van die Beker-afdeling grom. Marais Viljoen van Alberton sal afskuif na die Plaat-afdeling.

In die Plaat-afdeling sal Wesvalia van Klerksdorp die nuweling wees. Wesvalia was in 2022 nog in die Bowl-afdeling in aksie. Montana van Pretoria sal afskuif na die Skild-afdeling.

Piet Retief het ook die afgelope twee jaar gesorg dat hy elke jaar die voorste skool in sy afdeling is. Hy sal dus die nuweling in die Skild-afdeling wees na hy nog in 2022 in Groep II gespeel het.

In die Bowl-afdeling sal daar drie nuwelinge in Dinamika van Alberton, Hoërskool Ermelo en Bergsig Akademie wees. Die drie skole wat sal afskuif na Groep II is Hoërskool Alberton, Dr. Malan van Meyerton en Wagpos van Brits.

After an exciting run-fest at the 2023 tournament, the teams contesting the sixth annual Westvaal North/South tournament will be itching to take a crack at the prestigious title when the event takes place in Pretoria from 10-13 October.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)

The back-to-back defending champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof, will have their work cut out for them in Pool A, where they face stiff competition.

When they won in 2023, the Klofies made history by becoming the first school to successfully defend the title. Now, in 2024, they return a well-seasoned and strong lineup, which includes wicket-keeper and captain, Beukes van den Berg, and the “Master Blaster”, Marcus Bakker. If firepower is what is needed, Waterkloof has it.

To pull off a three-peat, the Pretoria school will first need to navigate the dangerous waters of Pool A, where they will be challenged by Rondebosch Boys’ High, from Cape Town, Johannesburg’s St Stithians College, and Northwood School, from Durban. The Knights, who missed the 2023 tournament, return to the lineup in place of Selborne College.

Last year’s runners-up, Hoërskool Menlopark, will be a force to be reckoned with and their challenge in Pool B will start up front with their captain and South African u19 opening batsman, Steve Stolk, whose powerful strokeplay and fast scoring make him a potential match-winner every time he takes to the crease.

Paarl Boys’ High, who went with a young line-up at last year’s North/South, could be a serious contender, battle-hardened by a year of tough competition in the very competitive Western Cape under their belt. There’s no sure thing in the pool, however, with Grey High School, from Gqeberha, and St Andrew’s School, from Bloemfontein, possessing some outstanding individual talents with the ability to tilt games in their favour.

Grey College will be looking forward to a duel with their long-time rivals Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) in Pool C.  It could be viewed as the “Pool of Death”, with Wynberg Boys’ High and Potchefstroom Volkskool, also in the running, but that tag could could just as easily apply to any of the pools.

Joining Northwood as a newcomer in 2024, Jeppe High School for Boys replaces Mbombela’s Hoërskool Nelspruit. They’ll face a Westville Boys’ High outfit, which includes some outstanding stroke-makers adept at fast scoring in the T20 format, in Pool D. SACS, the second of the Western Cape challengers, also poses a threat, while Hoërskool Centurion‘s challenge comes with a sprinkling of unpredictability.

POOLS 

Pool A – Waterkloof, Rondebosch Boys’ High, St Stithians College, Northwood School.
Pool B – Hoërskool Centurion, SACS, Jeppe High School for Boys, Westville Boys’ High.
Pool C – Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies), Wynberg Boys’ High, Potchefstroom Volkskool, Grey College.
Pool D – Hoërskool Menlopark, Paarl Boys’ High, St Andrew’s School, Grey High School.

The South African u18 water polo girls’ team will be aiming to make good use of a rare opportunity to compete on the global stage when they contest the World Aquatics Women’s u18 Water Polo Championships in Chengdu, China, from 15 to 22 September.

The 15-member squad includes players from Central Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape.

They’ll be under the guidance of head coach Ismaeel Essa, who will be assisted by Central Gauteng‘s Kelsey Thomson, with Kagiso Musi serving as the team’s manager.

In March, in East London, after the South African Junior Water Polo Championship was won by Thomson’s side, who defeated Western Province 11-7 in the final, the squad was announced.

Amy Smith, Mia Loizides, Simpihwe Zulu, Ogechi McMurray (GK), and Anatasia Hambikis were selected after helping Central Gauteng claim the inter-provincial crown.

Western Province, with six – Hannah Banks, Emily van Heerden, Amy van Breda, Alexa de Villiers, Roxanne Uys, and Emma Catto – has the greatest representation in the national squad.

Kate Swainston-Harrison (GK) and Inge Southey, from KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape‘s Kiyara Campbell and Tori Voke complete the squad.

Speaking to SuperSport Schools Plus ahead of the tournament, assistant coach Kelsey Thomson said despite some difficult obstacles, the team has prepared well and the girls are raring to go.

“That’s always been a difficult thing for us as national players in South Africa, not being funded and not always able to train together,” she said.

“However, we’ve managed to put things together, and what has been possible this time around is having training camps. We’ve had three over three months and there’s one more now before we leave, so we can’t complain about preparation.”

The South African team heads into the tournament as an underdog, but they will be out to cause an upset or two. Their ranks include players who have proven themselves in the spotlight, led by the Central Gauteng contingent, who helped their team to the Inter-Provincial Tournament title in Gqeberha in December 2023 before capturing the Currie Cup in East London in March.

“I think it brings a lot of confidence to the team because there are a few members of Central Gauteng and Western Province that were in the final of the IPTs and the Currie Cup,” Thomson said. “They were evenly matched in both matches and that will bring a lot of strength to the team.

“Everyone is looking in good shape, players are growing from camp to camp, and the confidence is there to see.”

South Africa’s tough challenge in China includes facing Thailand, Croatia, and Canada in their pool. Thompson said she wants the team to compete and to be competitive.

“We have strong teams in our pool, but we are hoping to do well and advance as best as we can in the tournament, We want to make sure we’ve implemented everything that we’ve put into training,” she explained.

“Any exposure to international water polo is important and it gives the coaches, players, and referees a chance to see what other countries are doing. Exposure to playing at a high level is what we need and learning from all those elements is important.

“We’ve always said we need more game time at this level, and now we have the opportunity.”

TEAM

Kate Swainston-Harrison and Inge Southey (KZN); Hannah Banks, Emily van Heerden, Amy van Breda, Alexa de Villiers, Roxanne Uys, and Emma Catto (Western Cape); Kiyara Campbell and Tori Voke (Eastern Cape); Amy Smith, Mia Loizides, Simpihwe Zulu, Ogechi McMurray, Anatasia Hambikis (all Central Gauteng)

Non-travelling reserves

Lucy Davis and Ruby Carlson (Central Gauteng);, Isabella Tooley and Isabella Murray (Western Cape); Caitlin McMurray and Kayla Andrews (KZN).

Management

Kagiso Musi – Team Manager
Ismaeel Essa – Head Coach
Kelsey Thompson/Assistant Coach

Gauteng’s schools opened their water polo season in Pretoria over the weekend at the St Alban’s Beach Tournament, which brought together 14 u18 teams, including 1st and 2nd sides, and CBC Bulawayo, from Zimbabwe, to compete for the title.

It came down to a showdown between two Johannesburg powerhouses in the final, with St John’s triumphing 16-13 over St Stithians in a nail-biter.

Their win began with a blistering start, which had St John’s 5-1 up after the first chukka. Saints, though, soon found their stride and worked their way back into the contest in the second and third chukkas, eventually drawing level at 9-9. The teams traded blow-for-blow, with the score advancing to 11-11 and, then, 12-12.

In the final chukka, however, St John’s grabbed the initiative and pulled clear to win by three goals. Nicholas Pearce and Ross Rovelli, both members of the Central Gauteng Schools team which finished as runners-up at the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament in December, led the way for St John’s, netting six goals each.

On the defensive side of things, Greg Pryce, the Defender of the Tournament at the Inter-Provincials, received the same award at St Alban’s and was also declared the Most Valuable Player. He scored four times. Rovelli picked up the Best Attacker Award.

The depth of the St John’s water polo programme was shown in the performance of the school’s 2nd side, which finished a commendable sixth out of the 14 teams.

The goals in the final were widely distributed for St Stithians, with Declan Wood bagging four, Liam Tebbutt, James Crick and Marc Smith netting a couple each, and Logan du Preez, Travis Donelly, and Kyle Kennerly also getting onto the scoresheet.

Third place went the way of Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies), who beat Jeppe High School for Boys 13-11 in the third-place playoff.

Affies enjoyed a strong tournament, losing only once in the pool stage. They romped to a 9-2 win over the Pretoria Boys High School 2nd team, suffered a narrow 4-5 defeat to St John’s, and breezed to a 7-1 win over St Peter’s College.

Etienne Nortje was outstanding as the last line of defence for Affies and was named the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament.

Jeppe also lost only once in pool play, but they were then rolled 16-5 by St John’s in the semi-finals. St David’s Marist Inanda finished fifth, while the St John’s 2^nd team finished sixth, just ahead of the hoss, St Alban’s.

RESULTS

Friday, 6 September

St David’s Marist Inanda 7-4 PBHS 1st
Affies 8-5 St Alban’s 1st
St Peter’s 5-9 CBC Bulawayo
Reddam Helderfontein 4-10 St John’s 1st
St Alban’s 2nd 2-9 St Benedict’s
St Stithians 6-2 St David’s
Jeppe 7-6 St John’s 2nd
Affies 9 -2 PBHS 2nd
CBC Bulawayo 2-10 St John’s 1st
St Peter’s 15-8 Reddam Helderfontein
St Alban’s 2nd 2-14 St Stithians
St Benedict’s 6-10 Jeppe
PBHS 1st 5-6 St John’s 1st
St Alban’s 1st 9-2 PBHS 2nd
St John’s  1st 5-4 Affies
St Stithians 13-5 Jeppe
PBHS 1st (1) 4-4 (3) St Benedict’s
St Alban’s 8-4 Reddam Helderfontein
CBC Zim 10-8 PBHS 2nd

Saturday, 7 September

PBHS 2nd 5 -10 Peter’s
St Stithians 7-2 PBHS 1st
St David’s 10-3 St Benedict’s
Reddam Helderfontein 2-9 CBC Bulawayo
St John’s 1st 13-3 St Alban’s
Affies 7-1 St Peter’s
St John’s 2nd 11-4 St Alban’s 2nd
Reddam Helderfontein 6-4 PBHS 2nd
St Benedict’s 1-9 St Stithians
PBHS 1st 9-2 St Alban’s 2nd
St David’s 4-5 Jeppe
Affies 10-2 CBC Zim
St John’s 16- 5 PBHS 2nd
St Alban’s 1st 8-3 St Peter’s
St David’s 9-0 St John’s 2nd
Jeppe 15-0 St Alban’s 2nd
St Alban’s 1st 10- 7 CBC Bulawayo
Affies 10-6 Reddam Helderfontein
St John’s 0-9 St Stithians
St David’s 10-5 St Alban’s
St Peter’s 3-10 St John’s
Jeppe 7-1 PBHS 1st
St John’s  2nd  8-4 St Benedict’s
Reddam Helderfontein 6-7 PBHS 1st
St Peter’s 4-10 St Benedict’s
CBC Bulawayo 8-10 St John’s 2nd
St Alban’s 1st 3-7 St David’s
Affies 10-15 St Stithians
St John’s 1st 16 -5 Jeppe

Sunday, 8 September

PBHS 2nd 14-6 St Alban’s
Reddam Helderfontein 9-7 St Peter’s
PBHS 1st 11-16 St Benedict’s
CBC Bulawayo 10-13 St Alban’s
St John’s 2nd 6-10 St David’s
Jeppe 11-13 Affies
St John’s 1st 16-13 St Stithians

Centuries
Five-wicket Hauls
Centuries

#	Fig	Batsman	Match	Format	Ground
1	240	Jorich van Schalkwyk	Affies vs Cornwall Hill College	Limited Overs	Affies
2	205*	Henru de Wet	Grey College vs Paul Roos Gimnasium	Time Cricket	Johan Volsteedt Oval
3	205*	Jorich van Schalkwyk	Affies vs Potchefstroom Gimnasium	Limited Overs	Gimmies Oval
4	176	Zandré Diedericks	Hoërskool Rustenburg vs Fields College	Limited Overs	Hoërskool Rustenburg
5	154	Jason Rowles	St David’s Marist vs Diocesan College	Time Cricket	La Valla Oval, St David’s
6	152*	Christivan Coetzer	Hoërskool Rustenburg vs Fields College	Limited Overs	Hoërskool Rustenburg
7	141	Munib Ayob	Jeppe vs Clifton College	Time Cricket	Wayne Joubert Oval
8	137	Charl Prinsloo	Hoërskool Centurion vs Waterkloof	Limited Overs	André vd Walt Oval
9	132	Llewellyn Sutherland	Maritzburg College vs St John’s College	Time Cricket	Mitchell Oval
10	130	Ruben Groenewald	Affies vs Prestige College	Limited Overs	Prestige College
11	128	Wian Ruthven	Waterkloof vs Centurion	Limited Overs	André vd Walt Oval
12	120	Armaan Manack	St David’s Marist vs Diocesan College	Time Cricket	La Valla Oval
13	115	Abdullah Mohammed	King Edward VII vs Hoërskool Nelspruit	Time Cricket	Le Rosey Oval
14	115	Jorich van Schalkwyk	Affies vs Prestige College	Limited Overs	Prestige College
15	114	Johan Feuth	Waterkloof vs St John’s College	Time Cricket
16	111	Naudé Botha	King Edward VII vs St Andrew’s School	Time Cricket	Wayne Joubert Oval
17	108*	Divan de Villiers	Affies vs Kempton Park	T20	Affies A
18	107	Wian Ruthven	Waterkloof vs Affies	Limited Overs	André vd Walt Oval
19	106*	Marcus Bakker	Waterkloof vs Menlopark	Limited Overs	Andre vd Walt Oval
20	106	Riley Miller	Waterkloof vs Pretoria Boys’ High	Limited Overs
21	105*	Benjamin van Wyk	Potchefstroom Gimnasium vs Matlosana HUB	T20
22	105	Ryan Young	Jeppe vs Clifton College	Time Cricket	Wayne Joubert Oval
23	103*	Gavin Genis	Hoërskool Middelburg vs Hoogenhout	Limited Overs	Hoërskool Middelburg
24	100	Ruben Brandmuller	Hoërskool Middelburg vs Hoërskool Secunda	Limited Overs	Hoërskool Middelburg
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26
27
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Edit Table
Five-wicket Hauls

#	Fig	Batsman	Match	Format	Ground
1	7/11	Ruben Oosthuizen	Piet Potgieter vs Nkowankowa Boys Hub	Limited Overs	Piet Potgieter Oval
2	7/28	Dakalo Leketa	St Andrew’s School vs King Edward VII	Time Cricket	Wayne Joubert Oval
3	7/33	Darion Rabie	Grey College vs Paul Roos Gimnasium	Time Cricket	Johan Volsteedt Oval
4	7/79	Dakalo Leketa	St Andrew’s School vs St David’s Marist	Time Cricket	La Valla Oval
5	6/37	Jason Rowles	St David’s Marist vs St Andrew’s School	Time Cricket	La Valla Oval
6	6/40	Dakalo Leketa	St Andrew’s School vs St David’s Marist	Time Cricket	La Valla Oval
7	6/42	Chad Mason	Maritzburg College vs Noordheuwel	Time Cricket	Gier Oval
8	6/55	Allen Shiviri	Nkowankowa Hub vs Piet Potgieter	Limited Overs	Piet Potgieter Oval
9	5/11	Njabulo Maseko	Ben Vorster vs Phalaborwa Hub	Limited Overs	Premier Park Oval
10	5/13	JJ Basson	Noordheuwel vs Diocesan College	Time Cricket	Temba Bavuma Oval
11	5/17	Rowan Rajah	St Charles College vs Jeppe	Time Cricket	Le Rosey Oval
12	5/24	Ruan Strauss	Noordheuwel vs Maritzburg College	Time Cricket	Gier Oval
13	5/27	Michael Kruiskamp	Diocesan College vs Noordheuwel	Time Cricket	Temba Bavuma Oval
14	5/28	Adam Cannata	Pretoria Boys’ High vs Centurion	Limited Overs	Hofmeyr Oval
15	5/29	Reaal Harriam	Lions Invitational vs Waterkloof	Time Cricket	Gier Oval
16	5/50	Stephan Swanepoel	Pietersburg vs Merenksy	Limited Overs	Merensky Oval
17	5/65	Shreshth Kumar	Clifton vs Jeppe	Time Cricket	Wayne Joubert Oval
18	5/77	Oliver Tait	St John’s College vs Maritzburg College	Time Cricket	Mitchell Oval
19	5/112	Shreshth Kumar	Jeppe vs St Charles College	Time Cricket	Le Rosey Oval
20

Edit Table

There was joy for the hosts, Hoërskool Jim Fouché, as they claimed the u17 title at the High School Sevens Series, proudly sponsored by Toyota, event in Bloemfontein on Saturday, while Grey College walked away as the u15 champions.

JF took advantage of the fact that Grey’s rugby players did double duty on the weekend, with their frontline team in action at the NWU Prestige Sevens, where they beat Hoërskool Nelspruit in the final.

That shouldn’t distract from a fine performance by the hosts, given the incredible depth of talent at Grey, and their 21-20 victory in the final was a fitting culmination to an action-packed competition.

In the semi-finals, Grey cruised to a victory over Landboudal, while Jim Fouché was given a good workout by Wilgerivier but won comfortably in the end.

Sentraal claimed the Shield, outplaying HTS Louis Botha 24-0 in the final, while Landboudal picked themselves up from their Cup semi-final loss and defeated Wilgeriver 24-5 in the Plate final, which was the exact score by which JF had beaten them in the semis.

Grey hoisted the u15 trophy but was made to put in a couple of hard shifts by Witteberg and Sentraal in the semi-finals and final respectively.

The Bloem boys beat the Bethlehem boys 24-14 in the first semi, while Sentraal won 29-10 in the second semi-final against Wilgerivier. Grey, then, grabbed the title with a 24-10 victory.

Wilgerivier triumphed in the Plate final, handing Witteberg a 20-5 loss. The Bowl went to Landboudal, who scored a decisive 31-5 win over HTS Louis Botha.

U17 RESULTS

Group A

Heatherdale Heat 5-31 HTS Louis Botha
Jim Fouché 38-12 HTS Louis Botha
Heatherdale Heat 0-62 Jim Fouché

Group B

Grey College 24-5 Burgersdorp
Curro Bloemfontein 0-79 Grey College
Burgersdorp 46-0 Curro Bloemfontein

Group C

Sentraal 5-31 Landboudal
Brebner 0-29 Sentraal
Landboudal 43-7 Brebner

Group D

Wilgerivier 49-7 Zastron
Fichardtpark 26-29 Wilgerivier
Zastron 7-24 Fichardtpark

Playoffs

Heatherdale 5-62 Zastron
Curro Bloemfontein 0-45 Brebner

11th/12th

Curro Bloemfontein 50-0 Heatherdale

Bowl semi-finals

HTS Louis Botha 0-14 Fichardtpark
Burgersdorp 29-19 Sentraal

Cup semi-finals

Jim Fouché 24-5 Wilgerivier
Grey College 45-0 Landboudal

Bowl final

Fichardtpark Burgersdorp

Shield final

HTS Louis Botha 0-24 Sentraal

Plate final

Landboudal 24-5 Wilgerivier

Cup final

Jim Fouché 21-20 Grey College

U15 RESULTS

Group A

Jim Fouché 45-0 Curro Bloemfontein
Wilgerivier 21-14 HTS Louis Botha
Curro Bloemfontein 0-69 HTS Louis Botha
Jim Fouché 19-19 Wilgerivier
Wilgerivier 77-0 Curro Bloemfontein
HTS Louis Botha 24-14 Jim Fouché

Group B

Grey College 62-0 Brebner
Landboudal 0-69 Grey College
Brebner 0-43 Landboudal

Group C

Witteberg 44-0 Heat
Fichardtpark 12-22 Witteberg
Heatherdale Heat 0-44 Fichardtpark

Group D

Sand du Plessis 0-43 Sentraal
Zastron 17-19 Sand du Plessis
Sentraal 49-0 Zastron

Playoffs

Jim Fouche 39-0 Zastron
Brebner 7-15 Heatherdale

11th/12th

Zastron 38-0 Brebner

Bowl semi-finals

HTS Louis Botha 26-7 Sand du Plessis
Landboudal 5-0 Fichardtpark

Cup semi-finals

Sentraal 29-10 Wilgerivier
Grey College 24-14 Witteberg

Bowl final

HTS Louis Botha 5-31 Landboudal

Shield final

Sand du Plessis vs Fichardtpark

Plate final

Wilgerivier 20-5 Witteberg

Cup final

Grey College 24-10 Sentraal

Ruben Brandmuller’s bat proved to be the difference for Hoërskool Middelburg as they defeated Hoërskool Secunda in the Mpumalanga Premier League on Saturday.

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The top-order batsman compiled a match-winning innings of exactly 100 at a crucial time to rescue his side from trouble.

Brandmuller, whose innings included 13 fours and a six, shared in a key partnership of 98 runs with Herman Potgieter, who struck a valuable 37.

Gavin Genis, who also scored a century (103*) earlier in the Middies’ campaign, looked dangerous, cracking 22 from only 10 balls, but he then fell victim to Alonzo Blackenberg.

Blackenberg led the Secunda attack, despite being called on the bowl only later in the innings. He sent down 8.1 overs and snapped up 5/42, helping to stem the flow of Middelburg runs while sending half of the team’s batsmen packing. Middelburg had threatened to go big but, in the end, they were bowled out for 216.

Unfortunately for Secunda, they couldn’t quite match the home side’s batting performance as the Middies’ bowlers put their run chase under heavy pressure. Ceejay Webb was the pick of the Secunda batsman, with a contribution of 31*, which showed just how difficult the visitors found it out in the middle.

Zubair Desai captured 2/14 in 3.1 overs, while Genis did his bit with the ball, picking up 2/38 in 10, and Eduan Strydom took 2/35, also in 10, as the visitors were dismissed for 165, leaving Hoërskool Middelburg the winners by 51 runs.

Vaughn van Zyl cleaned up Hoërskool Hoogenhout quickly to help propel Hoërskool Nelspruit to a comfortable eight-wicket victory at home.

Opening the bowling for Nellies, he ran through the Hoogenhout top-order, capturing 5/26. Rico Nel weighed in with 2/14  as Hoogenhout mustered a disappointing 123 all out, mostly thanks to Tokkie Buhali’s hard-fought innings of 45.

Nel then went on to do the damage with the bat, making 50 from 44 balls. Nathan Duncan chipped in with 36 runs as the openers put up 97 to take Nelspruit to within sight of a convincing victory. An unbeaten 21 from Jayden Meyer ensured there were no hiccups as Nelspruit sauntered across the line.

Summarised scorecards

Hoërskool Middelburg 216 (Ruben Brandmuller 100, Herman Potgieter 37, Gavin Genis 22; Alonzo Blackenberg 5/42, Rovonne Singh 2/29); Hoërskool Secunda 165 (Ceejay Web 31*; Zubair Desai 2/14, Eduan Strydom 2/35, Gavin Genis 2/38). Hoërskool Middelburg won by 51 runs.

Hoërskool Hoogenhout 123 (Tokkie Buhali 45; Vaughn van Zyl 5/26, Rico Nel 2/14); Hoërskool Nelspruit 124/2 (Rico Nel 50, Nathan Duncan 36, Jayden Meyer 21*; Tokkie Buhali 1/9). Hoërskool Nelspruit won by eight wickets.

Hoërskool Wesvalia’s victory over Potchefstroom Volkskool, by the barest of margins, sent waves rippling through the North West League on Saturday.

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The side from Klerksdorp delivered something special as they got one over one of the most successful teams in the league over recent years.

Batting first, the Wessies made their way to 203 all out, thanks to a fighting knock from opening batsman, Luan Vermeulen, who grafted hard for 60 runs from 91 balls.

His opening partner Zaindré Stopforth chipped in with 31 of his own as the pair shared a solid 52-run opening stand, while Henco Greyling played an important knock of 35 in the middle order. Still, 203 didn’t look as if it would be enough.

Volkies’ golden arm, Themba Sontane, however, had other plans. His return of 4/29 in 5.2 overs pulled his side back into the contest. Berno de Klerk also delivered an impressive performance, snapping up 3/32 in nine overs.

In their reply, just like the Wessies, Volkskool also received solid contributions from their top order. The consistent Attie Liebenberg led the way with 61 runs from only 52 balls. Eduan van der Merwe’s damaging 51 from 37 deliveries, then, had Volkies on course for victory.

Ethan Walker, however, threw a spanner in the works, knocking over 4/57 in nine overs. Together with two-wicket returns from Henco Greyling, Marneu Dreyer, and Regardt van Deventer, the Wessies pulled it back and pulled it off by a single run.

Potchefstroom Gimnasium continued their purple patch with another convincing victory, this time beating Muhammad Bulbulia and his chargers from Fields College by six wickets. Bulbulia, however, didn’t go down without a fight.

The South African Schools Colts’ captain and opening batsman for the 2023 North West Dragons Khaya Majola side top-scored with a fluent 88 from 100 deliveries. Unfortunately for Bulbulia, his was the only noteworthy innings for Fields College, who mustered just 150 all out, in the face of good bowling by the Gimmies. Jahndré Coetzee snapped up 4/20 and Tommie Botha took 3/33 to ensure their side faced a comfortable run chase.

Set a moderate victory target, Divan van Eldik scored 39 from 43 balls and Tommie Botha followed up his bowling success with 34, to see Potch Gimnasium home in the 28th over. Bulbulia continued his star turn with the ball for Fields College,  claiming three Gimmie scalps for 33 runs.

Hoërskool Rustenburg’s top six, meanwhile, laid down the law to once again lead their side to a mammoth victory, this time over Matlosana Hub. Tristan van der Linde paced the batting lineup with 70, Callie Fryer put his all-round game on display with 62, and Zandré Diedricks chipped in 58, the third half-century of Rusties’ innings, to help his side to a big 319/8.

Matlosana was unable to mount a challenge, with Wessel Rossouw spearheading the Rustenburg attack with a return of 3/35, while Thian Labuschagne finished off the visitors by chipping in with two wickets as Rusties won by 170 runs.

Although they lost by a huge margin, Matlosana’s Tumelo Makume deserves a pat on the shoulder. He showed some fight with a courageous 51 from 55 deliveries.

Hoërskool Klerksdorp‘s Bernie Fourie and Winton Abrahams bowled their side to a seven-wicket victory over Hoërskool Lichtenburg. Fourie sent four Liggie batsmen packing for only 22 runs, while Abrahams showed that he’s not only a gifted rugby player, by capturing 4/32.

Stephan Janse van Rensburg‘s 41 at the top of the order then set Klerksdorp on course for victory as they chased only 121 to win. All that was needed was a little support and he found it from Tiaan Koen, whose unbeaten 22 got his side over the line.

Liggies’ trusty Lethabo Memani showed promise, making 46 runs to narrowly out on a half-century.

Summarised scorecards

Wesvalia 203/10 (Luan Vermeulen 60, Henco Greyling 35, Ziandré Stopforth 31, Marneu Dreyer 23; Temba Sontane 4/29, Berno de Klerk 3/32); Potchefstroom Volkskool 202/10 (Attie Liebenberg 61, Eduan van der Merwe 51, Berno de Klerk 20; Ethan Walker 4/57, Henco Greyling 2/23, Regardt van Deventer 2/33, Marneu Dreyer 2/35). Wesvalia won by one run.

Fields College 150/10 (Muhammad Bulbulia 88, William Matsitsi 22; Jahndré Coetzee 4/20, Tommie Botha 3/33); Potchefstroom Gimnasium 151/4 (Divan van Eldik 39, Tommie Botha 34; Muhammad Bulbulia 3/33). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by six wickets.

Hoërskool Rustenburg 319/8 (Tristan van der Line 70, Callie Fryer 62, Zandré Diedricks 58, Nathan Rossouw 31*; Tshiamo Mitingoe 3/107, Katlego Maloto 2/76, Castro Ndlambewu 2/107); Matlosana Hub 149/10 (Tumelo Makume 51, Ismail Gangat 34; Wessel Oosthuizen 3/35, Thian Labuschagne 2/24, Marnus de Witt 2/24, Nathan Rossouw 2/41). Hoërskool Rustenburg won by 170 runs.

Hoërskool Lichtenburg 120/10 (Lethabo Memani 46, Luan Snyman 22; Bernie Fourie 4/22, Winton Abrahams 4/32); Hoërskool Klerksdorp 124/3 (Stephan Janse van Rensburg 41, Tiaan Koen 22*; Riyan Pathan 1/25). Hoërskool Klerksdorp won by seven wickets.

Hoërskool Montana‘s rugby fields rocked with lung-busting action on the weekend as the Northern Gauteng region’s top u17 and u15 schools’ teams battled it out for the High School Sevens Series, proudly sponsored by Toyota, titles.

After the final whistle had sounded, it was Menlopark who was crowned the u17 champion, while Affies laid claim to the u15 honours.

U17 Competition

Affies, as always, were going to be in the mix, but there was a hint of vulnerability in their challenge when they scraped a narrow 21-17 win over Overkruin in their last Pool A match. Still, they won all three of their matches.

Garsfontein ran wild in Pool B, while Zwartkop was almost as dominant in topping Pool C. Montana made the home supporters happy by finishing in first place in Pool D, while Menlopark was extended by Pretoria Boys High in Pool E, winning by just seven points, but they shone in a 36-0 dismantling of Affies B.

In the only meeting of pool winners in the quarterfinals, Garsfontein overran Montana 42-7, while Affies came away with a tough 33-24 win over Affies B in their clash. Menlopark blanked Zayo in their easy victory, while Zwartkop took down Wilgers.

The runaway train that was Garsfontein was brought to a sudden stop in the semi-finals, with Menlopark recording a 21-7 win. Affies, meanwhile, cruised to a 38-7 win over Zwartkop.

The Wit Bulle were, then, in for a rude shock in the final, where Menlopark handled them comfortably, winning 28-5.

Zwartkop held off Garsfontein to claim bronze, while the Bowl went to Oos Moot, who comfortably beat Erasmus by 21 points. Affies B edged out Montana 24-21 in a tight Plate final, while Wonderboom triumphed 12-7 over Pretoria Boys High in the Shield final.

U15 Competition

In the u15 competition, Affies powered their way to the top of the Pool A standings, although Oos Moot gave them a tough workout, with Affies battling their way to a 31-19 win in that clash.

Garsfontein handed Waterkloof a 15-7 loss in the key match in Pool B and didn’t concede a point in their other two pool games. In Pool C, Zwartkop got the better of their rivals, Eldoraigne, in the clash that decided first place, while Montana edged out Centurion 12-7 and won their other Pool D fixtures comfortably to lead the way.

It came down to Menlopark and Pretoria Boys High in Pool E and Menlo handled the assignment with assurance, racing to a 38-14 win over Boys High.

As had happened in the u17 competition, Montana, after winning their pool, was eliminated in the only game between pool winners in the last eight, with Menlopark scoring a 33-5 win. Affies defeated their old rivals, Pretoria Boys High, 39-10, while Garsfontein scored a tight seven-point win over Oos Moot. Zwartkop cruised to a 26-5 victory over Centurion.

An Affies vs Menlopark final was set up after both won in the semi-finals, with Menlo getting past Garsfontein 26-21, while Affies had a more comfortable win, beating Zwartkop 33-14.

With the title on the line, Affies brought their A-game and claimed the silverware with a 28-7 victory. Garsfontein had to settle for the bronze, after a solid win over Zwartkop.

In a closely-contested Bowl final, Wilgers sneaked a 19-18 win over Curro Hazeldean. Oos Moot hoisted the Plate following a 36-21 defeat of Pretoria Boys High, and Waterkloof won 33-21 against Eldoraigne to capture the Shield.

U17 RESULTS

Pool A

Oos Moot 19-12 Overkruin
Affies 46-12 HTS John Vorster
Oos Moot 5-41 Affies
Overkruin 34-7 HTS John Vorster
Oos-Moot 21-17 HTS John Vorster
Affies 21-17 Overkruin

Pool B

Zayo 26-10 Erasmus
Garsfontein 48-0 Curro Hazeldean
Garsfontein 42-5 Zayo
Curro Hazeldean 21-31 Erasmus
Garsfontein 75-0 Erasmus
Zayo 29-12 Curro Hazeldean

Pool C

Bos Blitze 7-14 Wonderboom
Zwartkop 59-5 Rietondale
Bos-Blitze 10-33 Zwartkop
Wonderboom 24-12 Rietondale
Bos-Blitze  38-14 Rietondale
Zwartkop 45-12 Wonderboom

Pool D

Montana 44-0 Sutherland
Centurion 7-21 Wilgers
Montana 28-12 Centurion
Sutherland 7-43 Wilgers
Centurion 31-0 Sutherland
Montana 35-31 Wilgers

Pool E

Menlopark 45-12 Pretoria Noord
PBHS 19-24 Affies B
Menlopark 36-0 Affies B
Pretoria Noord 12-33 Affies B
Menlopark 31-24 PBHS
PBHS 14-17 Pretoria Noord

Cup quarterfinals

Garsfontein 42-7 Montana
Zwartkop 22-5 Wilgers
Menlopark 40-0 Zayo
Affies 33-24 Affies B

Shield/Bowl quarterfinals

Wonderboom 25-24 Pretoria Noord
Oos Moot 12-13 Bos Blitze
Overkruin 15-10 Erasmus
Centurion 10-22 PBHS

Semi-finals

Cup

Garsfontein 7-21 Menlopark
Affies 38-7 Zwartkop

Bowl

Pretoria Noord 7-19 Erasmus
Oos Moot 28-14 Centurion

Shield

Wonderboom 24-12 Overkruin
Wilgers 10-19 Affies B

Bronze

Zwartkop 21-14 Garsfontein

Finals

Bowl

Oos Moot 33-12 Erasmus

Plate

Montana 21-24 Affies B

Shield

Wonderboom 12-7 PBHS

Cup

Menlopark 28-5 Affies

U15 RESULTS

Pool A

Oos-Moot 33-7 Overkruin
Affies 67-0 HTS John Vorster
Affies 41-0 Overkruin
Oos-Moot 19-31 Affies
Overkruin 28-19 HTS John Vorster
Oos Moot  48-0 HTS John Vorster

Pool B

Waterkloof 38-7 Curro Hazeldean
Garsfontein 15-7 Waterkloof
Curro Hazeldean 24-12 Erasmus
Garsfontein 57-0 Erasmus
Garsfontein 33-0 Curro Hazeldean
Waterkloof 41-7 Erasmus

Pool C

Wonderboom 27-5 Rietondale
Eldoraigne 52-7 Rietondale
Eldoraigne 26-7 Wonderboom
Zwartkop 43-7 Rietondale
Eldoraigne 5-24 Zwartop
Zwartkop 31-0 Wonderboom

Pool D

Montana 45-5 Wilgers
Centurion 47-0 Sutherland
Sutherland 10-35 Wilgers
Montana 40-0 Sutherland
Centurion 29-10 Wilgers
Montana 12-7 Centurion

Pool E

PBHS 49-7 Pretoria Noord
Menlopark 64-0 Zayo
Menlopark 44-0 Pretoria Noord
PBHS 61-0 Zayo
Pretoria Noord 31-0 Zayo
Menlopark 38-14 PBHS

Quarterfinals

Cup

Menlopark 33-5 Montana
Affies 39-10 PBHS
Garsfontein 24-17 Oos Moot
Zwartkop 26-5 Centurion

Shield/Bowl

Waterkloof 28-12 Overkruin
Eldoraigne 33-5 Pretoria Noord
Wilgers 7-31 Woderboom
Curro Hazeldean 7-31 Erasmus

Semi-finals

Cup

Menlopark 26-21 Garsfontein
Affies 33-14 Zwartkop

Bowl

Overkruin 12-36 Wilgers
Pretoria Noord 21-28 Curro Hazeldean

Plate

Montana 17-24 Oos Moot
PBHS 22-10 Centurion

Shield

Waterkloof 36-7 Wonderboom
Eldoraigne 38-12 Erasmus

Bronze

Garsfontein 38-12 Zwartkop

Finals

Bowl

Wilgers 19-18 Curro Hazeldean

Plate

Oos Moot 36-21 PBHS

Shield

Waterkloof 33-21 Eldoraigne

Cup

Affies 28-7 Menlopark