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Queen’s College and Selborne College are pulling out all the stops in preparation for the final lap of the Eastern Province and Border Schools SA20 matches, which will be hosted by Selborne and Border Cricket from 17-19 January.

Queen’s qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the Border and Kei districts, behind Selborne College, who beat them in a thrilling encounter.

The Komani school is in Pool B, along with Pearson High and Jumba High School. Their rivals, Selborne, are in Pool A, where they will face Grey High School and Mqanduli Village.

Check out DStv Channel 216 and the SuperSport Schools App for live coverage of the Schools SA20

“We had a tough outing at the Grey College Cricket Festival. Several of our experienced players matriculated last year, and we went there with a young side,” Murray Spence, the Selborne Master of Cricket, said.

Aaron Senekal is into his third year with the Selborne College first team, and the captain delivered strong batting performances and leadership in Bloemfontein. He’s not only an experienced contributor to the school’s first team, but he has also represented the Eastern Cape Iinyathi. Spence was pleased that the youngster did not shy away from his responsibilities.

However, Senekal won’t have to do it all alone. Josh Wilkie and Matthew Hendry showed their full range of shots and temperament with outstanding half-centuries at the Grey College Festival.

Reece Wait, Selborne’s wily spinner, challenged opposing batsmen and registered a five-wicket haul against Grey College, while Bunqina Nuku unsettled batters with his pace. Josh McKay shone against Jeppe, capturing 5/28, which he followed with the top score of 40 in Selborne’s innings.

“The boys are excited for the opportunity to play at this stage of the Schools SA20 and will go out there to do their best to win this weekend,” said Spence.

Supersport Schools Plus caught up with Queen’s College’s head coach, Mangaliso Mosehle, on the sidelines of a warmup match against Royals Cricket Club. Unlike Selborne, Queen’s did not participate in any of the preseason festivals held over the last weekend, hence the need to play back-to-back matches against the club.

“The boys showed good form in their first match,” he said. “We chose to focus on our batting today, and guys like Aiden van Jaarsveld and Duncan Hayes performed well. We retired a few of them after they had spent time in the middle, so they could give others a chance.”

Queen’s College adopted the mantra “chase lost causes” at the beginning of their Schools SA20 campaign. Mosehle explained that it reflects a mindset that his side will wholeheartedly chase down a ball as long as there is a one-percent chance of reining it in before it reaches the boundary. It is a never-give-up mentality.

“It was a concept that Mr Dave Hansen, our team psychologist, who is also an economics teacher, helped us devise,” Mosehle revealed.

He will need his team to live out the mantra and be the sum of their parts to succeed. Queen’s has outstanding bowlers in Caleb Waller and Mthokozisi Mbambo. However, they are fresh out of the u15 side and will need support from the rest of the team to shine.

Queen’s takes Jumba High School in their first match, while Selborne faces a daunting showdown with Grey High, who went unbeaten at the Grey College Cricket Festival, to kick off their campaign.

FIXTURES

Friday, 17 January

10:00 – Selborne College vs Grey High School, Selborne Main Oval 1; 10:00 – Jumba High School vs Queen’s College, Selborne Main Oval 2; 10:00 – Mqanduli Village vs Pearson High, Bohemians Club; 10:00 – (Girls) Stirling High vs Pearson High, Stirling.

14:00 – Pearson High vs Jumba High School, Selborne Main Oval 1; 14:00 – Grey High School vs Queen’s College, Selborne Main Oval 2; 14:00 – Mqanduli Village vs Selborne College, Bohemians Club; 14:00 – (Girls) Nomandi School vs Stirling School, Stirling.

Saturday, 18 January

09:30 – Queen’s College vs Pearson High, Selborne Main Oval 1; 09:30 – Grey High School vs Mqanduli Village, Selborne Main Oval 2; 09:30 – Selborne College vs Jumba High School, Bohemians Club; 09:30 – (Girls) Pearson High vs Nomandi School, Port Rex.

14:00 – Pool A 1 vs Pool B 2 (semi-final), Selborne Main Oval 1; Pool B 1 vs Pool A 2 (semi-final), Selborne Main Oval 2, Log 1 vs Log 2 (Girls’ final), Buffalo Park.

Sunday, 19 January

09:30 – Log 1 vs Log 2 (Boys’ final), Buffalo Park.

The Independent Examination Board (IEB) national senior certificate results of 2024 have been released with the schools achieving an incredible overall pass rate of 98.47 percent.

In 2024 there were a total of 16 304 candidates from 256 schools from around South Africa that wrote the exam. More than half of these private schools a total of 138 are located in Gauteng.

We have compiled a list of IEB schools and their performances during the exams. We will update the list as the schools release their statistics.

If you are the head of academics or the marketer at an IEB school and your statistics are not complete, missing, or have any discrepancies please contact us via hello@superschoolsnews.co.za.

The IEB Matric results per school: 

[ninja_tables id=”62455″]

*D/C indicates distinctions per candidate

The 2025 schools’ cricket season in KwaZulu-Natal hits the ground running with the final round of the province’s Schools SA20 matches being contested in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday and Friday.

Four boys’ schools – Northwood, Glenwood, Hilton College, and Maritzburg College – will be in action, while Dr JL Dube and Bongi Hlanhla, who have already booked their place in the girls’ final, face off on Friday morning.

Check out DStv Channel 216 and the SuperSport Schools App for live coverage of the Schools SA20

The boys’ sides are the top two finishers from the Dolphins‘ and Tuskers‘ regions and it was the coastal region’s Northwood and Glenwood who showed just how unpredictable the T20 game can be. Overall, teams like Westville, Kearsney, Clifton, and Durban High School (DHS), enjoyed more consistent seasons, but when the chips were down, the Knights and the Green Machine rose to the challenge.

If anything, it was Northwood who surprised more because they suffered a late-season dip in form. However, credit to them, they delivered the performances and the results they needed to comfortably overcome Clifton and Glenwood. Clifton had accounted for a dangerous DHS team, which won the Clifton T20 in the first term, earlier in the competition.

Recently, at the Grey Festival in Bloemfontein, Northwood scored wins over Selborne College and St Andrew’s School in T20 clashes but went down to Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom (Volkies) in a two-day contest. Based on their end-of-year results and their start to 2025, the Knights appear better equipped in the shorter format of the game.

Their line-up also has a very familiar look to it, with the majority of last year’s 1st XI returning in 2025. That experience will, no doubt, stand them in good stead.

Glenwood showed typical grit to hold on for a draw in their two-day match against Menlopark in Bloemfontein, but they suffered T20 losses to Volkies and Grey College.

They’ve bade some long-time stars farewell, including Bandile Mbatha and Ntando Soni, who were both selected for the SA u19 ODI squad after Cricket South Africa’s Cubs Week. However, like Northwood, they bring back many players.

In Bloemfontein, their batsmen struggled with consistency, and their batting will be the key to their challenge. They have experience in the top order, but those players will need to deliver.

Hilton College, meanwhile, produced mixed results at the Peninsula Cricket Festival in Cape Town. The fact of the matter, though, is that schools from outside of the Western Cape have found it extremely challenging playing the early-season event over the past couple of years.

They were soundly beaten by SACS and Rondebosch, but scored a narrow win over Pretoria Boys High and cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Wynberg in their last outing.

Again, look down their team list and there are many players with considerable 1st XI experience. Hilton, too, has demonstrated a sound understanding of how to play the T20 game, and that should stand them in good stead at Maritzburg College. They beat College in the Tuskers’ final by putting up a solid 160/7 against a College team that enjoys strong bowling depth.

The bigger question for the Red, Black, and White lies on the batting side where some leading run producers, including SA Schools‘ all-rounder Chad Mason, opening batsman Llewellyn Sutherland, Oliver da Costa, and Michael Gibson, need to be replaced. At the Ihlobo Festival, College showed, though, that they bat all the way down the order, and they were twice able to overcome slow starts to defeat Kearsney College and St John’s College (Harare).

Will playing two of their three matches at home afford them an additional boost? Hilton beat them at Hilton in the Tuskers’ final, but whether in cricket or rugby, Goldstone’s usually serves Maritzburg College well, and that’s where they will meet Hilton this time around.

FIXTURES

Thursday, 16 January, 09:00

Northwood vs Hilton College, Maritzburg Oval
Glenwood vs Maritzburg College, Goldstone’s

Thursday, 16 January, 13:30

Maritzburg College vs Northwood, Maritzburg Oval
Hilton College vs Glenwood, Goldstone’s

Friday, 17 January, 09:00

Dr JL Dube vs Bonginhlanhla, Maritzburg Oval
Hilton College vs Maritzburg College, Goldstone’s
Glenwood vs Northwood, Barns’

Friday, 17 January, 13:30

No. 1 vs No. 2, Maritzburg Oval

Potchefstroom Volkskool‘s Olefa Padi played a leading role in his side’s successful defence of a low T20 score on Sunday, the last day of the Grey Festival.

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

The spinner snared four important wickets to help his team defend only 114 runs and score a 16-run victory over Glenwood at Grey College’s Tommix Oval.

With Padi leading the way, the Durban school mustered only 97/7 in their 20 overs.

He, however, received outstanding assistance from Handré de Beer, who showed that a nagging line and length are still highly effective in the shorter form of the game.

De Beer, like Padi, sent down four overs and provided a miserly return of 1/9, delivering his quota in two two-over spells. He also bowled the last over of the match, with 18 runs to defend, and conceded only a single.

Captain and opening batsman, Louis van Wyk, continued his searing form, racking up a third successive half-century, which was the key knock in Volkskool’s innings.

Andrew Sobiech delivered with both bat and ball as St Andrew’s School secured a five-wicket win over Menlopark, their first of the festival. Sobiech captured 2/26 and then played a match-winning innings of 63 runs as Saints chased down 165 for victory. Naudé Botha also played a vital role with 38 runs coming from his blade.

Dian van Zyl, the Menlopark captain and his side’s leading run scorer for the week, fell just short of a third half-century on the trot, putting together an entertaining innings of 42 runs.

Northwood closed out a strong four days as they, too, claimed a five-wicket victory over a struggling Selborne College team. This time around, it was the bats of Ross McGlashan (53) and Jamie Wimble (44*) who helped them pull off a successful run chase. Wimble also delivered with the ball, snapping up 2/13 in two overs.

Not even a half-century from Jeppe High School for Boys‘ T20 specialist batsman, Aiden Reyneke was enough to stop Grey High School from recording another convincing victory. Reyneke led the way for the Johannesburg school, playing with authority to score 58 in his side’s 149/7.

Luke Tait (49*), who thoroughly deserved a half-century, played exquisitely to stay unbeaten for the winning team. Connor Parry (40*) joined in on the fun as the pair contributed a combined 89 runs to get the side from Gqeberha home with eight wickets to spare.

Summarised scorecards

Potchefstroom Volkskool 113/10 (Louis van Wyk 52; Krian Jugoo 3/16, Akhil Maharaj 2/15; Glenwood 97/7 (Kreesan Pillai 43; Olefa Padi 4/22). Potchefstroom Volkskool won by 16 runs.

Menlopark 164/8 (Dian van Zyl 42, Jan-Willem Pienaar 34*, Morné Koekemoer 28, Tiaan Serfontein 24; Jonathan Hickley 2/10, JD Basson 2/24, Andrew Sobiech 2/26); St Andrew’s School 165/5 (Andrew Sobiech 63, Naudé Botha 38, Leon Athanasiou 21; James Bronkhorst 2/3, Jan-Willem Pienaar 2/28). St Andrew’s School won by five wickets.

Selborne College 158/7 (Aaron Senekal 37, Cian O’Neill 31, Joshua Wilkie 23; Aidan Bauristhene 3/38, Jamie Wimble 2/13); Northwood 162/5 (Ross McGlashan 53, Jamie Wimble 44*; Bungqina Nuku 1/19). Northwood won by five wickets.

Jeppe High School for Boys 149/7 (Aiden Reyneke 58, Zizi Mkhize 26, Keegan Caxeiro 23; Nathan Howell 3/28); Grey High School 154/2 (Luke Tait 49*, Connor Parry 40*, Charl Posthumus 34, Teun Kloppenberg 23; Shreshth Kumar 1/31). Grey High School won by eight wickets.

St Andrew’s College registered a clean sweep of all of their matches at the Makhanda Cricket Festival. The local school was on course to make it five wins from five starts, but persistent rain spoiled the final day of action.

In each of their contests, St Andrew’s had different match-winners. In their victory over Peterhouse, Oliver Johns starred with the bat. Then, Ababalwe Zingela took a hat-trick in his first over and finished the match with four wickets when St Andrew’s locked horns with St David’s Marist Inanda. Zingela’s brilliance with the ball set the stage for Miles Sansom to shine with the bat, and he struck an unbeaten half-century as St Andrew’s cantered to victory.

However, on the healthy list of contributors, one player stood out above the rest: William Beamish.

The opening batsman shared a match-winning partnership with Sansom and missed out on a 50 by a single run in College’s win over St David’s. He bowled tight overs and chipped in with wickets. As the captain of St Andrew’s College, he made on-field decisions that either helped turn the tide or strengthened his team’s position in games.

In addition to all of the above, Beamish produced the second-highest individual score of the festival, an imperious 201, as he laid the platform for an emphatic win over Hellenic Academy. His 319-run opening partnership with Rhys Wiblin (130) tore the life out of the visitors. Beamish crunched 22 fours and seven sixes for his double-century, which set him apart from the rest of the College batsmen.

“William remained positive, putting the disappointment of missing out on the EP Khaya Majola Week side. He has enjoyed a fruitful few weeks,” Ethan O’Reilly, the St Andrew’s first XI coach, commented.

After the setback of omission from the provincial team, the teenager let his bat do the talking. He lent his talents to the EP u17 Rural side and helped them capture the title at the CSA Rural Week in Wellington.

The aggressive opening batsman didn’t just give his side good starts, he also put the game away beyond the opposition’s reach. He wowed the organisers and spectators with his all-round skills. Then, he carried on that form in Makhanda.

“If he (Beamish) didn’t have an impact with the bat, he had an impact with the ball or with his captaincy,” Scott Jackson, St Andrew’s Master in Charge of Cricket, explained.

Beamish was the highest run-scorer for St Andrew’s College at the festival, finishing with 280 runs at an average of 70. He’s one of the players to look out for in 2025, Jackson reckoned.

The bats of Jeppe High School for Boys‘ Munib Ayob and captain Ryan Young did the talking as the Johannesburg school powered their way to a second victory at the Grey Festival in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

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

After Young won the toss and chose to bat first on a good batting track. Ayob, in at three, benefitted from a good foundation laid on by opening batsman, Adam Franken (41), who has also looked in good knick early in the season.

Playing positively, with good foot movement, Ayob contributed a well-played 82 to a partnership of 168 runs, which was ended by Joshua McKay, the pick of Selborne’s bowlers, who returned a superb 5/28.

There was no let up after the departure of Ayob because he was replaced by Young. The Jeppe skipper didn’t hang around and took the game to the Selborne bowlers, striking eight fours and three sixes in his 68 from only 52 deliveries.

He, too, was dismissed by the impressive McKay, who toiled hard and was impressively economical despite the onslaught going on around him. After 50 overs, Jeppe had tallied 297/7 from their 50 overs.

Following his devastating innings, Ayob went on to do the bulk of the damage with the ball. The all-rounder snapped up three wickets for a miserly seven runs from four overs.

Shreshth Kumar (3/12) and Zizi Mkhize (3/14) also chipped in with three cheap wickets each. McKay’s outstanding performance in a losing cause continued with the bat as he top scored with 40, but the remainder of the Selborne batsmen offered little resistance and they were skittled for 72, leaving Jeppe the winners by a handsome 225-run margin

Luke Tait led Grey High School‘s charge with the bat, contributing a half-century as the side from Gqeberha recorded a five-wicket victory over Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom.

The Volkies’ in-form opening batsman Louis van Wyk held up his end and ran well between the wickets to accumulate a fine 78. Unfortunately for the Potch boys, he was the only batsman to make it past 20 and they were restricted to 141 all out, which left Tait and company with a comfortable run pursuit.

Grey College‘s four-pronged paced attack bowled well in pairs to dismantle Glenwood for only 86 runs. Edrich Hanekom (2/10) led the way, while Lamla Mgedzi (2/13) and Otto Krause (2/14) also claimed two wickets each. SA Schools’ opening batsman, Christian Kind, made 24 at the top of the order as the hosts made light work of the run chase to cruise to an eight-wicket victory.

Menlopark’s Dian van Zyl (80) and Morne Koekemoer (70) punished the Namibian u19 bowlers. They combined for a 110-run partnership, which was the key component in their very competitive total of 254/8 from their 50 overs.

Koekemoer then got to work with the ball, supporting Johan Bosch (2/34) with a return of 2/36 as the Namibians were restricted to only 208 all out, which left Menlo the winners by 46 runs.

St Andrew’s School suffered a second heavy defeat on home soil, going down by seven wickets against a well-rounded Northwood side. Ben Cilliers (4/14) and Thabiso Mtambo (2/30) bowled disciplined lines and lengths to splinter the home team’s batting lineup.

Tuswa Phetha, then, smashed 45 to to help the Durban school to a comfortable seven-wicket win.

Summarised scorecards

Jeppe High School for Boys 297/7 (Munid Ayob 82, Ryan Young 68, Adam Franken 41, Extras 29, Keegan Caxeiro 22; Joshua McKay 5/28); Selborne College 72 (Joshua McKay 40; Munib Ayob 3/7, Shreshth Kumar 3/12, Zizi Mkhize 3/14). Jeppe High School for Boys won by 225 runs.

Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom 141/10 (Louis van Wyk 78; Matthew Tinley 3/1, Drisden Pretorius 2/26, Logan Groch 2/32); Grey High School 144/5 (Luke Tait 50, Connor Parry 28; Olefa Padi 3/12). Grey High School won by five wickets.

Glenwood 86/10 (Kamo Moloto 24, Kreesan Pillai 22; Edrich Hanekom 2/10, Lamla Mgedezi 2/13, Otto Krause 2/14); Grey College 87/2 (Christian Kind 24, Henru de Wet 20*; Riley Foxcroft 1/20). Grey College won by eight wickets.

Menlopark 254/8 (Dian van Zyl 80, Morne Koekemoer 70, Jan-Willem Pienaar 25; Extras 23; Henry Grant 4/53); Namibia u19 208/10 (Extras 30, Tiaan van der Merwe 29, Ben Brassell 29, Malan Morkel 23*, Waldo Smith 22, Rowan van Vuuren 20; Johan Bosch 2/34, Morne Koekemer 2/36). Menlopark won by 46 runs.

St Andrew’s School 130/10 (Andrew Sobiech 55, Reuben van Aarde 29; Ben Cilliers 4/14, Thabiso Mtambo 2/30); Northwood 131/3 (Tuswa Phetha 45, David de Bruyn 33, Kyle White 23*, Jordan Matthews 21*; Nikhil Sukraj 3/25). Northwood won by seven wickets.

There were no centuries on Saturday, with matches on day three of the Makhanda Cricket Festival affected by rain. The conditions made for good bowling surfaces, but Josh Loon, Oliver Johns, Corbin Tidbury, and Tyler Chapman, nonetheless,  produced scintillating performances with the bat to lift their teams to victory.

Morteza Manack continued his fine run of form with a half-century as St David’s Marist Inanda came up just short against Kingswood College, going down by one wicket in a tense and chaotic finish.

Fresh off scoring an imperious unbeaten double-century in a win over Pearson, Manack followed up that stupendous performance with a brisk 53-ball 61.

Unlike in the match against Pearson, which had seen Manack take to the crease with his side on 47/2, this time St David’s had already laid a sound platform and were on 124/3. However, the dismissal that brought him to the crease, the wicket of Khutso Sekgobela, was the first of three to tumble in the space of 1.5 overs. Manack, then, stabilised matters by sharing in a 92-run sixth-wicket partnership with Samrat Basu (38).

Patrick Mouton continued his great run with the ball for Kingswood, with his 10 overs bringing him a return of 4/55. His fine effort and an unbeaten 75 from Josh Loon in Kingswood’s innings, enabled the home team to squeak by their Johannesburg opposition.

Oliver Johns struck an unbeaten half-century to guide St Andrew’s College to a five-wicket victory over Pearson. Following the dismissal of Rhys Wiblin in the 17th over, Johns took charge, cracking 10 fours on his way to an even-paced 71 off 113 balls. At the other end, though, he had to watch Ethan Bradfield and Benjamin Coventry depart within 14 deliveries of each other, after adding only two runs.

Johns’ measured innings received the support it needed when Ben Scharges contributed an undefeated 31 as the duo combined for an unbroken 85-run sixth-wicket partnership, which took them to victory.

Earlier in the contest, Alistair de Kock and Rhys Wiblin had claimed three wickets apiece as Pearson was bowled out for 174 in 48 overs. Sulaymaan Gangat‘s half-century and Luke Hector‘s 49 were not enough to carry the Gqeberha school to a total that would challenge the Makhanda boys. William Beamish and Thomas Bussiahn also got in on the wicket-taking act for College, picking up two each.

Corbin Tidbury carved a brilliant 95 off 94 balls to lead Graeme College to an insurmountable total of 235/7 in a match restricted to 40 overs a side by the rain when they faced off against Hellenic Academy. That score was too great for the Zimbabwean side, who folded for a meagre 130 runs in 39 overs, giving Graeme College an emphatic 105-run victory.

Tidbury joined forces with Zuko Pontshi (46) to add 109 runs for the fourth wicket, which took the game away from Hellenic. Tom Sinclair shone for visitors, capturing 4/36, but Graeme went on to a dominating victory.

On the batting front, Ruben Sanders offered stubborn resistance, carrying his bat to score an unbeaten 66 off 114 balls. Unfortunately for the opener, he was one of only two Hellenic batsmen to make it into double figures. The other was Kirby Madharamete, whose approach was aggressive. He chipped in with 36 and together with Sanders put on 57 for the fourth-wicket, which was the best partnership of Hellenic’s innings.

Andrew Muir was Graeme College’s most successful bowler, snapping up three wickets for 19 runs. Jordan Damons weighed in with a useful 2/10, while Erin Nelson, Ajay Jegels, and Lisekho Zinyane grabbed a wicket each.

Tyler Chapman and Isheunopa Mutungi scored superb half-centuries to steer Peterhouse to a 62-run victory over St Alban’s College. Chapman’s 71, from 70, and Mutungi’s unbeaten 52, from 37, boosted Peterhouse to a sound 254/7 after their 40 overs. Liam Chetty excelled for St Alban’s, knocking over 5/30, but the Zimbabwean side batted at more than six runs an over.

In reply, Zayd Mohanlall kept Peterhouse at bay, fighting hard for a valiant 46 from 83 balls, but St Alban’s was limited to 192/7 in their 40 overs.

It was a welcome pick-me-up for the Zimbabwean schools after Hellenic’s heavy defeat at the hands of Graeme College.

Summarised scorecards

Kingswood 269/9 (Josh Loon 75*, Ross Thompson 40, Alister Knott 38, Hayden Campbell 3/48, Christopher Emslie 3/58). St David’s 268/9 (Morteza Manack 61, Hayden Campbell 46, Samrat Basu 38, Patrick Mouton 4/55, David Loudon 2/17). Kingswood won by one wicket.

Pearson 174/10 (Sulaymaan Gangat 54, Luke Hector 49, Alastair de Kock 3/21, Rhys Wiblin 3/36). St Andrew’s College 175/5 (Oliver Johns 71*, Ben Scharges 31*, Cayden Wilson 2/21, Jonno Holmes 1/19). St Andrew’s College won by five wickets.

Graeme College 235/7 (Corbin Tidbury 95, Zuko Pontshi 46, Tom Sinclair 4/36, Ruben Sanders 2/20). Hellenic Academy 130/10 (Ruben Sanders 66*, Kirby Madharamete 36, Andrew Miur 3/19, Jordan Damons 2/10). Graeme College won by 105 runs.

Peterhouse 254/7 (Tyler Chapman 71, Isheunopa Mutungi 52*, Liam Chetty 5/30, Joshua Jordaan 1/32). St Alban’s College 192/7 (Zayd Mohanlall 46, Liam Detert 38, Tafadzwa Kashaya 3/25, Isaac Hildbrand 2/22). Peterhouse won by 62 runs.

After five days of superb schools’ cricket during the Peninsula Festival with only Rondebosch Boys’ High managing to finish the week with an unbeaten record intact.

Rondebosch defeated Potchefstroom Gimnasium in a closely contested match at Rondebosch’s main oval on Sunday by four runs.

The team from Potchefstroom needed only eight runs from the final over with their kingpin Ulrich Botha (51) still at the crease. From the home side, Arin Spiller (1/22) was to bowl the final over.

To the arena stepped Adeeb Levy to run out Botha from the very first delivery of the over. Spiller then rearranged Henré Cronjé’s (0) stumps with the very next delivery to add to the pressure. With the fourth delivery of the 20th over Divan van Eldik (6) was also ran out.

Botha was also the pick of the Potch Gimmies bowling attack with figures of 2/23. Rondebosch’s Noah Heath (39) and Levy (33) were leading their side’s charge with the willow.

Hilton College finished their tour on a high by defeating Wynberg Boys’ High by seven wickets in their final match in the Cape on the Jacques Kallis Oval.

Wynberg reached 129/9 in their allotted 20 overs with Michail Tarentaal (41) and Moosa Gabriels (29) making the biggest contributions. Luke Campbell was in superb form with the ball in hand as he picked up three wickets for 15 runs.

Hilton’s Alex Pitman (51*) then led the way with his unbeaten half-century with some solid support from Simon Steyn (29) and Robert Burman (24).

Bishops’ Luke de Klerk (5/10) had Pretoria Boys High on the backfoot early on in their match-up as he claimed a five-wicket haul in his side’s victory of seven wickets. The team from the Jacaranda City was bowled out for 101 runs with their stalwart Joshua Hall (30*) once again leading the way.

Bishops got past the target in the tenth over with Alex Vintcent (34) contributing the bulk of the runs.

Summarised Scorecards: 

Rondebosch Boys’ High 162/7 (Noah Heath 39, Adeeb Levy 33, Ethan Kloots 22; Ulrich Botha 2/23, Adriaan van Niekerk 2/35); Potchefstroom Gimnasium 158/7 (Ulrich Botha 57, Caiden Seleka 38; James Kirsten 1/10). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by four runs.

Pretoria Boys’ High 101 (Joshua Hall 30*; Luke de Klerk 5/10); Diocesan College 107/3 (Alex Vintcent 34; Euan Gottfried 1/2). Diocesan College won by seven wickets.

Wynberg Boys’ High 129/9 (Michail Tarentaal 41, Moosa Gabriels 29, Joshua Prince 21; Luke Campbell 3/15, Obakeng Motsepa 2/18, Simon Steyn 2/22); Hilton College 132/3 (Alex Pitman 51*, Simon Steyn 29, Robert Burman 24; Joshua Prince 1/22). Hilton College won by seven wickets.

Morteza Manack and William Beamish unfurled their full range of shots as they punished the bowlers on the second day of the Makhanda Cricket Festival and powered St David’s Marist Inanda and St Andrew’s College to emphatic victories.

St David’s scored 343/4, on their way to a 181-run victory over Pearson, whom they bowled out for a paltry 162.

St Andrew’s College thrashed Hellenic Academy by 242 runs, scoring a monumental 376/2, to which Hellenic responded with an ineffectual 134.

Manack arrived at the crease in the eighth over, with St David’s on 47/2 after they had lost two wickets in three deliveries. They needed someone to stabilise their innings. Manack did more than that. He creamed 24 fours and nine sixes on his way to a brilliant 203 off 139 balls.

Pearson needed a good opening partnership to stand a chance in the contest. That didn’t happen. The Gqeberha side lost three wickets in the powerplay for 75 runs, and that put them on the back foot. Any hope they had of chasing down the stiff victory target died shortly after the powerplay, when their talismanic captain, Cayden Wilson, was dismissed after scoring 39 runs.

Meanwhile, St Andrew’s College’s William Beamish and Rhys Wiblin tore apart the Hellenic Academy bowling attack when they compiled an outstanding 319-run opening partnership in 45.3 overs.

Beamish scored an excellent 201 off 145 balls, with his innings featuring 22 fours and seven sixes. Wiblin was the foil to Beamish’s aggressive approach. He registered a more sedate 130 off 143 balls, striking 10 fours and a single six.

Hellenic tried eight different bowlers, but none had an answer to Beamish and Wiblin’s dominance. The openers’ effort was complemented by the St Andrew’s bowling attack, led by Thomas Bussiahn, who captured 5/31. He received good support from Oliver Johns and William Stevens, who grabbed a brace each.

Peterhouse registered a hard-fought two-wicket victory over Kingswood, thanks to half-centuries from Victor Watama and Luke Marillier. Watama’s run-a-ball 74 was the highest individual score in the contest, and his presence at the crease from the 16th over until the 40th all but ensured victory for the visitors. Marillier’s 50 off 50 created a solid platform for Peterhouse in their run chase.

The Zimbabwean school took 46.2 overs to score 274/8 after Kingswood had batted first and compiled 270/7 in 50 overs.

Marillier and Watama’s efforts counterbalanced Kingswood’s trio of half-centuries, scored by Daniel Jankins, Franco Klopper, and Chris Zimmerman. Jankins and Klopper did a fantastic job with a 127-run opening partnership. After their dismissals, however, the hosts struggled to maintain momentum

Zimmerman’s valiant effort, an unbeaten 50 off 44 with the tail, wasn’t enough to push Kingswood’s total beyond Peterhouse’s reach.

Summarised scorecards

St David’s 343/4 (Morteza Manack 203*, Hayden Campbell 52*; Jayden Ward 2/68, Daniel Ritchie 1/43). Pearson 162/10 (Cayden Wilson 39, Cade Hummel 33; Kyle Butler 2/16, Ethan Greenstein 2/25). St David’s won by 181 runs.

St Andrew’s College 376/2 (William Beamish 201, Rhys Wiblin 130; Oliver van Zyl 2/80). Hellenic Academy 134/10 (Christian Makings 29, Ruben Sanders 28; Thomas Bussiahn 5/31, Oliver Johns 2/4). St Andrew’s College won by 242 runs.

Kingswood College 270/7 (Franco Klopper 57, Daniel Jankins 53; Nicholas Orphanides 3/51, Callum Scott-Elliot 1/35). Peterhouse 274/8 (Victor Watama 74, Luke Marillier 50; David Louden 4/30, Patrick Mouton 3/73). Peterhouse won by two wickets.

The first two days of the annual Grey Cricket Festival certainly tested the abilities of all 10 teams as they did battle in two-day matches.

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The hosts, Grey College, put in a dominant team performance to thump Selborne College by nine wickets relatively early on the second day.

Grey’s opening bowler, Otto Krause (3/19) was exceptional with the new ball, snapping up three important top-order wickets. Daniel Hattingh (3/12) joined in on the festivities, rubbing further salt into the East London school’s wounds with three wickets of his own.

Selborne’s Joshua Wilkie fought back valiantly with a well-played 64 runs. His contribution, however, was the only noteworthy one as Selborne slumped to 128 all out in their first innings.

The Grey batsmen replied in emphatic style, all chipping in with starts. SA Schools’ representative, Christian Kind led the way with 48, while Jaco Prinsloo followed suit with an impressive 41.

Reece Wait (5/55) bowled well for Selborne, but Grey College, nonetheless, posted a solid 267 all out. The host’s seamers then backed up their batsmen well by dismissing Selborne for 172 in their second innings, which left Grey needing only 35 to win. Sicelo Matayi bowled with great pace and was rewarded with 3/33.

Potchefstroom Volkskool bagged an eight-wicket win over Northwood in an absolute run fest. The side from KwaZulu-Natal batted first and tallied an intimidating 284/9. Kyle White (135) and Tuswa Phetha (102) were The Knights’ mainstays. They made the Volkie bowlers toil, which made Johandre Jacob’s return of 5/64 all the more remarkable.

Eduan van der Merwe replied with a century of his own, taking only 112 deliveries to reach his 125. Louis van Wyk (43) chipped in with a healthy contribution, but it wasn’t enough to get the Volkskool past Northwood’s first innings total. That, however, fired up the Volkie bowlers and Northwood collapsed to a disappointing 115 all out the second time around. Chasing 120 for victory, Van Wyk went to work again, smashing an entertaining and undefeated 95 to get his side over the line.

The clash between St Andrew’s School and Jeppe High School for Boys was dominated by the bat of Jeppe captain, Ryan Young. Batting in the middle order, he gave the Jeppe boys a healthy upper hand after compiling a superb, attacking 164 not out. He scored at a run a ball and smashed eight sixes and 14 fours.

Reza Ayob, then, led the Jeppe bowling attack, snapping up 3/26 and 4/48 to finish with match figures of 7/74 as the visitors from Johannesburg thumped Saints by 10 wickets.

Menlopark fought hard for a victory over Glenwood, but the Durban school kept them at bay to secure a draw. Dian van Zyl, the leader of the Menlo batting effort, would’ve loved to convert his 80 to a century.

On the side, Kreesan Pillai was a fly in the ointment for the Menlo bowlers. Although he managed only 26 in the first innings, his 65 in the second innings was a crucial contribution as Glenwood held on for a hard-fought draw. The Menlo paceman, Morne Koekemoer (4/50), impressed with his four wickets in the match.

Teuan Kloppenberg (78) and Logan Goddard-Ford (48) produced the goods with the bat for Grey High School, who triumphed over Namibia u19. Logan’s partnership with Anfred Jansen (37) lower down the order also played a major role in their narrow three-wicket victory.

Max Heingo gave the Grey High batsmen fits, capturing 5/28 in the first innings, to give his side a shot at victory.

Summarised scorecards 

Selborne College 1st innings 128/10 (Joshua Wilkie 64; Daniel Hattingh 3/13, Otto Krause 3/19, Jano Venter 2/20); Grey College 1st innings 267/10 (Christian Kind 48, Jaco Prinsloo 41, Lamla Mgedzi 29, Henru de Wet 28, Otto Krause 26, Daniel Hattingh 23, Pieter Smit 20; Reece Wait 5/55); Selborne College 2nd innings 172/10 (Henry 69, Reece Wait 24, Extras 24; Edrich Hanekom 3/16, Sicelo Matayi 3/33, Otto Krause 2/31); Grey College 2nd innings 35/1 (Christian Kind 16; Nuku 1/22). Grey College won by nine wickets.

Northwood 1st innings 284/9 dec (Kyle White 135, Tuswa Phetha 102; Johandre Jacobs 5/64, Herman Hesse 2/42); Potchefstroom Volkskool 1st innings 280/10 (Eduan van der Merwe 125, Louis van Wyk 43, Schalk Pienaar 28, Theunis Nel 26; Jamie Wimble 3/24); Northwood 2nd innings 115/10 (Alistair Duncan 57; Olefa Padi 3/40, Herman Hesse 2/8, Schalk Pienaar 2/17); Potchefstroom Volkskool 2nd innings 120/2 (Louis van Wyk 95*; Kyle White 2/23). Potchefstroom Volkskool won by eight wickets.

St Andrew’s School 1st innings 145/10 (Reuben van Aarde 52*, Jonathan Hickley 21, Heindré Serfontein 21, Naudé Botha 20; Reza Ayob 3/26, Tiago Almeida 2/13, Munib Ayob 2/18); Jeppe High School for Boys 1st innings 304/5 dec (Ryan Young 164*, Ethan Elliot 52, Aiden Reyneke 39, Keegan Caxerio 33; FG Botha 3/105); St Andrew’s School 2nd innings 184/10 (Andrew Sobiech 50, FG Botha 48; Reza Ayob 4/48, Zizi Mhize 3/36, Shreshth Kumar 2/24); Jeppe High School for Boys 2nd innings 26/0 (Munib Ayob 23*). Jeppe High School for Boys won by 10 wickets.

Menlopark 1st innings 299/8 dec (Dian van Zyl 80, J Pienaar 67*, Matt van der Westhuizen 47, Heinrich Claassen 33*, Extras 25; Krian Jugoo 3/41, Neel Patel 2/39); Glenwood 1st innings 138/10 (Michael Gunawardana 36, Kreesan Pillai 26; Tiaan Serfontein 3/13, Morne Koekemoer 2/19, Johan Bosch 2/22); Glenwood 2nd innings F/O 275/9 (Kreesan Pillai 65, Kyle Bryan 49, Kamo Moloto 44, Rehaan Jugbathur 27, Karabo Ntsieng 20; Matt van der Westhuizen 2/27, Morne Koekemoer 2/31, Murray Hofmeyer 2/44). Match Drawn.

Namibia u19 1st innings 159/10 (Janko Engelbrecht 36, Dan Brassell 35*, Malan Morkel 28; Matthew Tinley 2/16, Drisden Pretorius 2/25, Anfred Jansen 2/31); Grey High School 1st innings 166/10 (Teun Kloppenberg 78, Anfred Jansen 39; Max Heingo 5/28); Namibia u19 2nd innings 188/8 dec (Douglas Truter 57*, Tiaan van der Merwe 25, Michael Muller 23; Logan Groch 2/25); Grey High School 2nd innings 185/7 (Logan Goddard-Ford 48, Connor Parry 45, Anfred Jansen 37, Teun Kloppenberg 20; Douglas Truter 2/8). Grey High School won by three wickets.