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Maritzburg College vs Paarl Boys’ High (20-over)

Paarl Boys’ High won the toss on Goldstone’s and elected to field first in their T20 against Maritzburg College on Tuesday, the final day of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week.

College, though, made a strong start and kept riding that excellent platform all the way to 168/3. In the end, they won by 18 runs.

Captain, Daniel Nadasan, struck four fours in his 33 off 27 balls, while his fellow opener, Kyle de Bruyn, improved on that strong contribution, walloping seven fours and a six on his way to 56 off 46. Together, they achieved a 79-run opening stand.

In at number three, Sphamandla Dzanibe kept the momentum going, scoring an unbeaten 55 off 41.

The Paarl bowlers were made to toil, with Aden Batt and Pieter Gildenhuis, the best of them, returning matching figures of 1/20 from three overs.

While Boishaai‘s run chase came up short, it wasn’t because of Gideon du Toit. He got on top of the College bowlers, smashing six fours and a six in a fighting 63 not out from only 34 balls.

Opener Christo Muller delivered 31 off 26 but his run out left the visitors wobbling on 45/3.

Left-arm paceman Dzanibe showed off his all-round ability by knocking over 4/25 in four overs, while Karl Dedekind collected 2/13 in two as Paarl Boys High ended on 150/7.

Pretoria Boys High vs Paarl Gimnasium (20-over)

At Collegians, Pretoria Boys High captain Tim Gordon decided to bat first after the toss went his way. Thanks to a terrific opening stand, his side put up a strong 171/3 against Paarl Gimnasium.

Opener Ethan Nel led from the front, scoring an impressive 75 off 69, which included seven fours. Gordon, who usually bats third in the order, opened with Nel and provided Boys High with a big boost by bashing four sixes and six fours in a rapid 68 off 34 balls.

Together, the pair provided the highlight of the match, a 130-run partnership.

Gimmies were made to toil as Boys High scored at 8.55 runs per over. Wian Munnik, with 0/22 from four overs, was their most economical bowler.

Their run chase was led by the in-form Charles King, who was, again, superb. He hammered six fours and a six in an unbeaten 72 from only 49 deliveries, while Munnik weighed in with 26 at the top of the order.

Liam Brooker, though, made a serious impact for Pretoria Boys High, removing three dangermen – Munnik, Derrick Groenewald and Matt Dippenaar – to finish with 3/22 from four overs.

Paarl Gim’s run pursuit was undermined early in their innings when they tumbled to 58/4 after nine overs. They had too much to make up but, with King leading the charge, they finished on a respectable 152/7.

SCORES

Maritzburg College 168/3 (Kyle de Bruyn 56, Sphamandla Dzanibe 55*, Daniel Nadasan 33); Paarl Boys’ High 150/7 (Gideon du Toit 63*, Christo Muller 31; Sphamandla Dzanibe 4/25, Karl Dedekind 2/13).

Maritzburg College won by 18 runs.

Pretoria Boys High 171/3 (Ethan Nel 75, Tim Gordon 68); Paarl Gimnasium 152/7 (Charles King 72*, Wian Munnik 20; Liam Brooker 3/22).

Pretoria Boys High won by 19 runs.

Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Selborne College (50-over)

Selborne won the toss on ‘Bosch‘s Cricket A Oval and elected to bat first in their Tuesday showdown at the Cape Schools Cricket Festival. That decision led to Rondebosch Boys’ High making it a short game, which ended after only 23.1 overs, with the home team scoring an emphatic nine-wicket win.

A measure of Selborne’s struggles was the fact that Joshua Wilkie, batting at four, top scored with only 10 from 18 balls and scored the only boundary in the East London school’s miserable 27 all out.

James Kirsten and Timothy Short were as ravenous as sharks around chum, with both capturing 4/11. Kirsten’s haul came from six overs, while Short did it in 8.5 overs.

It took the ‘Bosch batsmen only 5.2 overs to reach 31/1 and take victory. Bungqina Nuku claimed 1/19 in three overs, dismissing Eli Aufrichtig for nine, but Tyler Heyns was unbeaten on 15 off 12 in a one-sided win.

Bishops Diocesan College vs Graeme College (50-over)

At Bishops, Graeme College won the toss and batted first. They were bowled out for 188 off the last ball of their innings. In response, Bishops charged to victory, winning by six wickets with 124 balls to spare.

The Makhanda school made a steady start, with Enrique Strydom (21) and Qhama Ngoma (40) sharing a 45-run partnership. But Graeme’s efforts were hurt by an electric Bishops fielding outfit, who got rid of the top three in the order by running out each of them.

Kits McConnachie batted well for 37, while Matthew Edwards took 2/32 and Julian Pilkington 2/33, both in 10, as the visitors batted at just under 3.8 runs per over.

Bishops, then, bounded to victory in only 29.4 overs, led by James Robb-Quinlan, who scored his second century of the Cape Schools Festival. Making sweet contact, he bludgeoned 11 fours and five sixes, facing just 82 balls for his unbeaten 107. That brought his total for four innings to a splendid 383 at an eye-popping average of 127.7.

Samuel Stavely-Alexander, a consistent contributor, chipped in with 31 off 40, which included five fours.

Graeme captain Andrew Muir’s 1/25 from six overs was his side’s most economical bowling performance and, in the context of the Bishops’ onslaught, a fine return.

SCORES

Selborne College 27/10 (James Kirsten 4/11, Timothy Short 4/11, Daniel Cooke 2/4); Rondebosch Boys’ High 31/1 (Tyler Heyns 15; Bungqina Nuku 1/19).

Rondebosch won by nine wickets.

Graeme College 188/10 (Qhama Ngoma 40, Kits McConnachie 37, Enrique Strydom 21; Matthew Edwards 2/32, Julian Pilkington 2/34); Bishops Diocesan College 190/4 (James Robb-Quinlan 107*, Samuel Stavely-Alexander 31, Litha Mbiko 20*).

Bishops won by six wickets. 

Samuel Scheckter blasted a masterful century, while Rhys Wiblin bagged a five-wicket haul to help St Andrew’s College register an emphatic 177-run victory over Union High in their final Cape Schools Cricket Festival contest on Wynberg Boys’ High’s Silverhurst A Field on Tuesday.

Less than 10km away, Queen’s College and Dale College locked horns in a traditional rivalry on Rondebosch Boys’ High’s Meadows A Field, where Khazimla Simama’s bowling mastery and five-wicket haul led Queen’s to a comfortable 58-run win.

St Andrew’s College won the toss and chose to bat first, making good use of the opportunity to power their way to 316/8 in 50 overs. Union High, in reply, was unable to match the Makhands school’s momentum. Their innings lasted 38.5 overs, and they were all out for only 139.

St Andrew’s didn’t start well, losing William Beamish and Benjamin Scharges in the powerplay, which left them on 36/2 after 7.2 overs.

However, the departure of the duo opened the door for Scheckter, who took control of the innings over the next 35.4 overs. He faced 106 deliveries for his outstanding 101, striking nine fours and a six. Benjamin Coventry, with whom he shared a 98-run fifth-wicket partnership, contributed a vital 37 runs from 47 deliveries, while Warrick Campbell cracked a brisk 32 off 18 balls at the death.

Union’s Trystan Hulleman was again among the wickets, picking up 3/51, while Callum Jacobs was the pick of the Graaff-Reinet school’s attack, with a tidy haul of 3/38.

Union High’s start, by contrast, was decent, with Makukhanye de Beer (23) and Hulleman (19) putting up 50 for the first wicket. However, the tide swiftly turned when Union lost three wickets for 13 runs in 2.2 overs.

Wiblin was the architect of their undoing, capturing a match-winning 5/18 from 4.5 overs.

At Rondebosch, Queen’s decided to bat first after winning the toss. Battling tenaciously, the Komani boys tallied 170 all out in 43.3 overs. It didn’t matter that their total appeared average because they had Khazimla Simama, who bagged a five-wicket haul as Dale College was bundled out for only 112 in reply.

Queen’s decision to bat first went awry when Lihlumelo Ngcukana and Khwezi Mtshakazi took three early wickets to reduce them to 25/3 after seven overs. A 55-run fourth-wicket partnership between Ross Fitzhenry (19) and Rowan Miles (59) steadied the innings.

When that partnership ended, Miles and Caleb Waller shared a 64-run stand and those two healthy partnerships proved to be more than enough.

Afika Ganda fought hard with a steady 36-ball 39 when it was Dale College’s turn to bat, but the opener lacked support as he witnessed a steady stream of partners departing. Inga Mafanga was the only other Dale College player to reach double figures, contributing a run-a-ball 17.

Simama undermined their batting effort, knocking over 5/22 in 4.2 overs, while Chulumanco Geza inflicted further damage, returning 3/25 from five.

Scorecards

St Andrew’s College 316/8 (Samuel Scheckter 101, Benjamin Coventry 37, Warrick Campbell 32*; Callum Jacobs 3/38, Trystan Hulleman 3/51) Union High 139/10 (Xavier Barlow 29*, Makukhanye de Beer 23; Rhys Wiblin 5/18, Thomas Bussiahn 2/4, Andrew Turvey 2/40). St Andrew’s College won by 177 runs.

Queen’s College 170/10 (Rowan Miles 59, Caleb Waller 27; Sibongisile Nzima 4/26, Lihlumelo Ngcukana 3/35, Khwezi Mtshakazi 3/15). Dale College 112/10 (Afika Ganda 39, Inga Mafanga 17; Khazimla Simama 5/22, Chulumanco Geza 3/25). Queen’s College won by 58 runs.

Wynberg Boys’ High vs St. Andrew’s School (50-over)

The toss went Wynberg Boys’ High‘s way when they faced St Andrew’s School on the Jacques Kallis Oval on Tuesday in a 50-over match. The home side was made to graft hard for their 192/9, but they did a superb job defending it to pull off an impressive 45-run victory.

Opening batsman Fawaaz Hendricks laid a solid foundation for the home side, making 48 off 81 balls, while his fellow opener, Jiyaad Abrahams, made 24 before being run out, which brought an end to their 68-run opening stand.

Michail Tarentaal, in the middle order, provided a useful 26, while Hugo Norambuena gave the innings a substantial boost, whacking two sixes and a four in a run-a-ball 30.

Erhard Barends delivered excellence for Saints, claiming 4/32 in eight overs, while Andrew Sobiech tied down the home team’s batsmen with a tidy 2/22 from 10. FG Botha procured 2/40 in seven overs.

Botha was, also, the pick of the St Andrew’s batsmen. While seven of the Bloemfontein side’s players fell cheaply, he played with freedom, smashing seven fours and three sixes in his 54 off 39 balls.

A three-wicket flurry left St Andrew’s in deep trouble on 75/6 in the 14th over, but Schalk van Rensburg and Reuben van Aarde then combined for 69 runs for the seventh wicket. It was, however, slow going, with that partnership taking up almost 25 overs.

Van Aarde’s patient knock brought him 34 runs off 96 balls, while Van Rensburg contributed 26 off 76, but no other batsmen made it beyond single figures.

Nicholas Stafford was in peak form, snaring 3/14 in nine overs to bring the match to an end. It was, however, Ihsan Khan who set Wynberg on course for victory with his 3/22, which sparked the Saints’ middle order collapse.

After 43.5 overs, St Andrew’s was all out for 147. After three strong wins on the trot, the defeat brought their unbeaten Cape Schools Cricket Festival record to a halt.

SACS vs Grey High (20-over)

The toss went the way of SACS, and they opted to field first in their T20 match against Grey High School on the De Villiers Oval. A nail-biting contest unfolded, with SACS clinching a heart-stopping two-wicket win with only five balls remaining in the game.

They batted out their 20 overs, but Grey was dismissed for an average 111 off the last ball of their innings.

Logan Goddard-Ford got after the SACS bowlers, hammering three fours and three sixes in the innings’ top score of 46 off 39 deliveries. James Upton, meanwhile, chipped in with 20 off 27 and shared a 60-run fifth wicket partnership with Goddard-Ford.

Around them, a steady procession of batsmen made their way to the crease and then made their way off the field in quick order.

Abhay Kalan was responsible for the dismissal of four batsmen, capturing a tremendous 4/29 in four overs. Aqeel Waggie added 2/9 in two overs, Nic Oscraft claimed 2/17 in four, and Ronan Meintjies dialled up the pressure with 1/13 in four.

Waggie, who was in at the fall of the first wicket, then gave the SACS innings some impetus, scoring a valuable 36 off 32 balls, which included two fours and two sixes. Jordan Berry contributed 17 off 20 as he and Waggie combined for a 36-run third wicket partnership.

When SACS slid to 94/8 with 11 balls remaining, the game was in the balance, but Nic Oscraft and Vaughn van den Berg produced an unbeaten 21-run partnership for the ninth wicket, scoring 15 and seven respectively, to see the home team to thrilling victory.

Matthew Tinley was brilliant for Grey High, snapping up 4/14 in four overs. Markus Potgieter added good support, picking up 2/18 in three.

SCORES

Wynberg Boys’ High 192/9 (Fawaaz Hendricks 48, Michail Tarentaal 26, Jiyaad Abrahams 24, Hugo Norambuena 24, Qaeed Shaik 22; Erhard Barends 4/32, Andrew Sobiech 2/22, FG Botha 2/40); St. Andrew’s School 147/10 (FG Botha 54, Reuben van Aarde 34, Schalk van Rensburg 26; Nicholas Stafford 3/14, Ihsan Khan 3/22).

Wynberg won by 45 runs.

Grey High 111/10 (Logan Goddard-Ford 46, James Upton 20; Abhay Kalan 4/29, Aqeel Waggie 2/9, Nic Oscraft 2/17); SACS 115/8 (Aqeel Waggie 36; Matthew Tinley 4/14, Markus Potgieter 2/18).

SACS won by two wickets.

Hayden Hewlett, Christian Sabela, and Keegan Caxeiro starred as they powered Michaelhouse, King Edward VII (KES), and Jeppe to victories in the final round of matches at the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week on Tuesday.

As they have done in most of their outings, St David’s Marist Inanda’s players produced an effective team performance on their way to a convincing win over St Charles College.

Michaelhouse brought cheer to local fans who had made their way to the Roy Gathorne Oval to watch their fixture against St John’s College.

The hosts, who lost the toss, were asked to bowl first. Using the conditions well, they held St John’s College to 153/5 in their 20 overs.

Hewlett drew enthusiastic applause by slashing four fours and five six in an unbeaten 46-ball 80, which catapulted Michaelhouse to 156/4 and a six-wicket triumph.

Radhesh Jhilmeet helped set the stage for Michaelhouse’s win with his 3/24 from four overs, while Rendani Nonge and Ben Heuer contributed a wicket each. Captain Alec Loveland fought hard for St John’s with a well-played 68 from 47 balls. However, his stout effort wasn’t enough to avoid defeat.

Michaelhouse was on 44/3 after 7.5 overs when Hewlett walked in. Combining superbly, he and Heuer stitched a scintillating 95-run fourth-wicket partnership together off 60 balls to take the game away from St John’s. The win made it four out of four for ‘House at the Michaelmas Week.

Hilton College won the toss and opted to bat first when they met KES at Hilton, only for Christian Sabela to run riot, ripping through their middle order before cleaning up the tail on his way to a match-winning five-wicket haul.

Sabela’s superb haul helped KES dismiss Hilton for only 72 runs in 19.5 overs. The Johannesburg side’s batsmen then made light work of the target and cantered to a comfortable nine-wicket win, reaching 76/1 after 9.1 overs.

Steele Grooteman took the new ball for KES and got the ball rolling with two wickets in his first over. Hilton never recovered. Sabela, usually an opening bowler, was introduced into the attack in the sixth over and replicated Grooteman’s feat by capturing two wickets in his first over.

Ben Erasmus (25) and Luke Wilson (20) provided some resistance, but it was only temporary.

Tiago Dias saw to it that Hilton did not get a foothold in the contest, bashing six fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 59, to steer KES to victory. Luke Clark was unbeaten on 15 off 14 when the match ended. Like Michaelhouse, KES went four for four.

Jeppe was in trouble when Keegan Caxeiro made his way to the crease against Glenwood at Lynwood. The men from Kensington, Johannesburg, were on a shaky 27/3 after 3.3 overs. Caxiero, though, steadied their innings by creaming 64 off 54 balls.

His sterling effort helped Jeppe to 137/7, which set them up for a seven-run win after they restricted Glenwood to 130/8 in reply. Akhil Maharaj put in a good shift for Glenwood with a haul of four wickets for 18 runs in four overs. But Caxeiro’s half-century was decisive.

Jeppe’s bowling attack held Glenwood behind the required run rate by taking wickets at regular intervals. Krian Jugoo top-scored for the Durban school with 32 runs, while only two other batsmen, Kyle Bryan (28) and Karabo Ntsieng (20), reached the 20-run mark.

St David’s did what they do so well when they crossed swords with St Charles at St Charles. They performed as a well-oiled, single entity. The men from Sandton won the toss, chose to bowl first, and limited St Charles to 117/8 in their 20 overs before replying with 121/3 after 15.3 overs to claim a comfortable win.

Matthew Weightman scored a sound 32 from 23 balls for St Charles at the top of the order, but he lacked support as three of the Saints’ top order fell for single-digit scores. The lower middle order trio of Ryan Clarke (10), Rowen Rajah (13*), and Connor Vogt (14) reached double figures but failed to make it out of the teens.

Armaan Manack, with 26, and Roberto Mariano, with 28 provided St David’s with a solid start before their captain, Jason Rowles, scored a quickfire 17 from eight deliveries. Those three contributions laid the foundation for Morteza Manack (22*) and Kamogelo Phiri (15*) to see them home with 4.3 overs to spare.

Scorecards

Hilton 72/10 (Ben Erasmus 25, Luke Wilson 20; Christian Sabela 5/18, Steele Grooteman 3/10, Wade McQuinn 2/10). KES 76/1 (Tiago Dias 59*, Luke Clark 15*; Sechaba Gude 1/18) KES won by nine wickets.

St John’s 153/5 (Alec Loveland 68, Connor van der Walt 34; Radhesh Jhilmeet 3/24, Rendani Nonge 1/20). Michaelhouse 156/4 (Hayden Hewlett 80, Ben Heuer 30; Ethan Robinson 2/24, Alec Loveland 1/44). Michaelhouse won by six wickets.

Jeppe 137/7 (Keegan Caxeiro 62, Zizi Mkhize 22*; Akhil Maharaj 4/18, Kyle Bryan 2/26). Glenwood 130/8 (Krian Jugoo 32, Kyle Bryan 28; Shreth Kumar 3/21, Ahmed Goolam 2/13). Jeppe won by seven runs.

St Charles 117/8 (Matthew Weightman 32, Connor Vogt 14; Jason Rowles 3/27, Kyle Butler 2/14, Morteza Manack 2/18). St David’s 121/3 (Roberto Mariano 28, Armaan Manack 26, Morteza Manack 22*; Relebogile Mokoena 2/22, Keegan Veermak 1/15). St David’s won by seven wickets.

In one of the biggest matchups on the final day of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week, Grey College, and more specifically Juan Maree, concluded four tough days of cricket with some batting fun in a win over Durban High School (DHS).

The final day promised exciting T20 cricket as the event drew to a close and Maree flourished in the abbreviated format. He punished DHS’s decision to bowl first, in the match played at Michaelhouse’s Hannahs Oval.

Despite his opening partner, Christian Kind (9), departing early, Maree stepped on the gas and never relented. Striking at a rapid pace, he quickly took the game by the scruff of the neck, and, by the end of Grey’s 20 overs, he was on 100 not out off of only 58 balls. His innings had included nine fours and five sixes.

Daniel Hattingh and Aiden Dodd, two of Grey’s most consistent performers during the Michaelmas Week, once again made useful contributions. Hattingh weighed in with a quickfire 37, while Dodd also didn’t hang around for his 26, which helped the Bloemfontein boys to a healthy 210/5.

Despite that big total, Grey was made to work hard for victory, which eventually came by 32 runs. The Horseflies, a top quality T20 outfit, fought hard to chase down the big total. Ismaeel Omar led their run chase, scoring 61 from only 36 deliveries, while his fellow opener, Ethan Cooper, fell just short of a half-century when he was dismissed for 47.

Sicelo Matayi’s bowling proved to be the difference between the sides. He made good use of the new ball to pick up 3/32. Bergh Vorster, another player who had made his mark in Grey College’s previous matches, was again among the wickets, bagging 2/16, while Bernard Saaiman delivered the final blow and finished with 2/18.

At UKZN, Northwood‘s Kyle White had a day to remember as he led his side to a 10-run victory over St Stithians College, who had scored tight victories in their previous three matches.

The Hanslo brothers shared seven wickets between them, with Tasheen claiming 4/27 and Zaakir 3/18, but White withstood the pressure to score what turned out to be a match-winning 54 in Northwood’s 153 all out.

His heroics didn’t end with his batting, though. The Northwood captain removed St Stithians’ two highest run scorers, getting rid of Ombesa Matsha for 55, and Nicholas Bayly for 32. After their departures, no other Saints‘ batsmen got going and the Johannesburg side was limited to 143/8 in their 20 overs.

Hoërskool Waterkloof enjoyed a smooth ride, cruising to a nine-wicket win over Paul Roos Gimnasium at the Beaumont Eston Farmers Club. Ricardo Crous snapped up 3/12 and AJ de Villiers 3/16 as the Stellenbosch boys were bundled out for a meagre 85.

Rico van der Walt, fresh off a century on Monday, made light work of the chase, striking an unbeaten 44, while De Villiers chipped in with 29.

In a closely contested clash, Westville Boys’ High overcame the other Pretoria powerhouse, Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, by one wicket at the MP Oval, in Woodlands. That win owed a lot to their captain, Seth Simpson, whose excellent run of form continued with his side’s top score of 45.

Tristin Delvin also deserves a special mention for his valuable 36, which helped Westville reach the victory target of 139.

Earlier, Affies had posed 138/7, led by Ruben Groenewald‘s 45, while Adriaan Nel contributed 30, and Christiaan Linde 26.

Zian Labuschagne was the pick of the Affies’ bowlers, knocking over 3/35, and he was well supported by Petrus Rautenbach, who returned 2/10, while Nico Loggenberg claimed 2/28. It was, however, not quite enough.

Summarised scorecards

Grey College 210/5 (Juan Maree 100*, Daniel Hattingh 37, Aiden Dodd 26; Josh Morley 2/40); Durban High School 178/9 (Ismaeel Omar 61, Ethan Cooper 47; Sicelo Matayi 3/32, Bergh Vorster 2/16, Bernard Saaiman 2/18). Grey College won by 32 runs. 

Northwood 153/10 (Kyle White 54, Ben Cilliers 22, Jamie Wimble 21; Tasheen Hanslo 4/27, Zaakir Hanslo 3/18); St Stithians College 143/8 (Ombesa Matsha 55, Nicholas Bayly 32; Kyle White 3/22, Ryan van Zyl 3/23). Northwood won by 10 runs. 

Paul Roos Gimnasium 85 /10 (Dion Slabber 21, Luca Plekker 20; Ricardo Crous 3/12, AJ de Villiers 3/16); Waterkloof 91/1 (Rico van der Walt 44*, AJ de Villiers 29; Nathan van den Bergh 1/17). Waterkloof won by nine wickets. 

Affies 138/7 (Ruben Groenewald 45, Adriaan Nel 30, Christiaan Linde 26; Shaun McGough 3/20); Westville Boys’ High 139/9 (Seth Simpson 45, Tristin Delvin 36; Zian Labuschagne 3/35, Petrus Rautenbach 2/10, Nico Loggenberg 2/28). Westville Boys’ High won by one wicket. 

That’s three in a row for Cornwall Hill College.

Following a three-wicket defeat on the first day at the hands of the CSA Hub Invitational XI, Deon Kruis’ Cornwall Hill side went unbeaten in their remaining three matches of the 2025 Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week.

The lads from Irene achieved the hat-trick against Hudson Park courtesy of a T20 run-fest dished up by all-rounder Rourke de Lange. De Lange enjoyed some serious fun with an unbeaten knock of 101 runs from just 58 deliveries, without hitting any sixes. He did, however, smash 16 fours and only faced 15 dot balls.

It was a crucial recovery after De Lange had lost his opening partner, Keegan van Wyk, to the bowling of Lukhanyo Hlatuka (1/36) with the very first ball of the innings. De Lange and captain, Ab Rasool (34), stuck together for an 81-run partnership, with Khumo Kgagodi later joining with 28 runs in a 78-run partnership, also with De Lange.

Cornwall thus posed a challenging task for Hudson Park, who needed 195 to win. De Lange swapped the bat for the ball and again tormented the opposition.

Although Cornwall could not bowl out Hudson Park, De Lange’s figures of 2/13 in four overs helped to restrict the opposition to 115/6 in the allotted 20 overs. Seventy-six of Hudson Park’s runs came off the bat of opening batsman, Imainathi Sam, who also carried his bat through the innings.

Kearsney College‘s in-form Aaron Blackburn and Keegan de Jager handled the majority of the chase to taste victory over St Alban’s College, who blew hot and cold throughout the week. Liam Basch, however, was sizzling hot again with an unbeaten 76 to make up most of St Alban’s 129/7 in the allotted 20 overs.

Blackburn answered with 54, while De Jager contributed 36 in support. Luke Ward fought hard with the ball but couldn’t stop Kearsney from reaching the total with two balls to spare.

The CSA Hub Invitational side also finished on a high note. Returning to winning ways after two consecutive defeats, they overcame Clifton by a nail-biting three wickets in a low-scoring thriller.

As the scores of 110 and 111/7 suggest, it was a match dominated by the bowlers. Lona Pitoli (2/12), Awomke Mngini (2/17), and Taywin Adams (2/19) led the attack, resulting in Clifton’s miserly 110 all out in the final over.

Shiraz Perumal (2/22) and Blake Johnson (2/30) responded as the CSA Hub innings went much the same way. Although Daveric Petersen top-scored with only 23 runs, the CSA Hub side had more contributions, ultimately leading to them capping off the week with two victories and two defeats.

Summarised scorecards

Cornwall Hill College 194/4 (Rourke de Lange 101*, Ab Rasool 34, Khumo Kgagodi 28, Extras 20*; Liam Bekker 2/31); Hudson Park 115/6 (Iminathi Sam 76*; Rourke de Lange 2/13). Cornwall Hill College won by 79 runs. 

St Alban’s College 129/7 (Liam Basch 76*; Blake Pugh 1/9); Kearsney College 130/5 (Aaron Blackburn 54, Keegan de Jager 36; Luke Ward 3/17)/ Kearsney College won by five wickets. 

Clifton 110 (Cohen Naidoo 25; Lona Pitoli 2/12, Awonke Mngini 2/17, Taywin Adams 2/19); CSA Hub Initational XI 111/7 (Daveric Petersen 23; Shiraz Perumal 2/22, Blake Johnson 2/30). CSA Hub Invitational XI won by three wickets. 

There are four games left in the Gauteng Development League (GDL) season and, at the top of the league standings, Highlands Park, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA) all remain in with a shot at claiming the title.

On Saturday, RESA delivered a scorching 6-0 victory over Elspark United Academy. It was a vital win for the Vereeniging club, which will hold out hope that both Highlands Park and Sundowns drop points in their forthcoming games.

It took until late in the first half of Saturday’s match for RESA to take the lead, with Tshepo Mofaladi striking after an assist from Onthathile Lemao.

In the second half, RESA raised their attacking intensity, and they were richly rewarded with five more goals.

The first arrived after only five minutes, with Kamogelo Mahlaba setting up Banele Radebe to score. Mahlaba provided another assist in the 79th minute, with Samukelo Mthombeni providing the finish, to make it 3-0.

Although he didn’t score, Sechaba Monkhe was instrumental in RESA’s handsome win. He laid on two assists for Bandile Sithole in the last 10 minutes, which lifted RESA into a five-goal lead. Surprise Malatji completed the rout by slotting a penalty.

Mamelodi Sundowns, meanwhile, kept their title challenge on track with a 2-0 win over the struggling School of Excellence, who lie a lowly 14th after 28 matches, having scored only seven wins, drawn five times, and lost 16 games.

The Brazilians bossed Saturday’s match, but they remain three points behind the table-topping Highlands Park, who have 71 points. The Lions of the North grabbed a hard-fought 2-1 win over East Rand Athletic Club.

SuperSport United and Randburg AFC, whose title challenges have fallen away in recent weeks, were involved in low-scoring contests, with SuperSport United sharing a 1-1 draw with Jomo Cosmos, while Randburg picked up three points after a 1-0 defeat of Panorama.

The University of Pretoria (Tuks) drew 2-2 with Seven’s Academy, Wits Junior beat Kathorus Hyper Academy 2-0, and the game between Kaizer Chiefs and TS Galaxy, scheduled to take place at the 3rd Square Stadium in Alexandra, was postponed due to concerns about the safety of the players on the raised pitch.

RESULTS

Saturday, 4 October

Jomo Cosmos 1-1 SuperSport United
Tuks 2-2 Seven’s Academy
RESA 6-0 Elspark United Academy
Highlands Park 2-1 East Rand Athletic
Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 School of Excellence
Wits Junior 2-0 Kathorus Hyper Academy

Sunday, 5 October

Randburg AFC 1-0 Panorama FC

St. Andrew’s School vs Dale College (20-over) 

A decision to bat first paid big dividends for St Andrew’s School in their T20 clash against Dale College on Wynberg‘s Silverhurst A Oval on Monday, with a massive opening partnership powering the Bloemfontein school to a 153-run victory.

Naudé Botha went on the rampage, hammering 12 fours and four sixes in making 100 off of only 42 deliveries, after which he retired.

His opening partner, Andrew Sobiech, went after the Dale bowling, too, taking only 45 balls to score 80, which included 10 fours and a six. Together, he and Botha shared an incredible 190-run opening stand.

Lihlumelo Ngcukana claimed 2/51 in four overs for Dale, but Saints amassed 240/4 in their 20 overs.

Dale faced an unlikely victory target, but opening batsman Afika Ganda was fired up, smashing four fours and two sixes in a rapid 42 off 21 deliveries.

After his dismissal, however, the Qonce locals ran out of steam, with Sibongisile Nzima putting up the only other double figure tally, scoring 10 off 9.

Nikhil Sukraj delivered an excellent three-over spell, claiming 4/15, while Erhard Barends maintained a good line to pick up two LBWs in his 3/35 from four overs.

Dale’s reply lasted only 11.4 overs, and they were all out for 87.

SACS vs Selborne College (20-over)

Facing SACS on the De Villiers Oval, Selborne College won the toss and chose to field first. The home team flourished at the crease, however, and raced to 170/4 from their 20 overs.

Opener Luke Whitehead scored a decent 25 runs off 26 balls in an opening stand of 37. It was, however, number three batsman, Aqeel Waggie, and Jordan Berry, who followed him to the crease, who provided the bulk of the runs. Berry produced a hasty 53 off 39, striking four fours and two sixes, while Waggie hit a pair of fours and a pair of sixes in his 42 off 29.

Faced with the challenge of scoring 8.55 runs per over to win, Selborne made a cracking start, with Aaron Senekal scoring an attacking 46 off 41, which included three big shots over the boundary and four fours. His fellow opener, Joshua Wilkie, weighed in with 32 off 25 as they put on 85 runs for the first wicket.

Matthew Hendry did his bit, charging to 30 off 19 before being caught and bowled by Benjamin Blackburn. Ronan Meintjies was, once again, among the wickets for SACS, securing 2/30 in four overs.

Unfortunately for Selborne, their run chase was interrupted by rain, and they weren’t quite able to catch up to SACS. When play was stopped, they had reached 135/5 after 17.4 overs. That left them the losers by 10 runs on the DLS Method (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method).

SCORES

St. Andrew’s School 240/4 (Naudé Botha 100 retired, Andrew Sobiech 80, Nikhil Sukraj 21*; Lihlumelo Ngcukana 2/51); Dale College 87/10 (Afika Ganda 42; Nikhil Sukraj 4/15, Erhard Barends 3/35).

St. Andrew’s School won by 153 runs.

SACS 170/4 (Jordan Berry 53, Aqeel Waggie 42, Luke Whitehead 25); Selborne College 135/5 (Aaron Senekal 46, Joshua Wilkie 32, Matthew Hendry 30; Ronan Meintjies 2/30).

SACS won by 10 runs via DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method).

Enrique Strydom anchored Graeme College’s innings to set them up for a convincing 73-run win over Queen’s College in a Cape Schools Cricket Festival match played on Rondebosch‘s Meadow A Field on Monday.

On the Cricket A Field, Rondebosch Boys’ High cruised to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Grey High.

Strydom flayed seven fours in an unbeaten 49 from 40 balls to steer Graeme College to a strong 124/2 in a match reduced to 14 overs a side after a rain delay.

Andrew Muir, the Graeme College captain, then rotated his bowlers well as they restricted Queen’s College to only 51/9 in reply.

Earlier, Queen’s had opted to field after winning the toss. Vijay George stuck early for Queen’s dismissing Luphelo Mdyesha for one in the second over, but Graeme shrugged off the wicket as a minor inconvenience and went on the attack, with Strydom and Corbin Tidbury adding 53 runs in 40 balls, with Tidbury’s contribution a brisk 18-ball 31.

Kits McConnachie was the next man in after Tidbury’s dismissal, and he matched his predecessor’s performance by also scoring at a strike rate of 172, but his contribution was an unbeaten 38 from 22 deliveries as Graeme College posted a healthy total, which left their Komani opposition needing to score at almost nine runs per over to win.

Queen’s College began their pursuit with a 17-run opening partnership, but once the first wicket went down, their challenge faltered. Ross Fitzhenry was the lone batsman to reach double figures, but he barely made it, scoring 11 from 12 balls.

Mdyesha starred with the ball for Graeme College, snaring three wickets for five runs in two overs, while Lisekho Zinyane and Ajay Jeggels chipped in with a brace each as Graeme rolled to a convincing win. Zinyane finished with 2/10 from three overs, while Jeggels nabbed 2/12 from his three.

When Rondebosch won the toss against Grey High, they decided to bowl first and that proved to be the right call. Making good use of the conditions, the home side bowled out the Gqeberha side for 105 in 19.1 overs.

Three bowlers – Schalk Fourie, James Kirsten, and Daniel Bosman – removed two batsmen each to hand the ‘Bosch batsmen a gettable victory target.

Daniel Cooke set up stall at one end of the crease, patiently accumulating an unbeaten 44 from 50 deliveries, which allowed his teammates to push the game forward with ease.

Tyler Heyns played his part with 18 off 14 balls, while Bosman chipped in with 19 from 14, and Noah Heath saw Rondebosch to victory with 21 not out off of 17 balls.

Rondebosch had taken 15.2 overs to wrap up the win, finishing on 107/2.

Scorecards

Graeme College 124/2d (Enrique Strydom 49*, Kitts McConnachie 38*, Corbin Tidbury 31; George Vijay 1/14, Khazimla Simama 1/25). Queen’s College 51/9 (Ross Fitzhenry 9, Duncan Hayes 8; Luphelo Mdyesha 3/5, Lisekho Zinyane 2/10, Ajay Jeggels 2/12). Graeme College won by 73 runs.

Grey High 105/10 (James Upton 22, Drisden Pretorius 19; James Kirsten 2/20, Daniel Bosman 2/11, Schalk Fourie 2/15). Rondebosch 107/2 (Daniel Cooke 44*, Noah Heath 21*; Nathan Howell 1/10, Matthew Tinley 1/13). Rondebosch won by eight wickets.