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Selborne College confirmed their status as the number one squash team in South Africa with an unbeaten run at the Saints Squash Festival, in Bloemfontein, over the weekend.

They didn’t have matters all their own way, however, with the hosts, St Andrew’s School, pushing them all the way.

When the sides met in the last of their five matches on Sunday, both sported clean records. St Andrew’s had accounted for Michaelhouse (6-0), Hoërskool Zwartkop (5-1), Grey High (4-2), and Pretoria Boys High (5-1), while Selborne owned wins over Pretoria Boys High (4-2), St John’s College A (4-2), Maritzburg College (6-0), and Hoërskool Zwartkop (4-2).

Interestingly, in their two matches against common opponents – Pretoria Boys High and Zwartkop – St Andrew’s had scored slightly better wins, but Selborne owned the slimmest edge on Sunday. The contest hinged on the battle of the number threes, which went to 2-2 before Selborne clinched the vital third game, which lifted them to an overall 4-2 margin of victory.

St Andrew’s, led by SA u17 champion Dean Katzin, will, however, take many positives away from their showing. The Bloemfontein school’s side doesn’t contain a matric learner, which suggests they will be serious contenders for the next two years at least, with Katzin at the forefront of their challenge.

He was beaten only once, by Grey High’s Benji Newman, who was already one of the top u19 players in the country in 2025. Grey High, though, went down to St Andrew’s School A, St John’s College, and Zwartkop, all by 2-4 margins. They beat both Maritzburg College and Michaelhouse 5-1.

When Juan-Corné Brand returns from injury to the Zwartkop ranks, they will bear watching. Zwarries lost three times – to St Andrew’s School, Grey College, and Selborne. They won 5-1 against Westville Boys’ High and 4-2 against Grey High, but the return of Brand and the impact that will have on their match-ups when he takes over their number one spot will be telling.

Some other Eastern Cape schools enjoyed good showings. Graeme College, a young, talented side, beat St Stithians College (5-1) and Kearsney College (6-0). They also drew 3-3 with Maritzburg College and Michaelhouse, but went down to St John’s College A (1-5).

Kingswood College, meanwhile, was one of the pleasant surprises. They beat Kearsney (5-1), King Edward VII (KES) (6-0), St Andrew’s School B (6-0), and Maritzburg College (4-2). They also shared a 3-3 draw with Pretoria Boys High.

Queen’s College, too, enjoyed a good run. They rolled to a 6-0 win over Paarl Gimnasium, beat Westville Boys’ High 4-2, whitewashed Kearsney 6-0, and drew 3-3 with both St John’s College A and Pretoria Boys High.

St John’s showed off their depth. Like St Andrew’s School, they also fielded a B team. The St John’s College A side, playing a challenging schedule, beat Grey High (4-2), went down against Selborne (2-4), won against Graeme (5-1), drew with Queen’s (3-3), and beat Grey College (4-2).

Grey College, nonetheless, put together a good body of work, suggesting that they’ll give St Andrew’s School a tough fight for the Free State’s place in the Top Schools tournament later in the season. Apart from their hard-fought loss to St John’s A, Grey beat Zwartkop (5-1), St Stithians (6-0), and Michaelhouse (5-1). They also went down 2-4 against Pretoria Boys High.

RESULTS
(Games in brackets, matches in the middle)

Round One
St Andrew’s School A (18) 6-0 (0) Michaelhouse
St Andrew’s School B (16) 5-1 (3) St Andrew’s College
Maritzburg College (13) 4-2 (7) KES
Selborne College (17) 4-2 (6) Pretoria Boys High
Zwartkop (8) 1-5 (16) Grey College
Graeme (15) 5-1 (5) St Stithians
Kearsney (6) 1-5 (16) Kingswood
Queen’s (18) 6-0 (4) Paarl Gimnasium
St Andrew’s Invitation (13) 3-3 (9) Hilton College
Grey High (10) 2-4 (13) St John’s College A
Grey College Invitation (6) 1-5 (15) St John’s College B
Westville Boys’ High (18) 6-0 (1) Parktown Boys’ High

Round Two
St Andrew’s School A (17) 5-1 (6) Zwartkop
St Andrew’s School B (12) 4-2 (8) Parktown Boys’ High
Selborne College (12) 4-2 (9) St John’s College A
Paarl Gimnasium (16) 4-2 (9) St John’s College B
Kearsney (9) 3-3 (9) St Stithians
Kingswood (18) 6-0 KES (0)
Michaelhouse (4) 1-5 (15) Grey High
Pretoria Boys High (13) 4-2 (9) Grey College
Graeme (11) 3-3 (10) Maritzburg College
Queen’s (14) 4-2 (10) Westville Boys’ High
St Andrew’s College (7) 2-4 (14) Hilton College

Round Three
St Andrew’s School A (13) 4-2 (8) Grey High
St Andrew’s School B (9) 3-3 (13) Paarl Gimnasium
Selborne College (18) 6-0 (0) Maritzburg College
KES (1) 0-6 (18) Michaelhouse
Kingswood (12) 3-3 (10) Pretoria Boys’ High
Zwartkop (15) 5-1 (5) Westville Boys’ High
Kearsney (2) 0-6 (18) Queen’s
St John’s College A (16) 5-1 (7) Graeme College
St John’s College B (18) 6-0 (3) St Andrew’s College
Hilton College (13) 4-2 (6) Parktown Boys’ High
Grey College (18) 6-0 (0) St Stithians

Round Four
St Andrew’s School A (15) 5-1 (6) Pretoria Boys High
St Andrew’s School B (2) 0-6 (18) Kingswood
Queen’s (9) 3-3 (11) St John’s College A
Westville Boys’ High (17) 4-2 (4) St John’s College B
Grey College (16) 5-1 (6) Michaelhouse
Selborne (13) 4-2 (7) Zwartkop
Grey High (17) 5-1 (3) Maritzburg College)
St Andrew’s College (3) 1-5 (16) St Stithians
Graeme (18) 6-0 (1) Kearsney
KES (13) 3-3 (14) Hilton College
Paarl Gimnasium (18) 6-0 (1) Parktown Boys’ High

Round Five
St Andrew’s School A (8) 2-4 (16) Selborne
St Andrew’s School B (5) 1-5 (17) Kearsney
St John’s College A (13) 4-2 (11) Grey College
St John’s College B (11) 3-3 (15) Hilton College
Maritzburg College (7) 2-4 (12) Kingswood
Parktown Boys’ High (12) 4-2 (6) St Andrew’s College
Michaelhouse (12) 3-3 (14) Graeme
Queen’s (11) 3-3 (9) Pretoria Boys High
Zwartkop (12) 4-2 (7) Grey High
Paarl Gimnasium (17) 5-1 (8) KES
St Stithians 2-4 Westville Boys High

With the Clifton T20 Tournament hurtling into view, the tournament hosts, Clifton College, enjoyed a warm-up win over Kearsney College on Monday afternoon in a W100 match played at the Riverside Sports Club.

After bowling out Kearsney for 106, they reached 109/5 with only one ball remaining to pick up their third win from four matches in the competition.

The visiting captain, Keegan de Jager, opted to bat first after calling the coin toss correctly, and Kearsney made a decent start, with the weekend’s centurion, Gary Verbaan, combining with Asher Hollister for 31 runs from 22 balls for the first wicket.

Verbaan was the first to go, caught behind by Daniyaal Klinck off George Gooch, after hitting a six in making 11 from 12 deliveries.

Soon, Kearsney passed fifty, but their second wicket went down on 51, when Clifton’s skipper, Shiraz Perumal, bowled Hollister for 19. He had faced 14 deliveries and slammed two of them for six. Unfortunately, for Kearsney, after Hollister’s exit, they lost their way, with Clifton striking regularly to inhibit the visitors’ scoring.

Captain Keegan de Jager led by example, nonetheless, smashing two sixes and a four in the innings’ top score of 31 off 17 deliveries before becoming the fifth man out, with the total on 71, a victim of Blake Johnson. Three balls later, Johnson struck again, dismissing Luke Grobbelaar.

Kearsney was seven wickets down for 72, but still had 46 balls remaining, leaving them with enough deliveries to substantially boost their total. They ended up scoring 34 more runs, with James Bishop and Matthew Rice adding 10 each. With seven balls left in their innings, they were all out for 106.

Six of the seven Clifton bowlers picked up wickets, with the spin twins, Blake Johnson and Shiraz Perumal, claiming 2/20 and 2/21 respectively from 20 balls. George Gooch, though, returned the best figures, capturing 2/9 from 13 deliveries.

Clifton’s reply was driven by Daniyaal Klinck, who scored a magnificent century against Maritzburg College on the weekend. Opening the batting, he worked the ball well, hitting only two fours, but tallying the match’s top score of 43 from 42 balls.

Kearsney, though, made early inroads, removing Yusuf Ahmed and Hayden Drieselmann, to leave Clifton on 22/2 after 29 balls. Then, Perumal joined Klinck in the middle, and they proceeded to bat their side into a strong position by adding 50 from 37 deliveries.

Daniel Miskey brought an end to their partnership, bowling Perumal for 27 from 19 balls, which included three fours and a six.

Crucially, for Clifton, the next man in, Veer Ramouthar, picked up from where his captain had left off. He and Klinck advanced the total to 100 before the wicketkeeper/batsman was caught by his opposite number, wicketkeeper Asher Hollister, off Litha Gonya.

Clifton lost one more wicket when Miskey ran out Muhammed Malek, but Ramouthar saw Clifton across the line. He finished with 18 not out from 19 balls.

Gonya shone for Kearsney, with the left-arm seamer knocking over 2/10 in 20 deliveries. Daniel Miskey was tidy, too, claiming 1/16 from 19.

Summarised scorecard

Kearsney College 106/10 (Keegan de Jager 31; George Gooch 2/9, Blake Johnson 2/20, Shiraz Perumal 2/21); Clifton College 109/5 (Daniyaal Klinck 43, Shiraz Perumal 27; Litha Gonya 2/10). Clifton College won by five wickets.

After serving for six years as the Director of Hockey at Queen’s College in Komani, Siya “Ozzie” Lusiba has left the school to pursue “a new challenge” in 2026.

The former Border u18A coach has left his hometown of Komani to take over the reins at Bedfordview’s St Benedict’s College, where he will lead the school’s hockey programme while coaching the first team.

It’s a move that was not in the works, Lusiba said, but over time it became irresistible.

“To be honest, it wasn’t really something I was looking for, but it’s an opportunity I had to take, he told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“There were some uncontrollable situations from my end at Queen’s, and I just felt the need for growth.

“I also have umpiring ambitions, so the move made sense in that regard. I felt like I couldn’t take the next step in my career because I was [isolated] in the Eastern Cape, so something had to give.”

Lusiba, who took over at his alma mater after a very successful run at St Andrew’s School in Bloemfontein, enjoyed some memorable moments with Queen’s.

He, along with the current first-team coach, Michael Baiden, led the school to some notable results while consistently producing provincial players.

He reflected on his time at the school: “Yeah, it was a good five or six years, and I think we took the school’s hockey programme to the next level,: he said.

“Obviously, there were some challenges when it came to the players we got from primary schools because they would leave the province or choose to play rugby.

“Looking back, I think being part of the SA coaching setup was a big achievement, not only for me but for the school, as well. We also had some players making the Border sides, and our coaches got to coach provincial teams.

“Parents also got involved, and we received sponsorships from our old boys, which was something that didn’t happen before. So, it was a good ride.”

Lusiba is already hard at work with his Bennies‘ side gearing up for the forthcoming season.

“I’m looking forward to this challenge and working in a school that is so different from where I’ve been before,” he said. “I’m also excited to be working with different hockey people, coaches, and new kids.

“This opportunity will allow me to see where I stand among the top schools and coaches in the country.”

The coach will take charge of the dugout with Bennies for the first time on 9 March when they tackle Marais Viljoen in a league fixture.

Two days later, they’ll face a huge test when they visit Kensington to take on Jeppe High School for Boys, who went unbeaten in 2025.

The Crusaders Club, in Durban North, will become an entertainment venue for the whole family during the Clifton T20 Tournament. The hosts will be in action at 11:30 on Friday morning against Hilton College, the KZN Switch Schools SA20 Regional champion.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools or tune in to DStv Channel 216

Clifton is flying in the Coastal region’s W100 competition, with three wins from four matches – beating Westville Boys’ High, Durban High School and Kearsney, while going down to Northwood – and that sets the stage for an intriguing contest.

In Friday’s other Group A match, St John’s College (Harare) faces Kearsney.

The Zimbabwean side is one of two teams from outside of KZN – the other being Hoërskool Waterkloof – and has attended all three Clifton T20 tournaments. That’s because the idea for Clifton T20 came from the St John’s Rams T20.

It’s played annually, and Clifton has been a regular participant in the event for well over a decade, during which a strong relationship between the schools has developed. Last year, in Harare, the Durban side finished as the runner-up.

One of the highlights of the third edition of the Clifton T20 is the addition of a couple of primary school matches, with four teams set to play at Crusaders on Saturday.

“You’ve got Clifton Prep vs Highbury, and they’ll be playing for the Procter Richards Trophy on the main field, while Westville Senior Primary and Northlands will play on Crusaders 2,” Clifton’s Director of Cricket, Brandon Scullard, said.

“Both teams will receive sponsored match shirts to play in, and they’ll play a pink ball game.”

The Procter Richards Trophy match, which takes place between Clifton T20 matches around midday, will be broadcast on DStv Channel 216, which is appropriate, considering the stature of the players after whom the annual Highbury vs Clifton game is named.

The commentary team will include, among others, Johan “Spoed” Smith, Andy Capagstano, former Dolphins‘ opening batsman Divan van Wyk, Christo Esau and Brandon Scullard, who previously opened the bowling for the Dolphins.

Mike Procter, one of the world’s greatest all-rounders, attended Highbury at the same time that Barry Richards, one of the world’s greatest batsmen, attended Clifton.

Although primarily a bowling all-rounder, Procter shares a world record with Sir Donald Bradman and CB Fry for scoring six successive first-class centuries.

In August 1979, in consecutive matches, he claimed two all-LBW hat-tricks, playing for Gloucestershire (which was, at times, referred to as Proctershire because of his massive impact on the side) against Leicestershire and Yorkshire.

Richards, meanwhile, is remembered for his superlative technique, which brought him 325 runs in a single day in November 1970 for South Australia against a Western Australia attack that was loaded with international bowlers, including Australia’s Graham McKenzie, Dennis Lillee, Tony Mann, and John Inverarity, and England’s Tony Lock. He went on to score 356.

He and the West Indian great, Gordon Greenidge, opened Hampshire’s innings for many seasons and were a thorn in the side of the English county’s opposition.

In 2001, when the greatest batsman in Test history, Sir Donald Bradman, named his All-Time Best XI, he included Barry Richards as one of that side’s openers.

Crusaders, meanwhile, will offer something for everyone, even those with only a passing interest in the game.

“We have bolstered the main venue by adding a giant marquee, which will include TVs and a bar for refreshments. We’ve also added a general seating area around the field, including benches and umbrellas,” Brandon Scullard said.

“We will have a massive big-screen TV, with a crisp LED picture. We are in talks with SuperSport to ensure a live feed to their production truck, which would allow the public and players to view the big screen during the game and see replays.

“The players will also be able to view the score at the bottom of the screen, as the live scoreboard for the field.

“We’re also doing a catch-a-six competition, where spectators can win a pizza from the Saders Kitchen. It doesn’t have to be a one-hander or anything like that, but every six that’s caught will win the catcher a pizza. We’re encouraging people to come to the cricket and sit around the field.

“There will be food vendors, and, on Saturday, there will be inflatables for the kids. We are trying to enhance the experience for everyone. We want to make it exciting.

“There will be a DJ during the day. There will be live music in the afternoons and evenings. It’s about getting everyone out to come and socialise and enjoy some schoolboy sport.

“We’re trying to reach the greater community. It’s not just for people whose sons play cricket.”

FIXTURES

Group A

Friday, 13 February

11:30 – Clifton vs Hilton, Crusaders Main
14:30 – St John’s vs Kearsney, Riverside

Saturday, 14 February

08:30 – Clifton vs St John’s, Crusaders Main
08:30 – Kearsney vs Hilton, Crusaders 2
14:30 – Clifton vs Kearsney, Crusaders Main
14:30 – St John’s vs Hilton, Riverside

Group B

Friday, 13 February

08:30 – Maritzburg College vs St Charles, Crusaders Main
08:30 – Northwood vs Westville, Riverside
14:00 – St Charles vs Northwood, DHS
14:00 – Westville vs Maritzburg College, Northwood

Saturday, 14 February

08:30 – Northwood vs Maritzburg College, Riverside
14:00 – St Charles vs Westville, Northwood

Group C

Friday, 13 February

08:30 – Michaelhouse vs Waterkloof, DHS
08:30 – Glenwood vs DHS, Northwood
14:30 – DHS vs Waterkloof, Crusaders Main

Saturday, 14 February

08:30 – Waterkloof vs Glenwood, DHS
08:30 – DHS vs Michaelhouse, Northwood
14:00 – Glenwood vs Michaelhouse, DHS

Sunday, 15 February

08:30 – Eliminator 1, Crusaders Main
08:30 – Eliminator 2, Crusaders 2
09:00 – 7th place, DHS
09:00 – 9th place, Northwood
09:00 – 11th place, Kingsmead Oval
11:30 – Semi-final 1, Crusaders Main
11:30 – Semi-final 2, Crusaders 2
14:30 – Final, Crusaders Main

 

The South African u20 national team, known as Basetsana, played to a 2-2 draw against Ghana in the first leg of an u20 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday.

In the initial round of World Cup qualifiers, the Black Princesses beat Tunisia 4-0 on aggregate, while Basetsana defeated Eswatini 9-0 over two legs to secure a place in the next round against the West Africans.

The showdown between Ghana and South Africa was highly anticipated, and an open contest was forecast and expected to produce goals.

The players delivered, despite the home team entering the game without their leading scorer, Mercy Attobrah, who had netted twice against Tunisia in Sfax. She also added a third in the qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium.

She was out, though, with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. Yet, her absence didn’t appear to hamper Ghana. They were more threatening than South Africa in the first half and broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute through Agnes Yeboah.

South Africa went into the halftime break trailing 0-1, but just three minutes into the second stanza, they levelled through Khwezi Khoza, who provided the finish after a flowing team move.

Stung, the hosts gathered themselves and went in search of an equaliser. They were rewarded with a goal from a corner, with Linda Owusu converting the opportunity only four minutes after South Africa’s goal.

The home side kept pressing, but Casey Gordon, the South African goalkeeper, successfully thwarted the Ghanaians, pulling off some exceptional saves while commanding her area with authority.

Ghana’s lead lasted only eight minutes. After an hour, Basetsana were level again after Zoe October fired a powerful shot from outside the box into the net to make it 2-2.

The home team fought back, applying pressure and challenging South Africa. They thought they had snatched a late winner, but Jessica Appiah had a goal disallowed because she was deemed offside.

On Saturday, 14 February, the teams meet again at one of South Africa’s premier football venues, the Mbombela Stadium, in Mpumalanga, which was constructed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Hoërskool Waterkloof will have an opportunity to defend the Finsbury League‘s A Section title after they scored a commanding seven-wicket victory over Hoërskool Kempton Park in the penultimate round of the competition in Pretoria on Sunday.

Kempies, newcomers to the A Section this year, are still in contention for a place in the title game, which takes place on 21 February.

To earn another crack at Klofies, Kempton Park, who have 10 log points, will need to defeat Potchefstroom Volkskool by a large margin and pick up a bonus point in the last round of round-robin fixtures.

They will also have to hope that Die Hoërskool Menlopark, who are in second place with 15 points, suffers a heavy defeat in their last round robin match, which takes place on Tuesday against Waterkloof.

On Sunday, Klofies responded with a strong all-round performance after an eight-wicket loss to Jeppe High School for Boys a day earlier. Having won the toss, Waterkloof elected to bowl first. That decision was one of the keys to the home side’s success as they restricted the visitors to a moderate 167 all out.

Vorster de Villiers was outstanding with the ball, sending down 10 overs, which included 44 dot balls, while also capturing 4/33. He was well supported by opening bowler Christian Smit, who claimed 3/30 and dismantled Kempton Park’s top order, including the prized wicket of Sheldon Kruger.

Kruger was again the backbone of the Kempies’ innings, top-scoring with 41, while Dian Geldenhuys lent good support, weighing in with 38.

In reply, Waterkloof’s successful run chase was effectively set up by opener Wian du Plessis, who hit out from the first ball. His blistering 61 from just 42 deliveries included five fours and four sixes and gave the Klofies’ innings massive momentum.

Du Plessis partnered with Juan Swart (31) for an 87-run partnership before Rico van der Walt (30*) and Franco Schmidt (21*), on his 18th birthday, steered Waterkloof home off the second ball of the 21st over with an unbroken 47-run stand.

Summarised scorecard

Hoërskool Kempton Park 167/10 (Sheldon Kruger 41, Dian Geldenhuys 38, Francois Marais 20; Vorster de Villiers 4/33, Christian Smit 3/30); Waterkloof 172/3 (Wian du Plessis 61, Juan Swart 31, Rico van der Walt 30*, Franco Schmidt 21*; Stian van Breda 1/27). Waterkloof won by seven wickets. 

Lincoln Casais performed an outstanding rescue job to lead Jeppe to a five-wicket win over South Africa College High School (SACS) in their 50-over contest on the AH Childe Oval at Jeppe on Sunday.

The win was the Black Caps‘ second in two days, following an outstanding victory over Waterkloof on Saturday in a 50-over match. It also meant that SACS finished their tour to Johannesburg with two losses and a single win. The Capetonians suffered a six-wicket defeat to Steyn City in a T20 match on Friday and then edged out St Stithians College by five runs in a limited-overs match on Saturday.

In Sunday’s game, SACS won the toss and elected to bat first. They battled their way to 194 all out in 38.4 overs. Jeppe, in reply, needed a handful more deliveries to reach the target, tallying 196/5 in 39.1 overs.

Casais led the way, scoring an unbeaten 93 from 113 balls, with seven fours and a six.

When he arrived at the crease, Jeppe was in a spot of bother. They had lost two wickets in six deliveries and were floundering on 9/2 after 2.5 overs. Demonstrating good maturity, Casais went with the ebbs and flows of the match, adopting a circumspect approach when the situation demanded it and accelerating when appropriate.

He helped to stem the slide with a 20-run third-wicket partnership with Aiden Reyneke. Then, he joined forces with his captain, Ryan Young, for a match-winning 99-run fourth-wicket stand. Young, who scored an unbeaten century in a midweek T20 game, contributed a valuable 57 from 70 balls.

Casais was also part of two other notable partnerships: he added 33 runs for the fifth wicket with Goolam Ahmed (14) and shared an unbroken 35-run sixth-wicket partnership with Vegas Scott (13*).

Earlier in the day, Shreshth Kumar starred with the ball for Jeppe, snaring 4/41 in eight overs. Included in that haul were the wickets of the SACS openers, Aqeel Waggie (30) and Benji Tilbury (37), who have given the visitors a solid 68-run opening stand. Their dismissals led to a downward spiral from which the visitors failed to recover.

Jordan Berry, who top-scored for SACS with 49 from 56 balls, did his best to keep his side in the contest, but, in the end, his effort was in vain. He was a victim of Zizi Mkhize in the 30th over, with Mkhize going on to record Jeppe’s second-best return of 2/22 from six overs.

With some midweek assignments awaiting them, victory over SACS was a welcome morale boost for the Black Caps.

St Stithians vs SACS

On Saturday, SACS tasted sweet success when Ronan Meintjies pulled a rabbit out of a hat to help the touring side snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at St Stithians College. His dramatic late-innings heroics resulted in a nail-biting four-run win for the visitors.

After Ulrich Roth, the SACS captain, won the toss and chose to bat first, his side responded well to score 268/6 in 50 overs. The Saints‘ reply came within a whisker of a win, but the hosts fell at the final hurdle, bowled out for 264 in 47.2 overs.

With St Stithians poised to claim a hard-fought win, Meintjies produced two perfect balls to dismiss Zaakir Hanslo (34) and Nqaba Matunda (0) in consecutive deliveries, and victory went to the visitors. Hanslo was the key wicket for SACS. The all-rounder had raced to 34 runs in only 25 balls and looked comfortable at the crease.

With those two scalps, Meintjies finished the contest with a match-winning 5/51 from 9.2 overs. Abhay Kalan impressed, too, with 3/41 from 10 overs, while Saeed Conrad picked up 1/46 from seven overs.

Matthew Katzenstein (77) and Nicholas Bayly (53) scored superb half-centuries from the middle order to keep the hosts in the contest after a disastrous start. But only Didier Le Roux, with 35, also reached double figures.

Earlier in the day, Mickey Watson and Max Fourie boosted SACS with half-centuries from the lower order. Batting at seven and eight, they shared an unbroken 100-run partnership to see the Capetonians to a competitive total.

Fourie struck a belligerent 51 not out in a 35-ball stay, while Watson tallied an unbeaten 50 from 45 balls. Aqeel Waggie (48), Litha Kraai (32), Ulrich Roth (23), and Jordan Berry (22) also contributed valuable runs to the SACS cause.

Summarised Scorecards

SACS 194/10 (Jordan Berry 49, Benji Tilbury 37; Shreshth Kumar 4/41, Zizi Mkhize 2/22). Jeppe 196/5 (Lincoln Casais 93*, Ryan Young 57; Ronan Meintjies 2/38, Abhay Khalan 1/28). Jeppe won by five wickets.

SACS 268/6 (Max Fourie 51*, Mickey Watson 50*; Nqaba Matunda 2/34, Tajandra Naidu 1/29). St Stithians 264/10 (Matthew Katzenstein 77, Nicholas Bayly 53; Ronan Meintjies 5/51, Abhay Kalan 3/41). SACS won by four runs.

Hosting the Western Cape’s Switch Schools SA20 champion on Saturday, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) sent the visiting Paarl Boys’ High out to bat first in their 50-over contest. That proved to be a good decision.

Morné Pauw removed both openers and went on to record figures of 2/26 in eight overs. Enré van Zyl racked up 3/27 in eight overs, too, while James Holm chipped in with 2/23 across nine overs.

Boishaai openers Roan Heyns and Neil Louw top-scored for their side. Heyns whacked five fours in an otherwise cautious 45 runs off 98 balls. Louw, meanwhile, hit three fours in his 21 from 37.

The visitors were kept under pressure throughout their innings and batted at only 3.3 runs per over before being bowled out for 134 after 41 overs.

Janko Webb, who hit two centuries in January, led the chase for Paul Roos. Batting at four, he launched four sixes and punched away four fours in his unbeaten 51 off just 29 balls.

Marcus Conradie, at five, entertained with five fours and two sixes in his 39 and, together with Webb, shared a 78-run fourth-wicket partnership off only 56 deliveries, which ended when they reached 134. Conradie’s departure delayed the inevitable, however, with only one run required for victory.

Webb brought it up in style, cracking a six to get the Stellenbosch outfit to 140/4 at the 41-over mark, and leaving them with a six-wicket win.

Summarised Scorecard

Paarl Boys’ High 134/10 (Roan Heyns 45, Extras 23, Neil Louw 21; Enré van Zyl 3/27, James Holm 2/23, Morné Pauw 2/26); Paul Roos Gimnasium 140/4 (Janko Webb 51*, Marcus Conradie 39). Paul Roos won by six wickets.

Hoërskool Fichardtpark vs Hoërskool Jim Fouché

Playing at home in a 50-over fixture on Saturday, Hoërskool Fichardtpark decided to field first against their Bloemfontein rivals, Hoërskool Jim Fouché (JF).

Third to don the gloves and helmet, Eckard Meyer, was the first batsman of the day to get some momentum going for the visitors, striking five fours in his 28 runs off 31 balls.

JF’s innings peaked with Cobus Wilken, their number five batsman, who thrashed four fours in his 38 off 33.

The other JF batsmen struggled to get going against Dillon Geringer, who captured 4/21 in seven overs, while Neven Olivier kept them in check with a return of 2/31 from 6.1 overs.

In just 25.1 overs, the hosts bowled out Jim Fouché for 123 runs.

It appeared that a routine run chase awaited Fichies, but they found it to be tough going. Jareth Scott cleaned out two top-order batsmen in his tidy 3/21 from 10 overs, while André Kleyn also dented the hosts’ run chase, knocking over 2/16 in 5.3 overs.

Davyd Oosthuizen, who arrived at four, kept Fichardtpark’s innings moving, however. Rather than a flashy knock, he did exactly what was needed, sticking to the basics and playing each ball on its merits to tally 43 off 69.

Jayden Geldenhuis, batting at five, rotated the strike and made 24 off 41 balls in their fourth-wicket partnership of 46 runs.

It took them 38.3 overs, but Fichardtpark, at last, overhauled JF, totalling 127/7 to secure a hard-fought three-wicket victory over their rivals.

Hoërskool Bethlehem Voortrekker vs Hoërskool Sentraal

Hoërskool Bethlehem Voortrekker‘s Paul Naudé batted fifth in their batting order. However, he was first in runs contributed against Bloemfontein’s Hoërskool Sentraal, the visitors, on Saturday, for a limited-overs contest.

He produced the match’s key innings, blasting 12 fours and four sixes in his 94 off 98 deliveries, which helped Voortrekker to 278 all out in 46.2 overs.

Vlag Janse van Rensburg, batting at four, excited spectators with 10 fours of his own in a telling 53 off 47 balls. When Naudé joined him, they hit the accelerator, adding 64 for the fourth wicket to take their side from an iffy 46/3 after 13 overs to 110/4 after 24.2.

Thys Parsons, at eight, also made a notable contribution, slamming three sixes and two fours in a speedy 33 off 19.

While Caylem Friend and Danny Botes grabbed two wickets apiece, it was Ruardt Kleynhans who boasted the best Sentraal figures of 4/41 from 7.2 overs.

While Voortrekker’s Vlag Janse van Rensburg played second fiddle with the bat, he was the top-dog with the ball, snapping up 3/34 in nine overs to undermine Sentraal’s reply.

Jayden Strydom, with 2/21 from six overs, and Rodney Turner‘s tight 2/18 from 9.3 overs, also made the chase challenging for the Bloemfontein locals.

Erik Prinsloo top-scored for Sentraal, striking three fours and two sixes in his 32 off 40 balls, while Danny Botes weighed in with three fours and a six in 29 off 40.

Voortrekker, though, was untroubled and bowled out Tralies in 39.3 overs for 176, leaving the home team with a handsome 102-run victory.

Summarised Scorecard

Hoërskool Jim Fouché 123/10 (Cobus Wilken 38, Eckard Meyer 28; Dillon Geringer 4/21, Neven Oliver 2/31); Hoërskool Fichardtpark 127/7 (Davyd Oosthuizen 43, Jayden Geldenhuis 24; Jareth Scott 3/21, André Kleyn 2/16). Fichardtpark won by three wickets.

Hoërskool Bethlehem Voortrekker 278/10 (Paul Naudé 94, Vlag Janse van Rensburg 53, Extras 34, Thys Parsons 33, Thato Nthebere 28; Ruardt Kleynhans 4/41, Danny Botes 2/28, Caylem Friend 2/47); Hoërskool Sentraal 176/10 (Extras 33, Erik Prinsloo 32, Danny Botes 29*, Daniel Pienaar 20, Damian Smith 20; Vlag Janse van Rensburg 3/34, Rodney Turner 2/18, Jayden Strydom 2/21). Bethlehem Voortrekker won by 102 runs.

Bishops Diocesan College vs Hoërskool Durbanville

In a 40-over battle on Saturday afternoon, Waco Bassick, batting at eight, delivered the key innings for Bishops Diocesan College, smashing an undefeated 92 runs off just 53 balls on the Frank Reid Oval.

Bishops had initially struggled to get going against Hoërskool Durbanville.

In the early going, they found themselves on 49/3, although opener Alex Vintcent survived the early hardships. He went on to hammer seven fours and six sixes in a telling knock of 80 off 71 deliveries.

Further useful contributions came from Harry Morgan, at five, and Luc Dicey, at seven, who weighed in with 39 and 44 respectively to keep the Bishops’ train chugging along in the middle overs.

In the end, the home side posted a hefty 329/9 in their 40 overs.

Farrel-Leigh Dido, although a touch on the expensive side, excelled for Durbies, capturing 5/62 in eight overs.

They faced a difficult run chase, needing to bat at 8.25 runs per over to win, and Harry Morgan ensured that didn’t happen by snapping up 4/36 in eight overs. Thaafier Japhta chipped in with 2/38 from eight.

Durbanville opener Dante Mouton played patiently for 27 off 46 deliveries. However, just as he started to look comfortable, he was caught off the bowling of Matthew Edwards.

Batting at nine, Jan-Oscar van Tonder top-scored for the visitors with an unbeaten 46 off 42, but the visitors came up well short of the required run rate, finishing their 40 overs on 174/9, which left Bishops with a mighty 155-run win.

Hoërskool Strand vs Hoërskool Parel Vallei

Keaton Gertze was the only Hoërskool Strand bowler to send down his full quota of overs when Strand hosted Parel Vallei High in a limited-overs clash on Saturday.

He did a fine job, delivering an economic spell during which he conceded only 22 runs and picked up three wickets. His teammates Benjamin de Reuk and Joshua Human chipped in with two wickets each, with De Reuk returning 2/48 in nine, and Human nabbing 2/13 in three.

Opener Benjamin Traut and number three batsman, Daniel Adonis, led the Somerset West school’s batting effort. Traut hit an explosive five fours in his 21-run tally, while Adonis cracked four fours and a six in the innings’ top score of 31 off 32.

After 31 overs, however, PV was bowled out on only 116.

Adonis followed up his top score for the visitors with their best figures when Strand batted, claiming 3/28 in 9.2 overs.

Daniel Dreyer bowled one and had another batsman caught behind in his return of 2/21 from five overs.

The Parel Vallei bowlers found opening batsman Gustav du Plessis in a defiant mood. He kept them at bay, facing 102 deliveries for his 27 runs. Arriving after the fall of the second wicket, Matthew Barnard edged past him with four fours and a six in his contribution of 28 off 43 balls.

In a tight contest, Strand eventually reached 120/7 after 40.2 overs to earn themselves a three-wicket margin of victory.

Summarised Scorecard

Bishops Diocesan College 329/9 (Waco Bassick 92*, Alex Vintcent 80, Luc Dicey 45, Harry Morgan 39, Extras 21; Farrel-Leigh Dido 5/62); Hoërskool Durbanville 174/9 (Jan-Oscar van Tonder 46*, Dante Mouton 27, Extras 27; Harry Morgan 4/36, Thaafier Japhta 2/38). Bishops won by 155 runs.

Hoërskool Parel Vallei 116/10 (Daniel Adonis 31, Benjamin Traut 24; Keaton Gertze 3/22, Joshua Human 2/13, Benjamin de Reuk 2/48); Hoërskool Strand 120/7 (Matthew Barnard 28, Gustav du Plessis 27; Daniel Adonis 3/28, Daniel Dreyer 2/21). Strand won by three wickets.