On Friday afternoon, at the Wildeklawer Diamantveld T20, Hoërskool Outeniqua took on high-flying Boland Landbou on the Diamond Oval in Kimberley.
Batting first, the George locals made a solid start, with Ross Taljaard and Hanno Swart spending seven-and-a-half overs together for 51 runs before Troy Davis bowled Taljaard for 24.
Swart later teamed up with Idan Balzun for a 43-run third-wicket partnership, which ended when Matthew Geldenhuys caught Swart off Caleb Seroot for the innings’ top score of 40.
Balzun hit two fours and two sixes and added momentum to Outeniqua’s innings with his 34 from only 28 balls.
After 20 overs, Outeniqua had totalled 129/5. Opening bowler Caleb Seroot picked up two wickets, but he was expensive, going for 42 runs from his four overs. Troy Davis was miserly, however, snaring 2/11 in four.
Befitting a confident team, Boland Landbou steadily marched down Outeniqua’s total despite making an unimpressive start to their run chase. When Matthew Geldenhuys and Francois Prins came together, the Paarl boys firmly took charge.
They added 61 runs for the third-wicket, advancing the score to 95/2 before Geldenhuys fell to Nathan Best for 40. He had faced 44 balls and hit four fours.
After Geldenhuys’ exit, captain Francois Prins kept grinding it out, and he was there at the end, when Boland Landbou secured a seven-wicket victory in the 17th over. Prins finished undefeated on 52, having stroked four fours and two sixes.
Nathan Best did his best to halt the Paarl Farmers, grabbing 2/14 in four overs, but the match ended in another emphatic victory for coach Handro le Roux‘s charges.
Hoërskool Diamantveld vs Hoërskool Montana
Hoërskool Montana posted a challenging 180 all out against Hoërskool Diamantveld at Kimberley Boys’ High, with Adriaan Nel scoring an explosive 63 off only 20 balls. His fiery innings included an astonishing seven sixes and five fours.
Opener Marco Rudolph contributed 29, and extras added another 20 runs to Montana’s total.
Diamantveld’s opening bowler, Cobus Fourie, excelled, capturing 4/16 in 3.5 overs, while Francois Holtzhausen snapped up 2/18 in four, and Hanru Rademeyer 2/38 in four.
Hoërskool Montana posted a challenging 180 all out against Hoërskool Diamantveld at Kimberley Boys’ High, with Adriaan Nel scoring an explosive 63 off only 20 balls. His innings included seven sixes and five fours.
Opener Marco Rudolph contributed 29, and extras added another 20 runs to Montana’s total.
Diamantveld opening bowler, Cobus Fourie, excelled, capturing 4/16 in 3.5 overs, while Francois Holtzhausen snapped up 2/18 in four, and Hanru Rademeyer 2/38 in four.
The hosts made a serious game of it in pursuit of Montana’s big total, but they finished six runs shy of the Pretoria side’s score, losing their last wicket with only one ball remaining in the contest. They received many solid contributions from their batsmen, but they needed someone to push on a little further.
Hanru Rademeyer opened the innings and gave Diamantveld a flying start, cracking four fours and two sixes in the innings’ top score of 31 that took him only 10 balls.
Francois Holtzhausen, with 29, Cobus Fourie, with 23, and Ruben Viljoen, with 20, all batted quickly, but they departed before they could make a match-winning impact.
While Adriaan Nel starred with the bat for Montana, Maans De Roubaix made all the difference with the ball, knocking over 6/17 in his four overs. Du Preez Prinsloo provided the necessary support, nabbing 2/18 from his four overs, and Montana scraped a hard-fought victory.
Summarised Scorecards:
Hoërskool Outeniqua 129/5 (Hanno Swart 40, Idan Balzun 34, Ross Taljaard 24; Troy Davis 2/11, Caleb Seroot 2/42); Boland Landbou 130/3 (Francois Prins 52*, Matthew Geldenhuys 40; Nathan Best 2/14). Boland Landbou won by seven wickets.
Hoërskool Montana 180/10 (Adriaan Nel 63, Marco Rudolph 29, Extras 20; Cobus Fourie 4/16, Francois Holtzhausen 2/18, Hanru Rademeyer 2/38); Hoërskool Diamantveld 174/10 (Hanru Rademeyer 31, Francois Holtzhausen 29, Cobus Fourie 23, Ruben Viljoen 20; Maans De Roubaix 6/17, Du Preez Prinsloo 2/18). Hoërskool Montana won by six runs.
