Fast bowler Reece Willson starred for Maritzburg College as they defeated Hilton College by four wickets in a limited-overs match at Goldstone’s on Saturday.
Willson made Hilton captain Rob Burman‘s decision to bat first look questionable by capturing five wickets in his 10 overs, which he completed with a telling return of 5/21.
He and Greg Hosking placed the visitors under early pressure by reducing them to 32/3 in the ninth over.
Hilton’s batsmen struggled to put together substantial innings, all except for Sange Qangule, who went on the counterattack, slamming four sixes and five fours in his rapid 52 off only 38 balls, which included the innings’ best partnership of 45 for the seventh wicket with Cameron Hargroves.
Hargroves was one of five Hilton batsmen who made it into the teens, but Ben Wilson‘s 16 was the best they could muster.
After only 34.5 overs, Hilton College was all out for 150.
While Reece Willson led the way with a five-for, his new ball partner, Greg Hosking, also played his part by claiming 2/25 in 5.5 overs.
Facing a modest required run rate of just over three per over, Maritzburg College, like Hilton, experienced some headwinds early in their innings. They were up against it in the 11th over, on 40/4, but they still had plenty of overs in hand, and Dax Jursa and Luan van der Merwe made them count.
They combined for a 66-run partnership for the sixth wicket in just less than 14 overs, which proved to be decisive. Jursa exited with the total on 106, having hit seven fours and a six in the innings’ highest individual score of 44. Van der Merwe, who has been a consistent contributor with the bat, continued to hold down his end.
He also shared partnerships of 16 with Reece Willson and an unbroken 30 with James Pembridge to see College to victory in the 36th over. Van der Merwe was not out on 32 from 59 balls, but the home team’s win also owed something to Hilton’s untidy bowling lines, which added 26 wides to College’s total.
Sange Qangule, Hilton’s best batsman on the day, was also their best bowler, nabbing 3/47 from nine overs. Sechaba Gude performed well, too, picking up 2/21 in 7.1.
St Charles College vs Glenwood High
Nearby, on the SCC Oval, St Charles College powered to an emphatic nine-wicket victory over Glenwood High.
A decision by Glenwood to bat first backfired horribly, and 11 overs into their innings, they were punch-drunk on 16/7, with Ryan Clarke and Jayden Saville laying waste to their top order.
However, as the chaos unfolded around him, Sebastian Oertel kept Saints at bay. He also found a willing partner in Charles Nkwanyana, and they added 51 runs for the eighth wicket, holding up the home side’s bowlers for 19 overs.
Jayden Saville ended their stand, with Ryan Clarke catching Oertel off his new ball partner’s bowling for 35. Oertel had faced 74 balls and struck five fours.
Nkwanyana and Esihle Gasa pressed on, adding another 17 runs before Nkwanyana fell for 23. He had stubbornly held out for 77 deliveries.
In the 41st over, Glenwood was all out for 98.
The Saints’ opening pair, Ryan Clarke and Jayden Saville, captured 4/18 and 5/22, respectively, and Kaiyuran Naidoo added the other wicket.
Making a good start in pursuit of a low total was a key to victory for the home team, and their openers, Christiaan Prinsloo and Owen Widdows, delivered, sharing a 56-run stand before Widdows was stumped by Sebastian Oertel off Kreesan Pillai for 36 in the 14th over. His innings included six fours.
St Charles captain Thando Zama joined Prinsloo in the middle, and they steered the home team to victory, tacking on 46 more runs to see their side home in the 25th over.
Prinsloo finished with 37 not out, and Zama with an unbeaten 23.
Clifton College vs Dolphins Hub
In Durban, at the Riverside Sports Club, Clifton College‘s Daniyaal Klinck and Hayden Drieselmann both scored centuries as the hosts posted an intimidating 398/7 from their 50 overs in their game against the Dolphins Hub.
Klinck faced the first ball of the inning and went on to hit 16 fours and three sixes in the innings’ top score of 143. He and Drieselmann also shared a huge 217-run third-wicket partnership, with the runs coming from 190 balls, before Klinck fell in the 41st over.
Captain Shiraz Perumal kept the runs flowing with a quickfire 25 off 11 balls, sending three of them over the boundary, while Drieselmann lasted until the 46th over. He faced 102 deliveries, struck 14 fours and two sixes, and made 131 runs.
Blake Johnson provided some late innings’ fireworks, cracking four fours and two sixes in an undefeated 43 from just 17 deliveries.
Aphele Hlophe picked up 3/43 in six overs for the Dolphins Hub, while opening bowler Sqalo Mbatha took two wickets, but was treated harshly by Klinck and Drieselmann, conceding 97 runs from his 10 overs.
In reply, the Hub mustered 123 all out. They made a decent enough start to their innings, with Aphele Hlope and Shakho Thusini sharing an opening partnership of 38 runs inside six overs, but once George Gooch broke their stand, the innings lost its direction.
Thusini scored 25, and Hlophe weighed in with a patient 22, but seven other batsmen didn’t make more than four runs. Had it not been for Fanele Mpisane, the Dolphins Hub would have fallen well short of triple figures.
He stood tall, however, bashing four fours and three sixes in a 45-ball stay, which brought him 50 runs. He was the last man out as Clifton completed a big 275-run victory.
Keegan Watson snared 5/24, George Gooch claimed 2/18, and Shiraz Perumal took 2/29 as the home side dismissed the visitors in the 26th over of their reply.
Michaelhouse vs Kearsney College
At Michaelhouse, Kearsney College staged a confident run chase to score a sharp seven-wicket win on the Roy Gathorne Oval.
Batting first after winning the toss, House‘s Graydon Leslie, Rex Wardlaw, and Riley Muir jointly shared the innings’ highest score of 40. Muir’s was the fastest, coming off 45 balls, with five fours.
Victor North contributed 21 runs and shared an opening stand of 48 with Leslie, the best of the Michaelhouse innings, which ended after 42 overs, with the hosts all out for 183.
Leg spinner Rivaan Moodley led Kearsney’s attack, snaring 4/47 from his 10 overs, while left-arm leg-spinner Matthew Gorrie chipped in with 2/29 in 10.
Up against a good bowling unit, Kearsney’s batsmen then made light of the victory target. Gary Verbaan and Rivaan Moodley made 27 for the first wicket, with Moodley departing for 15, but Verbaan and Keegan de Jager then combined for a 72-run second-wicket stand to put the visitors on the front foot.
De Jager was out in the 22nd over, caught Riley Muir, bowled Rex Wardlaw, for 42. Verbaan, though, kept chugging along, keeping the Michaelhouse bowlers out until only five runs were needed for victory. He was dismissed for 79, which had taken him 109 balls to score, with eight fours and a six.
Three balls later, Kearsney won, with Aaron Blackburn unbeaten on 38.
Michaelhouse utilised eight bowlers in their efforts to halt Kearsney’s reply, but the day belonged to the visitors from Botha’s Hill.
Summarised scorecards:
Hilton College 150/10 (Sange Qangule 52; Reece Willson 5/21, Greg Hosking 2/26); Maritzburg College 152/6 (Dax Jursa 44, Luan van der Merwe 32*; Sange Qangule 3/47, Sechaba Gude 2/21). Maritzburg College won by four wickets.
Glenwood High 98/10 (Sebastian Oertel 35, Charles Nkwanyana 23; Jayden Saville 5/22, Ryan Clarke 4/18); St Charles College 102/1 (Christiaan Prinsloo 37*, Owen Widdows 36, Thando Zama 23*). St Charles College won by nine wickets.
Clifton College 398/7 (Daniyaal Klinck 143, Hayden Drieselmann 131, Blake Johnson 43*, Shiraz Perumal 25; Aphelele Hlophe 3/43, Sqalo Mbatha 2/97); Dolphins Hub 123/10 (Fanele Mpisane 50, Skahko Thusini 25, Aphelele Hlophe 22; Keegan Watson 5/24, George Gooch 2/18, Shiraz Perumal 2/29). Clifton College won by 275 runs.
Michaelhouse 183/10 (Graydon Leslie 40, Rex Wardlaw 40, Riley Muir 40, Victor North 21; Rivaan Moodley 4/47, Matthew Gorrie 2/29); Kearsney College 185/3 (Gary Verbaan 73, Keegan de Jager 42, Aaron Blackburn 38*). Kearsney College won by seven wickets.
