Hoërskool Waterkloof made light of Hoërskool Garsfontein‘s decision to bowl first in the Fain Noordvaal final at St Alban’s College on Saturday, powering their way to a sturdy 269/4 from their 50 overs.
AJ de Villiers and Wian du Plessis settled in comfortably and scored at just over four runs per over as they put on a healthy 74 for the first wicket before De Villiers fell for 35, caught and bowled by Ruan Coetzee.
Du Plessis and Juan Swardt then lifted the total to 100 before Swardt exited for 16.
That brought Rico van der Walt to the middle, and he and Du Plessis combined for a composed third-wicket stand of 111 runs in 20 overs, which proved to be pivotal.
Kassie Lebelo ended their partnership when he had Van der Walt caught by Righardt Joubert for 64. The wicketkeeper/batsman had faced 74 deliveries, striking six fours and two sixes.
Du Plessis continued and was eventually out to the last ball of the innings. By then, however, he had inflicted major damage, making 106 off 122 balls, with nine fours and a six. His superb effort later earned him the man of the match award.
His fourth-wicket partner and captain, Franco Schmidt, gave the innings a nice boost, slamming three sixes in his unbeaten 35 off only 19 deliveries as they tacked on 58 together in only 6.2 overs.
It was a tough outing for the defending champions’ bowlers, but Ruan Cuyler, with 1/34 from 10, did a tidy job, and Alzjandro Potgieter picked up 1/45 from his 10 overs.
Set a challenging target, Garsfontein started their reply steadily.
They lost Ruan Cuyler three overs in, but Charl van Staden and Wikus du Preez added 30 in six overs before Van Staden was caught behind by Rico van der Walt off Frank van der Westhuizen for a hard-hitting 26 off only 16 balls, which included six fours. That was as good as it got for Garsfontein.
Between the 15th and 23rd overs, the match slipped away from Garsies as they slid to 75/7, with Van der Westhuizen capturing 3/15 from six overs, while Jean Cloete nabbed 2/27 from five.
Daniel Janse van Rensburg and Alzjandro Potgieter fought back, adding 34 for the eighth wicket.
After Janse van Rensburg departed for 18, Potgieter continued and was eventually out in the 34th over for 27 from 29 balls, the highest score of the innings.
Two overs later, it was all over, with Rivan Booysen wrapping up matters by picking up the last three wickets to finish with 3/27 from 7.5 overs.
Garsfontein’s reply ended on 134, leaving Waterkloof with a resounding 135-run win and their first Noordvaal title since 2023.
Meanwhile, Die Hoërskool Menlopark romped to a 107-run win over Waterkloof in the Fain Noordvaal U15 League final, also played at St Alban’s, with Wilrich Richter delivering a decisive man of the match performance.
Captain Dandries Verster was the cornerstone of Menlo’s 222/9 after he won the toss and opted to bat, hitting four fours and four sixes in an 80-ball stay, which brought him 65 runs.
Francois Schutte weighed in with 30, while Logan Roode, Christiaan Koekemoer, and Leo Metz added scores in the twenties.
Klofies‘ opening bowler, Luan Smit, pressured Menlopark, knocking over 4/33 from 10 overs.
That outstanding effort was bettered by Wilrich Richter, however. He destroyed the Waterkloof reply by capturing 6/20, which included removing the top five batsmen in the Waterkloof order.
Neil Claassen also kept Klofies on the back foot with a miserly 10-over return of 3/16 as Waterkloof was dismissed for 115 in 34.3 overs.
Opening batsman Nicholas Campher top-scored with 26, and Jean van der Westhuizen made a stubborn 22 off 74 deliveries, but it was Menlopark’s day and they scored a resounding victory.
Summarised Scorecards:
Hoërskool Waterkloof 1st XI 289/4 (Wian du Plessis 106, Rico van der Walt 64, Franco Schmidt 35*, AJ de Villiers 35; Ruan Cuyler 1/34). Hoërskool Garsfontein 1st XI 134/10 (Alzjandro Potgieter 27, Charl van Staden 26; Frank van der Westhuizen 3/15, Rivan Booysen 3/27, Jean Cloete 2/27). Waterkloof won by 135 runs.
Hoërskool Menlopark U15A 222/9 (Dandries Verster 65, Francois Schutte 30, Logan Roode 26, Christiaan Koekemoer 26, Leo Metz 21*; Luan Smit 4/33). Hoërskool Waterkloof U15A 115/10 (Nicholas Campher 26, Jean van der Westhuizen 22; Wilrich Richter 6/20, Neil Claassen 3/16). Menlopark won by 107 runs.
