Rand Park High‘s captain, Cameron Govender, delivered a bowling masterclass to help his team clinch a heart-pounding six-run Super Over win over the Alex Hub in their rain Schools SA20 match at the Rand Park Cricket Oval on Wednesday afternoon.
Alex Hub’s skipper, Njabulo Mila, won the toss and opted to bat first, but the going was slow, with his team reaching 101/9 from their 20 overs. Rand Park started their run pursuit well, but lost their way in the middle overs. In an adrenaline-packed thriller, they evened the scores off the last ball of their 20 overs, finishing on 101/6.
That sent the contest into a Super Over. Rand Park High batted first and scored seven runs. Then the home side’s captain took on the responsibility and stepped up to defend the total.
Govender, who had scored four of the seven runs Rand Park tallied in the Super Over, opened the deciding over with a dot ball, completed a run out on the second, then prevented any runs being scored off the next three deliveries. He conceded only a single off the final ball to send his teammates wild with joy.
Rand Park, fielding a young team, showed resilience and a never-say-die attitude. Their head coach, Travis Doyle, said the side featured mostly Grade 9 and 10 learners. However, the way they played belied their youth.
Njabulo Mila and Thato Makhubela gave the Alex Hub a solid start with a 52-run opening partnership. They progressed at a healthy clip until Kopano Ndlovu broke the partnership with an outstanding run out. That wicket was a turning point in the match. Besides Thulani Madonsela, who made 10, no other Hub batsmen reached double figures.
Besides his vital run out, Kopano also snared two wickets, surrendering only 11 runs from his four overs. Rand Park’s best bowler was, however, Hayden Govender, who knocked over 2/8 in three overs.
Ndlovu took charge of Rand Park’s chase with a steady 42 from 57 balls. The opener spent all but eight of his side’s 120 balls in the middle and held things together as wickets tumbled at the other end. Crucially, he shared a 68-run second-wicket partnership with Liam McFarlane.
It was McFarlane, the Rand Park vice-captain’s 50th match for the 1st XI. He celebrated the momentous occasion with an invaluable 26 from 31 balls and was, besides Ndlovu, the only other Rand Park batsman to score more than 10 runs.
Rand Park might have thought the game was lost when Ndlovu lost his wicket. That left them needing 13 runs from eight balls, with two new batsmen at the crease, both of them tailenders.
Seth O’Brien contributed five runs before he was dismissed halfway through the final over. His departure brought Ethan Motilal to the crease. He failed to score off the first two balls, and the contest appeared lost. Not so! Needing six, he blasted the final delivery over the ropes to tie the game.
“It was a proper nail-biter, tons of school kids and parents stayed to watch every ball. The atmosphere was electric,” Doyle reflected.
Summarised Scorecard:
Alex Hub 101/9 (Thato Makhubela 37, Njabula Mila 18, Thulani Madonsela 10; Hayden Govender 2/8, Kopano Ndlovu 2/11, Zach Steenkamp 1/14). Rand Park High 101/6 (Kopano Ndlovu 42, Liam McFarlane 26, Ethan Motilal 6*; Njabulo Mila 3/14, Phumulani Madela 1/11, Imange Kopano). Rand Park won by six runs in the Super Over.
