Boitumelo Skunka ripped into St John’s College‘s batting lineup, claiming a five-wicket haul to set up Jeppe for an eighth-wicket win on the Mitchell Oval at St John’s on Saturday.
In another Gauteng showdown, St Stithians marched to a five-wicket win over St Benedict’s in a T20 encounter.
Jeppe’s captain, Vegas Scott, called correctly at the toss and put the hosts in to bat first. Skunka then led the charge as the visitors dismissed St John’s for 174 runs in 37.5 overs.
Goolam Ahmed took care of the St John’s openers, removing Luke Fry for 19 and Bryn Gilmour for 23 before Skunka came to the fore.
The speedster, one of four Jeppe players selected for the Central Gauteng Lions‘ u16 team, claimed 5/28 runs from 7.5 overs. Ahmed offered strong support with 3/40 runs in 10 overs, while Blake Pinto chipped in with a single scalp to his name.
Jared Gilmour understood what was needed to be successful on the surface, top-scoring for St John’s with an unbeaten 53 from 93 balls. Unfortunately for him, he ran out of partners.
Jeppe made a shaky start to their run chase, losing Asher Aitken after two overs, followed by Ethan van Dyk in the seventh over, which left them shaky on 28/2. However, Vegas Scott and Lincoln Casais took charge and batted St John’s out of the game with an unbroken 147-run third-wicket partnership.
Scott played the steady hand, tallying an unbeaten 83 from 120 balls, while Casais weighed in with 73 not out from only 95 deliveries as Jeppe reached 175/2 in 39.4 overs.
St Benedict’s vs St Stithians
St Stithians pulled together as a unit on their way to a five-wicket T20 win at St Benedict’s. Saints, bowling first on the instruction of St Benedict’s, restricted the hosts to 139/4 before racing to 140/4 in just 12.4 overs.
Bennies‘ Treasure Dube produced a magnificent knock, smashing an unbeaten 100 off only 56 deliveries, with eight fours and six sixes.
He arrived at the crease in the fourth over in the wake of Sanjay Wangat‘s dismissal, but was left to fight a lone battle as his partners failed to build any momentum. Dube shared St Benedict’s highest partnership with Dominic Dolby, adding 78 for the fourth wicket, with Dolby’s contribution only 13 runs.
Chris Collins was St Stithians’ most successful bowler with 2/23 from four overs. The Saints’ fielders also exerted heavy pressure, and that awareness led to two batsmen being run out, which further hampered Bennies’ efforts to break the shackles.
When St Stithians replied, Hamza Sheik led the charge, blasting a whirlwind 70 off just 28 balls, 10 of which he cracked for four and four of which he slammed for six.
Sheik’s dominance was evident in a 46-run second-wicket partnership with Thomas Collins, whose share of the stand was only one.
By the time Sheik exited, St Stithians was on 87/3 after seven overs, leaving them needing only 53 runs to win.
Ombesa Matsha, with 21, and Matthew Katzenstein, with 12, pushed St Stithians forward before Jack Wilson took over and guided Saints to victory with an unbeaten 23 from 16 balls.
Summarised Scorecards
St John’s 174/10 (Jared Gilmour 53*, Bryn Gilmour 23, Herman Basson 23; Boitumelo Skunka 5/28, Goolam Ahmed 3/40, Blake Pinto 1/32). Jeppe 175/2 (Vegas Scott 83*, Lincoln Casais 73*, Ethan van Dyk 12; Juan de Villiers 1/29, Jared Gilmour 0/27, Tapiwa Chikwava 0/38). Jeppe won by eight wickets.
St Benedict’s 139/4 (Treasure Dube 100*, Jordan Day 19, Dominic Dolby 13; Chris Collins 2/23, Nqaba Matunda 0/12, Yahya Chavoos 0/19). St Stithians 140/5 (Hamza Sheik 70, Jack Wilson 23*, Ombesa Matsha 21; Matthew Lewis 2/16, Justin Beling 1/4, Tlotliso Mhlanga 1/19). St Stithians win by five wickets.
