King Edward VII (KES) withstood the challenges of Hoërskool Monument and St Stithians College on Friday to book a place in the Central Gauteng Lions region’s rain Schools SA20 semifinals.
Hosting Monument on the John Hurry Oval, KES charged to a seven-wicket win, then followed it up with a thrilling four-run win over St Stithians at Fourways High.
Monnas produced a combative effort against the Wildeklawer North-South T20 champions. After being put in bat, the Krugersdorp school tallied 120 all out in 18.1 overs. It then took the Reds three more balls to reach 121/3 and score a seven-wicket win.
Monument’s batsmen struggled to gain a foothold in the contest. They fell cheaply and at regular intervals, but Lejean Banks stepped up in the 10th over to add some substance to their effort at the crease by scoring a steady 29 runs from 26 balls. Zaine van der Vyver was their second-highest scorer with 19 off 15 deliveries.
Phenyo Madiba was the best of the KES bowlers, returning 2/7 from two overs, while Keegan Hendey picked up 2/17.
Morné Steyn took control of the Reds’ run chase, weighing in with an unbeaten 43 from 46 balls. He also shared a 33-run third-wicket partnership with Cian Sullivan, who made 20, before guiding KES home with an unbroken 69-run fourth-wicket stand with Hendey, whose contribution was 36 not out.
KES vs St Stithians
At Fourways High, KES faced a sterner challenge from a familiar foe, St Stithians. It took a brilliant final over from Tyler Cloete to help them secure a nerve-racking four-run win.
St Stithians won the toss, chose to bowl first, and restricted KES to 149/8 in 20 overs. Saints then pulled out all the stops in their quest for victory, but fell agonisingly short, ending their reply on 145/7.
In the final over, Cloete successfully defended seven runs to usher KES into the semifinals.
St Stithians was on 142/5 with six balls to go. They needed seven runs to tie and eight to win. Cloete, however, took wickets with the first two balls of the over, then conceded only singles from the next three deliveries to shut down the Saints’ challenge.
Earlier in the afternoon, Morné Steyn scored a brisk 44 off 24 to help propel KES to a decent total. Along the way, he shared a 52-run fifth-wicket partnership with Cian Sullivan, who chipped in with 18, which helped to dig the Reds out of trouble after a difficult start.
Keegan Hendey, who enjoyed a fantastic day on the field across the two matches, was their second-highest scorer with 33 from 27 balls.
The in-form opener, Ombesa Matsha, gave St Stithians a good start, compiling 56 from 52 balls. He joined forces with Thomas Collins, who made 36, to add 78 runs for the second wicket.
The Saints’ chase faltered, however, after the dismissal of the duo. Collins was the first to go in the 13th over, and Matsha followed him to the dugout in the 17th over.
With the pressure on, the KES bowlers pulled things back and kept the St Stithians’ batsmen quiet. Then Cloete stepped up and performed his heroics.
He finished the match with 3/35 from four overs, while Morné Steyn, Keegan Hendey, and Kyle Henenne collected a wicket each.
Summarised Scorecards:
Hoërskool Monument 120/10 (Lejean Banks 29, Zaine van der Vyver 19; Phenyo Madiba 2/7, Keegan Hendey 2/17, Tyler Cloete 1/19). KES 121/3 (Morné Steyn 43, Keegan Hendey 36*, Cian Sullivan 20). KES won by seven wickets.
KES 149/8 (Morné Steyn 40, Keegan Hendey 33, Blaine Candy 20; Thomas Collins 2/29, Zaakir Hanslo 1/16, Didier Le Roux 1/18). St Stithians 145/7 (Ombesa Matsha 56, Thomas Collins 36, Tendai Kadyamadare 12; Tyler Cloete 3/35, Kyle Henenne 1/18, Morné Steyn 1/20). KES won by four runs.
