In a meeting of Pool D’s winners from day one of the Wildeklawer Noord-Suid T20, St Andrew’s School batted first against King Edward VII (KES) at Camp Discovery.
They charged to 187/4 against Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) on Thursday, but found the going far slower on Friday.
Saints made a poor start, losing Jonathan Hickley to the first ball of the innings. Then, when Tiago Dias caught Schalk van Rensburg for six off Keegan Hendey, the Bloemfontein boys were 22/2 in the fifth over.
Captain Reuben van Aarde stood his ground before a combination of his leadership counterpart, Matthew Bromley, and Tiago Dias ran him out for 24.
FG Botha, who powered his way to an unbeaten 92 off only 54 balls against PRG, was far quieter against KES, contributing 20 from 32 deliveries before becoming one of Steele Grooteman‘s two victims. Grooteman’s return was a telling 2/19 from four overs.
St Andrew’s was never able to get rolling, and another batsman being run out didn’t help. In the end, they lost their tenth wicket to the last ball of the innings, with Ryan Erasmus the destroyer-in-chief. He had himself a fine time with the ball, snaring 4/10 in his four overs as St Andrew’s mustered a battling 102 all out.
KES attacked the modest total, with Troy Gordon leading the way. In a 42-ball stay, he lashed seven fours and three sixes in an unbeaten knock of 69 runs. Given Saints‘ low total, that was all that the Johannesburg team really needed.
Matthew Bromley contributed a valuable 26 and saw the Reds across the line to an eight-wicket victory after only 13 overs.
Heindré Serfontein, the best of the St Andrew’s bowlers against Paul Roos, was again their top performer, claiming 1/8 in two overs.
Paul Roos Gimnasium vs CSA Hub Invitational XI
At the Gijima Sports Ground, Paul Roos lost opener Xander van Niekerk in the first over, but their batsmen then took charge against the CSA Hub Invitational XI.
Jason Moodie and Janko Webb added 50 for the second wicket before Webb fell for a hasty 41 from 25 balls, which included two fours and a six. Tshepang Laka then ran out Moodie for 24, which brought Marcus Conradie and Christiaan Fouché together midway through the PRG innings.
They stayed together until the end, sharing an unbroken 119-run stand, lifting the Stellenbosch side to a substantial 198/3 from their 20 overs.
Conradie finished with 64 from only 35 balls, with seven fours and two sixes, while Fouché went big five times and added four fours in his 62 from 33 deliveries.
Opening bowler, Lastio Williams, was the best of the CSA Hub XI bowlers, who were put to the sword, picking up 1/29 from four overs.
The Hub side fell 67 runs short in their reply, limited to 131/8 from their 20 overs.
Tshepang Laka, opening the innings, batted well, hitting five fours in his 49 off 48 balls, and Deverick Peterson clubbed three sixes in his 30 off 17 deliveries, but there was little else of substance in the composite team’s innings.
Dion Slabber knocked over a tidy 2/18 in his four overs, while Ruan Coetzee claimed 2/27 in four overs, and Marcus Conradie matched those figures in three overs.
With the win, Paul Roos improved their record to one win and one loss. The CSA Hub Invitational XI is still chasing a first victory.
Summarised Scorecards:
St Andrew’s School 102/10 (Reuben van Aarde 24, FG Botha 20; Ryan Erasmus 4/10, Steele Grooteman 2/19); King Edward VII 106/2 (Troy Gordon 69*, Matthew Bromley 26; Heindré Serfontein 1/8). King Edward VII won by eight wickets.
Paul Roos Gimnasium 198/3 (Marcus Conradie 64*, Christiaan Fouché 62, Janko Webb 41, Jason Moodie 24; Lastio Williams 1/29); CSA Hub Invitational XI 131/8 (Tshepang Laka 49, Deverick Peterson 30; Dion Slabber 2/18, Ruan Coetzee 2/27, Marcus Conradie 2/27). Paul Roos Gimnasium won by 67 runs.
