Jeppe High School for Boys performed brilliantly in the field on Thursday, in their opening match of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week, ripping through Paul Roos Gimnasium‘s batting in a 50-over contest played on Michaelhouse‘s Hannah’s Field.
Zizi Mikhize stole the show, capturing 7/31 in 10 overs as Paul Roos tumbled to 93 all out after only 26.4 overs.
Top-order batsman Zander van Niekerk‘s 34 runs off 36 balls, which included six fours, stood out in a low total.
Ryan Young, batting at five, powered Jeppe towards victory, hammering three sixes and a four in his quickfire 26 off 18 deliveries.
One spot below him, Mkhize contributed 26 off 28, while top-order batsman Lincoln Casais added a patient 23 off 41.
After 18.1 overs, Jeppe made it across the line, reaching 95/4 to win by six wickets.
At the Lynwood Oval in Pietermaritzburg, Grey College chose to bowl first against Westville Boys’ High. That was a good call.
Griffins‘ opener Aiden Baudach was the best of the KZN side’s batsmen, hitting seven fours in an innings of 36 from 42 deliveries, while Tristin Delvin, at four, struck 34 off 49. Right below him, at five, Jamie Hasselbach weighed in with 34 off 40.
Westville was chugging along on 176/5 in the 36th over, but then plummeted to 191 all out after 42.4. They were helped by 38 extras, with Grey’s bowlers responsible for 25 wides and five no-balls.
Still, there were some outstanding returns from the Grey attack, with River Scott snapping up 3/6 in 3.4 overs and Juan Maree grabbing 3/27 in seven overs.
In reply, Grey’s openers, Bergh Vorster and Christian Kind, gave their side a fine start, putting on 113 for the first wicket in 23.5 overs. Eventually, Kind fell, LBW to Jamie Hasselbach for 54 off 64, with one six and five fours.
Vorster played more conservatively, contributing 68 off 104, with five fours and two sixes, before losing his wicket with only three runs required for victory.
Aiden Dodd chipped in 23 runs and Daniel Hattingh 22 as Grey surged to an impressive win in just 34.2 overs.
Hasselbach claimed 2/27 in five overs for Westville.
Paarl Boys’ High took on Kearsney College at the Collegians Cricket Club, where Boishaai opted to bat first after the coin toss favoured them.
Opener AB Jacobs struck a rapid 37 off 27 balls, whacking six fours and a six, while number three batsman, Roan Heyns, played a controlled knock, contributing 32 off 75. Christo Muller was again his side’s top scorer, clobbering six fours and a six in his 38 off 42.
Apart from those three, no other Boishaai batsmen made it out of single figures, which was why they mustered only 136 all out in 33.4 overs.
The Greyhounds’ Rivan Moodley spun a web around the Bolanders, snaring 6/21 in 7.4 overs. He enjoyed good support from Blake Pugh, who knocked over 2/13 in six overs, and Matthew Gorrie, who nabbed 2/14, also in six.
Kearsney’s batsmen then provided the consistency needed to better Paarl Boys’ High’s modest total. Keeagan de Jager and Aaron Blackburn shared the largest partnership of 63 runs for the third wicket. De Jager, the Kearsney captain, belted six fours in his 36 off 52, while Blackburn hit five fours in his 34 off 41.
Moodley, meanwhile, weighed in with 23 runs to go with his bowling heroics.
Divan Fourie was the only Boishaai bowler to claim multiple wickets, returning 2/42 in 6.4 overs.
After 28.4 overs, victory belonged to Kearsney when they reached 139/6.
At the Howick Oval, Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) batted first against Paarl Gimnasium.
Enré van Zyl picked up 5/64 in 10 overs for Gimmies, but PBHS tallied a useful 240 all out, with Victor Louw to the fore. He scored a hasty 86 from just 61 deliveries, blasting nine sixes and four fours.
Louw was the eighth man to the crease and made his time with the tail enders count. He and number nine batsman, Justin Basdeo, combined for a crucial 113-run ninth-wicket stand, which proved to be a match-winning effort.
Opening batsman Timothy Gordon got stuck into the Paarl Gim bowlers early, striking six fours and three sixes in his 48 from only 43 balls.
The Western Cape side then replied with 183 all out in 45.3 overs. It was a decent effort, but undermined by Wian Smit, who collected a telling 5/25 in his 10 overs, which included three maidens.
De Waal Vivier, batting at five, top-scored for the Western Cape side with 38 off 45, while Jean le Roux, the second last man to the crease, smashed a six and three fours in an impressive 33 not out off 42.
In the end, though, Pretoria Boys High won comfortably by 57 runs.
Summarised Scorecards:
Westville Boys’ High 191/10 (Extras 38, Aiden Baudach 36, Jamie Hasselbach 34, Tristin Delvin 34, Aarim Rasmussen 22; River Scott 3/6, Juan Maree 3/27). Grey College 193/3 (Bergh Vorster 68, Christian Kind 54, Extras 26, Aiden Dodd 23, Daniel Hattingh 22*; Jamie Hasselbach 2/27). Grey College won by seven wickets.
Paul Roos Gimnasium 93/10 (Zander van Niekerk 34; Zizi Mkhize 7/31). Jeppe High School for Boys 95/4 (Ryan Young 26, Zizi Mkhize 26, Lincoln Casais 23; Morné Pauw 1/20). Jeppe won by six wickets.
Paarl Boys’ High 136/10 (Christo Muller 38, AB Jacobs 37, Roan Heyns 32; Rivan Moodley 6/39, Blake Pugh 2/13, Matthew Gorrie 2/14). Kearsney College 139/6 (Keegan de Jager 36, Aaron Blackburn 34, Rivan Moodley 23; Divan Fourie 2/42). Kearsney College won by four wickets.
Pretoria Boys High 240/10 (Victor Louw 86, Timothy Gordon 48, Dylan Kruger 27, Extras 33, Euan Gottfried 25*; Enré van Zyl 5/64, Jean le Roux 2/48). Paarl Gimnasium 183/10 (De Waal Vivier 38, Jean le Roux 33*, Thomas Wiersma 28, Extras 26, Enré van Zyl 21, Louwrens Pieterse 21; Wian Smit 5/25, Kaden Barnes 2/28). Pretoria Boys High won by 57 runs.
