The AH Smith Oval played host to a low-scoring thriller between Kearsney College and Maritzburg College on Saturday, with the visitors scrambling their way to a tight two-wicket win in a limited-overs contest.
Kearsney chose to bat when the coin flip favoured them, but that proved to be a regrettable decision as both openers were sent packing for ducks, leaving the hosts on 4/2 in the second over.
Asher Hollister and Keegan de Jager slowed College, however, sharing a 41-run third wicket partnership before Luke Venter bowled the Kearsney captain for 24. Hollister followed seven runs later for 23, bowled by Matt Bisset.
With those dismissals, Kearsey found themselves in a sticky spot, on 53/4 in the 15th over, but that quickly became even stickier as the home team slid to 59/6 in just over two overs.
Hayden Lötter and Matthew Gorrie arrested the slide for a short while, adding 30 from only 25 balls before Reece Willson trapped Lötter in front for 13. That was one of four wickets claimed by the College paceman, who knocked over 4/30 in eight overs.
Gorrie went on to tally 19, which included two sixes. He was the last man out in the 28th over, with Kearsney dismissed for only 113.
Luke Venter backed up Reece Willson with 2/21 from six overs, and Matt Bisset took 2/19 from his six.
Maritzburg College weren’t faced with a high total, but matters went south early as they struggled to get to grips with the pitch and Kearsney’s attack. By the ninth over, they were in muddy waters, on 13/4, with their top four dismissed as Blake Pugh and Litha Gonya bagged two wickets apiece.
Kearsney was in the driver’s seat, but Luan der der Merwe and Reece Willson turned the match around. They put their heads down and ground it out for 16 overs together, adding 71 runs for the fourth wicket to take the College total to 84.
Matthew Gorrie finally separated the pair when Keegan de Jager caught Willson for an invaluable 37. He had faced 47 balls and struck seven fours.
Needing only 30 to win, Maritzburg College lost three more wickets, two of them to Matthew Gorrie, but that didn’t include Luan van der Merwe. He was there at the end and struck the winning two runs to see the visitors to a nail-biting two-wicket victory.
Van der Merwe finished with 43 not out from 81 balls, with four fours. It was another important contribution in an impressive season for the left-hander. Only he and Reece Willson reached double figures.
Sixteen extras boosted Maritzburg College’s total, although Kearsney profited even more from extras, with 24.
Gorrie picked up three wickets, but also went for 39 runs from 7.4 overs. Blake Pugh kept the College batsmen tied down, knocking over 2/11 from six overs, and Litha Gonya claimed 2/25 from eight.
St Charles College vs Westville Boys’ High
In Pietermaritzburg, St Charles College had a rude shock in store for Westville Boys’ High. The home side delivered a compelling all-round performance to record a superb 73-run win.
When the toss fell their way, Saints chose to bat and their batsmen delivered. Only Christiaan Prinsloo missed out by virtue of being run out for 11. Four runs later, Kyle McGough trapped Owen Widdows LBW for a run-a-ball 30, leaving St Charles on 44/2 in the tenth over.
Thando Zama and Ryan Clarke added 42 for the third wicket before Zama was caught behind by Aidan Baudach off Josh Engelbrecht for 24. St Charles was on a middling 86/3 in the 21st over, but Westville’s bowlers didn’t get another look-in.
Ryan Clarke and Caleb Sharp took the game away from them, combining for a decisive, unbroken 178-run fourth-wicket stand at a run a ball.
Clarke led the way with an unbeaten 109 from 121 balls, striking 11 fours and a six, while Sharp was not far behind him. He finished with 81 not out from 87 deliveries, nine of which he sent to the boundary, as St Charles completed their 50 overs on 264/3.
Kyle McGough picked up 1/36 in eight overs, and Josh Engelbrecht took 1/41 in 10, as Westville endured a tough time in the field.
However, they made a steady start to their run chase. Then they suffered a big collapse, losing seven wickets for only 30 runs, before a defiant last-wicket stand added some respectability to their total.
Aidan Baudach and Jordan Doig made 68 for the first wicket in just over 16 overs before Connor Simpson ended their partnership when he had Doig caught by Christiaan Prinsloo for 27. Baudach followed in the 21st over, caught by Connor Vogt off Simpson for 35. That proved to be the highest score of the Griffins‘ innings.
Kyle McGough, Yusuf Osman, and Aarin Rasmussen all got themselves in, but Usman’s run-a-ball 33 was the best among that trio. McGough made 18 and Rasmussen 21, although he was unbeaten. However, the departures of McGough and Osman triggered the collapse, with Kaiyuran Naidoo leading the Saints’ attack.
He snared 4/37 from his 10 overs, while Caleb Sharpe clamped down on Westville’s run-scoring, with his left-arm spin bringing him a neat 2/25 from 10 overs, and Connor Simpson claimed 2/38 from seven.
The last man in, Josh Engelbrecht, decided attack was the best form of defence and very nearly became Westville’s leading run-scorer. He hit seven fours in a 23-ball stay that brought him 34 runs, and shared the innings’ biggest partnership of 47 with Aarin Rasmussen.
Jayden Saville ended it by bowling Engelbrecht, and Westville was all out for 191 in the 45th over.
Summarised Scorecards:
Kearsney College 113/10 (Keegan de Jager 24, Extras 24, Asher Hollister 23; Reece Willson 4/30, Matt Bisset 2/19, Luke Venter 2/21); Maritzburg College 114/8 (Luan van der Merwe 43*, Reece Wilson 35; Matthew Gorrie 3/39, Blake Pugh 2/11, Litha Gonya 2/25). Maritzburg College won by two wickets.
St Charles College 264/3 (Ryan Clarke 109*, Caleb Sharpe 81*, Owen Widdows 30, Thando Zama 24; Kyle McGough 1/36); Westville Boys’ High 191/10 (Aidan Baudach 35, Josh Engelbrecht 34, Yusuf Osman 33; Kaiyuran Naidoo 4/37, Caleb Sharpe 2/25, Connor Simpson 2/38). St Charles College won by 73 runs.
