Wesvalia hosted Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom in Klerksdorp on Saturday and opted to bowl first in a North West rain Schools SA20 showdown.
They were rewarded with an early wicket, but Riekert Kruger and Sihle Duma hit back hard.
They shared a 61-run stand for the second wicket from only 39 balls before Duma exited, LBW to Wian Boshoff for 29 from 24 balls, four of which he hit for four.
Kruger followed two runs later, early in the tenth over, for a hasty 39. He had faced only 24 balls, smashing three fours and two sixes.
Volkies then lost AW van der Merwe to a run out for only three, and Jean Liebenberg followed four balls later, as the visitors slumped to 80/5 after 11 overs.
The contest was delicately balanced, but Juan van Niekerk and Zander Nel seized control, combining for 54 runs from 43 balls to take Volkskool to 134 in the 19th over before Van Niekerk was caught for 31.
Nel kept going with the support of Hanru Combrinck, who boosted the visitors’ total with a quickfire 15 not out from only seven balls. Nel finished unbeaten on 29 as Potch Volkies tallied 156/6.
Wian Boshoff was the most successful of the Wesvalia bowlers, claiming 2/28 from four overs, while Jandre Greyling pressured the visitors with a tight four overs that brought him 1/14.
Unfortunately for the hosts, only one of their batsmen got going as the Volkies’ new ball bowlers, AW van der Merwe and Zander Nel, dictated matters, with Wesvalia limited to only 16/2 from their first six overs.
By the end of the 11th over, the home team was on 48/5 and way behind the required run rate.
Van der Merwe performed superbly, finishing with a stingy 1/5 from four overs, and Nel was tight, too, returning 1/15 from four.
Jason Tarr was the lone batsman to play himself in, but he was limited to just one four in his unbeaten 38 from 49 balls.
Janu de Beer claimed 2/27 from four overs, and Pierre Joubert bagged 1/19 from four as Volkies surrendered only four fours and two sixes, restricting Wesvalia to 98/7, to score a convincing 58-run victory.
Summarised Scorecard:
Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom 156/6 (Riekert Kruger 39, Juan van Niekerk 31, Zander Nel 29*, Sihle Duma 29; Wian Boshoff 2/28); Wesvalia 98/7 (Jason Tarr 38*; Janu de Beer 2/27, AW van der Merwe 1/5, Zander Nel 1/15). Potch Volkies won by 58 runs.
