The defending champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof, got their campaign underway with a comfortable 54-run victory over Grey High School on the opening day of the annual Wildeklawer Noord-Suid T20 tournament.
The foundation was laid early when Rico van der Walt (50) and AJ de Villiers (26) shared a 49-run opening partnership. De Villiers is the son of former Proteas fast bowler Fanie de Villiers.
His brother Vorster de Villiers is also part of the Klofies‘ First XI.
Van der Walt also shared two valuable partnerships with Juan Swart (5) and Franco Schmidt (8), respectively, for the second (21) and third (25) wickets.
Grey High was restricted to Nelson (111) in their 20 overs. Their opening batsman, Joe Stone (38), played well. Christiaan Smit (2/8) and AJ de Villiers (2/18) were the pick of the Waterkloof bowling attack.
In the other Pool A clash, not even the heroics of South Africa U19 captain Jason Rowles were enough to help his side secure a victory over Westville Boys’ High. This came just a day after he was sold during the SA20 auction for a staggering R2.9 million to the Joburg Super Kings.
Rowles was named Man of the Match after taking 2/30, then leading his side with a half-century, scoring 79 runs off only 53 deliveries. He shared a 70-run opening partnership with Sohail Seonath (18) before the latter was run out.
In the end, though, St David’s came up 12 runs short, restricted to 149/8 by the KZN side.
Westville Boys’ High totalled 161 all out, thanks to contributions by Liam de Villiers (35), Kyle McGough (26), Ewan du Toit (25), and Tristan Delvin (24). Kyle Butler (4/23) led the St David’s bowling attack, with Rowles and Matthew Nicholson (2/20) also troubling the Westville batsmen.
Summarised Scorecards:
Waterkloof 165/6 (Rico van der Walt 50, AJ de Villiers 26, Johan Feuth 22, Wian du Plessis 21; Trent Barnardo 1/16); Grey High School 111/8 (Joe Stone 38; Christiaan Smit 2/8, AJ de Villiers 2/18). Waterkloof won by 54 runs.
Westville Boys’ High 161 (Liam de Villiers 35, Kyle McGough 26, Ewan du Toit 25, Tristan Delvin 24; Kyle Butler 4/23, Matthew Nicholson 2/20, Jason Rowles 2/30); St David’s Marist 149/8 (Jason Rowles 79; Elijah Stoop 2/18, Misbah Nair 2/23, Michael Hopkins 2/42). Westville Boys’ High won by 12 runs.
