After struggling at the crease in their Friday morning match against King Edward VII, St Andrew’s School turned in another uneven batting performance against the CSA Hub Invitational XI in their afternoon clash at the Gijima Sports Ground.
Saints lost wickets at regular intervals and were 84/7 in the 14th over before they produced a meaningful partnership, with Grové du Preez and Spencer Murray adding 52 for the eighth wicket.
Murray was out on the last ball of the innings for 25 from 18 balls, with a four and a six as St Andrew’s ended on 136/8. Du Preez was unbeaten on 34 from 33 deliveries, while Schalk van Rensburg also made a solid contribution, scoring 27 runs.
CSA Hub opening bowler Deverick Peterson captured two wickets late in the Bloemfontein side’s innings to finish with 2/28 from four overs. First-change bowler Bokamoso Bantjie picked up 2/30 in four, but the best figures belonged to Tylor La Douce, who returned 2/26 from his four.
Chasing a moderate total, the Hub side made a good start, with Bulumko Magatya and captain Deverick Peterson sharing an opening stand of 49. However, once Ryle Beckmann got rid of Peterson in the ninth over, the CSA Hub XI lost their way, with Nikhil Sukraj‘s leg spin the leading cause of their demise. He snared a decisive 4/10 in four overs.
Only 11 overs after losing their first wicket, the Hub XI was all out for 84. Erhard Bahrends claimed the last wicket, bowling Tylor La Douce for five, to finish with 3/13 from 3.1 overs.
Paul Roos Gimnasium vs King Edward VII
Paul Roos Gimnasium, meanwhile, tallied 145/8 against King Edward VII (KES) at Camp Discovery.
They shouldn’t have got near that total, but KES bowled 19 wides and added 27 extras to PRG’s total. Only Luan Coetzee, with 34, and James Holm, with 28 off just 16 balls, which included three sixes, contributed more to the Paul Roos total.
As has been the case in their Pool D matches, the KES bowlers worked well as a unit, sharing the wickets around. Keegan Hendey, the seventh bowler brought into the attack, knocked over 2/17 in two overs, while Ryan Erasmus took 2/33 in three. Connor Kuijers put PRG under pressure with his 1/18 from four overs.
Paul Roos gave as good as they got when KES visited the crease, and the Reds found themselves needing 13 runs from the final over to win. They, however, took only four balls to complete an unbeaten run through the pool, scampering a leg bye to secure a five-wicket victory.
Every KES batsman made it into double figures, with Morne Steyn‘s 32 off 22, which featured two sixes and a four, their highest score, one run better than Kyle Henenne‘s 31.
Jason Moodie kept PRG in the game with his haul of 3/27 from four overs.
Summarised Scorecards
St Andrew’s School 136/8 (Grové du Preez 34*, Spencer Murray 25, Schalk van Rensburg 21; Tylor La Douce 2/26, Deverick Peterson 2/28, Bokamoso Mabunda 2/30); CSA Hub Invitational XI 84/10 (Nulumko Magatya 27, Deverick Peterson 22; Nikhil Sukraj 4/10, Erhard Bahrends 3/13). St Andrew’s School won by 52 runs.
Paul Roos Gimnasium 145/8 (Luan Coetzee 34, James Holm 28, Extras 27; Keegan Hendey 2/17, Ryan Erasmus 2/33); King Edward VII 146/5 (Morne Steyn 32, Kyle Henenne 31; Jason Moodie 3/27). King Edward VII won by five wickets.
