St Andrew’s School cantered to the Free State rain Schools SA20 title on their home ground, Vossie’s Field, on the weekend, winning the provincial competition for a third year in succession.
While the visiting Kroonstad Hub won the toss and chose to bat first in their semifinal, almost everything after that went Saints‘ way.
Erhard Barends was the only St Andrew’s bowler to send down a full complement of four overs, and he nabbed 2/15, while Schalk van Rensburg picked up 2/4 in a two-over spell.
However, it was the left-arm orthodox spin of Ryle Beckmann that put the Hub’s innings to bed in the 11th over. He snared an incredible 4/3 in 1.5 overs as the Hub was toppled for only 28 runs.
Opening batsman Thapelo Mokhethi top-scored with seven runs, hitting the only four of the Kroonstad Hub’s innings.
Set an easy target, Erhard Barends went hard at it, hitting three fours to race to 20 not out off 11 balls.
Hub bowler Bohlokwa Bartman enjoyed some success, claiming 2/16 in two overs, but St Andrew’s secured an eight-wicket victory in the fourth over.
That qualified them for the final against Grey College. However, due to scheduling conflicts, Grey was unable to play the final, and St Andrew’s, the national runner-up in the Schools SA20 earlier in the year, was crowned the Free State champion.
In their semifinal, Grey powered to a convincing win over Hoërskool Bethlehem Voortrekker on Hickling Field.
Voortrekker’s decision to bowl first against the Bloemfontein side didn’t work out, and opening batsman Hendré Bothma was one of the main reasons why. He rocketed to 100 off only 56 balls, smashing eight sixes and eight fours.
Ethan Helmand, at three, thumped five fours and five maximums of his own in a rapid 62 off 30 as he and Bothma racked up 106 runs off just 54 balls for the second wicket.
Rodney Turner was the best of the Voortrekker bowlers, taking 1/32 from four overs.
After 20 overs, Grey College finished on a massive 259/3, which meant the Eastern Free State side would need to bat at 13 runs per over to win. They produced a decent effort at the crease, but never came close to challenging Grey’s big total.
Opening batsman Janno Olivier went down swinging, hitting six fours in his knock of 58 off 53 balls, while number six batsman Andries Rautenbach hammered four sixes and a four in his unbeaten 33 off 16.
After the completion of their overs, Voortrekker had reached 146/5, leaving Grey College with a handsome 113-run victory.
Wilhelmus van der Schyff nabbed 2/23 in four overs and was the only Grey bowler to claim more than one wicket. However, economical bowling is king in limited-overs cricket, and the Bloemfontein boys did a decent job of restricting Voortrekker’s batsmen.
Summarised Scorecards:
Kroonstad Hub 28/10 (Ryle Beckmann 4/3, Schalk van Rensburg 2/4, Erhard Barends 2/15). St Andrew’s School 32/2 (Erhard Barends 20*; Bohlokwa Bartman 2/16). St Andrew’s School won by eight wickets.
Grey College 259/3 (Hendré Bothma 100, Ethan Helmand 62, Wilhelmus van der Schyff 36*, Juan Maree 25, Extras 23; Jordan Buitendag 1/27). Hoërskool Bethlehem Voortrekker 146/5 (Janno Olivier 58, Andries Rautenbach 33*, Jayden Strydom 21; Wilhelmus van der Schyff 2/23). Grey College won by 113 runs.
