In a repeat of the Inland Tuskers 2025 final, St Charles College hosted Hilton College on the SCC Oval on Tuesday in a rain Schools SA20 clash.
This time, however, it was to determine which side would advance to the regional title game against Maritzburg College on Friday.
In the previous year’s title decider, Saints restricted Hilton to a low total, which they chased down comfortably. This time, after the toss went their way, they took a different approach, opting to bat first.
After losing an early wicket, the home side got stuck into the visitors’ bowlers, tallying a sturdy 173/3.
Batting at three, captain Ryan Clarke made his way to the middle to join Christiaan Prinsloo at the start of the third over, and they quickly got on top of the bowling, hammering 88 runs from only 59 balls for the second wicket.
Their onslaught was stopped when Avi Nunna caught Prinsloo off the bowling of Nate Smit for 42. He had struck four fours and two sixes in a 34-ball stay.
There was no let-up for Hilton following the opener’s departure, however, and Caleb Sharp kept the runs flowing alongside his skipper, with the duo tacking on another 74 from 50 deliveries before Clarke’s aggressive knock came to an end.
Obakeng Motsepa bowled him off the last ball of the 20 overs for 78 from only 56 balls, 12 of which he had struck to the boundary.
At the other end, Sharp was undefeated on 33 off 23, which featured three fours and a six.
Hilton’s bowling figures didn’t make for pleasant reading, except those of Motsepa, who returned a tidy 2/21 from four overs.
In reply, Ryan Jellis and Ben Wilson opened the visitors’ innings, and Jellis fared well, hitting six fours and a six in the innings’ top score of 35.
His effort ensured the visitors advanced at a good clip, but around him, wickets fell, with Jack Richards striking twice early, leaving Hilton wobbling on 19/2 in the third over.
When Jellis exited in the seventh over, Relebogile Mokoena‘s first victim, Hilton had slipped to 52/4, and Mokoena soon removed Sange Qanqule to turn the screw a little tighter, leaving Hilton College on 61/5 way, way behind the required run rate with just over 11 overs to go.
Mokoena was in the groove and, it seemed, everything he touched turned to gold. He was responsible for removing Guy Fyvie, although that dismissal was by way of a run out. Then, he added the wicket of Aiden Clubb, out for a run-a-ball 23.
Anthony Crossley followed in the 16th over, caught and bowled by Caleb Sharp for two, and Hilton had not yet reached triple figures. They were on 98/8.
In the 18th over, Hilton lost their ninth wicket when Ryan Clarke ran out Sean Burman for a defiant 24 from 17 deliveries, which included a four and two sixes.
The visitors kept fighting and added another 12 runs for the last wicket, but by then their hopes of victory had been all but extinguished. Jack Richards ended the innings on 124 runs, picking up his third wicket by getting rid of Duncan Dicks with 11 balls remaining.
Relebogile Mokoena excelled with the ball, snapping up a decisive 3/11 from four overs, while Jack Richards nabbed 3/23 from 3.1, and Caleb Sharp lent vital support, picking up 2/32.
With the win, St Charles ensured KwaZulu-Natal’s representatives at the National Finals earlier this year would not be making a return trip to phase three.
Hilton had earned the right to represent the province by winning the KZN regional final in January.
They finished as the Tuskers Inland runner-up to St Charles, but the top two teams from both the Inland and Coastal regions qualify for the regional final, which gave Hilton the chance to qualify for the National Final if they could get the better of St Charles, Westville Boys’ High, and Northwood.
While matters went far better for coach David Griffiths‘ charges at the Pietermaritzburg Oval, where they beat Westville Boys’ High and Northwood twice, in the round-robin and final, they lost their last round-robin match against St Charles.
Summarised Scorecard
St Charles College 173/3 (Ryan Clarke 78, Christiaan Prinsloo 42, Caleb Sharp 33*; Obakeng Motsepa 2/21). Hilton College 124/10 (Ryan Jellis 35, Sean Burman 24, Aiden Clubb 23; Relebogile Mokoena 3/11, Jack Richards 3/23, Caleb Sharp 2/32). St Charles College won by 49 runs.
