Saturday morning at the Wildeklawer Noord-Suid T20 was all about quarterfinals, with matches taking place in the Cup and Plate playoffs.
At Prestige College, Durban High School (DHS) fielded first against Jeppe High School for Boys.
While they didn’t pick up many wickets, they kept Jeppe under pressure by bowling tidily. Joshua Morley was efficient, conceding only 17 runs and taking a wicket in four overs.
Lincoln Cassias, batting at four, played patiently and contributed an undefeated 32 off 40 balls, while Goolam Ahmed, at five, chipped in with 24 runs. Together, they added 67 runs for the third wicket.
Lower down the order, Boitumelo Skunka clubbed a four and three sixes in a hasty 29 not out off 14 deliveries.
He and Cassias produced an unbroken 36-run sixth-wicket partnership to see Jeppe to 135/4 after their 20 overs.
Captain Josh van Biljon led the DHS reply. He made his way to the middle after the fall of the first wicket and went on to an unbeaten 84 off 66 balls, dispatching five of them for six and three for four.
He and Sulaimaan Jadwat combined for 74 runs in their unbroken fourth-wicket stand.
However, their run rate wasn’t fast enough. Even though Jeppe claimed only three wickets, they kept their bowling tight, and DHS came up three runs short, finishing on 132/3.
Chad Willemse enjoyed success with the ball, capturing a proficient 2/8 in three overs.
Grey College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
Grey College‘s decision to bat first at Hoërskool Waterkloof didn’t pay off. Their innings lasted only 18.4 overs before Rondebosch Boys’ High bowled out the Bloemfontein side for 117.
Reuvan dos Santos was one of the main reasons for Grey’s modest total. In four overs, he captured 4/10 to put the skids under the Free Staters’ innings. Raa’id Davids snapped up 2/14, while captain Schalk Fourie and Arin Spiller both returned 2/21.
Despite their low total, Grey College did well to recover from a fragile 26/6 after eight overs. Aiden Dodd led the fightback, hitting four fours in a 23-ball stay that produced 25 runs.
Bergh Vorster, at nine, took only 17 deliveries to match Dodd’s scoring, with his knock including two sixes. He and Ethan Helmand doggedly added 40 for the ninth-wicket, with Helmand scoring 20.
Eli Aufrichtig set Bosch’s run pursuit on course by making 39, opening the innings. His 43-ball innings lasted almost twice as long as any other Rondebosch batsman’s.
He and Ethan de Heer Kloots, who made 18, put on 35 for the first wicket.
Wilhelmus van der Schyff, Grey College’s best bowler at the Wildelkawer Noord-Suid T20, shone again, snaring 2/23 from four overs.
It was difficult, however, to defend only 117 runs, and Rondebosch reached 118/6 after 18.3 overs to claim their place in the semifinals with a four-wicket win.
Grey High School vs Paul Roos Gimnasium
Grey High batted first against Paul Roos Gimnasium on the PHSOB Club‘s Hofmeyr A Oval, and they owed plenty to number three batsman, Connor Parry.
While wickets tumbled around him, he hammered eight fours and two sixes in a superb 87 off 57 balls, scoring more than half the Gqeberha school’s runs in their 151/8. His biggest partnership was with Nathan Trytsman for the fourth wicket, with Trytsman chipping in with only 10 of the 55 runs.
Marcus Conradie undermined Grey’s batting effort, nabbing 3/25 in four overs, while Dion Slabber snaffled 2/22.
Paul Roos went after Grey High’s 151 runs aggressively. Aiden Titus countered Connor Parry’s fine knock by smashing five sixes and seven fours in an unbeaten 83 off 62 balls. Marcus Conradie contributed 20 and shared a 63-run third-wicket stand with Titus.
Frederick Jansen was the best of the Grey High bowlers, picking up 1/16 in two overs, but Paul Roos reached 152/3 to win with 13 balls in hand.
Westville Boys’ High vs CSA Hub U19
At Die Hoërskool Menlopark, Westville Boys’ High shot out of the gate, batting first against the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Hub U19 team.
Aiden Baudach slashed seven fours and a six, making 68 off 52 balls, while his fellow opener, Tristin Delvin, struck a six and six fours in a brisk 77 off 51. In only 14.1 overs, they partnered for 122 runs.
Ripfumelo Mabunda was the only Hub bowler to concede less than a run-a-ball, claiming a tidy 1/15 in three overs.
Thanks to their cracking start, Westville tallied an imposing 174/3 in their 20 overs.
The Griffins then bowled relatively economically in the Hub’s reply. Aarin Rasmussen was the KZN side’s most efficient bowler, snaring 2/14 in four overs, while Michael Hopkins went for 34 runs from his four, but also removed two batsmen.
Hub opener Bulumko Magatya gave his side some momentum, making 35 off 26 balls. Tshepang Laka, at three, scored 32 off 30, while Deverick Peterson smashed three sixes in his 38 not out off 24 balls.
In the end, Westville won by 25 runs after the CSA Hub side completed their 20 overs on 153/6.
Summarised Scorecards:
Grey College 117/10 (Bergh Vorster 25, Aiden Dodd 25, Ethan Helmand 20; Reuvan dos Santos 4/10, Raa’id Davids 2/14, Schalk Fourie 2/21, Arin Spiller 2/21). Rondebosch Boys’ High 118/6 (Eli Aufrichtig 39, Extras 31; Wilhelmus van der Schyff 2/23). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by four wickets.
Jeppe High School for Boys 135/4 (Lincoln Cassias 32*, Boitumelo Skunka 29*, Goolam Ahmed 24; Joshua Morley 1/17). Durban High School (DHS) 132/3 (Joshua van Biljon 84*, Sulaimaan Jadwat 20*; Chad Willemse 2/8). Jeppe won by three runs.
Grey High 151/8 (Connor Parry 87; Marcus Conradie 3/25, Dion Slabber 2/22). Paul Roos Gimnasium 152/3 (Aiden Titus 83*, Marcus Conradie 20; Frederick Jansen 1/16). Paul Roos won by seven wickets.
Westville Boys’ High 173/4 (Tristin Delvin 77, Aiden Baudach 68, Jamie Hasselbach 21*; Ripfumelo Mabunda 1/15). CSA Hub 148/6 (Deverick Peterson 38*, Bulumko Magatya 35, Tshepang Laka 32, Moeketsi Beya 28; Aarin Rasmussen 2/14, Michael Hopkins 2/34). Westville won by 25 runs.
