Corbin Tidbury and Enrique Strydom fashioned a 93-run opening partnership that laid the groundwork for Graeme College’s four-wicket win over Grey High in a limited-overs contest on the Somerset Field in Makhanda on Saturday.
Graeme was asked to bowl first by Grey High and restricted the visitors to 234/7 from their 50 overs. Half-centuries from Tidbury and Strydom then pushed Graeme to 235/6 and victory with 10 overs to spare.
The opening pair shared the crease for just 15.1 overs, but their joint contribution was enough to set them on course for victory. Tidbury was the first to all, out for 57 from 56 deliveries.
Strydom, who outlasted Tidbury by 8.1 overs, top-scored for the visitors after a 61-ball stay that brought him 64 runs. It was his second half-century in a week, following his 46-ball 50 in a T20 against St Andrew’s College on Wednesday.
Zuko Pontshi, with 15, and Luphelo Mdyesha, with 14, made small contributions to Graeme’s successful run chase.
Grey High was unrelenting in their belief that they could fight back and were rewarded with four wickets for 27 runs between the 23rd and 37th overs. However, Andrew Muir held things together for the visitors with a solid, unbeaten 45 from 41 deliveries.
Sam du Preez did his utmost to undermine the Graeme reply, returning an outstanding 3/17 from six overs.
Tidbury and Strydom’s half-centuries countered Joe Stone‘s patient and well-crafted 84 from 129 deliveries. The Grey High opener demonstrated admirable concentration and was in the middle for 35.3 overs, sharing partnerships with three different batsmen, with two of those worth more than 50 runs.
The first was his 79-run opening stand with Matthew Marshbank, who weighed in with 43. Then he cobbled a 70-run third-wicket partnership with Nathan Trytsman, whose contribution was 34.
After Stone’s dismissal, Markus Potgieter made 30 and tacked on 56 runs for the fourth wicket with Trytsman.
Despite those solid batting performances, Grey High was unable to get on top of the Graeme College bowling. Luphelo Mdyesha was one of the primary reasons for that, giving little away in a tidy 10 overs from which he emerged with 2/29.
Muir, Tidbury, and Lisekho Zinyane chipped in with a wicket each.
Summarised Scorecard:
Grey High 234/7 (Joe Stone 84, Matthew Marshbank 43, Nathan Trytsman 34; Luphelo Mdyesha 2/29, Lisekho Zinyane 1/35, Andrew Muir 1/40). Graeme College 235/6 (Enrique Strydom 64, Corbin Tidbury 57, Andrew Muir 45*; Sam du Preez 3/17, Micah Wessels 1/20, Nathan Trystman 1/42). Graeme College won by four wickets.
