Ethan van Dyk scored a brisk half-century to set Jeppe up for a win over Northwood School, while Heinrich Claassen shepherded Die Hoërskool Menlopark to victory over Rondebosch Boys’ High in their Wildeklawer North-South T20 Tournament Pool C matches on Thursday afternoon.
Jeppe recorded a 24-run win over Northwood on the Affies Main Oval after posting 144/7 before restricting Northwood to 120/9 in reply.
Van Dyk arrived at the crease in the second over, after Jeppe had lost opening batsman Vegas Scott for six.
At first, Van Dyk was watchful, but after a couple of overs, he took the attack to the Knights‘ bowlers, racing to a confident 50 off only 27 balls and steering Jeppe to a winning total.
He shared four partnerships, with the most consequential being a 54-run third-wicket stand with Lincoln Casais, who chipped in with 18. By the time Van Dyk departed in the 13th over, Jeppe was headed to a competitive score. Boitumelo Skunka ensured that they maintained their positive momentum with a well-played 25 from 15 balls.
Van Dyk’s half-century trumped David de Bruyn‘s effort in Northwood’s chase. The opener, who played a match-winning knock in a victory over Jeppe during the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week, scored a circumspect 50 from 49 deliveries.
Jeppe’s bowlers maintained disciplined lines, and Northwood lost wickets at regular intervals, forcing the in-form De Bruyn to play within himself.
Zizi Mkhize, who led Jeppe’s efforts with the ball, finished the match with 3/30 in four overs, while Goolam Ahmed chipped in with a couple of sticks, and Phemelo Sekopane and Chad Willemse claimed a wicket each.
Rondebosch vs Menlopark
Heinrich Claassen’s unbeaten 48 from 39 balls was enough to help Menlopark to a six-wicket win over Rondebosch in their contest at the Sinoville Cricket Club.
Rondebosch went in to bat first and recorded a competitive 166/6 in 20 overs. Menlopark, however, made that score look slightly under par by getting to 167/4 in 18.4 overs.
Juan Lombaard set up the local side’s run chase with a swift 26-ball 40 at the top of the order. He laid a solid foundation with two partnerships worth a combined 57 runs. He and Jan-Willem Pienaar put on 19 for the first wicket before Lombard partnered with Johan Bosch and added 38 runs for the second wicket.
An unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 84 runs from only 64 balls was Menlo’s best, however. Claassen hit three fours and two sixes, while De Villiers struck three fours on his way to 30 from 24 balls as they saw their team across the line.
When Rondebosch batted first, Murray Hofmeyr was Menlopark’s best bowler, knocking over 3/21 in four overs, which included the crucial wickets of top-order batsmen Luca Ghignone, for 22, and Eli Aufrichtig, for 27, to prevent Rondebosch from building momentum.
Ethan de Heer Kloots, who lost his wicket in the fifth over, was Rondebosch’s top scorer with a barnstorming 40 from only 18 balls. None of the other Bosch batsmen matched his brilliant ball striking.
Rondebosch and Northwood will target a first Pool C victory when they cross swords at Harlequins on Friday morning. Meanwhile, Jeppe and Menlopark will battle for the top spot in the pool at Waterkloof.
Summarised Scorecards:
Jeppe 144/7 (Ethan van Dyk 50, Boitumelo Skunka 25; James Searle 3/16, Ryan van Zyl 1/10, Hamza Amla 1/10). Northwood 120/9 (David de Bruyn 50, Nick Slater 25; Zizi Mkhize 3/30, Goolam Ahmed 2/18, Chade Willemse 1/13). Jeppe won by 24 runs.
Rondebosch 166/6 (Ethan de Heer Kloots 40, Eli Aufrichig 27; Murray Hofmeyr 3/21, Verster Richter 2/42, Monré Koekemoer 1/26). Menlopark 167/4 (Heinrich Claassen 48*, Juan Lombaard 40, Jacques de Villiers 30*; Eli Aufrichtig 1/21, Zion van Rensburg 1/22). Menlopark won by six wickets.
