6th Annual St David’s Fasken Festival: Match Previews
With the first round of fixtures of the 6th Annual St David’s Fasken Festival about to get underway starting on Thursday, the festival has some exciting matches lined up.
Hosted amidst the lush grounds of St David’s Inanda and St Stithians College this annual event has become a staple in the school cricket calendar, drawing schools and enthusiasts from all corners of the country to celebrate the spirit of the sport.
The format of the fixtures is time cricket; which essentially might just be the bridge that elevates modern cricket to new heights while preserving the essence of the traditional forms. This approach fosters an environment where adaptability and strategic decision-making are key, turning every minute into an opportunity to seize victory.
Let’s see how the 12 teams stack up against each other going into the first round of fixtures:
St David’s Marist Inanda vs Maritzburg College (La Valla Oval, St David’s)
The host side St David’s takes on a formidable Maritzburg College, who make their way up the escarpment to take part in the festival.
St David’s will be going into the match eager to stamp their authority as they are faced with familiar conditions playing at home, the side will be skippered by Matthew West. The all-rounder will aim to lead from the front with both bat and ball.
Maritzburg playing in a different set of conditions might be the differentiating factor between these two sides over the course of the next couple of days.
The midlands side has a three-pronged spin attack which is held together by attacking leg spinner Chad Mason who has shown throughout 2023 that he will be challenging to read.
Jeppe High School for Boys vs Clifton College (Gier Oval, St David’s)
Jeppe recently played a warm-up match in preparation for the festival against a touring Northern Cape High School, winning that match by a sizable margin of 228 runs. The batsmen filled their pockets by piling up a total of 351/9 from 50 overs whilst spending valuable time at the crease.
Jaydon Brooker scored a classy 111 runs from 100 balls, while Kaleb Burger chipped in with 51 runs.
With it still being early in the season and not much rain about, both sides will be looking at their spinners to play crucial roles in the match. Jeppe left-arm spinner Tshepo Stafa could find himself playing a vital holding role and tying down an end, whilst the seamers could run in and bowl a barrage of attacking shorter spells.
Clifton College boasts a few players who will be returning to the festival for a second time, with some of the players having the potential to feature in further additions to the festival.
One of these players is Jayden Roux, who scored a magnificent century against St David’s last year whilst only in Grade 9. Skipper and top order batter Shahzaad Permual, will be hoping for flatter and dryer wickets where he can look to cash in on some valuable runs.
In 2019, these two sides met at the festival which resulted in a drawn match.
The Golden Lions Invitational XI vs King Edward VII (McGregor Oval, St David’s)
The Golden Lions Invitational XI, will be up against some stiff competition coming head-on with King Edward VII, many of the players would have previously shared provincial team changing rooms.
KES will be looking at youngsters Callum Ritchie, a top-order batter who bowls wrist spin to provide the team with some impetus and will need to gel well with wicketkeeper Tiaan Goosen, who will look to make a mark behind the stumps.
The Lions XI, will have their work cut out for them as many of the players will be playing with each other for the first time. The side is made up of some of the top talent within the province.
Fast bowler Mashadu Kangala, is someone to watch the youngster from Dobsonville, is known to send down some quick deliveries.
The opportunity to play against a strong side like KES gives the players a good platform to benchmark themselves up against one of the toughest teams at the festival.
St Stithians vs Hoërskool Waterkloof (Dlamini Oval, St Stithians)
Hoërskool Waterkloof has had a good lead-up to the festival, winning two back-to-back matches last weekend in the highly competitive Section A of the Pretoria League beating both Hoërskool Centurion and Prestige College in convincing fashion.
Players to watch out for include in-form opening batsmen Wian Ruthven and all-rounder Marcus Bakker. Alexander Volschenk has had a quiet build-up to the festival but has represented and captained the Namibian u19 side.
St Stithians College will feel quite at ease having the luxury of playing their first match with a home-ground advantage. In the last 10 years, St Stithians have become a cricketing powerhouse producing some talented players who have gone on to represent the Proteas.
St Stithians have four SA u19 team members who toured Bangladesh earlier this year in the form of Lhuandre Pretorius, Kwena Mhapaka, Richard Seletswane and Thebe Gazide, all of whom would have gained valuable exposure on the tour.
The match should provide a good contest between bat and ball with St Stithians going in as favourites.
St John’s College vs St Andrew’s School (Baytop Oval, St Stithians)
Two of South Africa’s premier independent schools come face-to-face in this much-anticipated clash. St John’s have had a very successful 2023, in their 125th Anniversary, winning 21 times out of 28 matches played.
St Andrew’s from Bloemfontein, have got a strong side and have been known previously to unearth some quality fast bowlers, such was the case with up-and-coming Proteas star Gerald Coetzee, however this year the side could look at u19 Free State spinner Dakalo Leketa to provide his skipper and all-rounder Connor Nel with an attacking bowling option.
St John’s College will be banking on batsman Luke Francis who scored over 800 runs in the season, a classy top-order batter who has displayed his appetite at spending time at the crease.
Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Hoërskool Noordheuwel (La Rosey Oval, St David’s)
Paul Roos faces locals Noordheuwel, both will be eager to put their hands up as teams to be reckoned with.
Noordheuwel will be playing a side without any of their matric pupils as the end-of-year exams are fast approaching. This presents the team with an opportunity to give some of the younger more inexperienced players the ability to stamp their mark on the upcoming season.
Corne Botha who recently was selected for the SA u19 training group will be looking to display his talent. He will be well supported in the form of Dian Taljaard who has racked up 600 runs this year.
All eyes will be on Paul Roos all-rounder Cormey van der Watt, who is a left-handed bowler who regularly features in the top order, normally at first drop, the crucial number 3 position. He bowls a heavy ball and could provide some challenges for Noordheuwels’ inexperienced side.
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