Hans Moore vs Marais Viljoen a highlight of the Fain Noordvaal weekend
Things are heating up as the Fain Noordvaal tournament moves into an exciting quarter-final weekend.
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In Alberton, the match-up, which could certainly turn out to be the most interesting of the four, between Hoërskool Marais Viljoen and Hoërskool Hans Moore, will have the supporters of those two schools buzzing.
The Moories did what they set out to do last week, knocking out Hoërskool Garsfontein‘s Ysbere, after recording a 20-run victory, while Marais Viljoen cruised by Hoërskool Rustenburg, scoring an impressive 49-run win.
With both sides possessing strong batting lineups, it could come down to which team’s bowlers can keep a cooler head when put under pressure.
The home side will be wary of the danger Moories’ all-rounder Kenan Shaw presents. Shaw, the spearhead of the bowling department last week, will be oozing confidence after his match-winning analysis of 4/21 against the Ysbere.
His brother, Aiden Shaw, who was recently selected for the Easterns’ u16 side, will pose a threat opening the batting, while number three batsman, Xavier Coetzee, has been in immaculate form throughout the 2024 season.
Marais Viljoen’s Abdullah Tadwala has predominantly starred with the bat, but his handy off-spinners have seen him become a very well-rounded all-rounder for the side from Alberton.
Alongside him, the talented Jordan Baijnath will also have something to say in both the batting and bowling departments, while captain Aldré Huyzers would like to make yet another contribution with the bat to steer his side to a second consecutive Fain Noordvaal Final.
Merensky Landbou Akademie faces a massive challenge on Saturday. The side from behind the citrus curtain travels to Pretoria to tackle the defending champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof, in their backyard.
The Plasies’ all-rounder Rinaldo Bornman will look forward to exploring the batting-friendly conditions of the André van der Walt Oval. He’s been piling on the runs over the last couple of weeks. One of the highlights of his season was a classy 121 against Hoërskool Piet Potgieter in the Limpopo Super 8 league.
The Klofies will have to do without the services of their Namibian International, Alex Volschenk, who misses out due to a shoulder injury. They, however, welcome back captain Beukes van den Berg, from injury. Van den Berg, whose return strengthens the Klofie batting lineup significantly, won’t be taking up the gloves as usual, with the youngster Rico van der Walt filling his spot behind the stumps.
Die Hoërskool Menlopark welcomes another Limpopo-based side, Hoërskool Pietersburg, to Pretoria. Menlo scored a hard-fought three-wicket victory over Hoërskool Dr Malan in the elimination round last week.
Parkies’ in-form Matt van der Westhuizen will be relishing another chance to get out into the middle. Van der Westhuizen’s 76 against the Dokkies played a key role in his side’s victory.
The Pieties had an unforeseen break last week after Prestige College decided not to make the trip up north. They, however, also possess some quality batting. The southpaw duo of Stephan Swanepoel and Hanno van Zyl could cause the home side serious headaches.
Hoërskool Middelburg and Hoërskool Kempton Park meet in their qaurter-final clash on Friday.
