Williamson’s half-century sets up Clifton victory, Liebenberg stars for Helpmekaar
Zach Williamson smashed a fine half-century to help Clifton School clinch a 40-run win over St Benedict’s College in their Standard Bank Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) T20 clash at Cornwall Hill College on Sunday afternoon.
The toss went Clifton’s way, and the KwaZulu-Natal side elected to bat first. They dominated the St Benedict’s bowlers, batting at almost 10 runs an over, on their way to 194/5. St Benedict’s struggled to produce substantial partnerships in their run chase and were limited to 154/7 in their 20 overs.
Clifton’s innings was already more than halfway through when Williamson arrived at the crease in the 11th over, following the dismissal of captain Tim Saulez. In just 31 balls, he creamed three fours and two sixes on his way to a hard-hitting 56.
Together with Hayden Drieselman, Williamson added 91 runs for the fourth wicket. It took them only 54 balls and proved to be a turning point in the match. Drieselman remained at the crease until the final delivery of the innings, scoring 43 runs from 36 balls.
It was thanks to wicketkeeper/batsman Lawson Dinsdale and Tim Saulez that Williamson and Drieselmann were able to go after the Bennies‘ bowlers. They put on 47 off only 25 balls for the second wicket. Then, Saulez and Drieselman added 33 for the third.
Facing a massive victory target, St Benedict’s showed good intent early on in their run chase. Clayton Horlick and Matt Feiertag made a rollicking start, making 31 from 22 balls for the first wicket. Horlick and Ed Smith kept the momentum going in a short partnership that lasted only eight balls but delivered 17 runs.
It was always going to be a tall order to meet the required run rate, however, and St Benedict’s, except for a brief period between 10th and 13th overs, found themselves off the pace. Horlick and Alex Johnston made it interesting by adding 62 runs from 35 balls, but Bennies’ challenge fell away after Horlick was dismissed for a well-played 77 from 40 deliveries, which had included eight fours and two sixes.
St Benedict’s needed someone to take over from Horlick, but Shiraz Perumal struck twice in the 15th over and the Bedfordview boys were unable to recover.
Perumal was Clifton’s most successful bowler, snapping up three wickets for 30 runs from four overs, while Blake Johnson kept the St Benedict’s batsmen at bay, knocking over two for 20 from his four overs.
St John’s College vs Helpmekaar Kollege
At St John’s College, in Johannesburg, a rivalry that has produced some fantastic clashes in recent times was reprised, with Helpmekaar Kollege taking on St John’s. They delivered another nail-biting game.
Kyle Swanepoel, the Helpmekaar captain, won the coin flip and opted to bat first. Momentum shifted back and forth, with Helpies finishing on 213/9 after their 50 overs.
St John’s mounted a spirited run chase and came within touching distance of victory but were bowled out for 209 in 49.5 overs, thanks to some brilliant bowling by the visitors when the game was on the line.
Anrich Liebenberg played a key knock for Helpmekaar, scoring an important 39 off 61 deliveries and sharing in a 36-run second-wicket partnership with Zander Neethling, who matched him as the visitors’ highest scorer, with 39 runs, too. Aiden Pretorius, in at four, contributed a handy 32 off 67 deliveries.
Malan du Plessis was the pick of the bowlers for St John’s, claiming four wickets for 35 runs in 10 overs, while Nkosana Sibiya and Alec Loveland picked up a stick each.
St John’s made decent progress in their run pursuit and appeared to have matters under control. Midway through the home side’s 50 overs, Liebenberg was introduced into their Helpmekaar attack, but he went for 11 runs from two overs. Skipper Kyle Swanepoel turned to Liebenberg once again in the 42nd over.
This time, he enjoyed immediate success, dismissing Connor van der Walt with the first delivery of his new spell. Then, in his next over, the 44th, he captured two wickets in four balls, getting rid of Ethan Robinson and Alec Loveland.
At the start of the final over, St John’s required seven runs to win, with Herman Basson and Aiden Barberrini at the crease. Liebenberg rose to the occasion to see his side to a heart-in-mouth four-run win. He firstly executed a run-out to account for Basson and, then, three balls later, sent Barberrini packing.
Liebenberg finished with four wickets for 27 runs from 6.5 overs to go with his crucial batting contribution of 39, while Juandré van Wyk, also, bowled well, knocking over two wickets for 20 runs in six overs.
The home team’s captain Alec Loveland put up a strong fight for St John’s, with a patient 57 from 81 deliveries. Three other batsmen – Connor van der Walt, Nkosana Sibiya, and Herman Basson made it into the twenties.
Scorecards
Clifton College 194/5 (Zach Williamson 56, Hayden Campbell 43, Ed Smith 2/32, Clayton Horlick 1/9). St Benedict’s College 154/7 (Clayton Horlick 77, Alex Johnson 18, Shiraz Perumal 3/30, Blake Johnson 2/20). Clifton won by 40 runs.
Helpmekaar 213/9 (Zander Neethling 39, Anrich Liebenberg 39, Malan du Plessis 4/35, Nkosana Sibiya 1/13). St John’s 209/10 (Alec Loveland 57, Connor van der Walt 26, Anrich Liebenberg 4/27, Juandré van Wyk 2/20). Helpmekaar won by four runs.
