Viljoen, Fourie teach Nellies a cricket lesson
The combination of Wihan Fourie‘s anticks with the ball and Pieter Viljoen‘s heroics with the bat saw Hoërskool Hoogenhout shock Hoërskool Nelspruit in their Mpumalanga Premier clash on Saturday.
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Fourie was the first to announce himself with a five-for, while conceding only 35 runs in the 10 overs he bowled, and he played the leading role in restricting the Nellies to only 206 all out.
The hosts’ Waldemar Graham nevertheless indicated that the conditions were suited for batting too, scoring a well-played 61 runs, while Jan Malan supported with 44 runs coming from his willow.
It would, however, be Hoogenhout captain and opening batsman, Pieter Viljoen, who ultimately stole the show. Viljoen clearly saw no virtue in hanging around and went straight on the attack, a decision that paid off remarkably well. He needed only 75 deliveries to smash 14 sixes and 13 fours in powering his way to 157 not out.
This meant that 136, or 86% of his runs, came from boundaries, as he set Nelspruit alight in an eventful run chase which lasted only 22.5 overs. It also included a 205-run partnership with Johan Viljoen (30), which sealed a nine-wicket victory for their side.
Travelling to Secunda, Gavin Genis and Hoërskool Middelburg picked up where they left off at the end of last season. Genis, now in Grade 11, delivered an unbeaten 85-run blitzkrieg as the defending champions of Mpumalanga, and runners-up in the Fain Noordvaal competition, secured a five-wicket win.
Although he was the leading run scorer on the day, Eduan Strydom‘s all-round performance probably outshone the innings of Genis. Strydom firstly took the lead with the ball, playing the main part in restricting Hoërskool Secunda to only 220 before the last wicket fell.
Strydom then backed up his 4/21 with 35 runs coming off his bat, combining with his Genis for a match-winning partnership of 105 runs. A run-a-ball 31 from Lohan Botha at the top of the order, also played a crucial part in the chase, laying the platform for the two batsmen lower down to do what they do best.
Although not their best day at the office, there were signs of some early form for the Secunda batters. Nijan Swart looked positive for his 33, using only 17 balls, while Jayden Scholtz emerged as the leading run scorer on the day with 38.
Summarised Scorecards:
Hoërskool Nelspruit 206 (Waldemar Graham 61, Jan Malan 44; Wihan Fourie 5/35, Zeeshan Ebrahim 2/40, Wyatt Johnson 2/51); Hoërskool Hoogenhout 207/1 (Pieter Viljoen 157*, Johan Viljoen 30; Jan Malan 1/47). Hoërskool Hoogenhout won by nine wickets.
Hoërskool Secunda 220 (Jayden Scholtz 38, Nijan Swart 33, CJ Webb 29*, Andries Coetzer 23, Umar Badat 23, Walt Woster 20; Eduan Strydom 4/21, Herman Potgieter 3/25); Hoërskool Middelburg 222/5 (Gavin Genis 85*, Eduan Strydom 35, Lohan Botha 31, Herman Potgieter 29; Lohan Swart 3/60). Hoërskool Middelburg won by five wickets.
