Joubert and Botha star in wins for Helpmekaar and Noordheuwel
Zuan Joubert led Helpmekaar Kollege to a deserved four-wicket win over Queens High School with a zesty half-century when the sides locked horns in a Lions Schools Cricket League 50-over match at the University of Johannesburg on Saturday.
In Krugersdorp, Corné Botha delivered an outstanding spell of bowling to lay the foundation for Hoërskool Noordheuwel to also claim a four-wicket win over their arch-rivals, Hoërskool Monument.
Joubert took control of Helpmekaar’s innings, stroking 10 fours and a single six on his way to a brisk 57-ball 69. His innings created a solid platform for his team’s successful chase of the 215-run target set them by Queens.
After winning the toss, Queens elected to bat first and tallied 214 all out in 40.2 overs.
Ruben Bredenkamp performed well with the ball, capturing four wickets for 50 runs to help prevent Queens from batting out their 50 overs. He received good support from John Butner, who removed two batsmen, while Stefan Trumpelman, Dominic Tait, Rudolph Odendaal, and their hero with the bat, Joubert, took a wicket each.
Opening batsman Dimpho Sefoli (77) did his best to stem the tide for Queens but he lacked support, with wickets tumbling around him. His 68-ball knock turned out to be the only bright light in the Queens’ innings.
When Joubert arrived at the crease, with the total on 48, Helpmekaar had lost two wickets for four runs in the space of 13 balls. They needed him to consolidate and rebuild the innings. However, the right-hander had barely settled in when Helpmekaar lost a third wicket.
Joubert, though, kept his wits about him and combined with Heinrich Minnaar for a productive 101-run fourth-wicket partnership that tilted the contest firmly Helpmekaar’s way.
When Joubert was dismissed, Helpmekaar was only 47 runs away from the target, and Minnaar took over the lead role in the chase, working his way to 50 off 66 balls. That effort helped them into a position of almost certain victory, and Helpies duly claimed a hard-fought win when they reached 217/6.
In the battle for bragging rights in Krugersdorp, Noordheuwel, playing in front of their home crowd, won the toss and elected to bowl first.
That proved to be a good call as Corné Botha blew away Monument’s top order with an outstanding opening spell. His captain, Dian Taljaard, tasked him to bowl six overs up front, and that’s all he needed to bring the Monnas‘ innings to its knees.
Botha combined with JJ Basson in the powerplay overs, and the pair ensured that Monument was off kilter after they lost three early wickets.
His second delivery brought Botha his first wicket and he made it two wickets in an over three balls later. Basson, who kept things quiet in his first five overs, gave little away and was eventually rewarded with a wicket of his own.
The pair had Monument on shaky ground on 42/3 after the powerplay. Skipper Taljaard, then, gave Basson a rest after the first 10 overs but he kept Botha on for an extra over. It was a masterstroke. Botha bagged two wickets in two balls to leave Monument wobbling on 47/5 after 11.5 overs.
Johan Zeedijk, the only Monument batsman to reach 20 runs, provided some lower-order resistance. However, his stay at the crease was tentative, and he was sent packing by Basson. Monument added a single run after Zeedijk’s dismissal as they slid to 98 all out after 31.3 overs.
Noordheuwel chose an aggressive approach in their pursuit of the modest 99 runs required for victory, and they barrelled along to get there in about half the number of overs that Monument used to score 98.
In just 15.5 overs, Nories reached 101/6 to claim a solid victory. Wander Roolvink led the run chase with a 44-ball 36, while Ethan Smith played a valuable innings, too, weighing in with 31 from 29 balls.
Scorecards
Queens High School 214/10 (Dimpho Sefoli 77, Bokamoso Makhaphela 35; Ruben Bredenkamp 4/50, John Butner 2/33). Helpmekaar Kollege 217/6 (Zuan Joubert 69, Heinrich Minnaar 50; Junior Makabe 2/19, Karabo Lekalakala 2/25). Helpmekaar won by four wickets.
Monument 98/10 (Johan Zeedijk 20, Logan Weetman 18; Corné Botha 4/18, Gomolemo Sibi 3/15). Noordheuwel 101/6 (Wander Roolvink 36, Ethan Smith 31; Rieghardt Prinsloo 3/17, Tristan Mecuur 2/6). Noordheuwel won by four wickets.
