Affies return to winning ways, Cornwall stuns Northwood
What a difference a day makes.
It is especially true in the cricket arena, and the 2025 Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal is a case in point.
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool and Cornwall Hill College, who both ended up on the wrong side of the results on the first day, bounced back impressively on day two.
Affies, facing Hilton College at their home ground, the Hart-Davis Oval, came out on top with a 24-run victory. Batting first after winning the toss, opening batsman JP Botha, the Pretoria-based side’s main contributor on day one, was even more imposing this time around.
Affies managed 217/7 in the allotted 50 overs, with 91 of those runs coming off the bat of Botha, who produced one of his more patient innings of the season. Facing a marathon 133 deliveries, almost half the innings, Botha hit six fours and a solitary six, before Hilton stalwart Ben Hockly ran him out. Thereafter, the struggles of those who followed highlighted exactly how valuable Botha’s knock was.
Benoit Rey (2/28) and David Hill (2/33) managed to cause certain problems halfway through the Affie innings. Fortunately, wicketkeeper Daniel Murray (24) batted well towards the tail, while Adriaan Nel‘s 32 provided the final thrust to establish a defendable total.
Alex Pitman (34) gave the hosts hope at the top of the order before he was dismissed by Ruben Groenewald (2/16). Petrus Rautenbach then worked his magic with the ball, during the middle part of the Hilton innings, snapping up a match-defining 3/36 in his allotted 10 overs.
Struggling at 139/8, tailender Obakeng Motsepa raised his hand with the home side’s top score of the day. His unbeaten 37 runs gave them more than a glimmer of hope until he ran out of partners in the final over of the chase.
Cornwall Hill surprised friend and foe with an outstanding bowling performance, which saw them thump Northwood by 100 runs.
Mohale Pitso enjoyed a marvellous day. He contributed a useful 24 not out with the bat, yet it was with the ball that he really came to the fore. His 3/17 did the bulk of the damage, as Northwood could only manage a meagre 91 runs in search of the target of 192.
Khumo Kgagodi (57) and captain, Ab Rasool (40), were the main protagonists with the bat, helping the side from Pretoria to their total by the end of the allotted 50 overs. Ben Cilliers was the standout with the ball for Northwood. He completed a solid 10-over spell with figures of 3/32.
The CSA Hub Invitational XI will not, like last year, end up unbeaten at the end of the four days, after they ran into a confident Glenwood, who got their campaign off to a great start with a thumping 142-run victory over St Alban’s College the day before. They followed that up with a tightly contested two-wicket victory in which Akhil Maharaj (5/32) was the hero. Maharaj’s five-wicket haul, costing only 32 runs, derailed CSA Hub, who could only manage 151.
Olwami Zondi withstood the fightback from Enathi Kitshini (3/20) and Rivoningo Chauke (3/28) for a match-winning 46 runs, four short of a well-deserved half-century. The 26 extras that the Hub conceded and further cameos from Rehaan Jhunbathar (23) and Keian Jugoo (20) got the Green Machine over the line, but only just.
Summarised scorecards
Affies 217/7 (JP Botha 91, Adriaan Nel 32, Daniel Murray 24; Benoit Rey 2/28, David Hill 2/33); Hilton College 193 (Obakeng Motsepa 37*, Alex Pitman 34, Simon Steyn 23, Jayden Roux 21, Extras 20; Petrus Rautenbach 3/36, Ruben Groenewald 2/16, JP Botha 2/34). Affies won by 24 runs.
Cornwall Hill College 191/8 (Khumo Kgagodi 57, Ab Rasool 40, Mohale Pitso 24*, Neoentle Makwela 20*; Ben Cilliers 3/32, Jordan Matthews 2/42); Northwood 91 (Thomas Oosthuizen 35, Jamie Wimble 29; Mohale Pitso 3/17, Kirill Broughton 2/5). Cornwall Hill College won by 100 runs.
CSA Hub Invitational XI 151 (Tshepang Laka 39, Maathew Florence 27, Awonke Mngini 25, Ryall Julies 24*; Akhil Maharaj 5/32, Jonah Chaita 2/4); Glenwood 152/8 (Olwami Zondi 46, Extras 26; Rehaan Jhunbathur 23, Keian Jugoo 20; Enathi Kitshini 3/20, Rivoningo Chauke 3/28). Glenwood won by two wickets.
