Affies still unbeaten after an incredible Peninsula Festival win
Day four of the Peninsula Cricket Festival delivered a century from SA Colts‘ opener and St Charles College captain Thandolwethu Zama and a cracking contest between Wynberg Boys’ High and Hoërskool Waterkloof, which brought an end to Klofies‘ unbeaten run.
Nothing, however, came close to matching the astonishing clash between Paul Roos Gimnasium and Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies).
Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies)
With 50-over matches the order of the day, a decision to bat first against Paul Roos Gimnasium on the PRG Oval, in Stellenbosch, backfired spectacularly on Affies after the coin toss went their way.
Four of their top six batsmen were out for ducks, another made one, and they found themselves on a barely believable 3/5 early in their innings. That miserable total soon became 13/6.
Astonishingly, they fought back from that seemingly hopeless position with commendable grit to grab a 29-run victory, with the end of the game rivalling the beginning of the contest for drama and a mind-boggling batting collapse.
PRG opening bowler Dion Slabber was responsible for four of the first five Affies’ wickets to fall and went on to finish with 4/42 from his 10 overs.
Vihan Pretorius stood strong, though, making 34 from 67 balls, which included five fours, before he was LBW to Noah Appolis.
During Pretorius’s innings, Dawie Barnard lost his wicket to Seth Muirhead, which left Affies – the only team with a perfect Peninsula Festival record of three wins from three games before Saturday – on 31/7. They were in dire straits.
Pretorius, in partnership with Zian Labuschagne, advanced the total to 66 before the former’s resistance ended. Labuschagne, batting at nine, was just getting started, however, and he found reliable support from Schalk Coetzee. They added a desperately needed 66 for the ninth wicket before Muirhead bowled Coetzee for 31.
Nico Loggenberg, then, helped Labuschagne to see out the 50 overs, chipping in with eight not out. Labuschagne, meanwhile, cracked five fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 79 from 119 deliveries, which lifted Affies to an improbable 182/9 after their terrible start.
Dion Slabber’s opening partner, Morné Pauw, kept Affies on the back foot with a tight 2/19 from his 10 overs, while Seth Muirhead returned 2/40 from nine. James Holm conceded only 24 runs from his 10.
Paul Roos lost their both of their openers cheaply in their reply, but Xander van Niekerk and Janko Webb righted the ship, advancing the total to 69 before Van Niekerk was run out for 27 after a 51-run stand.
Webb next found an able partner in Marcus Conradie and they tacked on a further 42 runs before Nico Loggenberg trapped Conradie in front for 22. That left PRG on 111/4, with the Affies’ total of 182 still appearing to be well within their reach.
The departure of Webb, however, who was caught off the bowling of Vihan Pretorius for 62 from 78 deliveries, which had included seven fours and a six, triggered a massive collapse. It mimicked Affies’ top order travails earlier in the day.
From 146/4, Paul Roos lost their last six wickets for only seven runs, crashing to 153 all out, to bring a sudden end to an extraordinary contest.
Pretorius, the man who got rid of Webb, captured 4/18 in 7.3 overs, while his new ball partner, Armin Snyman, knocked over 2/26 in seven. Carlo Venter chipped in with 2/19 in six, and Nico Loggenberg dialled up the pressure with his 1/20 in 10.
Wynberg Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Waterkloof
Hoërskool Waterkloof put their clean Peninsula Cricket Festival record to the test at Wynberg Boys’ High.
After winning the toss, Klofies chose to bat first and posted 253/9 – an above average score on the Jacques Kallis Oval.
Their effort was boosted by some good partnerships, including 49 for the first wicket between AJ de Villiers and Wian du Plessis, which ended when the latter was run out for 24. De Villiers and Juan Swart, who made 21, then added another 41 runs.
De Villiers occupied the crease until he became the fourth man out with the total on 140 after making 66 from 93 balls, the highest score of the innings, with six fours and a six.
Captain Franco Schmidt weighed in with 50 from 71 balls before falling LBW to Noah du Plooy, the seven-wicket hero of Wynberg’s win over Hilton College on Friday.
Useful knocks from Johan Feuth (15), Jean Cloete (15), and Liam Breedt (20) helped the Pretoria side to extend their run scoring average to beyond five per over. They could have fared even better had it not been for some sharp fielding from Wynberg, who, crucially, pulled off three run outs.
Du Plooy was among the wickets again, removing two batsmen, although he was a touch expensive, going for a run a ball from his 10 overs. Nicholas Stafford also claimed two sticks and finished with 2/43 from his six.
Faced with a stiff target, Wynberg’s batsmen rose to the challenge, with the top six all reaching double figures.
Opener Matthew Saunders set the tone with 58 from 89 balls, while three players contributed thirties; his fellow opener, Fawaaz Hendricks, stroked four fours and a six in his 34 from 43, while the duo put on 77 for the first wicket.
Chad Campbell added 38 from 59 and Michail Tarentaal provided the innings with a big boost by blasting three sixes and four fours in a 19-ball stay that brought him 37 runs.
Matthew Mills played his part, making 24, while Joshua Prince, with 16, and Hugo Norambuena, with 12 not out, helped to see Wynberg to a morale-boosting three-wicket win with an over to spare.
It was a tough outing for the Waterkloof bowlers. Jean Cloete and Wian du Plessis, with 1/24 in six overs each, were the best of them, but the Pretoria school was unable to slow Wynberg’s momentum as they charged towards victory.
Rondebosch Boys’ High vs St Charles College
Rondebosch Boys’ High‘s middle to lower order batsmen came through on Bosch‘s Cricket A Field after three of their top four exited for single figure scores against St Charles College.
Eli Aufrichtig, who usually opens the innings, smashed an unbeaten 53 off only 27 balls, batting at eight, with five of those going for four and two for six. Luca Ghignone, who opened the innings, held down his end as the top order failed to fire and contributed 33.
Other batsmen who made their mark included Tim Short (41), Matthew Brooks (35), and Raa’id Davids (27), while Zion van Rensburg, whose powerful hitting helped ‘Bosch end Pretoria Boys High‘s unbeaten run on Friday, was not out on 17 at the end as Rondebosch totalled 265/8.
Eli Aufrichtig and Matthew Brooks shared the biggest partnership of the innings, combining for 80 runs for the sixth wicket.
The off-spinner, Kaiyuran Naidoo, was the pick of the Saints‘ bowlers, snaring 2/26 in eight overs. Connor Simpson bowled well, too, and returned the most economical figures of 1/26 from nine. Opening bowler, Connor Vogt, picked up two wickets, but his eight overs cost 59 runs.
The St Charles’ reply began poorly when Christiaan Prinsloo was run out for a duck, and they fell to 9/2 when his fellow opener, Matthew Weightman, followed soon after.
Captain Thandolwethu Zama and Caleb Sharp stopped the ‘Bosch bowlers in their tracks, however, with a 79-run partnership for the third wicket before Sharp was bowled by Arin Spiller for 29. Once he departed, the rest of the Saints’ batsmen offered slim support to their skipper.
Zama, though, was large and in charge. He clipped eight fours and three sixes while scoring 108 from 134 balls.
Connor Vogt, with 17, while batting tenth in the order, recorded the next highest score, and the St Charles’ innings came to an end on 218 after 47 overs.
Alex du Plessis, fresh off a four-wicket haul against Pretoria Boys High, went one better, capturing 5/43 from eight overs to lead the ‘Bosch attack. Arin Spiller assisted, with 2/57 from 10 overs.
SACS vs Pretoria Boys High (PBHS)
On De Villiers Field, against SACS, Pretoria Boys High‘s Tim Gordon and Louis Kruyshaar struck fifties for a second day in succession, with Kruyshaar’s 73 from 96 balls, which included nine fours, their highest score in a total of 247/8.
Gordon blasted three sixes and five fours in his 53 from 63, while Tshepang Baloyi added a useful 36 from 46, and Jayden Knott-Craig provided late innings’ fireworks, with 23 not out from only eight balls.
Kruyshaar and Baloyi were also responsible for an 82-run stand for the sixth wicket.
Three bowlers claimed two wickets each – Ronan Meintjies returned 2/40 from 10, Ben Blackburn 2/49 from 10, and Aqeel Waggie 2/35 from eight.
SACS gave it their all to chase down Boys High’s healthy total, but they didn’t have quite enough in the tank, coming up tantalisingly short when they ran out of overs with their total on 236/9.
Aqeel Waggie, who has been a star performer for the Cape Town school with both the bat and ball, powered their run pursuit, striking 12 fours and a six in his run-a-ball 73 at the top of the order.
He and Ulrich Roth put their team on the front foot with a third-wicket stand of 117, which ended when Waggie was caught off the bowling of Ruan Coetzee. Roth lost his wicket on 176, having faced 107 balls for a patient 56.
Matthew Hill (25), Mickey Watson (17), and Tim Hodgkinson (15) helped to pull SACS to within striking distance of Pretoria Boys High’s 247-run total, but they needed a hard-hitting cameo to get them across the line, and they didn’t get it, leaving PBHS the winners by only 11 runs.
Euan Gottfried was the primary reason for the inability of SACS to accelerate late in their innings, which was when he took three of his four wickets, going on to finish with 4/46 from eight overs.
Ruan Coetzee bowled tidily and was rewarded with 2/26 from nine overs.
Bishops Diocesan College vs Hilton College
Bishops produced a run rate of over 5.5 per over in an entertaining innings of 267 all out in 48.3 overs against Hilton College after choosing to bat on the Frank Reid Oval.
Their innings was built upon a big second wicket partnership of 126 between Cameron Macbeth and Thaafier Japtha. It ended when Sechaba Gude got rid of Japhta, who had bounded along to 76 from just 73 deliveries while striking 10 fours and a six.
Macbeth was the third man out with the total on 193. He had made 69 from 109 balls, with two fours and two sixes.
Captain Alex Vintcent kept the momentum going with the same mix of boundaries in his quickfire 31 from 24 balls, and Waco Bassick accelerated the scoring rate even more, slamming four fours and a six in his 35 from only 21 deliveries.
Obekeng Motsepa led the Hilton attack, capturing 4/56 from nine overs. Sean Burman accounted for three Bishops’ middle order batsmen, taking 3/45 from eight, and Sechaba Gude, who has been in rich wicket-taking form, claimed 2/43 in 8.3.
Unfortunately, for Hilton, they couldn’t find a foothold when they batted. Opener Ben Wilson, in typically obdurate fashion, applied himself well, but he fought a lone battle to keep Bishops at bay.
Wilson carried his bat, finishing on 66 not out from 108 balls, having struck eight fours but, after 42.2 overs, Hilton College was all out for 157, leaving Bishops the winners by a large 110-run margin.
Opening bowler Daniel Perold led the Bishops’ onslaught, knocking over 4/30 in nine overs, while Matthew Edwards snagged 2/29 in seven.
St Stithians College vs Potchefstroom Gimnasium
At the Rondebosch Cricket Club, St Stithians College evened their festival record at two wins and two losses after a dominant 116-run victory over Potchefstroom Gimnasium.
The Johannesburg school’s batting hadn’t yet fired at the festival, but they did a better job on Saturday, leaning on Matthew Anderson‘s 84 to lift them to 229 all out.
Anderson, batting at four, faced 94 balls and sent 11 of them to the boundary. He and opener, Akhil Challa, who made 35, put together an 89-run third wicket partnership, which left Saints on 100/3 after Challa’s departure.
Lower down the order, Didier le Roux (22), Matthew Katzenstein (25), and Tendai Kadyamadare (24), helped to push St Stithians beyond 200. Potch Gim, however, claimed the last three wickets without the addition of a run.
Damian Kruger bowled well, picking up 3/25 in eight overs, while Bernard Judels brought the Saints’ innings to an end and finished with 2/11 from 2.2. Henré Cronje took 2/62 in 10.
Potch Gim opted to move opening batsman, Christivan Coetzer, down the order to four after he missed out earlier in the festival, and that paid off. Unfortunately for the North West side, though, their top three were removed for single figure scores.
Coetzer, meanwhile, launched four sixes and hit three fours in his 44 from only 33 deliveries. The problem for Potch Gim was that only two other batsmen made it into the teens, and 13 from Henré Cronje was the next best score.
It was a strong collective bowling effort from St Stithians. Zaakir Hanslo nabbed 3/21 in 7.4 overs with his spin, while Akhil Challa snapped up 2/4 in two, Nqaba Matunda returned 2/19 in three, and Tajandra Naidu claimed 2/23 in five.
In only 25.4 overs, Potchefstroom Gimnasium was bowled out for 113.
Summarised scorecards
Affies 182/9 (Zian Labuschagne 79*, Vihan Pretorius 34, Schalk Coetzee 31; Dion Slabber 4/42, Morné Pauw 2/19, Seth Muirhead 2/40); Paul Roos Gimnasium 153/10 (Janko Webb 62, Xander van Niekerk 27, Marcus Conradie 22; Vihan Pretorius 4/18, Carlo Venter 2/19, Armin Snyman 2/23). Affies won by 29 runs.
Hoërskool Waterkloof 253/9 (AJ de Villiers 66, Franco Schmidt 50, Wian du Plessis 24, Juan Swart 21, Liam Breedt 20; Nicholas Stafford 2/43, Noah du Plooy 2/60); Wynberg Boys’ High 254/7 (Matthew Saunders 58, Chad Campbell 38, Michail Tarentaal 37, Fawaaz Hendricks 34, Matthew Mills 24; Jean Cloete 1/24, Wian du Plessis 1/24). Wynberg Boys’ High won by three wickets.
Rondebosch Boys’ High 265/8 (Eli Aufrichtig 53*, Tim Short 41, Matthew Brooks 35, Luca Ghignone 33, Raa’id Davids 27; Kaiyuran Naidoo 2/26, Connor Vogt 2/59); St Charles College 218/10 (Thandolwethu Zama 108, Caleb Sharp 29; Alex du Plessis 5/43, Arin Spiller 2/57). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by 47 runs.
Pretoria Boys High 247/8 (Louis Kruyshaar 73, Tim Gordon 53, Tshepang Baloyi 36, Jayden Knott-Craig 23*; Aqeel Waggie 2/35, Ronan Meintjies 2/40, Ben Blackburn 2/49); SACS 236/9 (Aqeel Waggie 73, Ulrich Roth 56, Matthew Hill 25; Euan Gottfried 4/46, Ruan Coetzee 2/26). Pretoria Boys High won by 11 runs.
Bishops Diocesan College 267/10 (Thaafier Japhta 76, Cameron Macbeth 69, Waco Bassick 35, Alex Vintcent 31; Obakeng Motsepa 4/56, Sean Burman 3/45, Sechaba Gude 2/43); Hilton College 157/10 (Ben Wilson 66*; Daniel Perold 4/30, Matthew Edwards 2/29). Bishops won by 110 runs.
St Stithians College 229/10 (Matthew Anderson 84, Akhil Challa 35, Matthew Katzenstein 25, Tendai Kadyamadare 24, Didier le Roux 22; Damian Kruger 3/25, Bernard Judels 2/11, Henré Cronje 2/62); Potchefstroom Gimnasium 113/10 (Christivan Coetzer 44; Zaakir Hanslo 3/21, Akhil Challa 2/4, Nqaba Matunda 2/19, Tajandra Naidu 2/23). St Stithians College won by 116 runs.
