All set for Kearsney’s season-opening iHlobo Festival
While the first term of 2025 is yet to get underway, the schools’ cricket season in KwaZulu-Natal will make its bow on Monday, 6 January, with Kearsney College hosting the annual iHlobo Festival in Botha’s Hill.
The event brings together eight 1st XIs, including two from Zimbabwe.
The hosts, Kearsney are joined by fellow KZN schools, Clifton College, Durban High School (DHS), and Maritzburg College.
St Alban’s College, from Pretoria, and Uplands College, from White River, Mpumalanga, complete the South African sides, while St John’s College, of Harare, and Falcon College, from Esigodini, are the Zimbabwean representatives.
The event takes place over four days, with the first three featuring 50-overs-a-side matches, and T20 games scheduled for the final day, Thursday, 9 January.
Arguably, the highlight of the opening day will be a showdown between traditional rivals, Maritzburg College and DHS, while Clifton versus Kearsney on Tuesday should reveal something about where the hosts find themselves heading into 2025, with Ross Coetzee (SA Schools) and Sandiswa Yeni (SA Colts) among the players that have matriculated. The Clifton line-up remains largely unchanged.
The Zimbabwean teams add some spice to the festival, and St John’s, who will be up against all of KZN’s big guns a little later in the season at the Clifton T20 Tournament, are a team to keep an eye on. Last year, at their own St John’s Rams T20, they withstood the challenges of Clifton, Kearsney, and Maritzburg College to claim the title.
All of the DHS matches will be played at DHS, with Kearsney hosting the remainder of the fixtures.
FIXTURES
Monday, 6 January, 50 over
Kearsney vs St John’s, AH Smith
Uplands vs Falcon, Matterson
Clifton vs St Alban’s, Osler
DHS vs Maritzburg College, DHS
Tuesday, 7 January, 50 over
Maritzburg College vs St Alban’s, AH Smith
Kearsney vs Clifton, Matterson
Uplands vs St John’s, Osler
DHS vs Falcon, DHS
Wednesday, 8 January, 50 overs
Clifton vs Falcon, AH Smith
Maritzburg College vs Uplands, Matterson
Kearsney vs St Alban’s, Osler
DHS vs St John’s, DHS
Thursday, 9 January, T20
Kearsney vs Falcon, AH Smith
Clifton vs Uplands, Matterson
Maritzburg College vs St John’s Osler
DHS vs St Alban’s, DHS
