All to play for on last day of KZN Schools SA20 finals


Maritzburg College beat Northwood by 12 runs on Thursday afternoon at the Pietermaritzburg Oval in a key Schools SA20 clash to put themselves in a strong position to claim one of the places in Friday’s final for the KwaZulu-Natal region.
Nothing has yet been decided after the opening day, however.
In a meeting of the teams that had won their morning matches, College mustered just over 100 runs and then dismissed the Knights for just under 100.
The Red, Black, and White posted 105/6 in their 20 overs, led by Sphamandla Dzanibe‘s 29 from 37, which included one turbo-charged six off Ben Cilliers, over mid-wicket.
Up front, Tuskers’ Khaya Majola Week opener, Daniel Nadasan, weighed in with 27 from 34, also with a single six. Wicketkeeper Tian van Niekerk made a useful contribution, tallying 18 from 19 before he was run out.
Northwood bowled well. They don’t possess much pace in their attack, but good lines and lengths, and judicious use of flight made the College batsmen work hard for their runs.
Left-arm spinner Jordan Matthews snared 2/12 from his four overs, while Luke Allen and Kyle White bowled two overs each and together conceded only 14 runs.
When the Knights visited the crease, Maritzburg College got stuck into them early, with Samuel Hughes doing the damage by removing the first three batsmen with only 10 runs on the board. He went on the capture 3/11 from three. Nathan Pembridge also got his teeth into the top and middle order and claimed 3/17 from three.
However, two of the most important wickets went the way of College’s fielders, with top scorer, Jamie Wimble being run out for 23 from 23, which included a six, and the third-highest scorer, Luke Allen, being run out for 18 from 17. Alistair Duncan was the only other batsman to make it into double figures, chipping in with 19 from 26.
Northwood’s run chase was ended with seven balls remaining, with the Durban boys all out for 93.
In the morning, Northwood had beaten Hilton College by five wickets, with three balls to spare. Meanwhile, Hilton handed Glenwood a 27-run loss on Goldstone’s in their afternoon outing to match Northwood’s record of one win and one loss.
Should Hilton beat College on Friday and Northwood defeat Glenwood, that would leave Hilton, Maritzburg College, and Northwood with two wins and one loss each. There is much to play for.
Opening batsman Alex Pitman led the way for coach David Griffiths‘ charges against Glenwood, cracking five fours and a six off of 50 deliveries, which brought him 58 runs. He and Robert Burman, who weighed in with 21 from 17, added 33 for the second wicket, while Pitman and Ben Erasmus added 31 for the fourth wicket.
The left-handed opener was the fifth man out in the 18th over, with Hilton on 112/5. They lost four more wickets as they hit out at the end, eventually finishing on 133/9.

Kamogelo Moloto benefitted from Hilton’s risky approach late in their innings, knocking over 4/16 in four overs. Krian Jugoo did a good job, bagging 1/20 in four, while Riley Foxcraft took 1/11 in two.
Up front, though, Hilton batted well, which ended up costing the usually immaculate off-spinner Kyle Bryan more than 10 runs an over.
When Glenwood batted, paceman Sechaba Gude struck twice early to remove the openers, Kressan Pillai and Donté van Wyk, which reduced the Green Machine to 9/2.
Krian Jugoo and Karabo Ntsieng, then, combined effectively to add 50 runs in 9.3 overs. Unfortunately for Glenwood, their strong partnership was ended by a run out, which saw Ntsieng depart for 19 from 32.
Jugoo continued and lasted until the 15th over, scoring 44 from 41 balls, with three fours and two sixes, before he was caught by Robert Burman off the bowling of David Hill.
Mishael Gunawardana, who had batted well in the morning against Maritzburg College, continued in the same vein, making 17 not out from just 11 deliveries, but, all around him, batsmen fell cheaply.
David Hill and Luke Campbell were mostly responsible for that, with Hill picking up a tidy 3/17 from four overs, while Campbell nabbed 3/21 from his four as Glenwood succumbed, restricted to 106/9 after their 20 overs.
It was a crucial win for Hilton, and it ensured that an intriguing day’s play lies in wait on Friday, which will also include the girls’ final between Dr JL Dube and Bonginhlanha on the Pietermaritzburg Oval in the morning.
Summarised scorecards
Maritzburg College 105/6 (Sphamandla Dzanibe 29, Daniel Nadasan 27, Jordan Matthews 2/12); Northwood School 93/10 (Jamie Wimble 23, Samuel Hughes 3/11, Nathan Pembridge 3/17). Maritzburg College won by 12 runs.
Hilton College 133/9 (Alex Pitman 58, Robert Burman 21, Kamogelo Moloto 4/16); Glenwood High School 106/9 (Krian Jugoo 44, Luke Campbell 3/21, David Hill 3/17). Hilton College won by 27 runs.