Bishops and SACS secure big wins in Switch Schools SA20
Bishops Diocesan College vs Fairmont High School
In the first round of the Switch Schools SA20 – Volume Two in the Western Cape, the visiting Fairmont High won the toss on the Frank Reid Oval on Wednesday and elected to field first.
Bishops donned their armour and proceeded to deliver an entertaining batting performance, which propelled them to an astounding 141-run victory after an excellent performance in the field.
Opener Harry Morgan scored 34 runs off 24 balls, dispatching seven deliveries to the boundary. In at three, Kyle Stirk contributed a solid 38 off 28, cracking two fours and three sixes along the way.
Litha Mbiko and Alex Vintcent, in the middle order, further fuelled the fire with an unbeaten 95-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Mbiko hit a rapid 56 off 37, walloping four fours and three maximums, while Vintcent slammed 35 off 22, with three fours and two sixes.
After 20 overs, the hosts had put up a strong total of 179/4. Bryce Scott shone for Fairmont, capturing 2/17 from his four overs. With his team’s bowlers going at almost nine runs per over, it was a top effort.
Unfortunately for Fairmont, Bishops’ best bowler on the day, Raa’id Arendse, was even more effective and decimated the visitors’ batting, knocking over 5/10 in four overs, which included most of the threats at the top and in the middle order.
Only one batsman, Ross Smorenberg made it beyond single figures. He struck a four and a six in chipping in with 15 off 17 deliveries. It wasn’t much to write home about, but in an innings of 38 all out it caught the eye.
Hoërskool Bellville vs SACS
In another first round Switch Schools SA20 – Volume Two match, SACS won the toss on Hoërskool Bellville’s A Oval and decided to bat first. They duly delivered a strong innings and followed up with a good bowling performance to record an emphatic 94-run win.
Abhay Kalan faced the first ball of the match and stuck around for the full 20 overs, playing the anchor role. He finished with 44 off 44, with six fours. His patient innings, which kept rotating the strike, also allowed the other batsmen to play their shots.
When Mickey Watson entered the fray after the fall of the third wicket, he gave the innings a timely boost, cracking eight fours and three sixes in an unbeaten and electric 67 from 37 balls.
He and Kalan shared an unbeaten 90-run partnership for the fourth wicket to help the Newlands outfit to 174/3.
Ezra Williams kept the SACS’ batsmen in check, returning a neat 1/16 from four overs.
When they took to the crease, Bellville found the going tough. Only Rheeder Heath, Edmund Klue and Lehano van der Westhuyzen reached double figures, scoring 17, 14 and 14 respectively.
Van Der Westhuyzen was one of just two Bellville batsmen to attain a strike rate in the triple digits, scoring his 14 runs off 12 deliveries, while Hein Slabbert, batting at nine, made eight off seven.
Vaughn van den Berg was at the heart of the SACS bowling attack, knocking back 4/16 in four overs, while Saaed Conrad snared 2/22 from is four overs.
Ronan Meintjies is a name one usually associates with wicket-taking. However, it was his economy that impressed more as he picked up a wicket without conceding a run from two overs.
Bellville completed their 20 overs on 80/9.
SCORES
Bishops Diocesan College 179/4 (Litha Mbiko 56*, Kyle Stirk 38, Harry Morgan 34, Alex Vintcent 35*; Bryce Scott 2/17); Fairmont High School 38/10 (Raa’id Arendse 5/10, Thaafier Japtha 2/0, Daniel Perold 2/8).
Bishops won by 141 runs.
SACS 174/3 (Mickey Watson 67*, Abhay Kalan 44*, Litha Kraai 23, Extras 20); Bellville 80/9 (Vaughn van den Berg 4/16, Saeed Conrad 2/22).
SACS won by 94 runs.
