Boland crowned CSA u17 Rural Week winner
Monday, the final day of the 2025 CSA Boys u17 Rural Week, was arguably the tournament’s best day. Rather than the 20-over format that had been employed up until then, the last of the playoff matches took place over 50 overs.
As a result of that, the day also delivered the lone century of the tournament and its sole six-for. Meanwhile, Boland and Limpopo battled it out for the title.
Throughout the event, the bowlers had dominated, yet Limpopo chose to bat first when the toss went their way. That proved to be a costly decision as just over 10 overs into their innings they had stumbled to a miserable 22/6.
Coming in at eight, after everyone above him had failed to make more than single figure contributions, Luhan Drotskie produced the innings’ top score of 24. It took him 46 balls and included a four and a six.
The going was extremely slow, but, after 40.1 overs, Limpopo was all out for just 73. They had done themselves no favours by losing three batsmen to run outs.
Each of the first three bowlers used by Boland picked up two wickets each. Bryan Cochrane bowled the maximum 10 overs and claimed 2/19, while it took Therenzo Jacobs five overs to bag his 2/15.
Adriaan Krynauw ended the Limpopo innings when he bowled tail-ender Dumisani Negwenya on the first ball of the 41st over. He finished with 2/7 from 4.1 overs.
Much like Limpopo’s innings, Boland’s reply was littered with single digit scores, with only one batsman making it beyond that, but Daniel Adonis‘s knock was the difference between victory and defeat.
He compiled an unbeaten 39 from 87 balls, hitting only one four, to guide Boland to 74/8 after 26.5 overs and to victory by just two wickets.
Tiaan Haasbroek made life difficult for the Capetonians, capturing 4/10 in six overs, while AJ Galloway returned 2/22 in six. It wasn’t quite enough to prevent Boland from taking the title, however. They also finished the event as the lone unbeaten side.
The day’s sole century and six-for came from Eastern Province players in their fifth-place playoff match against North West, which was also the Plate final.
Opening the batting, Enrique Strydom amassed 12 fours and three sixes in his outstanding 119 runs off 130 deliveries, which helped Eastern Province to the highest total of the tournament, 278/9. The consistent Keagan Jattiem played his part with 55.
Then, thanks to Muhammad Yaseem Kazi’s phenomenal 6/14 in 5.1 overs, Eastern Province was able to better the biggest win of the tournament, beating their previous 154-run win over Kei on Sunday by inflicting a 157-run loss on North West after bowling them out for only 121 after 30.5 overs.
Eastern Province may have placed fifth, but they were the only team in the tournament to win three of their five matches by more than 100 runs.
The Lions struggled to get going in their third-place playoff against Northern Cape, with the top three in their batting order all going out for three.
The next two players to the crease, Bokamoso Bantjie and Declan Steinmann, put an end to that trend, adding a hasty 50 off 35 balls in their fourth-wicket partnership.
Bantjie weighed in with 33 off 39, while Steinmann contributed two sixes and a four in his rapid 20 off 14.
After only 24.1 overs, however, Gauteng had been limited to 90 all out.
Northern Cape batted patiently in their run chase, scoring at only 2.7 runs per over, but, after 35.3 overs, they reached 96/8 to claim a two-wicket win.
Ruan Esterhuizen, batting at eight, carried the Northern Cape to victory with an unbeaten 41 off 74 balls.
KZN Coastal versus Kei for seventh place was the only game of the day that finished with all 20 wickets being taken.
Batting first, KZN Coastal mustered just 67 all out, with Gift Banda‘s 16 their best effort.
There were some strong performances from the Kei bowlers, with Bulumko Didi knocking over 4/13 in 6.4 overs, while Luthando Gwazela secured 3/15 in seven.
Coastal’s 67 didn’t appear to be enough, but Eastern Province had skittled Kei for only 22 on Sunday and, once again, batting proved to be Kei’s downfall.
Their opener, Liso Mfisi, provided the match’s top score of 18 off 43 deliveries, but Kei totalled only 52 all out, leaving KZN Coastal the winners by 15 runs.
Sahl Peerbhay dominated with 4/13 in nine overs, while Jordan Gopaul racked up four maidens in his miserly 3/5 from six overs.
In the Shield final, for ninth place overall, the Free State’s Zander Fourie struck 43 off 65, which included four fours, against the Eastern Cape Iinyathi.
Fourie had entered the fray at 14/3, but his crucial innings helped Free State to reach triple figures, just. They ended on 104 all out.
The Iinyathi’s Akhanya Bontsi and Akhona Ntlathi saved their best performances for last. Bontsi returned the tidy figures of 3/5 from five overs. Ntlathi, meanwhile, wrapped up the innings by collecting 3/8 from 3.4 overs as the Free State effort was halted after 31.4 overs.
In reply, the Eastern Cape side struggled. Three of their top seven batsmen were removed without scoring.
Batting at nine, Zingce Poni provided a late spark, cracking three fours and a six in his 23 off 18, but the Iinyathi didn’t have enough in the tank and were dismissed for 81.
Liam Singleton and Dumisani Johnson ensured the chase lasted only 17.2 overs. Singleton snapped up 4/16 in six overs, while Johnson chipped in with 4/36.
In the 11th-place playoff, Armand Kotze‘s 54 off 74 got Mpumalanga off to a strong start against KZN Inland. Andries Coetzer was forced to retire hurt, but not before he had contributed a useful 43 runs off 70 balls.
Sanele Mabote and Hendré Nel both scored 33, but in vastly different manners. Mabote took 77 balls to get there while Nel went in with guns blazing, striking two sixes and a four in his 20-ball stay.
After their 50 overs were up, Mpumalanga had tallied 246/8.
Janko Hatting was the only Inland bowler to claim multiple wickets, acquiring 2/40 across eight overs.
Inland’s reply lasted only 30.4 overs and brought them just 101 all out. Devon Earle stubbornly resisted, making 32, but four other batsmen barely made it into the teens, and the rest recorded single figure scores.
Fezile Mthombeni claimed some important wickets, picking up 2/26 in five overs, but Adil Larya stole the show. He averaged a wicket every four deliveries in an incredible return of 4/7 from 2.4 overs.
Summarised Scorecards
Limpopo 73/10 (Luhan Drotskie 24; Adriaan Krynauw 2/7, Therenzo Jacobs 2/15, Bryan Cochrane 2/19); Boland 74/8 (Daniel Adonis 39; Tiaan Haasbroek 4/10, AJ Galloway 2/22). Boland won by two wickets.
Lions 90/10 (Bokamoso Bantjie 33, Declan Steinmann 20; Senzo Fillies 2/1, Liam Laing 2/15, Schalk Human 2/25); Northern Cape 96/8 (Ruan Esterhuizen 41*, Extras 26; Milan Nel 3/11). Northern Cape won by two wickets.
Eastern Province 278/9 (Enrique Strydom 119, Keagan Jattiem 55, Extras 26, Herman le Roux 23; Ayaan Chaudhary 4/50, Divan Lombard 2/68); North West 121/10 (André Dreyer 42, Isah Bulbulia 26, Extras 24; Muhammad Yaseem Kazi 6/14, Ruan Nel 2/18). Eastern Province won by 157 runs.
KZN Coastal 67/10 (Bulumko Didi 4/13, Luthando Gwazela 3/15); Kei 52/10 (Sahl Peerbhay 4/13, Jordan Gopaul 3/5, Shivaar Sivpersad 2/25). KZN Coastal won by 15 runs.
Free State 104/10 (Zander Fourie 43, Extras 20; Akhanya Bontsi 3/5, Akhona Ntlathi 3/8); Eastern Cape Iinyathi 81/10 (Zingce Poni 23, Extras 20; Liam Singleton 4/16, Dumisani Johnson 4/36). Free State won by 23 runs.
Mpumalanga 246/8 (Armand Kotze 54, Andries Coetzer 43*, Extras 38, Hendré Nel 33, Sanele Mabote 33; Janko Hatting 2/40); KZN Inland 101/10 (Devon Earle 32; Adil Larya 4/7, Fezile Mthombeni 2/26). Mpumalanga won by 145 runs.
