Boland Landbou toughs it out for two wins
On a pitch better suited for bowling than batting, Boland Landbou bowled out Hoërskool Outeniqua for 83, in 50-overs-a-side match, in George, on Saturday.
Francois Pienaar and Janco Venter were the best of the morning’s bowlers, with Pienaar claiming 2/8 and Venter 2/11.
The only noteworthy resistance from the Kwaggas came from Daniel du Preez, who weighed in with 38.
With 300 balls to bat to chase down a moderate total, the Farmers got the job done off of just 103 – 17.1 overs.
However, they lost five men along the path to victory. Kobus Conradie led the way, scoring 28, while Matthew Geldenhuys kept the middle order intact with his 22 not out.
Outeniqua’s Nathan Best lived up to his surname, capturing 3/21 to put Boland Landbou under pressure.
Unfortunately for the hosts, their middle order did not match the output of the visitors from Paarl. After the loss of some early wickets, they struggled to grab a foothold. Dot balls built up pressure and that led to some loose shots being played. Some found the boundary, while others resulted in the loss of wickets.
A middle order collapse saw the home side slide from 44/4 to 49/7 and that did in their hopes of a good total.
Boland Landbou’s bowlers were relentless. They set aggressive fields, backing the ‘keeper with a slip or two. Whatever tactics they had considered beforehand must have been more or less perfectly executed.
With the pitch conditions becoming more benign later on, batting second favoured the visitors.
The Farmers displayed their bowling and fielding chops again on Sunday, coming away with another win in a low scoring T20 against Langehoven Gimnasium.
On this occasion, the Paarl school batted first and put up 120/6 in their 20 overs.
Johannes Goosen fell just short of a fifty, top-scoring with 48, while Gideon Kotze chipped in with 31.
Cameron Williams kept the Boland Landbou batsmen in line, picking up 3/24.
In reply, the Farmers made a poor start, slipping to 12/4, but their middle order again rose to the challenge once Kotze and Goosen joined forces, adding 61 for the fifth wicket before Goosen was dismissed.
On a pitch on which the ball stayed low, Langenhoven Gimnasium mustered only 80 all out in response, with Cobus Esterhuyse‘s 20 their best effort.
Gunther Schmidt inflicted heavy damage on the home team’s innings, knocking over 4/9, while Kobus Conradie‘s 2/12 helped to propel the Farmers to a convincing 40-run victory.
SCORES
50-over
Boland Landbou 86/5 (Kobus Conradie 28, Matthew Geldenhuys 22*, Nathan Best 3/21); Outeniqua 83/10 (Daniel du Preez 38, Francois Prins 2/8, Janco Venter 2/11).
Boland won by 5 wickets.
T20
Boland Landbou 120/6 (Johannes Goosen 48, Gideon Kotze 31, Cameron Williams 3/24); Langenhoven Gim 80 (Cobus Esterhuyse 20, Gunther Schmidt 4/9, Kobus Conradie 2/12).
Boland won by 40 runs.
