Botha, Thabatha excel in important victory for Potch Gimnasium
Ulrich Botha, with the bat, and the always-impressive Thloni Tabatha, with the ball, sealed an important bonus-point victory for Potchefstroom Gimnasium over Hoërskool Marais Viljoen in the B Section of the Finsbury League in Potchefstroom on Saturday.
Botha and the hard-hitting Christivan Coetzer are rapidly becoming a partnership to be reckoned with.
Batting first on home soil, the pair, arguably Gim’s most reliable batsmen in recent years, set about their work in commanding fashion as the hosts posted a formidable 324/9 from their 50 overs.
Botha was at the fore and as classy as ever. The Potchefstroom opener dismantled the Marais Viljoen attack, scoring 155 from just 143 deliveries. Interestingly, he did not clear the boundary once, yet struck 17 fours.
At the other end, Coetzer’s brute power and clean striking complemented his partner’s masterclass. He scored at a brisk pace, racing to 83 from only 57 balls, which included three sixes and nine fours.
Tabatha also chipped in, adding an unbeaten 20, before he produced a devastating spell with the ball that went a long way to ensuring a win for Gimmies. He bowled just four overs, but they included 20 dot balls and only five runs surrendered while he claimed four wickets and applied relentless pressure. Ruhann Steenkamp picked up 2/50 to help Thabatha complete the job.
For the visitors, their captain, Ethan van Rooyen, stood tall. He led from the front with the ball, taking 3/48, before contributing 29 with the bat. However, his effort, along with 36 from Hendré Cilliers, was only enough to lift Marais Viljoen to 147 all out, well short of the victory target.
In Midrand, Dian de Villiers and Midstream College continued their impressive run with a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Hoërskool Montana.
De Villiers was again at the heart of his side’s success, firstly claiming 2/34 with the ball before anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 74 as Midstream reached the 174 they required to win with ease. He was ably supported by Maarten Nortjé, who raised his bat after scoring a composed 54.
In the Monties‘ camp, Markus Espag top-scored with 53, providing the backbone of Montana’s total, though it ultimately proved insufficient.
Hoërskool Hans Moore returned to winning ways as their key players fired in unison in a vital seven-wicket victory over Hoërskool Nelspruit, which has set a fascinating final round of the B Section competition.
Kyle Wratten led the Moories‘ bowling effort, spinning his way to an excellent 4/24 as Nellies were restricted to a modest 131 all out.
In reply, Stephan Vermaak and Aidan Shaw made light work of the chase. Vermaak top-scored with 56, while Shaw struck a rapid 49 as the hosts reached their target midway through the 16th over of their innings.
Summarised scorecards
Potchefstroom Gimnasium 324/9 (Ulrich Botha 155, Christivan Coetzer 83, Thloni Thabatha 20*; Marco Hoffman 3/47, Ethan van Rooyen 3/48, Daymian Coetzee 2/32); Hoërskool Marais Viljoen 147/10 (Hendré Cilliers 36, Ethan van Rooyen 29, Riyaan Marques 20; Thloni Thabatha 4/5, Ruhann Steenkamp 2/50). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by 177 runs.
Hoërskool Montana 173/10 (Markus Espag 53, Duardt Stassen 34, Leejan van Jaarsveld 33, Extras 23; Dian de Villiers 2/34, Jonathan Wiseman 2/42) Midstream College 174/3 (Dian de Villiers 74*, Maarten Nortjé 54; Duardt Stassen 2/43). Midstream College won by seven wickets.
Hoërskool Nelspruit 131 (Luan Siebrits 38; Kyle Wratten 4/24, Ruan Wessels 2/11); Hoërskool Hans Moore 132/3 (Stephan Vermaak 56, Aidan Shaw 49; Safwaan Muller 1/11). Hans Moore won by seven wickets.
