Clifton on track in W100 with third win in four games
With the Clifton T20 Tournament hurtling into view, the tournament hosts, Clifton College, enjoyed a warm-up win over Kearsney College on Monday afternoon in a W100 match played at the Riverside Sports Club.
After bowling out Kearsney for 106, they reached 109/5 with only one ball remaining to pick up their third win from four matches in the competition.
The visiting captain, Keegan de Jager, opted to bat first after calling the coin toss correctly, and Kearsney made a decent start, with the weekend’s centurion, Gary Verbaan, combining with Asher Hollister for 31 runs from 22 balls for the first wicket.
Verbaan was the first to go, caught behind by Daniyaal Klinck off George Gooch, after hitting a six in making 11 from 12 deliveries.
Soon, Kearsney passed fifty, but their second wicket went down on 51, when Clifton’s skipper, Shiraz Perumal, bowled Hollister for 19. He had faced 14 deliveries and slammed two of them for six. Unfortunately, for Kearsney, after Hollister’s exit, they lost their way, with Clifton striking regularly to inhibit the visitors’ scoring.
Captain Keegan de Jager led by example, nonetheless, smashing two sixes and a four in the innings’ top score of 31 off 17 deliveries before becoming the fifth man out, with the total on 71, a victim of Blake Johnson. Three balls later, Johnson struck again, dismissing Luke Grobbelaar.
Kearsney was seven wickets down for 72, but still had 46 balls remaining, leaving them with enough deliveries to substantially boost their total. They ended up scoring 34 more runs, with James Bishop and Matthew Rice adding 10 each. With seven balls left in their innings, they were all out for 106.
Six of the seven Clifton bowlers picked up wickets, with the spin twins, Blake Johnson and Shiraz Perumal, claiming 2/20 and 2/21 respectively from 20 balls. George Gooch, though, returned the best figures, capturing 2/9 from 13 deliveries.
Clifton’s reply was driven by Daniyaal Klinck, who scored a magnificent century against Maritzburg College on the weekend. Opening the batting, he worked the ball well, hitting only two fours, but tallying the match’s top score of 43 from 42 balls.
Kearsney, though, made early inroads, removing Yusuf Ahmed and Hayden Drieselmann, to leave Clifton on 22/2 after 29 balls. Then, Perumal joined Klinck in the middle, and they proceeded to bat their side into a strong position by adding 50 from 37 deliveries.
Daniel Miskey brought an end to their partnership, bowling Perumal for 27 from 19 balls, which included three fours and a six.
Crucially, for Clifton, the next man in, Veer Ramouthar, picked up from where his captain had left off. He and Klinck advanced the total to 100 before the wicketkeeper/batsman was caught by his opposite number, wicketkeeper Asher Hollister, off Litha Gonya.
Clifton lost one more wicket when Miskey ran out Muhammed Malek, but Ramouthar saw Clifton across the line. He finished with 18 not out from 19 balls.
Gonya shone for Kearsney, with the left-arm seamer knocking over 2/10 in 20 deliveries. Daniel Miskey was tidy, too, claiming 1/16 from 19.
Summarised scorecard
Kearsney College 106/10 (Keegan de Jager 31; George Gooch 2/9, Blake Johnson 2/20, Shiraz Perumal 2/21); Clifton College 109/5 (Daniyaal Klinck 43, Shiraz Perumal 27; Litha Gonya 2/10). Clifton College won by five wickets.
