Clifton stops unbeaten St Alban’s, Falcon tops Kearsney at iHlobo Festival
After a tight contest against Falcon College on Wednesday, which ended on a knife’s edge when the rain came down, Clifton College scored a solid 49-run win over St Alban’s College, who had won their previous two matches, on the last day of the iHlobo Festival at Kearsney College in Botha’s Hill.
The Pretoria school won the toss and chose to field first. In the early going, their bowlers challenged the Clifton batsmen well, with the Durban side’s openers departing by the time they had 30 runs on the board.
Then, when Bryon Ward fell, with the total on 61, captain Tim Saulez was joined out in the middle by Zach Williamson and they proceeded to seize control of the contest.
Together, they added 109 for the fourth wicket before Williamson was run out for 34 from 54. Saulez followed on the same total, bowled by Christian Visage for 75 from 88, with eight fours. The pair had done a fine job.
Cristiano Borrageiro and Shiraz Perumal ensured that Clifton’s innings didn’t run out of steam late, striking some cracking shots, including a massive six by Borrageiro, to boost their team to 197/5 after their 40 overs, which pleased coach Brandon Scullard.
Christian Visage led the St Alban’s attack, bowling economically and with penetration to capture 2/23 from eight overs.
In reply, the northerners got off to a quick start, thanks mostly to Wayne Kruger, who made 16 from 23 balls. He was, however, out one run after his opening partner, Reabetswe Mukoka, fell, which left St Alban’s on 34/2.
Liam Basch was the pick of their batsmen, contributing 37 from 51 deliveries, but St Alban’s was undone by a stunning collapse, which saw them tumble from 100/3 to 104/7. They managed to add another 44 runs for the last three wickets, but it was nowhere near enough.
Blake Johnson was the destroyer in chief, snaring 5/23 in 6.4 overs, while Shiraz Perumal continued his assault on Clifton’s bowling records with 2/29 from eight. In the end, St Alban’s was all out for 148, with the experienced Clifton side delivering a good all-round performance.
Kearsney College vs Uplands College
In the first of their two matches on Thursday, Kearsney College enjoyed a comfortable 82-run win over Uplands College on the AH Smith Oval.
They were rocked early on, though, stumbling to 7/3 in the third over of their innings, thanks to a fine opening spell from left-arm paceman Leam van Zyl, who bagged two wickets, including a superb caught behind, while some sharp fielding produced a run out.
Opening batsman Rivan Moodley stood firm, but, with wickets falling around him, his scoring rate was slow. Eventually, though, the home side began to find their way.
Daniel Miskey delivered a good knock. His decisive and aggressive shot-making is one of his strengths and it brought him 22 runs from 20 balls, with a six and three fours.
Jason de Gryse and Aaron Blackburn combined for a 48-run partnership for the sixth wicket, which was a vital contribution. Blackburn was out for 26 from 25, but De Gryse went on to record an unbeaten 45 from 36 balls, with five fours, as Kearsney tallied 138/7.
The Uplands’ batsmen, as they had done on Wednesday, struggled with the slightly damp pitch. Opener Ethan Yorke made 13, but he was the only one to make it beyond single figures as Uplands limped to 56 all out.
Kearsney opening bowler Michael Groom revelled in the conditions, ripping apart the Uplands’ top order as he bagged 3/10 in three.
Rivan Moodley snared 2/5 in three, while the remaining wickets were shared around as Kearsney employed eight bowlers, with seven of them picking up wickets.
Kearsney College vs Falcon College
In the 30-overs-a-side clash, which followed Kearsney’s win over Uplands, Falcon College, after winning the toss, put up 163/9, led by an assured innings from opener Alistair Carle, who played some beautiful shots, striking eight fours in his 50 from 56 deliveries.
Zach Gover produced some fireworks, launching three balls over the boundary and three into it, as he charged his way to 40 from 27 deliveries.
Zane Sibanda, in at 11, produced a vital knock, along with his tenth-wicket partner, Joshua Littlewood. They both finished on 13 not out, but, crucially, they advanced the Falcon College total from 137/9 to 163/9 with an unbroken stand of 26.
Kearsney’s opening bowlers did well. Litha Gonya snapped up 3/24 in six, while Michael Groom picked up 2/24 in six. Bonga Maphanga produced a fine contribution, taking 2/16 from five.
The home side’s response was halting. They found themselves three wickets down after nine overs, with only 29 runs on the board. Asher Hollister, in at four, offered strong resistance, however. He and Jonty Wiggett moved the score along to 64 before Wiggett was sent packing for seven.
Hollister continued on his merry way, making hay, but he needed someone to help construct a telling partnership. Unfortunately for Kearsney, that didn’t happen. Bonga Maphanga, batting ninth, finished with the second-highest score of 10, while Hollister showed what was possible, scoring a well-played 64 from 71 deliveries, which included four fours and a six.
In the end, though, Kearsney was all out for 129 and Falcon scored a decisive 34-run victory.
Falcon’s bowlers enjoyed a good day out. Dmitry Fatch wrapped up the game to end with 3/18, Zach Gover captured 2/14, Liam Nel 2/19, and Zane Sibanda 2/33.
It’s likely to be a rebuilding year for Kearsney, who surrendered some outstanding talent at the end of 2024, including SA Schools’ batsman Ross Coetzee and SA Colts’ fast bowler Sandiswa Yeni, among others. It might be a tough year, but players, like Hollister, have shown there is talent in the ranks.
David Mutendera, the coach of St John’s College (Harare), felt that Falcon might be the team to beat in Zimbabwe in 2025, and their performances have suggested he could be right.
Maritzburg College vs St John’s College
St John’s, meanwhile, did themselves no favours by surrendering 60 extras, including 32 wides, which proved to be the highest contributor to Maritzburg College‘s 250 all out in their clash on Osler Field.
The Rams got stuck into College’s batting line-up quickly, removing both openers, Akhil Bharath and Daniel Nadasan, with only seven runs scored. Ewald Bester and Luan van der Merwe stopped the rot, though, adding 81 from 93 balls, to settle the Red, Black, and White‘s batting effort.
Van der Merwe fell, with College on 88, after scoring 28 runs, and Deolin Naidoo followed on the same score, run out. Four runs later, it was the turn of Van der Merwe to take the walk back to the side of the field after he had scored 32. At 92/5, St John’s had worked their way back into the contest.
College’s lower order, which featured some experienced players, turned the tide. Sphamandla Dzanibe, in at 10, starred, making 50 from 55 balls, with two fours and two sixes, while Karl Dedekind played his part with 42 from 29, and Kyle de Bruin added a valuable 22.
St John’s captain Connor Lovatt led his side’s attack well, picking up 3/19 in four, while Hayden Saunders took 2/26 in 6.2 overs.
At this early stage of the season, and given the changes in the Maritzburg College team, coach Robbie Coutts believes their bowling is more their strength than their batting, and his bowlers helped to deliver a 56-run win. Opening bowler Samuel Hughes had plenty to do with that. He bagged 5/54 in 10 overs, while Nathan Pembridge returned 2/32 from 10 tidy overs.
The Rams offered some good resistance, with their hard-hitting captain Connor Lovatt pounding four sixes and two fours in his 40 from 30 balls. Riley Ettlin played a more circumspect knock, weighing in with 37 from 72, while opener, Brandon Kalonga, also took the longer route, making 36 from 83.
For a long time, St John’s was in the game, but a late innings collapse, which saw them reduced from 170/6 to 175/9 proved decisive. They were all out for 194.
Summarised scorecards
40 overs
Clifton College 197/5 (Tim Saulez 75, Zach Williamson 34, Byron Ward 26, Christian Visage 2/23); St Alban’s College 148/10 (Liam Basch 37, Blake Johnson 5/23, Shiraz Perumal 2/29).
Clifton College won by 49 runs.
T20
Kearsney 138/7 (Jason de Gryse 45*, Aaron Blackburn 26, Daniel Miskey 22, Leam van Zyl 2/20); Uplands College 56/10 (Michael Groom 3/10, Rivan Moodley 2/5).
Kearsney won by 82 runs.
30 overs
Falcon College 163/9 (Alistair Carle 50, Zach Gover 40, Litha Gonya 3/24, Bonga Maphanga 2/16, Michael Groom 2/24); Kearsney College 129/10 (Asher Hollister 64, Dmitry Fatch 3/18, Zach Gover 2/14, Liam Nel 2/19, Zane Sibanda 2/33).
Falcon won by 34 runs.
50 overs
Maritzburg College 250/10 (Extras 60, Sphamandla Dzanibe 50, Karl Dedekind 42, Ewald Bester 32, Luan van der Merwe 28, Kyle de Bruin 22, Connor Lovatt 3/19, Hayden Saunders 2/26); St John’s 194/10 (Connor Lovatt 40, Riley Ettlin 37, Brandon Kalonga 36, Shivaan Chouhan, Samuel Hughes 5/54, Nathan Pembridge 2/32).
Maritzburg College won by 56 runs.
