Clifton T20 – Bigger and Better in 2026
The third annual Clifton T20 Tournament, which brings together KwaZulu-Natal’s top 10 cricket-playing schools, as well as Hoërskool Waterkloof and St John’s College (Harare), has quickly established itself as one of South Africa’s best and most exciting cricket events and, in 2026, the bar has been set even higher, with primary schools added to the tantalising line-up of talent.
All matches on the Crusaders Main Oval, the primary venue for the Clifton T20, will be broadcast live on DStv Channel 216. Further coverage will be live-streamed on SuperSport Schools.
The broadcast on DStv Channel 216 includes primary school contests, which will be played between the high school games and will provide an unforgettable experience for the juniors, who will also be presented with coloured playing kits.
At the best of times, T20 cricket outcomes are difficult to predict, but trying to do so for the 2026 edition of the tournament would be foolhardy. That’s one of the things that makes it special, however.
The hosts, Clifton College, have been drawn in Pool A with Hilton College, Kearsney College, and St John’s. Pool B features Maritzburg College, Northwood, St Charles College, and Westville Boys’ High. Durban High School (DHS), Glenwood, Waterkloof, and Michaelhouse are in Pool C.
Starting with Pool A, Clifton’s form in the W100, the Dolphins’ region’s 100-ball competition, has been good. They’ve beaten DHS, the two-time reigning Clifton T20 champion, and Westville Boys’ High, last year’s beaten finalist, who have won the W100 for five successive years in their past two outings.
Clifton’s captain Shiraz Perumal, a star performer with the ball in 2025, has shone with the bat early in the season, scoring 111 runs and being dismissed only once in three matches. As the skipper of the side, he’s taken on the responsibility of leadership like a duck to water.
Hilton College heads into the event off the back of winning the KZN Regional final of the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two competition in Pietermaritzburg. Inconsistent in 2025, they, nonetheless, made the semi-finals of the Clifton T20 last year. They appear to be a far more consistent side in 2026, powered by a strong bowling attack, which has set them up for some convincing victories.
Sechaba Gude and Sange Qangule have excelled with the new ball, while those who follow – Obakeng Motsepa, Sean Burman, Luke Wilson, and Benoit Rey – have all played their part in Hilton’s successes.
Robert Burman has enjoyed a strong start as captain of the side, setting a good example at the crease, while Barack Munawa and Ben Wilson have provided a reliable opening partnership, laying on sound platforms.
Kearsney College, with plenty of experience in their line-up, has found form after misfiring at the Grey High Festival before the start of the first term, where they took a while to adapt to the conditions in Gqeberha. They possess a varied attack and some exciting young batsmen. Both of those were on show in a recent pummeling of Glenwood in the W100.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Asher Hollister is one on whom to keep an eye. Rivaan Moodley, meanwhile, has developed into a superb all-rounder, challenging batsmen and regularly taking wickets with his leg spin and also playing his part in the top order with his bat.
St John’s, as a visitor from north of the border, offers a touch of the unknown. They, however, are often the standard setters in Zimbabwe. Maritzburg College, Kearsney, and Clifton experienced that in 2024, when St John’s won the St John’s Rams T20, defeating all three on their way to the title.
Last year, Clifton College reached the final of the St John’s Rams T20, where they were beaten by a combined team from St John’s College (Johannesburg), Queen’s High, Jeppe and KES.
This is relevant because the Clifton T20 mirrors the St John’s Rams T20. Clifton has been a regular participant in the event for over a decade. It has proved immensely popular with South African teams – especially because of its cool vibe and warm-hearted hosts – and that’s why Clifton settled on the format when the school introduced the Clifton T20 during its centenary year in 2024.
The event has filled a gap in the KZN cricket calendar, which had largely featured traditional limited-overs matches, by introducing a colourful action-packed tournament that brings all of the top KZN schools together in a family-oriented environment, with a beautiful trophy on the line. Broadcasting matches with top commentators from SuperSport Schools has also shared the excitement with a wider audience.
In Group B, Maritzburg College will be aiming for greater batting consistency to aid their challenge. They’re led by opening bowler Reece Willson, who represented The Dolphins at the Khaya Majola Week in 2025. He’s a regular wicket-taker, and making early inroads into the opposition’s batting order provides a good platform for T20 success.
Northwood might fancy their chances. They’re from the north of Durban and play at the Crusaders Club from time to time. They’re also an experienced side.
Last year, they won the KZN Schools SA20 title, and towards the end of 2025, they made the final of The Dolphins Switch Schools SA20. They can be a bit hit and miss at the top of their batting order. But if their top order batsmen get in, they’re a tough team to beat. Openers, David de Bruyn and Ross McGlashan, will be one of the keys to their challenge, while Keegan Reeves will carry his fine all-round form into the event.
St Charles College lifted The Tuskers Switch Schools SA20 title by beating Hilton College towards the end of last year. While matters didn’t go according to plan in the KZN Regional Final, they again comfortably beat Hilton College, the eventual winners, in the round-robin stage of the competition.
Hilton rested a couple of key bowlers in that clash, but Saints cruised to a convincing win, which reflected just how small the margins are between victory and defeat when the top sides meet.
Westville Boys’ High took down Northwood in The Dolphins’ Schools SA20 final, and they went on to reach the KZN Regional final, where they were blown away by Hilton College’s dynamic bowling and fielding performance. They’re a dangerous side, though, batting deep down the order while also offering many bowling options.
In captain Kyle McGough, Ewan du Toit, Tristin Delvin, Misbah Nair, Aarin Rasmussen, and wicketkeeper/batsman, Aidan Baudach, they have six fantastic all-rounders.
DHS, the two-time defending champions, are in Group C. They no longer have the express pace of Bayanda Majola to lead their bowling attack, and he played a big role in their success last year. But they do boast two of the most successful batsmen in the province, Ismaeel Omar and Josh van Biljon, both of whom scored centuries in the Clifton T20 last year.
Omar went big against Kearsney, scoring 104 not out in an eight-wicket semi-final win, and Van Biljon played superbly to score 103 not out against a dangerous Hoërskool Waterkloof side (see YouTube highlights above), which was one of the most important results of the group phase of play.
Speaking of Klofies, they have proved themselves time and time again to be one of the country’s best at T20 cricket. They were crowned the Westvaal North-South T20 champions in 2022 and 2023 and won the Wildeklawer T20 in 2025.
They’re an attacking outfit, playing brave cricket and going for their shots. Their opponents will need to take wickets regularly because the chances of holding them in check are otherwise slim. Look out for their top order batsmen – Wian du Plessis, AJ de Villiers and Rico van der Walt – to lead their charge.
Michaelhouse, also in Pool C, is a dark horse. They’ve played some good cricket early in 2026. They feature a well-balanced bowling attack, with good frontline pacemen well backed by accurate seamers and spinners.
Captain Graydon Leslie has been one of their star performers with the bat at the top of the order. All-rounders, Rex Wardlaw and Ben Heuer, will have a big role to play for the Balgowan boys, too, while Liam O’Dwyer was a match-winner in their two-day match against Maritzburg College last weekend.
Glenwood is a tough team to figure out. They’re talented – always a hard-working team in the field, who do a good job of putting the batting side under pressure – but their batting has been patchy thus far. They’ll look to captain Kreesan Pillai to lead with the bat, while Mishael Gunawardana is another player who could play a prominent role for the Green Machine. He offers good all-round skills.
Before the Clifton T20 Tournament, the focus remains on the traditional KZN weekend fixtures. On Saturday, 31 January, the schedule is as follows:
Westville vs Clifton, Bowden’s
St Charles vs Maritzburg College, SCC Oval
Kearsney vs Northwood, AH Smith Oval
DHS vs Hilton, Theobald Oval
FIXTURES
Group A
Friday, 13 February
11:30 – Clifton vs Hilton, Crusaders Main
14:30 – St John’s vs Kearsney, Riverside
Saturday, 14 February
08:30 – Clifton vs St John’s, Crusaders Main
08:30 – Kearsney vs Hilton, Crusaders 2
14:30 – Clifton vs Kearsney, Crusaders Main
14:30 – St John’s vs Hilton, Riverside
Group B
Friday, 13 February
08:30 – Maritzburg College vs St Charles, Crusaders Main
08:30 – Northwood vs Westville, Riverside
14:00 – St Charles vs Northwood, DHS
14:00 – Westville vs Maritzburg College, Northwood
Saturday, 14 February
08:30 – Northwood vs Maritzburg College, Riverside
14:00 – St Charles vs Westville, Northwood
Group C
Friday, 13 February
08:30 – Michaelhouse vs Waterkloof, DHS
08:30 – Glenwood vs DHS, Northwood
14:30 – DHS vs Waterkloof, Crusaders Main
Saturday, 14 February
08:30 – Waterkloof vs Glenwood, DHS
08:30 – DHS vs Michaelhouse, Northwood
14:00 – Glenwood vs Michaelhouse, DHS
Sunday, 15 February
08:30 – Eliminator 1, Crusaders Main
08:30 – Eliminator 2, Crusaders 2
09:00 – 7th place, DHS
09:00 – 9th place, Northwood
09:00 – 11th place, Kingsmead Oval
11:30 – Semi-final 1, Crusaders Main
11:30 – Semi-final 2, Crusaders 2
14:30 – Final, Crusaders Main
