Crucial weekend for Eldos, Rusties as Finsbury heads towards business end
A demanding weekend of travel awaits the only two unbeaten sides in the Finsbury League’s A Section, as the Pretoria-based outfits head to the North West to defend the perfect starts to their campaigns.
The defending champion, Hoërskool Waterkloof, visits Rustenburg, where an unpredictable Hoërskool Rustenburg side will be waiting, while Die Hoërskool Menlopark faces in-form leg-spinner Olefa Padi and Potchefstroom Volkskool in Potchefstroom.
The sides from the Jacaranda City currently sit comfortably atop the log after the first two rounds, with both on 10 points following consecutive bonus-point victories. However, Klofies hold an early advantage thanks to a superior net run rate.
Net Run Rate (NRR) is the most common method used in cricket tournaments to rank teams. While points indicate how many matches a team has won or lost, NRR reflects how convincingly those results were achieved. In simple terms, it measures the difference between how quickly a team scores runs and how quickly it concedes them, averaged across the competition.
Since the start of the competition in early January, Waterkloof has been the early favourite. As has been the case in recent seasons, they boast a strong bowling attack that complements a gifted batting line-up.
Leading their attack is left-arm off-spinner Rivan Booysen, who has played an integral role in the defending champion’s early successes and tops the charts with six wickets from their first two fixtures.
Wian du Plessis and AJ de Villiers have impressed at the top of the batting order, while the experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Rico van der Walt anchors the middle order. Now in his third year in the Klofies’ 1st XI, Van der Walt’s experience continues to fortify Waterkloof’s challenge.
Rusties, however, will not be an easy assignment despite going down to three consecutive defeats, including a loss to St Andrew’s School in the Central Region final of the Switch Schools SA20. They made the final, though, with an impressive win over Potchefstroom Gimnasium, and they remain a dangerous side, particularly on home soil.
Fast-bowling all-rounder Callie Fryer has come into his own and continues to impress with both bat and ball in his final year of school cricket. He presents a major threat to the visitors, especially since the home team is desperately in need of a win with promotion–relegation implications looming on 21 February.
A victory for Menlopark in Potchefstroom would further strengthen their grip on a top-two position. However, Padi’s form since the Cubs Week in Stellenbosch at the start of the year has been outstanding, and if the Volkies ‘ leg-spinner continues on his current trajectory, a duel with in-form Parkies‘ batsman Monré Koekemoer could provide the Potchefstroom crowd with plenty of fireworks.
Murray Hofmeyr‘s off-spin may also play a decisive role. The tall all-rounder was a key contributor to Menlopark’s win over Hoërskool Eldoraigne last weekend and appears to be finding his rhythm at just the right time as the competition moves into a crucial phase.
Eldos will also be hunting their first victory when they travel to Kempton Park to face Hoërskool Kempton Park. Kempies claimed their first win last weekend against Rustenburg, which has put Eldoraigne in the relegation crosshairs and makes Saturday’s clash a crucial one for the visitors.
Under pressure, the visitors will lean on the experienced opener, Vince Lotz, and all-rounders, Matthew Sampson and Benyael Morkel, to deliver. However, Kempton Park did not return to the A Section by chance, with players like Sheldon Kruger and Hanroux Siemens underlining the depth and quality in their line-up.
