Desai, Genis hand Hoogenhout another heavy defeat
For the second time in as many days, Hoërskool Middelburg handed Hoërskool Hoogenhout a heavy defeat, this time in a 50-over match on Thursday as part of the Mpumalanga Premier League.
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Playing at home this time around, Middies won the toss and opted to bat first, and Zubair Desai took the lead to showcase his prowess with the willow. Somewhat overdue for runs, the top-order batter used the home facilities to great advantage.
Alongside Herman Potgieter, in partnership for the third wicket, the pair added 90 runs before Potgieter lost his wicket to Hoogenhout captain Pieter Viljoen (2/54) for a well-played 66 runs from just 66 balls.
Desai then hit his straps as he started to score more freely. With Eduan Strydom (33) and Gavin Genis (37) both scoring at a healthy pace, Desai put pedal to the metal, hitting 10 fours to contribute 83, his side’s highest individual score on the day. This helped the hosts reach a big total of 325/7 in the allotted 50 overs. Zeeshan Ebrahim (3/74) ended the Middies’ innings as the most successful bowler, snapping up three wickets.
Genis then came to work his magic with the ball, as was to be expected. Hoogenhout got off to a steady start, but timely wickets by fast bowler Hendré Nel (2/28) denied them any momentum. The only thrust was provided by Juhwan Jonker, who managed to reach a half-century, before Eduan Styrdom (2/32) sent him back to the pavilion.
This set the scene for Genis to spin a web around the visitors. The right-arm off-spinner did what he does best, playing with his pace and attacking the stumps, to dismantle the Hoogenhout middle order. In the 9.4 overs he bowled, four wickets had his name written over it while conceding 65 runs. Hoogenhout could not manage more than 160 before their last batsman was sent back to the shed, losing by a big margin of 165 runs.
The other fixture in this round, between Hoërskool Nelspruit and Hoërskool Secunda, takes place on Saturday in Secunda. Both teams desperately need a victory after coming short against the Middies and Hoogenhout, respectively, last week. The Nellies, especially, will be buzzing to put the loss against Hoogenhout behind them with a comprehensive victory over the men from Secunda. Nevertheless, after Hoogenhout’s defeat, a win for either side could quite possibly shuffle the cards considerably in Mpumalanga’s top schools league.
Summarised scorecard:
Hoërskool Middelburg 325/7 (Zubair Desai 83, Herman Potgieter 66, Gavin Genis 37, Eduan Strydom 33, Extras 31, Hendré Nel 22, Dewet Botha 21; Zeeshan Ebrahim 3/74, Pieter Viljoen 2/54); Hoërskool Hoogenhout 160 (Juhwan Jonker 50; Gavin Genis 4/65, Hendré Nel 2/28, Eduan Strydom 2/32). Hoërskool Middelburg won by 165 runs.
