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Dr John L Dube crowned KZN’s girls’ Schools SA20 champions

By Brad Morgan , in Cricket | Featured Cricket | News , at 2025-01-18 Tags: , ,

Dr John L Dube opening batter Enthle Mkhalipa goes on the drive in the KZN final of the Schools SA20 at the Pietermaritzburg Oval. Photo: Brad Morgan.
Dr John L Dube opening batter Enthle Mkhalipa goes on the drive in the KZN final of the Schools SA20 at the Pietermaritzburg Oval. Photo: Brad Morgan.

The girls’ final of the KwaZulu-Natal region, played at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Friday morning, pitted Dr John L Dube High School against Bonginhlanhla High for the title of the Schools SA20 champions of KZN.

Batting first after winning the toss, Bonginhlanha, led by a good knock from opening batter, Ngwenya Nombulelo, posted 79/8, with Nombulelo responsible for 29 of those runs, including two of the three fours her team scored.

She and Hlatshwayo Sbongankoke shared a stand of 44 for the fourth wicket before Sbongankoke let her concentration slip and was stumped off the bowling of Zama Mdunga for 12.

From there, the innings lost its impetus as Bonginhlanha slumped from 71/3 to 79/8 just when they needed to accelerate their scoring in the final overs of their innings.

Dr John L Dube’s reply was impressive, with Enthle Mkhalipa and Amahle Ndlanzi sharing an opening partnership of 44 before Ndlanzi was run out.

The duo had looked in complete control after safely negotiating the first five overs and had taken advantage of a misfield off the ball before Ndlanzi fell to score two runs. Then, when the ball was bobbled by a fielder off the next delivery, they misjudged it and Ndlanzi was run out for 13 from 31 after trying for a second run that wasn’t there.

Hlengiwe Dlamini, in at three, chipped in with eight from a 14-ball stay. Crucially, though, she provided a solid foil to Mkhalipa’s attacking play. They put on 34 for the second wicket, bringing Dr John L Dube to within three runs of victory before Dlamini departed.

Shortly after that, it was all over, with the KwaMashu school winning by eight wickets with 26 balls in hand.

Dr John L Dube coach Mzwandile Sibiya said his school has been playing cricket for only five years. The results, truly, are remarkable and the enthusiasm for the game is through the roof.

He said support from the school, as well as a donation from the Kagiso Rabada Foundation, which provided Dr John L Dube with equipment, had served as inspiration and enabled the school to perform strongly.

“They have fallen in love with cricket,” Sibiya said about his team and their parents.

“The principal, everyone, was so happy that we were going to play in the final. You could see the goosebumps!”

Sibiya said most of his players have played provincial cricket already, but, he suggested, there was more to come from them because, he felt, they lacked some sharpness having only recently returned from school holidays.

He touched on some reasons for his players’ successes, saying they started playing the game young, at eight or nine years of age, and they also played club cricket. Some of the players had only just moved up from the u13 ranks, but they were not out of their depth.

“If you don’t have young players, you don’t have a future,” he said.

A solid bowling and fielding performance from Dr John L Dube limited Bonginhlanhla High to 79/7. Photo: Brad Morgan.
A solid bowling and fielding performance from Dr John L Dube limited Bonginhlanhla High to 79/7. Photo: Brad Morgan.

Many of his players have played club cricket with national team players, and the success of the South African women’s cricket team has inspired them; they see what is possible.

The introduction of the Schools SA20 has expanded the cricket possibilities for girls. It’s an exciting innovation that has created opportunities that are needed to grow the game. On that point, one should consider the losing finalists, Bonginhlanhla, who played some good cricket.

They’re not from one of the big urban areas and had to drive five hours to Pietermaritzburg for the final. Yet, they showed that cricket is alive and growing in all corners of KZN and that girls have embraced the game and the opportunities it offers.

Summarised scorecard

Bonginhlanha High 79/8 (Ngwenya Nombulelo 29, , Anelisa Mhlongo 2/7, Zukiswa Miya 2/14); Dr John L Dube High School 81/2 (Enthle Mkhalipa 41*, Sihle Mamba 1/13). Dr John L Dube won by 8 wickets.

Brad Morgan
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.