Durban High School are back-to-back Clifton T20 champions!
Durban High School (DHS) laid claim to the Clifton T20 Tournament title on Sunday afternoon at the Crusaders Club in Durban, beating a game Westville Boys’ High by 15 runs to win the trophy for a second year in succession.
Semi-finals
Behind a superb unbeaten 104 from opener Ismaeel Omar, School booked their place in the title decider with an eight-wicket win over Kearsney College, with 11 balls to spare, in the semi-finals.
Westville, meanwhile, delivered a compelling all-round performance to romp to a nine-wicket win over Hilton College, with 8.2 overs in hand.
Both finalists made it to the title game with unblemished records. It was a tough call to make as to which team was favoured. While DHS won on Sunday, it would be a coin flip if they played again. They are that well-matched.
Final
DHS captain Bayanda Majola won the toss and elected to bat first and his openers, Ethan Cooper and Ismaeel Omar, repaid his faith in them by going hard and effectively after the Westville bowling.
They rocketed along to a hasty 39 before Cooper was caught by Kyle McGough off the bowling of Lwandile Bulose. He’d played a good knock, scoring 27 from only 13 balls, with two fours and two sixes.
Josh van Biljon, who had played one of the innings of the tournament on the same field on Friday, scoring a magnificent century in a win over Waterkloof, missed out this time, dismissed for six, which left the Horseflies on 58/2.
Ismaeel Omar and Taine Havermann regrouped and advanced the total to 93, but disaster struck when Omar, who looked in fantastic form after his ton against Kearsney, was run out. He had struck four fours in 31 balls and tallied 38 runs.
The skipper, Bayanda Majola, didn’t last long. He was bowled by his opposite number, Seth Simpson, for a single. Four runs later, Taine Havermann was caught off Ewan du Toit after scoring 17 runs, which left DHS on 101/5.
The momentum was with Westville, but Lazlo Jooste and Dhilan Naraidu stole some of it back.
They shared a key partnership, playing some big shots, but also taking ones and twos if boundaries weren’t there. It brought them 33 runs and was ended when Jooste was caught off Dayalan Boyce for 19 from 16 balls, with a four and a six.
Naraidu went on to an invaluable 29 not out from 25 balls, with two fours and a six, which helped the lower order of DHS get the total to 161/9 after 20 overs.
Opening bowler Dayalan Boyce claimed 2/22 from his four overs, while four others contributed a wicket each.
In a prescient statement, DHS Director of Sport, Nathan Pillay, declared that the first 10 overs of the Westville innings would likely determine the result. He was on the mark.
Throughout the Clifton T20 Tournament, fast bowlers had found the conditions challenging, with spinners, in general, generating far better economy rates. But, as the saying goes, “Cometh the hour, cometh the man“, and, in this instance, that man was DHS captain Bayanda Majola.
He was fired up. Charging in hard and bowling with good pace and bounce, he was rewarded with early success when he had Sean McGough caught for a single. That, however, brought Westville captain Seth Simpson to the wicket. He had been a pillar of strength for the Griffin throughout the event, delivering match-winning performances with both bat and ball.
Majola, though, struck a big blow for DHS, literally and figuratively, when Simpson ducked into a short delivery and the ball then deflected onto his stumps. He was shaken up and out for a duck. Westville, whose top order had brought them so much success, had tumbled to 8/2.
Kyle McGough and Misbah Nair added 27 for the third wicket, but Majola struck again when he had McGough brilliantly caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Sibusiso Msibi. He was swamped after that spectacular effort, with Ethan Cooper, the first player there, wrapping Msibi in a bear hug and hoisting him off his feet.
Three runs later, Westville suffered another blow when Misbah Nair mistimed a drive off Taine Havermann and offered a tame catch to extra cover. He was out for 15 and Westville was 38/4.
Two runs later, that became 40/5 when, disastrously for the Griffin, Jamie Hasselbach was run out by a direct hit from Ismaeel Omar. DHS was in the driver’s seat.
Aiden Baudach and Aarin Rasmussen were not about to give up the fight, though, and they shared a 46-run stand before Baudach fell to Bhavesh Naicker for a run-a-ball 29, which had featured three fours. Unfortunately, for Westville, Rasmussen followed on the same total, 86, caught off the bowling of Bonga Maphanga for 17.
At 94/7, Westville was in danger of being bowled out. They’re made of stern stuff, though, and Ewan du Toit and Heath Stott made DHS work hard to the end. Together, they put on an unbroken stand of 52. It wasn’t enough to get them close to DHS, but it was a case of what might have been if someone in their top order had come off.
The Westville innings ended on 146/7, with Stott on 38 not out from 23 balls, three of which he blasted for six, with another going for four. Du Toit was unbeaten on 20 from 18 balls, with a six and a four.
Majola came in for a little stick at the end. He finished with 3/31, but he had caused Westville mortal damage early on.
Bonga Maphanga returned 1/23 from four, while Dhilan Naraidu’s 0/18 from four came at a crucial time in Westville’s run chase and his economical return was an important contribution to School‘s success.
Promoting cricket and the community
Clifton’s Director of Cricket, Brandon Scullard, said in the lead-up to the tournament that he wanted to promote cricket, to bring excitement and hype to it. Goal met!
The Crusaders Club drew a fantastic crowd for the final day’s action, and it wasn’t just supporters of the schools in attendance either, Clifton’s Executive Headmaster, Clyde Mac Donald, noted with a smile. The tournament had captured the attention of the community of Durban North. Was it a success? Beyond a shadow of a doubt.
A legacy of Clifton’s Centenary, the second edition of the Clifton T20 Tournament was a worthy follow-up to the first tournament and another step forward.
Mac Donald agreed it had filled a hole that KZN cricket hadn’t realised needed filling. A three-day extravaganza of cricket featuring the province’s top boys’ schools, with some additional spice thrown into the mix from Hoërskool Waterkloof and St John’s College (Harare), with the beautiful Centenary Cup up for grabs is an enticing offering.
“The most important thing,” he said, “is this event is for the boys, and not just Clifton boys, but the boys from all the competing schools.”
Awards
At the awards ceremony after the final, Michaelhouse‘s Ethan Muir was named the winner of the Batsman of the Tournament after scoring 227 runs. His reward was a R3 000 Edgars voucher and a Red Dragon gaming hamper, worth over R1 000. The Bowler of the Tournament went to Hilton’s Sechaba Gude, who picked up nine wickets and received a similar reward.
For the second year in succession, the Coach of the Tournament went to Fabian Lazarus, of DHS, who took home a R3 000 Edgars voucher.
The 2025 edition of the tournament also delivered something that had been missing from cricket in KZN this season and that was centuries. There had been none scored in the province at 1st XI level until the tournament.
On Friday afternoon, though, Josh van Biljon (DHS) versus Waterkloof, and Seth Simpson (Westville) versus Hilton College did the trick. On Saturday, it was the turn of Riley Miller (Waterkloof) versus Glenwood. On Sunday, Ismaeel Omar, as mentioned earlier reached three figures against Kearsney and, excitingly for the hosts, Clifton, Byron Ward scored his first 1st XI century to propel the home team to a big win over St John’s Harare.
David de Bruyn came close for Northwood, scoring 96 in a win over Glenwood, while the captain of St John’s, Connor Lovatt, blasted an unbeaten 91 in a victory over Northwood.
11th/12th playoff
It was a disappointing tournament for the Knights, but they ended it on a high in the 11th place playoff with a 56-run win over Glenwood on the Kingsmead Oval, behind De Bruyn’s superb innings.
Trevor van Vollenstee played a starring role in the Knights’ success, too, knocking over 5/24 as the Green Machine was bowled out for 125 in reply to Northwood’s 181/8.
9th/10th playoff
With Bryon Ward smashing 10 sixes and five fours in his 59-ball 110, Clifton tallied a testing 179/6 against St John’s Harare at Northwood in the ninth-place playoff.
Then, they bowled out the Rams for 119 to win by 60 runs. Caleb Naicker, with 4/28, and Blake Johnson, with 3/27, spearheaded the host’s attack.
7th/8th playoff
Seventh place went to Waterkloof, who beat Maritzburg College by seven wickets, with 5.1 overs to spare at DHS.
Coach Cobus Pienaar‘s charges were hurt by having a match rained out on Saturday. They looked like a team that belonged in an eliminator game, at least, and there were surely some sides who felt a touch of relief that Klofies didn’t make it that far. The boys from Pretoria, though, impressed with their positive cricket.
They restricted College to 126/9, with Ricardo Crous capturing 3/20 and Jean Cloete 3/25, and they, then, made light work of the victory target. Opener AJ de Villiers led the way with 38 from 28, with four fours and a six.
Eliminators
In a gripping eliminator between the two youngest teams at the Clifton T20, Kearsney College, behind left-arm quick, Litha Gonya, defended six runs in the final over to beat St Charles College by three runs.
A rapid 67 from Aaron Blackburn and 65 from Cole Young helped Kearsney to 173/7 on the small Crusaders 2 Field, and Saints very nearly hauled that score, thanks to a cracking 42 off 14 deliveries from their skipper, Rico Honiball, who effortlessly launched four fours and four sixes.
James Bishop, though, captured 4/20 and Litha Gonya snapped up 3/23 to lead their side to an edge-of-your-seat victory.
In the other eliminator, Hilton College got one over their archrivals, Michaelhouse, scoring a 19-run win.
Batting first, Hilton totalled 152/5, led by James Ogilby‘s 52 not out from 48 balls.
Chasing, ‘House started aggressively and well. In fact, the lowest score among their top six batsmen was 17. Unfortunately, though, for the Balgowan boys, Graydon Leslie‘s 27 from 27 was their high point.
With the pressure on and balls running out, they suffered a stunning collapse, going for 129/4 to 133 all out as Jayden Roux grabbed 4/18 and Benoit Rey 3/17.
Great cricket, good competition, and wonderful support made for a feel-good event, and the live broadcast of matches on the Crusaders Main Oval on DStv Channel 216 showed that schoolboy cricket has plenty to offer, including loads of excitement. That’s not the sole domain of winter sports.
SCORES
11th/12th
Northwood 181/8 (David de Bruyn 96, Kyle Bryan 2/19, Akhil Maharaj 2/27, Elgenio Oerson 2/39); Glenwood 125/10 (Mishael Gunawardana 41, Akhil Maharaj 22*, Kenzo Mchunu 20, Trevor van Vollenstee 5/24, Jordan Matthews 2/26). Northwood won by 56 runs.
9th/10th
Clifton College 179/6 (Byron Ward 110, Cristiano Borrageiro 24, Tim Saulez 21, James Rawlings 2/30); St John’s College, Harare 119/10 (Luca Spagnuolo 36, Hayden Croxford 20, Caleb Naicker 4/28, Blake Johnson 3/27, Shiraz Perumal 2/15). Clifton College won by 60 runs.
7th/8th
Maritzburg College 126/9 (Ewald Bester 27, Deolyn Naidoo 27, Ricardo Crous 3/20, Jean Cloete 3/20); Hoërskool Waterkloof 127/3 (AJ de Villiers 38, W du Plessis 36*, Franco Schmidt 27*, Samuel Hughes 2/39). Hoërskool Waterkloof won by 7 wickets.
Eliminator
Hilton College 152/5 (James Ogibly 52*, Ben Hockly 28, Alex Pitman 28, Rendani Nonge 2/18); Michaelhouse 133/10 (Graydon Leslie 27, Ethan Muir 22, Michael Blignaut 21, Ben Heuer 20, Jayden Roux 4/18, Benoit Rey 3/17). Hilton College won by 19 runs.
Eliminator
Kearsney College 173/7 (Aaron Blackburn 67, Cole Young 65, Kaiyuran Naidoo 3/26, Caleb Sharp 2/18); St Charles College 170/9 (Rico Honiball 42, Rowen Rajah 30, AJ Bosman 29, Thando Zama 27, Caleb Sharp 20, James Bishop 4/20, Litha Gonya 3/23). Kearsney College won by three runs.
Semi-final
Kearsney College 157/8 (Keegan de Jager 61*, Cole Young 25, Bonga Maphanga 2/16, Josh Morley 2/20); Durban High School 158/2 (Ismaeel Omar 104*, Ethan Cooper 30, Taine Havermann 21*, Rivan Moodley 2/19). Durban High School won by 8 wickets.
Semi-final
Hilton College 112/10 (James Ogilby 32, Jayden Roux 25, Alex Pitman 22, Lwandile Bulose 3/20, Misbah Nair 2/14, Ewan du Toit 2/23); Westville Boys’ High 114/1 (Seth Simpson 57*, Kyle McGough 40*). Westville Boys’ High won by 9 wickets.
Final
Durban High School 161/9 (Ismaeel Omar 38, Dhilan Naraidu 29, Ethan Cooper 27, Dayalan Boyce 2/22); Westville Boys’ High 146/7 (Heath Stott 38*, Aiden Baudach 29, Ewan du Toit 20*, Kyle McGough 20, Bayanda Majola 3/31). Durban High School won by 15 runs.
