Favourites fall on day one of CSA Girls u19 Week
The Titans and Eastern Province produced upsets when they defeated perennial favourites, Western Province and The Lions respectively, on Monday, the first day of the CSA Girls u19 Week, in Potchefstroom.
Boland, The Dolphins, North West, The Eastern Storm, The Eastern Cape Iinyathi, and Mpumalanga were the other winners.
The Titans opened their account with a four-wicket win over the perennial powerhouse, Western Province.
The toss went Chanel Venter’s way, and the Titans’ captain elected to field first. Her side made her judgement call look good by making good use of the conditions at the Ibbies Oval to bundle Western Province out for 111.
The ladies from northern Gauteng, then, needed 31 overs to reach 112/6 and claim victory.
Lerato Sibanyoni was the Titans’ chief destroyer, with a haul 4/14 runs from five overs. She crippled the Province innings with a double strike in the 16th over, which reduced the batting side from 57/3 to 62/5. She was, also, well supported by Nicole Sebelebele and Sienna Moodley, who took a brace of wickets each.
Opener, Jessica Staubli, anchored the Titans’ chase with a patient unbeaten 33 from 85 balls and she shared a fruitful 33-run second-wicket partnership with Simoné Lourens, which set the foundation for their victory.
At the Witrand Oval, Eastern Province (EP) claimed four points when they defeated one of the favourites to lift the title, The Lions.
Sent in to bat, Eastern Province battled hard, with Cayleigh Wanckel‘s team advancing in fits and starts until they had totalled 157 all out. That proved to be sufficient as they dismissed The Lions for 143 in reply.
Middle order batter, Ashlee Buhr, led Eastern Province effort at the crease with an unbeaten 30 from 78 balls, and her 62-run eighth wicket stand with Tara Nel turned out to be the match’s defining partnership. Nel, the second last batter in the EP line-up, proved to be much better than her batting position suggested, weighing in with a valuable 59-ball 36.
The Lions did themselves no favours with an untidy effort in the field, giving away 50 extras. Eastern Province was also guilty of errant bowling. They conceded 31 extras.
They, however, also had the talented Bianca Graham in their attack. She captured 4/4 in 2.3 overs to lift them to an inspiring 14-run win.
Leani Swanepoel top-scored for The Lions with 39 from 46 balls, while Fay Cowling chipped in with a brisk 33-ball 30. Unfortunately, for The Lions, the remainder of their batters didn’t produce much.
North West and the Free State had the privilege of competing at the JB Marks Oval, the region’s leading cricket ground, and they did not disappoint, delivering the highest scoring contest on a day littered with low scores.
Free State won the toss and asked North West to bat first. The hosts took on that challenge with aplomb, powering their way to 217 all out before bowling out Free State for 156 to clinch a 61-run win.
Diedré van Rensburg led the charge for North West with an outstanding 56 from 70 balls. Karambo Lemphane also chipped in with a half century, scoring 52 from 79 deliveries as the duo shared a match-winning 121-run second-wicket partnership, which was the highest stand across all matches on Monday.
Simone Mouton tallied 51 off 64 balls for the Free State, but Loeze Lottering was the only batter who offered Mouton substantial support. She scored a 41 off 78 deliveries, but everyone else scored 15 runs or less.
The Dolphins were the day’s most convincing winners on the NWU Jool 1 Field. They skittled Kei for only 61 and then cruised to a nine-wicket win in only 12 overs, with Shreeya Sibbiah scoring 24.
Maria van der Vyver returned the spectacular figures of seven overs, five maidens, and 4/3, while Taylor Moses knocked over 3/15 in six to spur Boland to a five-wicket win over the Northern Cape, who mustered only 89 all out.
Behind Daneli Boshoff‘s 42, it took Boland 17.1 overs to achieve victory on Potchefstroom Gimnasium’s A Field.
In another all-Cape clash, on the Mooivallei Oval, the Eastern Cape Iinyathi handed the SWD Garden Route Badgers a 28-run defeat.
Batting first, the Iinyathi put up 128/8. In reply, Mi-Jeanne Botha more than doubled the next highest score in the game, with 41 not out, but support for her was sparse, and Sinesipho Dondi, with 3/9, and Unakho Gwala, with 3/10, put the skids under the SWD reply, which ended at 96 all out.
Jessica Candler contributed an unbeaten 33 to The Tuskers’ 100 all out against Mpumalanga, for whom Nombulelo Ngwenya claimed 5/18.
Cris-Mari Bezuidenhout then struck seven fours and three sixes in her unbeaten 71 from 58 balls, which was more than nine times the next highest score by a Mpumalanga batter. That proved to be enough to see them to a three-wicket win.
In the lowest-scoring match of the day, The Eastern Storm successfully defended a modest 66 all out to win by 18 runs against the Limpopo Impalas.
Mieke van Voorst‘s 30 in the Storm’s innings was the highest score of the match, while miserly returns of 3/5 from Kananelo Mokoena and 3/9 from Leeyandre Bentley helped Easterns pull off hard-fought win.
A mouthwatering clash awaits on Tuesday between two of Monday’s losers, Western Province and The Lions, at North West University. Both sides will be aiming for a statement-making win.
The Titans will cross swords with Eastern Province in a contest that is likely to a closely contested affair.
RESULTS
Western Province 111/10 (Chloe de Roubiax 24*, Danielleh Hugo 18; Lerato Sibanyoni 4/14, Sienna Moodley 2/13, Nicole Sebelebele 2/16). Titans 112/6 (Jessica Staubli 33*, Simone Lourens 20, Kayla Sebelebele 16; Nuha Benjamin 2/23, Danielleh Hugo 1/7). Titans won by four wickets.
Eastern Province 157/10 (Tara Nel 36, Ashlee Buhr 30*; Mamly Raphela 4/10, Tana Burne 2/28). Lions 143/10 (Leani Swanepoel 39*, Fay Cowling 30; Bianca Graham 4/4, Musa Halana 2/9, Cayleigh Wankel 2/45). Eastern Province won by 14 runs.
Kei 61/10 (Oluhle Ndongeni 8, Qhawe Tenjwa 7*; Zukiswa Msiya 2/11, Sphiwesihle Mhlongo 2/10, Shreeya Subbiah 2/10). Dolphins 62/1 (Shreeya Subbiah 24, Entle Mhalipi 18*, Sinothando Matamela 11*; Thembakazi Gegesi 0/13, Nontokozo Mchiza 0/12). Dolphins won by nine wickets.
Northern Cape 89/10 (Mathapelo Ntsayagae 26, Olorato Lekhwi 12; Maria van der Vyver 4/3, Taylum Moses 3/15, Akum Mbira 2/24). Boland 90/5 (Daneli Boshoff 42, Faith Williams 14*; Rethabile Mothlanke 2/23, Onolo Mosabale 1/11, Rethabile Botha 1/26). Boland won by five wickets.
North West 217/10 (Diedré van Rensburg 56, Karabo Lemphane 52; Thando Nelane 3/34, Lebohang Rakoeane 2/31, Bokamoso Motshabi 2/32). Free State 157/10 (Simone Mouton 51, Leoze Lottering 41; Lerato Kotokoane 3/25, Kamogelo Kgaswane 3/30, Diedre van Rensburg 2/33). North West won by 61 runs.
Eastern Storm 66/10 (Mieke van Voorst 30, Mpumelelo Mashiloane 10; Respect Mabasa 3/17, Tshepiso Dineo Motswi 2/9). Limpopo Impalas 48/10 (Ripfumelo Faith Nkuna 18, Tshepiso Dineo Motswi 7; Kananelo Mokoena 3/5, Leeyandre Bentley 3/9, Ashleigh van Wyk 2/12). Eastern Storm won by 18 runs.
Eastern Cape Iinyathi 128/8 (Malakhiwe Somhlahlo 20*, Luli Ali 20; Rusha van Weiling 3/14, Tiche Frans 2/18). SWD Garden Route Badgers 96/10 (Mi-Jeanne Botha 41*, Rusha van Wieling 10; Sinesipho Dondi 3/9, Unakho Gwala 3/10, Malakhiwe Somhlahlo 2/9). Eastern Cape Iinyathi won by 28 runs.
Tuskers 100/10 (Jessica Candler 33*, Sindiswa Xaba 22; Nombulelo Ngwenya 5/18, Ashley Barnard 2/3). Mpumalanga 102/7 (Chris-mari Bezuidenhout 71*, Snothando Letswele 8; Asanda Zondi 4/33, Megan Webb 1/17). Mpumalanga won by three wickets.
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