Formidable Fichies defeat Jim Fouché, Voortrekker victorious against Sentraal
Hoërskool Fichardtpark vs Hoërskool Jim Fouché
Playing at home in a 50-over fixture on Saturday, Hoërskool Fichardtpark decided to field first against their Bloemfontein rivals, Hoërskool Jim Fouché (JF).
Third to don the gloves and helmet, Eckard Meyer, was the first batsman of the day to get some momentum going for the visitors, striking five fours in his 28 runs off 31 balls.
JF’s innings peaked with Cobus Wilken, their number five batsman, who thrashed four fours in his 38 off 33.
The other JF batsmen struggled to get going against Dillon Geringer, who captured 4/21 in seven overs, while Neven Olivier kept them in check with a return of 2/31 from 6.1 overs.
In just 25.1 overs, the hosts bowled out Jim Fouché for 123 runs.
It appeared that a routine run chase awaited Fichies, but they found it to be tough going. Jareth Scott cleaned out two top-order batsmen in his tidy 3/21 from 10 overs, while André Kleyn also dented the hosts’ run chase, knocking over 2/16 in 5.3 overs.
Davyd Oosthuizen, who arrived at four, kept Fichardtpark’s innings moving, however. Rather than a flashy knock, he did exactly what was needed, sticking to the basics and playing each ball on its merits to tally 43 off 69.
Jayden Geldenhuis, batting at five, rotated the strike and made 24 off 41 balls in their fourth-wicket partnership of 46 runs.
It took them 38.3 overs, but Fichardtpark, at last, overhauled JF, totalling 127/7 to secure a hard-fought three-wicket victory over their rivals.
Hoërskool Bethlehem Voortrekker vs Hoërskool Sentraal
Hoërskool Bethlehem Voortrekker‘s Paul Naudé batted fifth in their batting order. However, he was first in runs contributed against Bloemfontein’s Hoërskool Sentraal, the visitors, on Saturday, for a limited-overs contest.
He produced the match’s key innings, blasting 12 fours and four sixes in his 94 off 98 deliveries, which helped Voortrekker to 278 all out in 46.2 overs.
Vlag Janse van Rensburg, batting at four, excited spectators with 10 fours of his own in a telling 53 off 47 balls. When Naudé joined him, they hit the accelerator, adding 64 for the fourth wicket to take their side from an iffy 46/3 after 13 overs to 110/4 after 24.2.
Thys Parsons, at eight, also made a notable contribution, slamming three sixes and two fours in a speedy 33 off 19.
While Caylem Friend and Danny Botes grabbed two wickets apiece, it was Ruardt Kleynhans who boasted the best Sentraal figures of 4/41 from 7.2 overs.
While Voortrekker’s Vlag Janse van Rensburg played second fiddle with the bat, he was the top-dog with the ball, snapping up 3/34 in nine overs to undermine Sentraal’s reply.
Jayden Strydom, with 2/21 from six overs, and Rodney Turner‘s tight 2/18 from 9.3 overs, also made the chase challenging for the Bloemfontein locals.
Erik Prinsloo top-scored for Sentraal, striking three fours and two sixes in his 32 off 40 balls, while Danny Botes weighed in with three fours and a six in 29 off 40.
Voortrekker, though, was untroubled and bowled out Tralies in 39.3 overs for 176, leaving the home team with a handsome 102-run victory.
Summarised Scorecard
Hoërskool Jim Fouché 123/10 (Cobus Wilken 38, Eckard Meyer 28; Dillon Geringer 4/21, Neven Oliver 2/31); Hoërskool Fichardtpark 127/7 (Davyd Oosthuizen 43, Jayden Geldenhuis 24; Jareth Scott 3/21, André Kleyn 2/16). Fichardtpark won by three wickets.
Hoërskool Bethlehem Voortrekker 278/10 (Paul Naudé 94, Vlag Janse van Rensburg 53, Extras 34, Thys Parsons 33, Thato Nthebere 28; Ruardt Kleynhans 4/41, Danny Botes 2/28, Caylem Friend 2/47); Hoërskool Sentraal 176/10 (Extras 33, Erik Prinsloo 32, Danny Botes 29*, Daniel Pienaar 20, Damian Smith 20; Vlag Janse van Rensburg 3/34, Rodney Turner 2/18, Jayden Strydom 2/21). Bethlehem Voortrekker won by 102 runs.
