Four-way fight for Finsbury promotion as Section B reaches boiling point
On the eve of the penultimate round in the B Section of the Finsbury League, four teams remain firmly in contention for promotion to the top tier of the competition.
Until last weekend, Hoërskool Hans Moore stood alone as the only unbeaten side in the section, before one of this year’s new additions, Midstream College, brought Moories’ unbeaten run to an end.
That result left those sides level in the standings, while a victory for Hoërskool Montana at Hoërskool Marais Viljoen made it a three-way tie at the top, with all three teams on 10 points before they take on the coming weekend’s fixtures.
Only one point behind that trio, Potchefstroom Gimnasium is firmly in the hunt for a place in the final. Their prospects of making it through to the title game could be improved by the meeting of Midstream and Montana in Midrand on the weekend.
To compound Monties‘ challenge of playing away, three of Midstream’s top players – Jonathan Wiseman, Dian de Villiers, and Tehan Maré – have all shown they are in top form in recent weeks.
Captain Juan Theunissen has led Montana’s strong challenge by setting an outstanding example. He’ll need to rise to the occasion once more on Saturday in a contest that will surely feel like a semi-final showdown.
Potchefstroom Gimnasium, meanwhile, hosts Marais Viljoen in Potchefstroom. A bonus point victory over the visitors, who have struggled, could propel Gimmies into the driver’s seat with just one round remaining.
Marais Viljoen faces the looming threat of relegation, having gone winless in their three fixtures. On a positive note, their captain and top-order batsman, Ethan van Rooyen, has been in encouraging form. He’ll need to be on his game if the visitors from Alberton are to challenge the powerful Gimmies’ line-up.
Hans Moore will enjoy home-ground advantage for a second consecutive week when they host Hoërskool Nelspruit in Benoni. After an uncharacteristically subdued performance against Midstream a week ago, Moories will be eager to produce a more dynamic showing and get back to winning ways.
They have also bade farewell to their long-serving Director of Cricket, Paul Amorim, whose next chapter begins with Montana in Midrand this weekend.
A bonus-point victory would take Hans Moore to 15 log points and place them firmly in the pound seats because their healthy net run rate continues to separate them from the chasing pack.
