Gimmies claim North West Schools SA20 title
The winning runs might have come off the bat of Henré Cronje, yet it was the bowling effort, in which he too played a crucial part, that led to Potchefstroom Gimnasium being crowned the new champions of the North West Schools SA20.
Read and relive all the North West Schools SA20 action right here on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)
The Gimmies comfortably disposed of Hoërskool Rustenburg by eight wickets in the final at home on the Gimmie Oval.
The comprehensive victory, with the Rusties dismissed for a meagre 84 runs, saw the bowling hero from the previous match, Damian Kruger, working his magic with the ball again. Kruger claimed another four wickets, this time conceding only 15 runs in his allotted four overs, to take his tally to eight wickets across both matches on the day, having conceded a combined total of just 39 runs.
Cronjé (3/20) contributed smartly with three wickets, whilst Bennet Keet (2/9), another standout from the clash with the Volkies, again got in on the act.
The Rusties’ opening batsman Thian Labuschagne was the only player to make any noteworthy contribution. With the ball (1/24), he was also the sole wicket-taker, dismissing the in-form Christivan Coetzer with the first delivery he faced. Labuschagne scored 45 runs, more than half his side’s final total.
It was the collapse of eight wickets for a mere 33 runs that ended Rustenberg’s title defence. Cronjé then continued his memorable outing, top-scoring with an unbeaten 37 runs, supported by Ulrich Botha (25*) and Lukas Kotze (23), to secure Gimmies’ first piece of cricketing silverware for the year.
Summarised scorecard
Hoërskool Rustenburg 84 (Thian Labuschagne 45; Damian Kruger 4/15, Henré Cronje 3/20, Bennet Keet 2/9); Potchefstroom Gimnasium 87/2 (Henré Cronje 37*, Ulrich Botha 25*, Lukas Kotze 23; Thian Labuschagne 1/24). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by eight wickets.
