Glenwood down Michaelhouse on Dixon’s
A critical innings by a debutant and a strong performance in the field, which included engineering three run outs, helped Glenwood to a four-wicket win over Michaelhouse on Saturday.
Playing at home, on Dixon’s, Glenwood’s captain and SA Schools’ opening bowler Ntando Soni, won the toss and chose to bowl first.
It wasn’t the Green Machine‘s paceman who claimed the first wicket, however. Instead, the home side struck a big blow by running out Michaelhouse opener Michael Spencer before he had faced a ball.
Soni then removed Ethan Muir for 18 and three runs later Dylan Hewlett joined the Michaelhouse opener on the side of the field after Soni pouched a catch off the bowling of Sibonelo Phewa to reduce the visitors to 25/3.
Michaelhouse needed to arrest their slide and Seb Hofmeyr ensured the Glenwood onslaught was slowed, for 10 overs.
He and Hayden Hewlett added 31 runs, but Daniel Gunawardena them removed Hewlitt for 16. That was one of four dismissals involving Gunawardena, who picked up two wickets, took a catch, and executed one of Glenwood’s three run outs.
While all around him wickets tumbled, Hofmeyr kept the hosts’ bowlers at bay. Eventually, though, he ran out of partners as Michaelhouse were bowled out for 133 after 48 overs.
Gunawardena snapped up 2/18 in eight overs, while Soni captured 2/30 in 10, and a tidy eight overs from Bandile Mbatha saw him claim 1/17.
Glenwood were then rocked early in their run chase when Nathan Moodley was out with only two runs on the board. His fellow opening batsmen, Karabo Ntsieng, playing his first match for the Glenwood 1st XI, stood firm, however.
In a low scoring contest, his innings of 46, which featured eight fours, was hugely consequential.
He stuck around until the Green Machine had reached 118, which is when he was bowled by Radhesh Jhilmeet, the fourth wicket to fall. With only 16 runs required for victory, Ntsieng had made a telling debut.
Ntando Soni was out nine runs later, with the total on 125, but he had delivered a crucial 35 runs from 57 deliveries. Another nine runs later, after 36.2 overs, the home team had claimed the win.
Jhilmeet, who accounted for Ntsieng and Soni, added a further late wicket, but it was a case of too little too late for Michaelhouse. His return was 3/16 from 4.2 overs, while ‘House skipper Cameron Strudwick gave little away, snaring 1/26 from his 10 overs.
Scores
Michaelhouse 133/10 (Sebastian Hofmeyr 57*; Daniel Gunawardena 2/18, Ntando Soni 2/30); Glenwood 134/6 Karabo Ntsieng 46, Ntando Soni 38; Radhesh Jhilmeet 3/16) Glenwood won by 4 wickets.
