Grantleigh openers set up Schools SA20 win over Felixton
In a clash between Zululand schools, Grantleigh High benefitted from a strong start to their innings as they powered their way to a 70-run Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two win over Felixton College, at Grantleigh, on Friday.
After the hosts won the toss, their openers, Luca Olivier and Tristan van Rooyen turned the decision to bat first into an excellent call by clubbing 114 for the first wicket in only 8.4 overs.
Their damaging stand ended when Van Rooyen was caught by Jurgens Pretorius off the bowling of Veolan Palavar for 46 from only 27 deliveries, which included five fours and two sixes.
Olivier followed Van Rooyen back to the change room midway through the twelfth over, but by then Grantleigh had 133 runs on the board, and Olivier had contributed 59 of them, taking just 37 balls, six of which he dispatched for four and another for six.
The home side lost some momentum when they saw three batsmen dismissed in the space of eight balls for the addition of eight runs, which left them on 154/5 after 15.3 overs.
Heinrich Hattingh and Nazi Geza boosted the innings, however, by adding 32 runs in 16 balls. Geza was, then, dismissed off the second ball of the last over for 22 off 17, and Hattingh was out to the very last ball of the innings after chipping in with 15 from 12.
Jurgens Pretorius, the seventh bowler used by Felixton, was their most successful, snapping up 2/12 in three overs. Colby Whittaker picked up 2/35 in four, and Levi Olivier finished with 2/43 from his four.
Grantleigh High totalled a healthy 192/7, which was boosted by an unhealthy 32 extras added by Felixton, although only 14 of those were wides.
Needing to bat at over nine-and-a-half run per over, Felixton was never able to challenge that tough ask.
Levi Olivier, batting fourth in the order, delivered 49 from 45 balls, cracking five fours and three sixes, but Felixton’s next best score, 23 from 33 balls by Veolan Palavar, was less than half of Olivier’s contribution.
Olivier and Rourke Whittaker, who made 17, combined for the innings’ best partnership of 53 for the fourth wicket but, when Olivier was caught by Luca Olivier off of Nazi Geza, only six balls remained and Felixton was on 114/4. They finished on 122/5, well short of the tough victory target.
Arnaav Singh, who took the new ball for Grantleigh, led their attack with a return of 2/26 from four overs, while Tristan van Rooyen turned the screws by picking up 1/13 from his four overs.
Summarised scorecard
Grantleigh High 192/7 (Luca Olivier 59, Tristan van Rooyen 46, Extras 32, Nazi Geza 22; Jurgens Pretorius 2/12, Colby Whittaker 2/35, Levi Olivier 2/43); Felixton College 122/5 (Levi Olivier 49, Veolan Palavar 23; Arnaav Singh 2/26). Grantleigh High won by 70 runs.
