Grey College, St Andrew’s School the teams to beat in Free State Schools SA20
Group A and B fixtures
St. Andrew’s School was crowned the regional champion of the Free State, North West, and Northern Cape back in the summer.
They also defeated Grey College on multiple occasions and delivered many of their best performances when it mattered most.
Considering that they’re coming up against the top dogs in the territory on Friday, there’ll certainly be some nerves in the HTS Louis Botha team. They’ll be the heavy underdogs against Saints, but they have nothing to lose.
When St Andrew’s faced St Alban’s in Pretoria recently, FG Botha, with 89, and Reuben van Aarde, with 85, impressed with the bat. The Bloemfontein school looked like they were headed for victory, but they ran out of overs in the two-day, two-innings fixture.
At the Fasken Time Cricket Festival, Andrew Sobiech scored a century against Jeppe, while Naude Botha made 95 not out in the same game. Jonathan Hickley, then, scored 91 against St Stithians, and Botha weighed in with 80. The point is, Saints has some in-form batsmen who have already scored plenty of runs this term.
Heindré Serfontein shone with the ball against St Alban’s, knocking over 4/10 in 10 overs. FG Botha, meanwhile, picked up nine wickets in the match against St Stithians. A leg-spinner, he can rip through a batting order with his sharp spin. Nikhil Sukraj, too, is another spinner who is regularly among the wickets. HTS Louis Botha are going to be up against it.
In Friday’s other Group A fixture, Hoërskool Fichardtpark takes on the Bloemfontein Hub.
Meanwhile, in Group B, Bethlehem’s Hoërskool Witteberg faces Welkom Gimnasium. Action in the group began last Friday, when Hoërskool Goudveld beat St Dominic’s College by eight wickets.
Group C and D fixtures
Grey College owns one of the most impressive sporting histories in the country, including in cricket, but their form during a mid-year tour of the United Kingdom and early in the third term has been somewhat inconsistent. They’ll be aiming to dominate their group stage matches, however.
Last weekend, Potchefstroom Gimnasium thumped Grey by 155 runs in a 50-over fixture. The Botshabelo Hub is likely to face a backlash from that defeat.
Henru De Wet is a key player for the Grey boys, a reliable performer with both the bat and ball, and he’s a sure handed catcher, too. After scoring only 22 against Potch Gim, he’ll be intent on scoring another rapid century, like he did against Selborne College almost two weeks ago. The longer he’s at the crease, the more confident his teammates become.
In another Group C match, Hoërskool Jim Fouché takes on Hoërskool Sentraal.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Hoërskool Trio tackles the Kroonstad Hub, while Sasolburg High takes on the Bethlehem locals, Hoërskool Voortrekker.
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