Hans Moore, Westville unbeaten at Gimmie Cricket Fest, hosts sign off with a win
The last day of the Izintaba Potch Gimmies Cricket Festival saw most of the teams battling it out in T20s.
Hans Moore ran rampant over their opposition over the course of the four days and put a cherry on the top of their displays with a convincing 107-run victory over the Glenwood Invitational side on Monday.
The Hansies stuck to their successful recipe by winning the toss and electing to bat first. Marno Grobler, who enjoyed a wonderful week with the bat in hand, was among the runs for a fourth consecutive day, blasting an impressive 76 from only 48 balls.
Alongside Grobler, Stephan Vermaak also found the batting-friendly pitch on the last day to his liking. He launched the ball to all parts of the ground, racing to 62 from a mere 29 deliveries. Striking with power, he sent three deliveries over the ropes and added seven fours as he sped along at a run rate of 214.
Kenzo Mchunu was the pick of the Durbanites’ bowlers, even though he was somewhat expensive. Still, he finished with three scalps for 39 runs.
Glenwood’s batting had been inconsistent earlier in the festival and it continued against Hans Moore as they made a stuttering start, finding themselves at 50/5 in pursuit of 225.
Herchelle Oosthuizen took it upon himself to stabilize a sinking ship and contributed a valiant 43 from 42 balls.
Unfortunately for Glenwood, his knock was in vain as Marno Grobler led the bowling charge for the Hansies. Showing his versatility, Grobler backed up his destructive performance with the bat with a useful 2/12 with the ball. Henré Everleigh also got in on the act, claiming a similarly impressive return of 2/13.
The pair’s bowling dominance meant that Glenwood could reach only 117/8 in their allotted 20 overs, leaving Hans Moore with a full house of festival wins.
The hosts, Potchefstroom Gimnasium, got back to winning ways after their shock loss to Durbanville on Sunday. The were up against Northwood‘s team of stayers, who opted to field first after winning the coin flip.
As they had done in their three previous outings, Gimmies got off to a very good start. Zavier van Rensburg’s 36 at the top of the order laid a solid platform for the likes of Righardt Joubert and Tommie Botha.
Provided with a steady foundation, Joubert batted sensibly for a run a ball 45, but lost his wicket at an inopportune time. Botha, however, boosted the Gimmies’ innings with a late quickfire 20, which lifted the home team to a total of 148/4 in their 20 overs.
Northwood, in reply, struggled at the crease, frequently losing wickets. Stumbling to a meagre 81/9, Luke Allen was their only shining light. He made 22 not out to keep his side from being bowled out before their overs were up. However, mustering a final total of only 104/9 was a disappointing end to the festival for the Knights, who went down by 44 runs.
The Westville Invitational side signed off a successful week with a 27-run victory against the Affies Invitational team. Westville won the toss and took to the crease first. There, Seth Simpson grabbed his last batting opportunity of the festival with both hands, smashing an entertaining 78 from only 42 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes.
Roxton Payne continued his impressive form, falling just one run shy of a half-century, and needing only 26 deliveries for his contribution of 49. The pair’s ruthless display of power hitting saw Westville posted a very competitive total of 196/4 in their 20 overs.
Affies made a decent start to their challenging run chase, but they lost wickets at the wrong times. The in-form Divan de Vries clubbed 48 from just 27 balls, while Arne Prinsloo (30, 34b) and Henré Smith (26, 30b) added valuable cameos lower down the order.
Unfortunately for the Pretoria side, there were to be no late heroics as they finished on 169/6 to come up short in a valiant effort at the 197 runs that they required for victory.
Summarised scorecards:
Hans Moore 224/6 (Marno Grobler 76, Stephan Vermaak 62, Warren Minnaar 23; Kenzo Mchunu 3/39); Glenwood Invitational 117/9 (Herchelle Oosthuizen 43; Grobler 2/12, Henré Eveleigh, Eteinne Smith 2/21). Hans Moore won by 107 runs.
Potchefstroom Gimnasium 148/4 (Righardt Joubert 45, Zavier van Rensburg 36, Tommie Botha 20; Jordan Matthews 1/18); Northwood 104/9 (Luke Allen 22*; Ruan Lotz 4/15, Christian Viljoen 2/17). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by 44 runs.
Westville Invitational 196/4 (Seth Simpson 78*, Roxton Payne 49, Chad van Breda 25; SF Vermeulen 2/30, Janco de Bruin 2/31); Affies Invitational 169/6 (Divan de Vries 48, Arne Prinsloo 30, Henré Smith 26; Thomas Jee 2/31). Westville Invitational won by 27 runs.
