Hasselbach stars in Westville win at Maritzburg College
For a third day in succession, the Westville Boys’ High 1st XI was in action in Pietermaritzburg, following their Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two campaign with a visit to Maritzburg College for a limited overs showdown on Saturday.
Captain Kyle McGough called it right at the toss and opted to bat first on Goldstone’s, but Westville made a stuttering start.
After losing their first wicket on 28, two more went down, on 29 and 30, leaving the visitors in a spot of bother on 30/3 after 8.2 overs. Aidan Baudach and Tristin Delvin stopped College’s charge, however, with an 84-run stand for the fourth wicket.
It came to an end when Delvin was caught by Greg Hosking off the bowling of Luke Venter for 36. Baudach stayed around for a while longer, advancing the total to 129 before he became the sixth man out. By then, though, he had compiled the innings’ highest score of 59 from 90 balls, striking seven fours along the way.
Two balls later, the Griffins found themselves seven wickets down. At 129/7, with 16.5 overs remaining in their innings, they were in a tricky position. Aarin Rasmussen and Jamie Hasselbach batted them out of it with a 63-run partnership for the eighth wicket. Hasselbach’s share was 31 from 44 balls, with two fours and a six.
Rasmussen, meanwhile, stuck around to the end of Westville’s 50 overs, and finished with 40 not out from 58 deliveries, while Liam de Villiers chipped in with 19 not out at better than a run a ball as the visitors tallied 216/8.
Opening bowler, Reece Willson, who took two of the three early wickets to fall, ended with 3/38 from 10 overs, while Luke Venter, the seventh and last bowler employed by College, returned their best figures, claiming 3/26 from seven.
The Red, Black, and White then made a solid if somewhat cautious start to their run chase, with Akhil Bharath and Kyle de Bruyn putting on 36 for the first wicket before Bharath’s knock was ended for 15 by a combination of wicketkeeper Aidan Baudach’s hands and Jamie Hasselbach’s bowling.
When three wickets went down in the fifties – two of them to Hasselbach – College was in trouble on 59/4 in the 21st over. Then, Aarin Rasmussen struck twice to get rid of Reece Willson for five and Dom du Toit for 15.
Luan van der Merwe kept Westville at bay, though, until, sadly for College, he was run out for 44, having run for every one of those runs. James Pembridge followed three runs later for 12, leaving the home side struggling to hang on, on 134/8.
Just over three overs later, Westville wrapped up a convincing 62-run win, bowling out Maritzburg College for 154.
Jamie Hasselbach, who dismissed three of College’s top four batsmen, knocked over 3/24 in six overs, Aarin Rasmussen kept it tight to pick up 2/27 in 10, and Kyle McGough chipped in with 2/30 from seven.
Summarised scorecard
Westville Boys’ High 216/8 (Aidan Baudach 59; Aarin Rasmussen 40*, Tristin Delvin 36, Jamie Hasselbach 31; Luke Venter 3/26, Reece Willson 3/38); Maritzburg College 154/10 (Luan van der Merwe 44, Kyle de Bruyn 26; Jamie Hasselbach 3/24, Aarin Rasmussen 2/27, Kyle McGough 2/30). Westville Boys’ High won by 62 runs.
