Helpmekaar end St John’s unbeaten run in Johnny Waite clash
St John’s College hosted Helpmekaar Kollege on Mitchell Field in the Johnny Waite competition on Tuesday. On the weekend, the teams had tied in a 50-over match, so the T20 showdown was, in a way, a tiebreaker.
It had taken a brave performance by St John’s to pull off the tie, with four players missing from their line-up. On Tuesday, they were still short of two of their regular bowlers. This time, though, it was a sub-standard batting performance which saw their unbeaten run of 14 matches brought to an end.
The home side won the toss and elected to send Helpmekaar out to bat first. Anrich Liebenberg immediately took the fight to the St John’s bowlers, cracking a six and a four in an eight-ball stay, which produced 13 runs, but he was bowled by Alec Loveland off the second last ball of the second over.
Kyle Swanepoel then played an anchor innings and Hannu Marais was the aggressor as Helpmekaar enjoyed a 54-run partnership for the second wicket, before Marais was sent packing in the tenth over by Cole Francis, having scored 33 from 24 balls, with three fours and a six.
Nine runs later, Swanepoel, who made 87 in Saturday’s tie, was out for 18.
Captain Henricus Meyer and Juan Minnaar then added 57 before the skipper was caught behind off the last ball of the innings by his counterpart, Joe MacRobert, off the bowling of Francis for 41. His runs had come off of 37 deliveries and included two fours and a six. Minnaar finished unbeaten on 19 from 21.
Francis led the St John’s attack with a return of 2/22 from his four overs, while Loveland claimed 2/25.
The hosts need to bat at 6.9 runs per over to win, but they made a poor start, with Nkosana Sibiya out in the first over.
Macrobert, batting at three, smashed three fours, before he fell for 17 from 10 balls, and one run later, with the total on 21, opening batsman James Yuill was also out.
Darshik Lutchman didn’t add to the total, either, as St John’s stumbled to 21/4, with Juan Minnaar ripping the heart out of their top order by capturing all four wickets. He went on to finish with a match-winning return of 4/10 from his four overs.
Alec Loveland was the next to depart, also on 21, but this time it was Dihan Janse van Rensburg who claimed the wicket.
Jacob Smith, a man for a crisis, stopped the procession of arrivals and departures, but he was out before 50 had been brought up, having contributed 21 from 20, with three fours and one maximum.
Thomas Ievers and Malan du Plessis, who was run out without scoring, followed as St John’s slipped from 44/5 to 46/8.
Cole Francis decided attack was the best form of defence and struck some lusty blows. At the other end, Oliver Tait hung around for a while, but he was the ninth man out with the total on 67.
Good striking by Francis boosted St John’s to 94, but he was then the last wicket to fall, out for 39 from 25 deliveries, after sending three balls over the boundary and three deliveries to the boundary.
Minnaar’s excellence was backed up by Anrich Liebenberg’s 2/27 from four, and a wicket each for Henno Steyn, Dihan Janse van Rensburg and Henricus Meyer as Helpmekaar scored a decisive win by 43 runs.
Their next Johnny Waite outing will be against Parktown Boys’ High on 31 January, while St John’s will face St Stithians.
Summarised scores
Helpmekaar Kollege 137/4 (Henricus Meyer 41, Hannu Marais 33, Cole Francis 2/22, Alec Loveland 2/25); St John’s College 94/10 (Cole Francis 39, Jacob Smith 21, Juan Minnaar 4/10, Dihan Janse van Rensburg 2/27) Helpmekaar won by 43 runs.
