Hilton College well prepared for The Final Showdown
An outstanding showing at the recent Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF) has KwaZulu-Natal’s representative at the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two Final Showdown, Hilton College, in a confident frame of mind.
Coach David Griffiths‘ charges won all their games, the only team to achieve that feat, and they ended with an emphatic T20 victory over the hosts, St Alban’s College, who had enjoyed a strong showing themselves, after the first three days of limited-overs cricket.
Interestingly, an analysis of the top 20 batsmen and top 20 bowlers at the ISCF revealed that Hilton’s success was built not upon a couple of individuals delivering top performances match after match. Rather, it showed that the Midlands’ school has many sources of success. Focusing on stopping one or two players is not a good option for Hilton’s opposition. They could try to do that, but they would likely be stung by another source.
In 2025, Hilton narrowly missed out on reaching phase three of the nationwide competition. At the KZN regional final, they twice suffered last-over losses to Northwood, including in the final.
In January 2026, they reversed those losses, scoring an emphatic 33-run win over the Knights before going on to overpower Westville Boys’ High in the final, a team which they had beaten on day one of the three-day event.
Central to those victories were the performances of Hilton College captain, Robert Burman. He lit up Westville on the opening day, smashing 101 off only 63 balls, and made a more measured 54 from 52 against Northwood to set his team on the path to the title.
While Burman has gone on to enjoy a more solid than spectacular season, his impact as a captain has been immense. He plays the game with a smile on his face, and that enjoyment of his leadership assignment has led to a tight team culture. Hilton plays the game with a sense of excitement and joy. Those are qualities that can take a team a long way.
In 2025, Hilton College had a persistent weakness. They were prone to batting collapses. Not so in 2026. Their opening pair, Barack Munawa and Ben Wilson, has been one of their strengths. It should be noted, though, that Munawa tends to open with Burman in the T20 format, and they, too, have been solid.
Wilson, the team’s wicketkeeper, bats lower down the order, where he is one of the toughest batsmen to dislodge. He’s not a big striker of the ball, but he keeps the scoreboard ticking and finds the boundary often enough while doing that.
That trio – Burman, Munawa, and Wilson – has each scored over 500 runs in 2026. “What we have done well is have good partnerships with Barack and Ben,” coach Griffiths said. “Then with Barack and Rob in the short format.”
“Then, we’ve taken wickets in the powerplay, which is where you win the game. If you can take wickets there, it slows things down properly.”
Hilton’s attack is spearheaded by fast bowler Sechaba Gude, who, along with Luke Wilson, serves as one of the side’s two vice-captains. Gude took 49 wickets in 2025, but already has 30 in 2026.
“We’ve had good plans, and the boys have executed them really well,” Griffiths added.
“We have fielded really well. We have set a high standard in the field to get one good run out or a good catch every game. It makes it a little easier for the bowlers if they need to get only eight wickets.
“You hope you can get a run out, and we have had a lot of them this year. We average out to around one a game. I think everyone in the team has been involved in a run out, which is huge.
Someone who bats both up and down the order, who was arguably Hilton’s standout at the Independent Schools Cricket Festival, is Obakeng Motsepa. He’s a slight young man, but a talented all-rounder, capable of turning the course of a contest on his own, with either bat or ball. Twice in Pretoria, he was named the man of the match.
“MJ [Motsepa] is coming into his own now,” Griffiths said. “He has over 300 runs and 20 wickets this year. That’s good. In the last four games, he’s been outstanding.
The city where the ISCF was hosted is noteworthy: Pretoria. The Final Showdown takes place at the University of Pretoria, from 4 March, and the ISCF was ideal preparation for Hilton College. They’ll capitalise on those good recent experiences on the capital city’s pitches at the national final.
Coming back to Obakeng Motsepa, if it’s all-rounders you’re after, his teammate, Sange Qangule, has enjoyed his fair share of matches in which he has excelled with both bat and ball. When he gets going, he scores rapidly. Usually, he and Sechaba Gude open the bowling, and they bowl a heavy ball, hitting the bat hard. If they enjoy early success, Hilton becomes a very difficult team to beat. The other player who takes the new ball is Obakeng Motsepa.
“Sean Burman has come into the team and bowled really well,” Griffiths said of his left-arm seam option.
On the batting front, Luke Wilson, a hard-hitting all-rounder, can take the game away from the opposition if he settles, while James Peattie, Hilton College’s Head Boy, as good leaders do, tends to excel when the challenges are at their toughest.
Cameron Hargroves is another player who has become a more consistent all-round contributor in recent outings, and he bears watching, as does Ryan Jellis, another multi-skilled performer.
One player missing from the ISCF was off-spinner Benoit Rey, a consistent wicket-taker, a decent batsman, and a leader within the team. An outstanding scrumhalf, he was attending a rugby camp. His inclusion, though, is a big boost to Hilton College’s chances at The Final Showdown. They have a fully fit squad.
Hilton opens their challenge against the Western Cape champion, Paarl Boys’ High, on Wednesday, 4 March. Later that day, they face St Andrew’s School, the team that beat them in the national final of the Switch Schools SA20’s forerunners, the Coca-Cola T20, in 2018.
On Thursday, 5 March, Hilton tackles the CSA Hub XI. The playoffs follow the next day.
There are few opportunities for slip-ups, and a strong start would go a long way towards making a deep run at The Final Showdown. It all begins on the Tuks Oval for Hilton, at 09:30 on Wednesday.
FIXTURES
Wednesday, 4 March
Hilton College vs Paarl Boys’ High, Tuks Oval, 09:30
Hilton College vs St Andrew’s School, Tuks E, 14:00
Thursday, 5 March
Hilton College vs CSA Hub XI, Tuks B, 14:00
