Hockly hauls Hilton to win against DHS
It seems there is a lesson to be learnt about the Hart-Davis Oval, at Hilton College, and that lesson, based on the evidence of the 2024/25 season, should be that the default position is to bowl first.
Durban High School (DHS) won the toss in their limited overs match against Hilton on Saturday and instead chose to bat first. Their innings lasted only 37 overs, and they were all out for just 131.
Had it not been for a dogged effort from Ismaeel Omar at the top of the order and 20 extras, matters could have looked far worse.
Omar stubbornly kept the home side at bay, facing 104 balls for his 58, which featured seven fours. Between them, the other 10 batsmen mustered only six boundaries.
DHS’s innings moved in fits and starts. Momentum was hard to come by, and Benoit Rey and Cameron Hargroves had plenty to do with that.
Rey kept School in check, picking up 3/21 in 10 overs, while Hargroves played his part by claiming 3/25 in six. Luke Wilson, also, kept the visitors under pressure, returning 1/8 from six overs.
The best partnership that DHS could muster was 36 between Omar and captain Bayanda Majola, whose 16 was the second highest score of their innings.
Hilton’s batting wasn’t that much sturdier than that of DHS, but there was one major difference, Ben Hockly.
All around him, others struggled – Robert Burman’s 15 was the next best score in Hilton’s innings – but Hockly rose to the challenge, striking nine fours and a six in an unbeaten match-winning knock of 68 not out from only 73 balls.
Hilton’s start was solid enough, with Barack Munawa and Ben Wilson putting on 32 for the first wicket, but both openers and Ben Erasmus departed for the addition of only a run as the home team slumped from 33 without loss to 33/3.
Hockly and Burman added 38, the best partnership of the innings for the fourth wicket. After Burman was caught off the bowling of Ethan Cooper, though, Hockly had to shepherd Hilton to victory with the highest score achieved by the next five batsmen being four by Cameron Hargroves.
In the 35th over, though, Hilton made it past DHS’s score, with eight wickets down.
Ethan Cooper caused the hosts some problems, capturing 2/2 in two overs, and left-arm spinner, Dhilan Naraidu, bowled immaculately to claim 2/18 from his 10.
The speedster, Bayanda Majola, also picked up two wickets, but Ben Hockly laid into him, with Majola’s eight overs going for 50 runs.
Summarised scorecard
Durban High School 131/10 (Ismaeel Omar 58, Extras 20; Benoit Rey 3/21, Cameron Hargroves 3/25); Hilton College 133/8 (Ben Hockly 68*; Ethan Cooper 2/2, Dhilan Naraidu 2/18, Bayanda Majola 2/50). Hilton College won by two wickets.
