HTS Drostdy claim Dawie de Lange Trophy for a second time
The bragging rights in Worcester belong to HTS Drostdy and the coveted De Lange Trophy will take the name of their beloved former vice-principal for the next year after Jacques Jordaan and co muscled their way to a home victory.
Jordaan, one of four HTS Drostdy players to have taken part in every iteration of the contest since its inception in 2022, led the charge with an innings of 69 runs off of 96 deliveries to set his side on course for a solid total.
Along with Gerhard le Roux, Ruvan Barnard and Darius Venter, he gets his hands on the Dawie de Lange Trophy for a second time to break open a one-one tie with Drostdy’s rivals, Worcester Gimnasium, who were victorious last year.
Brevin Maree and Therenzo Jacobs did well to put pressure on the Drostdy batsmen initially, but Jordaan settled in and found his rhythm to help drive his side to 225 runs. He was supported well by Barnard (23) and Bryan Cochrane (35) before Rijan Visser (3/46) took care of the middle order.
Cochrane then drew early blood for the hosts. Despite a well-played 44 runs from Caleb de Lange, the Gimmie batting lineup struggled to put any big partnerships together as the Donkeys’ bowlers kept chipping away.
Visser, batting at seven provided stubborn resistance, seeing out 63 deliveries and striking four fours in an unbeaten innings of 28, but Cochrane and the rest of the Drostdy bowlers snuffed out Worcester Gimnasium’s hopes of a successful run chase by bowling out the visiting team for 152 in the 44th over.
With the victory, the coveted De Lange Trophy stays true to its history of favouring the home team. Next year, the Gimmies will, once again, look to turn the tide when they get to play in their own backyard.
HTS Drostdy, on the other hand, will be itching for an opportunity to defend the title and to begin building a lead in the revitalised rivalry between the two schools.
Summarised Scorecard
HTS Drostdy 225 (Jacques Jordaan 69, Extras 37, Bryan Cochrane 35, Ruvan Barnard 23; Brevin Maree 3/27, Rijan Visser 3/46); Worcester Gimnasium 152 (Caleb de Lange 44, Extras 27, Rijan Visser 28*; Bryan Cochrane 2/16, Reghardt du Plessis 2/26, Helgardt Nortjé 2/29). HTS Drostdy won by 73 runs.
