It’s tough to call in KZN Switch Schools SA20 regional final
Northwood has an opportunity to repeat as the KZN Switch Schools SA20 champion when they take on Westville Boys’ High, St Charles College, and Hilton College for the right to represent KwaZulu-Natal at the National Final.
The Knights, who have a very experienced line-up, won the Dolphins‘ title in the 2024/25 season, but it’s Westville who won the title in the 2025/26 season, beating Northwood by 50 runs in the final behind a captain’s knock from Kyle McGough on their home field, Bowden’s, in November to claim the silverware.
The format of the competition, however, includes both the winner and runner-up in the regional final.
Both sides will head to Pietermaritzburg to face St Charles College, the Tuskers‘ winner and Hilton College, the runner-up, on Goldstone’s, at Maritzburg College, and at the Pietermaritzburg Oval in the four-team playoff on Thursday and Friday.
Saints succeeded Hilton, beaten in the KZN regional final last year by Northwood, as the Tuskers’ champion by romping to an eight-wicket victory following a strong showing in the field.
Northwood
Northwood boasts an experienced opening batting pair, David de Bruyn and Ross McGlashan, who have proven their ability to lay winning foundations, taking it to the opposition and rapidly accumulating runs.
They’re led by Northwood Head Boy, Jamie Wimble, whose hard-hitting can quickly change the course of an innings. Others, including Thomas Oosthuizen, Josh Mills, and Luc Boyall, have all produced innings of substance previously and help to provide the Knights’ with a line-up that bats deep down the order.
Ryan van Zyl, who turned out for the CSA Invitational XI at the Khaya Majola Week, Keagan Reeves, and Josh Mills provide a sharp 1-2-3 punch with their seam, while Hamza Amla is a challenging prospect with his leg spin.
Westville Boys’ High
Like Northwood, Westville, too, is loaded with players who have built up plenty of 1st XI experience.
They’re well balanced, with a good number of players offering all-round skills, including the skipper, Kyle McGough and Aarin Rasmussen, who starred in the win over Northwood in the Dolphins’ final.
Tristin Delvin and Ewan du Toit offer a tantalising combination of left-arm spin and strong batting, while Misbah Nair has developed a very useful habit of nabbing important wickets, and he, too, brings a dangerous bat to the crease.
Beyond the traditional all-rounders, Aidan Baudach is a multi-skilled wicketkeeper/batsman.
It’s their multi-skilled players and depth that make the Griffins a title threat.
St Charles College
St Charles, the Tuskers’ title-holder, is led by hard-hitting SA Colts‘ opening batsman, Thandolwethu Zama. Especially in the shorter format of the game, his powerful ball striking is a big strength for Saints.
It’s a familiar refrain, but the Pietermaritzburg school also possesses enviable experience, with players who have performed well for the 1st XI. The challenge for St Charles will be to have those players performing in concert. If they find that consistency, they’ll be hard to stop in familiar conditions.
Their bowling attack boasts variety, including strong pace from Connor Vogt, leg spin from Keegan Vermaak, off spin from Kaiyuran Naidoo, and accurate medium pace from Ryan Clarke, also an accomplished batsman, who bagged 6/24, including a hat-trick, against Michaelhouse at the beginning of 2025, thanks to his ability to hit the stumps.
Jayden Saville, too, has had his moments, while Caleb Sharp offers not only a good bowling option but is one of the side’s most consistent batsmen. He was special at the Fasken Time Cricket Festival at St David’s Marist Inanda at the end of last year, and he’ll be aiming for similar batting form in 2026.
Connor Simpson is another player on whom to keep an eye. He showed, in a hard-charging counterattack against a very good Waterkloof team at the Peninsula Festival, his ability with the bat, cracking five sixes and seven fours in a rapid 88 from only 80 balls.
Hilton College
The last of the four finalists, Hilton College, is an interesting team because, early in the season, they have shown greater stability in their batting than they showed in 2025.
Last year, that was Hilton’s Achilles heel. Early in 2026, the opening pair of Barack Munawa and Ben Wilson is one of their strengths. Against strong opposition at the Peninsula Festival, they played well.
Munawa was the more aggressive of the duo, but he still played with good discipline. Wilson clearly cherishes his wicket. He carried his bat against Bishops in a limited overs match and the very next day batted all the way through Hilton’s overs to top score in a thrilling one-run win over SACS in a T20.
Captain Robert Burman can get the scoreboard ticking, along with Luke Wilson and Cameron Hargroves, but Hilton doesn’t possess the match-winning potential of SA Schools‘ star, Ben Hockly, any longer.
With Sechaba Gude leading their attack, though, they might not need to score that many runs. He twice captured five-fors at the Peninsula Festival – 5/37 against Wynberg Boys’ High and 5/41 against Potchefstroom Gimnasium.
Another top bowling performer for the KZN Midlands’ school was Benoit Rey, who claimed a good number of wickets at a tidy economy rate.
Sange Qangule, Obakeng Motsepa, and Sean Burman all had their moments, too, in Cape Town, so Hilton goes into the two-day finals with options.
The biggest question mark, though, lies with the weather, with rain predicted throughout Thursday and into Friday. How might that affect matters?
