Jeppe in the driver’s seat in Gauteng Switch Schools SA20 regional final
Goolam Ahmed produced a sensational display of death bowling to help Jeppe High School for Boys secure a hard-fought and crucial seven-run win over King Edward VII (KES) in their Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two Phase Two match on the La Valla Oval at St David’s Marist Inanda on Thursday afternoon.
Jeppe and KES, who secured the top two places in the Johannesburg leg of the first phase of the competition, are competing against Hoërskool Nelspruit and Middelburg Hoërskool for a spot in the national finals.
When the toss went Troy Gordon’s way, the KES captain chose to bowl first. Jeppe huffed and puffed and scrambled their way to 89 all out in 19.4 overs. With not many runs to defend, Jeppe’s bowlers then pulled together and restricted KES to 82/7 from their 20 overs.
Jeppe’s success with the ball hinged on Goolam Ahmed’s ability to deny Wade McQuinn (15*) and Tyler Cloete (1*) nine runs from the final over. McQuinn is one of the most explosive batsmen in the region, and the task of tying him down was a big ask. However, Ahmed kept a cool head and darted in unplayable yorkers to the KES pair to concede a mere two runs.
Ahmed finished with a vital 1/6 from two overs, while Keegan Cockburn removed two batsmen for 22 runs from his four overs. Phemelo Sekopane also performed superbly, snagging 1/4 from three overs.
The KES batsmen struggled to find traction, with only three of them reaching double figures, led by Urav Mukhija‘s modest 16 from 37 balls. McQuinn was next best, with 15 from 33 deliveries, followed by Gordon, with 10 off six.
KES found the going at the crease tough, but so, too, did Jeppe, who had only one batsman make it to twenty. Three others made it into double figures, but only just. Aiden Reyneke top-scored with 21 from 24 deliveries, while Sekopane (11), Lincoln Casais (10), and Shreshth Kumar (10) added a combined 31 runs.
Jeppe’s victory over KES was their second of the day. In the morning, they cruised to a massive 117-run win over Nelspruit on the Temba Bavuma Oval. Ryan Young struck a brilliant 60 from 39 deliveries, and Vegas Scott weighed in with a wonderful 47 off 43 balls to catapult Jeppe to 177/5.
Zizi Mkhize then captured an eye-opening three wickets without conceding a run as Jeppe bundled out Nelspruit for only 60 runs in 17 overs. Cockburn and Reza Ayob played their part, too, bagging a brace each.
KES and Middelburg, who each recorded a win, still have a shot at qualifying for the final. KES defeated Middelburg by nine runs when the sides crossed swords in the morning, with Troy Gordon and company putting 139 runs on the board before restricting Middelburg to 130/8 in reply.
Middelburg bounced back from that loss with a 37-run win over Nelspruit in the afternoon. Najin Swart scored a match-winning 65 from only 47 balls to lift Middelburg to 167/9. Reyno Botha put up a good fight for Nellies, contributing 43 from 34 balls, but Nelspruit came up short, finishing on 130/6 from their 20 overs.
On Friday morning, Middies will aim to carry the momentum of that win into their clash with Jeppe. KES will be hoping to overrun Nelspruit to secure a place in the title game.
Summarised Scorecards
Jeppe 89/10 (Adam Reyneke 21, Phemelo Sekopane 11; Tyler Cloete 3/13, Steele Grooteman 2/22). KES 82/7 (Urav Mukhija 16, Wade McQuinn 15*; Keegan Cockburn 2/22, Phemelo Sekopane 1/4). Jeppe won by seven runs.
Middelburg 167/9 (Nijan Swart 65, Hendré Nel 31; Samuel Day 4/18, Hanru van der Merwe 3/38). Nelspruit 130/6 (Reyno Botha 43, Gherdu van Eeden 21; Herman Potgieter 3/27, Ricardo Ras 1/11). Middleburg won by 37 overs.
Jeppe 177/5 (Ryan Young 60, Vegas Scott 47; Safwaan Miller 2/28, Enrico Joubert 2/38). Nelspruit 60/10 (Reyno Botha 18, Samuel Day 14; Zizi Mkhize 3/0, Reza Ayob 2/9). Jeppe won by 117 runs.
KES 139/10 (Urav Mukhiv 30, Troy Gordon 25; Herman Potgieter 3/21, Eduan Strydom 2/27). Middelburg 130/8 (Nijan Swart 39, Hendré Nel 29; Wade McQuinn 2/10, Luke Clark 2/21). KES won by nine runs.
