Jeppe overpowers Waterkloof, KES handles Pretoria Boys High
Keegan Cockburn ripped through the Hoërskool Waterkloof middle order to set up Jeppe High School for Boys for an emphatic eight-wicket win over the visitors in their 50-over contest on the AH Childe Oval, in Kensington, on Saturday.
It was a dominant outing from Jeppe, resulting in the entire contest lasting less than 50 overs.
The toss, at least, went Waterkloof’s way and their captain, Franco Schmidt, elected to bat first. His batsmen failed to fire, though, and Klofies hobbled to 112 all out in 26.5 overs.
The hosts were in no mood for a conservative run chase in the searing Johannesburg heat. They went hard at the Waterkloof bowlers and took only 13 overs to rocket to 115/2 and victory.
Cockburn, who shared the new ball with Ahmed Goolam, went wicketless in his first spell, conceding 20 runs from four overs.
In his second spell, he targeted the top of off-stump and was rewarded with 4/12 in only 2.5 overs to finish with an impactful 4/32 from 6.2 overs. Add to that, Cockburn’s run out of Johan Liebenberg. The seamer’s victims included the prized wicket of Franco Schmidt, who looked solid before falling for a patient 27 from 41 balls.
Only Wian du Plessis bettered his skipper’s total, making 30 from 40 balls. Rico van der Walt, meanwhile, chipped in with 21 from 32 deliveries.
Reza Ayob supported Cockburn well, with 2/13, while Ahmed Goolam and Ethan Ferguson grabbed a wicket each.
Ethan van Dyk led Jeppe’s run pursuit with a brisk 31 from 28 deliveries and shared a 61-run opening partnership with Zizi Mkhize, who made 22.
Lincoln Casais (14*) and Aiden Reyneke (20*), who replaced the openers, saw Jeppe home with an unbroken 37-run partnership.
King Edward VII vs Pretoria Boys High
On the Hofmeyr Oval, at Pretoria Boys High (PBHS), Tiago Dias struck a confident, unbeaten half-century to power King Edward VII (KES) to a nine-wicket win in a limited-overs contest.
After Matthew Bromley, the KES captain, won the toss and elected to bat first, his bowlers did a splendid job and restricted the hosts to 200/8. The KES top order then made light work of the run chase, cantering to 201/1 in 28 overs.
Timothy Gordon top-scored for Boys High, with a measured 46 from 70 balls, and he and Ethan Nel, who made 27, put together the home side’s highest partnership of 59 for the second wicket.
Louis Kruyshaar (28), Tshepang Baloyi (26), and Victor Louw (20) helped to advance the PBHS total beyond 200. They barely made it there, though, as KES kept matters tight with the ball.
Tyler Cloete admirably led the KES bowling attack, knocking over 3/41 in seven overs, while Luke Clarke returned a tidy 2/27 in nine. Connor Kuijers, Abdullah Mohammed, and Troy Gordon took a wicket each.
Needing to bat at just over four runs per over to win, KES played positively. Dias struck 12 fours and two sixes in his 75-ball 89 not out and gave the visitors a superb 108-run first-wicket start with Urav Mukhija, who weighed in with 49. Their stand spanned only 14.1 overs and inflicted significant damage on the PBHS bowling attack.
After Mukhija exited, Dias joined forces with Troy Gordon for an unbroken 93-run second-wicket stand. When victory was achieved, Gordon was 35 not out.
The victories by Jeppe and KES meant Johannesburg schools won three out of three high-profile traditional matches against Pretoria opposition on Saturday, with St John’s College defeating St Alban’s College by 51 runs.
Summarised Scorecards
Waterkloof 112/10 (Wian du Plessis 30, Franco Schmidt 27; Keegan Cockburn 4/32, Reza Ayob 2/13). Jeppe 115/2 (Ethan van Dyk 35, Zizi Mkhize 22; Rian Klopper 2/34, Frank van der Westerhuizen 0/31). Jeppe won by eight wickets.
Pretoria Boys 200/8 (Timothy Gordon 46, Louis Kruyshaar 28; Tyler Cloete 3/41, Luke Clark 2/37). King Edward VII 201/1 (Tiago Dias 89*, Urav Mukhija 49; Steyn Botha 1/46, Ruan Coetzee 0/25). King Edward VII won by nine wickets.
