Jeze Campher’s bat shines brightest as bowlers dominate again
It was the Jeze Campher show at the Westering Oval, in Gqeberha, on Wednesday, the second day of the CSA U16 Girls Week.
Campher, playing for the SWD Garden Route Badgers in the week for a second year in succession, was the only batter to score a half-century.
Her patient 73 from 93 balls included seven fours and helped the Badgers escape trouble before going on to an emphatic 91-run win over Northern Cape.
Millicent Steenberg, also, made a useful contribution, weighing in with 28 as SWD posted 179 all out.
Campher’s all-round abilities were again to the fore when the Badgers took to the field. She claimed a tidy 3/16 in eight overs, the best return for her side, as Northern Cape replied with 88 all out.
The day, once again, belonged to the bowlers.
Roeline Louw was exceptional for Northern Cape. She opened the bowling alongside Bakao Ntuane, and the pair made significant early inroads. With Louw claiming 5/17 in just 5.3 overs and Ntuane returning 3/29 in five, the Badgers were in serious trouble at 34/6 before Campher took charge.
In the Jukskei derby between the Central Gauteng Lions and the Titans, it was Alyssa Edwards‘ 3/16 that proved decisive as the Lions secured a 29-run victory at Woodridge College‘s Archibald Oval.
Elysia Fourie top scored with 27 in the Lions’ 124 all out. Without many runs to defend, they needed to maintain discipline with the ball, and they did so successfully to dismiss their neighbours for 95.
Day two’s most outstanding bowlers were The Dolphins‘ Anelisa Mhlongo and the talented Miya Lalor, from Western Province
Lalor was at her destructive best with the new ball against Eastern Province. Her six overs at Woodridge’s Rushmere Oval brought her 5/11 and were instrumental in the home side slipping to only 64 all out.
Jessa Hendricks, then, guided the run chase expertly, making an unbeaten 38 to steer Western Province to a comfortable eight-wicket victory.
Mhlongo, however, stole the spotlight with a magnificent 10-over spell on Woodridge’s Knight Field. She conceded only one run per over and also snapped up six wickets as Easterns tumbled to 79 all out.
Had it not been for Nadine Wells, batting at seven, matters could have been far worse for Easterns. She stood firm, however, facing 70 balls, hitting five fours, and finishing with 42 not out.
KZN, then, took 18 overs to overhaul the Easterns’ total, winning by six wickets, after an opening stand of 55 between Kendra Kreinacke, who made 23, and Lethokuhle Mbili, who contributed 21.
Kei impressed with a tight victory over Mpumalanga in a low-scoring thriller at the Summerwood Oval. Amila Butshala led a fired-up bowling attack, claiming 4/7, while Kwanele Kratshi knocked over 3/19 to limit Mpumalanga to 62 all out.
Zelné Hattingh refused to go down without a fight, however. She picked up 3/9 and Dineo Mlimo bagged 2/18, forcing the Kei batters to work hard for their victory. After 16 overs, they made it, with three wickets in hand.
In another low-scoring game, the Limpopo Impalas beat the Eastern Cape Iinyathi by 23 runs at Daniel Pienaar.
Limpopo’s innings of 83 all out was boosted by 34 extras. Then, three cheap wickets each from Lunghelo Malungana, Pontsho Mopayi, and Alicia Masela kept Limpopo to only 60 all out in response.
On Woodridge’s Monahan Field, Free State won by 32 runs against North West, making 102 all out before bowling out their opposition for 70 behind 3/4 in 5.3 overs from Thando Nelane, which destroyed North West’s middle order.
The highest total of the day belonged to Boland. Lize de Waal led the way, missing out on a half-century by only one run as the Capetonians totalled 203 all out. They had no trouble defending that solid total, ripping through the Tuskers’ batting order in only 19 overs and bowling them out for 65.
Linique Luck, with 3/15, Isabela Mouton, with 2/10, and Abigail Schuur, with 2/13, did the damage as Boland won by a whopping 138 runs.
Summarised scorecards
SWD Garden Route Badgers 179/10 (Jeze Campher 73, Extras 64, Millicent Steenberg 28; Roeline Louw 5/17, Bokao Ntuane 3/29); Northern Cape 88/10 (Extras 47, Bokao Ntuane 21; Jeze Campher 3/16, Kim Plaaitjies 3/17, Chinique Claasen 3/22). SWD Garden Route Badgers won by 91 runs.
Mpumalanga 62/10 (Hayley Havenga 15; Amila Butshula 4/7, Kwanele Kratshi 3/19); Kei 64/7 (Extras 21, Siphosethu Gogozayo 12; Zelné Hattingh 3/9, Dineo Mlimo 2/18). Kei won by three wickets.
Lions 124/10 (Extras 29, Elysia Fourie 27, Nonhlanhla Danisa 20*; Mieke Reynolds 2/4, Mary-Kate Bothma 2/9, Carmen Hugo 2/15); Titans 95/10 (Extras 35, Milan Jordan 19; Alyssa Edwards 3/16, Puledi Sebone 2/22). Lions won by 29 runs.
Free State 102/10 (Extras 34, Reneesha Wales 20; Gogontle Padi 3/25, Luthando Mafoko 2/14); North West 70/10 (Reabetswe Dithipe 28; Thando Nelane 3/4, Nyakallo Maieane 2/13, Amohelang Nguenha 2/17). Free State won by 32 runs.
Limpopo Impalas 83/10 (Extras 34, Ivy Manyike 22; Laiken James 3/12, Annabel Roos 2/15); Eastern Cape Iinyathi 60/10 (Mabele Siyayvuya 19; Alicia Masela 3/10, Lunghelo Malungana 3/20, Pontsho Mopayi 3/21). Limpopo Impalas won by 23 runs.
Easterns 79/10 (Nadine Wells 42; Anelisa Mhlongo 6/11, Ziya Mohanlall 2/24); Dolphins 80/4 (Kendra Kreinacke 23, Extras 22, Lethakuhle Mbili 21; Keira Ferreira 3/16). Dolphins won by six wickets.
Eastern Province 64/10 (Extras 20, Tana Sinclair 14; Miya Lalor 5/11, Zaurah Titus 2/10, Zita Logenstain 2/20); Western Province 65/2 (Jessa Hendricks 38*; Morgan De Souza 1/8). Western Province won by eight wickets.
Boland 203/10 (Extras 63, Lize De Waal 49, Dané Hess 21; Siphokazi Xaba 4/25, Rayne Kitching 2/13, Lesego Motsepa 2/32); Tuskers 65/10 (Extras 23, Rahima Pillay 15; Linique Luck 3/15, Isabela Mouton 2/10, Abigail Schuur 2/13). Boland won by 138 runs.
