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Kearsney hammers Hillcrest High in Schools SA20

By Brad Morgan , in Cricket | News , at 2024-10-24 Tags: , ,

With the Schools SA20 reaching into all corners of South Africa, there were bound to be some mismatches, and so it proved when Kearsney College faced neighbouring Hillcrest High on Wednesday.

Kearsney’s lineup looked a little different with their matriculants no longer in action, but they had plenty of players with 1st XI experience and a good number who were recently named in Dolphins’ teams for national weeks at the end of the year.

Batting first, they got off to a good start, racing to 35 in the third over, but Jonty Wiggett was then caught by Marco Chessa off the bowling of Jaydon Chaythram for 11. That brought Keegan de Jager out into the middle to join Jason De Gryse and together they advanced the total to triple figures.

It took a run out to break their partnership. De Gryse was the unfortunate victim, having scored 46 from 23 balls, at a strike rate of 200, while putting on 69 from 31 deliveries with De Jager.

That run out led to a mini-collapse, with Hillcrest adding another two wickets in double-quick time to reduce Kearsney from 104/1 after 7.1 overs to 113/4 after 9.2.

De Jager, then, stepped up to take charge and shared a stand of 40 in four overs with Nicholas Munro, but the latter was responsible for only eight of those runs.

The number three batsman pressed on and received good support from Nic Comrie. Together they added 62 from 31 balls to take the total to 215/6 in the 19th over when Comrie was caught and bowled by Travis Whiteside for 36.

De Jager continued the onslaught and steered Kearsney to 243/6 from their 20 overs. He finished unbeaten on a superb 113 from 57 deliveries, which included 14 fours and two sixes.

Conor Lowe led the Hillcrest bowlers, returning 2/35 from four overs, but his economy rate of 8.8 per over was the best Hillcrest managed.

They stumbled out of the gate in their reply, with both openers, Brendan Franzel and Seth Surgeson, falling in the first two overs. That proved to be the start of an avalanche of wickets as Hillcrest’s batsmen arrived at the crease and quickly departed.

There was no destroyer-in-chief. In fact, no Kearsney bowler took more than two wickets, but all six bowlers employed enjoyed success.

Keegan de Jager added a return of 2/1 to his undefeated century, while Blake Pugh and Litha Gonya both claimed 2/4 from three overs. Opening bowler Jason De Gryse was, in the context of the Hillcrest innings, “expensive”, taking 2/9 in three, which underlines just how much Kearsney’s bowlers overwhelmed their opposition.

Dylan Jacobson and Lienan Sawyer shared the top score of seven, but Hillcrest’s innings also included five ducks and two batsmen dismissed for a single.

They were all out for only 26, leaving Kearsney the winners by a massive 217-run margin.

Summarised Scorecard

Kearsney College 243/6 (Keegan de Jager 113*, Jason De Gryse 46, Nic Comrie 36, Conor Lowe 2/35); Hillcrest High 26/10 (Keegan de Jager 2/1, Blake Pugh 2/4, Litha Gonya 2/4, Jason De Gryse 2/9).

Kearsney College won by 217 runs.

Brad Morgan
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.