KES romps to victory, Steyn City stuns St Stithians in Schools SA20
Troy Gordon continued his magnificent run of form with a splendid unbeaten half-century to steer King Edward VII (KES) to a comprehensive 187-run win over St Peter’s College in their Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two match at KES on Tuesday afternoon.
In the other fixture played on Tuesday, Steyn City School upset St Stithians College, clinching an eight-run victory at home.
KES vs St Peter’s
Playing at home, Gordon unleashed his full range of shots as he rocketed to an unbeaten half-century, which helped to blast KES to 244/3. The KES bowlers were, then, every bit as dominant as their batsmen, restricting St Peter’s to 57/9 from their 20 overs.
In a swashbuckling knock, Gordon put the St Peter’s bowlers to the sword, blitzing eight fours and three sixes to reach 80 off only 32 balls. He had entered the action in the 12th over and shared a brief 22-run second-wicket stand with Luke Clark in 17 deliveries. That partnership had succeeded a rollicking 146-run first-wicket stand between Clark and Tiago Dias.
The openers didn’t start out with guns blazing, respectfully getting a feel for the surface in the first over, which brought them only five runs. Then, once they had settled down, all hell broke loose.
Dias flayed five fours and three sixes on his way to 61 from 36 deliveries, while Clark, who outlasted him at the crease by 2.5 overs, smashed 79 off 42 balls, which included seven fours and four sixes.
Gordon then added 46 runs for the third wicket with Urav Mukhija in 4.1 overs before propelling KES from 210/3 to 244/3 from the last nine deliveries of the innings. KES’s captain, Matthew Bromley, had a front row seat as Gordon pummelled 33 runs in the last over-and-a-half of the innings.
In the field, Abdullah Mohammed and Connor Kuijers shared five wickets between them as St Peter’s was kept below three runs an over. Mohammed bowled brilliantly, capturing 3/1 in three overs, while Kuijers knocked over 2/9 in three.
None of the St Peter’s batsmen exited single figures, although extras made it, adding 11 runs to the St Peters’ total.
Steyn City vs St Stithians
At Steyn City, Max Burroughes stood head and shoulders above everyone else, rising to the occasion to produce a match-winning 56 from 42 deliveries, which lifted Steyn City to 143/6 after Saints had asked the hosts to bat first. Austin van Jaarsveld then led the Steyn City bowling attack, removing three batsmen, as St Stithians tallied 135/6 in reply.
Steyn City made a cautious start to their innings, with Matthew Barbour and Murray Leith sharing a 17-run opening stand in 17 balls. Barbour’s dismissal towards the end of the third over brought Burroughes to the crease, and the number three batsman took control of the innings, staying out in the middle until the 18th over, while playing a key role in seeing his side to a winning total.
The St Stithians’ run chase spluttered early when they lost two wickets in the second over, courtesy of Van Jaarsveld, who accounted for Ombesa Matsha and Nicholas Bayly in the space of five balls. That poor start set St Stithians on the back foot, and they never fully recovered.
Matthew Katzenstein tried to get Saints back on track with Thomas Collins, and the pair partnered for 70 runs for the third wicket. However, after Collins’s dismissal, Katzenstein was unable to find similar support from the remainder of the batsmen.
He fought a losing battle, and while he finished the match unbeaten with 60 from 51 deliveries, he had to watch partners enter and depart in short order.
Van Jaarsveld finished the match with 3/35 from overs and received useful support from Barbour, who bagged 2/8 in two.
Summarised Scorecards
KES 244/3 (Troy Gordon 80*, Luke Clark 79, Tiago Dias 61; Nikhil Bagratee 1//16, Vihaan Vallabh 1/38, Vayun Vallabh 1/55). St Peter’s College 57/9 (Denzel Musadziruma 9, Jono Sampson 8; Abdullah Mohammed 3/1, Connor Kuijers 2/9). KES won by 187 runs.
Steyn City 143/6 (Max Burroughes 56, Murray Leith 28; Tendai Kadyamadare 3/30, Zaakir Hanslo 1/13). St Stithians 135/6 (Matthew Katzenstein 60*, Thomas Collins 39; Austin van Jaarsveld 3/35, Matthew Barbour 2/8). Steyn City won by eight runs.
