KES wins vs Nelspruit, Noordheuwel and Bishops share the spoils
Abdullah Mohammed delivered an outstanding all-round performance to inspire the King Edward VII (KES) 1st XI to an emphatic 13-wicket victory over Hoërskool Nelspruit in their Fasken Time Cricket Festival encounter played on the Le Rosey Oval at St David’s Marist Inanda on Friday.
On the Temba Bavuma Oval, JJ Basson blew away the Bishops’ batting order to help Noordheuwel to a first-innings lead before the sides settled for a draw after two days of back-and-forth competition.
KES vs Hoërskool Nelspruit
Mohammed was outstanding with the ball, bagging four wickets in Nelspruit’s first innings to help his side restrict the Mpumalanga side to 205/9 from their allotted 65 overs.
Mohammed’s first wicket came when KES needed a breakthrough. After losing Duan Smal early, Nelspruit had rebuilt through their captain Nathan Duncan (63) and Jayden Meyer’s 119-run second-wicket stand. The pair threatened to take the game away from KES, but Mohammed then breached Meyer’s defences to dismiss him for a well-played 65.
That wicket sparked a collapse. Including Meyer’s wicket, Nelspruit lost five batsmen for only 17 runs in 5.4 overs to slide from 154/1 after 51.2 overs to 171/6 after 57 overs. Besides Duncan and Meyer, no other Nelspruit batsman scored 20 or more runs. Mohammed finished his 10-over spell with four wickets for 33 runs.
When KES visited the crease, Mohammed was masterful with the bat. When he arrived in the middle, KES was in trouble, having lost two early wickets, on 23/2. Playing confidently, he creamed 17 fours and three sixes on his way to 115 off 152 deliveries. He was well supported by Tiago Dias (59) and Wade Mcquinn (49). Then, after Mohammed’s dismissal, Zieg Ross blasted his way to 57 off 49 as KES tallied 325/6 in 65 overs.
Despite giving away 20 extras, the KES bowling attack put up a better show their second time out as they restricted Nelspruit to 189 in their second innings. Several Nelspruit batsmen made starts, reaching the 20-run mark, but none converted that into a big total. That left KES with a 71-run target for victory, which they handled at a canter. It took them just 12 overs and the loss of a single wicket to secure the win.
Mohammed finished the match with five wickets for 50 runs in 14 overs in addition to his century with the bat.
Noordheuwel vs Bishops Diocesan College
Marius Penning (59) performed an outstanding rescue job to set a solid foundation for Noordheuwel after they lost two early wickets. When he arrived at the crease, his side was floundering on 11/2 after Waco Bassick’s whirlwind start with the ball for Bishops. The opening bowler was almost unplayable as he bagged two wickets for two runs in his first four overs.
Penning turned things around with a 65-run second-wicket partnership with Ruan Strauss (32) and followed that up with an 80-run third-wicket stand with Corné Botha (54). Penning’s 124-ball knock was a study in patience. With the foundation laid, Noordheuwel’s five next batsmen added 104 runs to see them to 280, which included a blistering 39 off 18 balls from JJ Basson.
When he swapped his bat for the ball, Basson was nearly unplayable. Corné Olivier set the tone with three early wickets to dislodge the Bishops’ top order. He had Cameron Mcbeth, Kyle Stirk, and Alex Vintcent back in the pavilion after 16.1 overs. The Cape Town school found it tough to get back into the game from that point onwards. Singalakha Mayoyo offered some resistance, fighting his way to 45 off 114 before Basson dismissed him.
Mayoyo was the first of Basson’s five wickets in the innings. The left-arm pacer finished with five for 13 runs in seven overs.
When they emerged for their second innings, Noordheuwel struggled to get going, losing their top four batsmen for single-figure scores. Then, Botha stepped up and registered his second half-century of the match to help his side reach 200 runs. He shared a 70-run partnership with Tidimalo Moeketsane (29) and added another 70 in his sixth-wicket stand with Ethan Smith (44) on his way to a brilliant 83 off 107.
Bishops batted only 32.3 overs before the match was declared a draw. Thaafier Japtha remained unbeaten on 40 off 95 and was in the company of Waco Bassick (11 off 14). They had lost Stirk (0), Vintcent (5) and Mayoyo (15) on their way to 76 runs.
Summarised scorecards
Hoërskool Nelspruit first innings 205/9 (Jayden Meyer 65, Nathan Duncan 63; Abdullah Mohammed 4/33, Uthmaan Khan 2/21, Christian Sabela 2/22); KES first innings 325/6 (Abdullah Mohammed 115, Tiago Dias 59, Zieg Roos 57, Wade McQuinn 49; Liam Pringle 2/48); Hoërskool Nelspruit second innings 189/10 (John Duncan 29, Nathan Duncan 27, Waldemar Graham 26, Jayden Meyer 25, Rico Nel 24, Wade McQuinn 3/15,Connor Kuijers 3/46); KES second innings 71/1 (Tiago Dias 37*, Luke Clark 20).
KES won by 14 wickets
Noordheuwel first innings 280/9 (Tidi Moeketwana 60, Ruan Strauss 59, Corné Botha 52, Marius Penning 31, Extras 28, Ethan Smith 22; Waco Bassick 3/34); Bishops Diocesan College first innings 172/10 (Singalakha Mayoyo 44, Kyle Stirk 39, Waco Bassick 24, Extras 23; JJ Basson 5/13, Corné Olivier 3/20); Noordheuwel second innings 200/10 (Corné Botha 83, Ethan Smit 44, Tidi Moeketwana 29, Michael Kruiskamp 528, Alex Vintcent 2/21); Bishops Diocesan College second innings 76/3 (Thaafier Japtha 40*).
Match drawn
