Kingswood College bowlers see out nailbiter against Grey High
Kingswood College looked to their bowlers on Friday to secure victory against Grey High School by the smallest of margins.
With rain expected on Saturday, Grey High travelled a day earlier to face Kingswood in a 35-over match.
After the hosts won the toss and elected to bat first, their captain and stalwart opener, Brad Goss, laid a sturdy foundation with a solid innings of 52 before Zander Nutt palmed a catch from a delivery by Tristan Grundling.
At 105 for 5 after Goss’s dismissal, it looked like the home team was on the back foot, but a tidy partnership at the end of the innings by Alistair Knott and Josh Loon made a big difference. Six quick boundaries by the duo, including a stunning six by Knott, took the home team to a total of 180/7.
Kingswood knew it would take a strong fielding performance to protect their score against the visitors from Gqeberha, and that’s precisely what they delivered, as Matthew Collet spearheaded their bowling the attack with figures of 3/31 in his seven overs.
The hosts were on top, but Michael Molenaar and Joel Maree launched a fightback in the final nine overs, with Molenaar tallying 40 to top score for his side.
Unfortunately for the visitors, though, it came just a little too late, as they reached their allotted overs just four runs short of their target.
The most impressive stat for the Kingswood bowlers is that they conceded only nine extras. Their accuracy ultimately won the game. Grey, by contrast, will be disappointed that they conceded 32 extras, especially when one considers how tight the game became in the final few overs.
They showed great heart at the end of the contest, but Kingswood held on for the victory. Both teams will be grateful for the opportunity to play, as the weather continues to disrupt the end-of-year fixtures in the Eastern Province.
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Pearson and Brandwag also moved their match to the Friday afternoon and opted for a T20 challenge.
Nikolai Hector and Cayden Wilson wreaked havoc among the Brandwag batting lineup, combining to take nine wickets for the loss of a mere 18 runs.
It took Jayden Groenewald and Divan Els only two-and-a-half overs to reach the target total as Pearson bagged a 10-wicket victory with a dominant bowling display.
Summarised scorecards:
Kingswood College 180/7 (Brad Goss 52, Extras 32, Angus Johns 31, Alistair Knott 26*; Marco Giaconi 2/17, Tristan Grundling 2/17, Ben Ristow 2/36); Grey High School 177/7 (Michael Molenaar 40, Marco Giaconi 38; Jean Upman 31, Joel Maree 20*; Matthew Collet 3/31, Ike Ukekwe 2/27). Kingswood College won by three runs.
Brandwag 32 (Heyneke Claase 12; Nikolai Hector 5/15, Cayden Wilson 4/3); Pearson 34/0 (Jayden Groenewald 20*). Pearson won by 10 wickets.
Graeme College 169/4 (Aphiwe Mnyanda 75*, Ethan Beyleveld 38*, Ono Ntinga 20; James Renton 2/31); Stanley Cricket Club 117/9 (Lorimer Pittaway 32; Marcus Williams 2/11, AJ Jeggels 2/14, Kevin Geldenhuys 2/18, Murray Tyson 2/34). Graeme College won by 52.
