Manning, Carle, and Oosthuizen shine on day one of Rams T20 Tournament
James Manning, Alastair Carle, and Cameron Oosthuizen were outstanding with the bat and ball as they led St John’s College (Harare), Falcon College, and Peterhouse to victories on the first day of the St John’s Rams T20 Tournament, on Friday.
The hosts, St John’s, beat Christian Brothers College – Bulawayo (CBC) by 33 runs, while Falcon College trounced St George’s College by nine wickets, and Peterhouse won by 36 runs against Churchill School.
St John’s College, the defending champion, got their campaign off to a flier with a comfortable win over CBC.
After being asked to bat first, they started slowly, losing Jetas Sai Maramreddy in the third over for only six runs. However, James Manning, who took over from Maramreddy, quickly took charge.
He slashed 65 runs from 48 deliveries during a 66-minute stay, and his half-century was supported by a trio of 30s from Riley Ettlin (37), Connor Lovatt (36), and Luca Spagnuolo (34*), as St John’s powered their way to 193/5.
CBC suffered a trainwreck at the beginning of their run chase, losing four wickets for seven runs from the first 14 balls they faced.
That collapse was arrested when Joshua Armstrong (75*) joined Kelebokile Moyo (45) at the crease. Together, they cobbled a 100-run partnership that gave the visitors hope. However, when Moyo fell in the 14th over, CBC’s challenge fell away and they finished with 160/7 from their 20 overs, well shy of the St John’s total.
The win left St John’s in second place in Group A, behind the Johannesburg Schools Invitational XI, who won twice on Friday.
Alastair Carle smote an impressive, unbeaten 91 from 46 deliveries when Falcon College went up against St George’s College on Fisher Field. The opener launched six sixes and cracked 10 fours as he almost singlehandedly chased down the 128-run victory target.
After electing to bat first, St George’s ran into early trouble, losing their first wicket in the second over. Wickets fell regularly after that as they struggled to build partnerships.
St George’s opening batsman, Jayden Petersen, occupied the crease until the 11th over and top-scored with a run-a-ball 24, but no other player made it to 20 as the Harare side limped to 127/8 in 20 overs. Dmitry Fatch and Reed Merick led the charge with the ball for Falcon with two wickets apiece.
However, the star of the show was Carle, who got off the mark with a four, off the second ball he faced, and closed the innings with another four. His 91 runs accounted for 70 percent of Falcon’s runs, and his imperious knock secured a nine-wicket win for his side.
The Bulawayo side’s win left them in second place in Pool B, behind Kearsney College.
Cameron Oosthuizen, meanwhile, landed the ball in the right areas as he bowled Peterhouse to a 36-run victory over Churchill on the Honey B Field. The medium pacer delivered 17 dot balls in four overs on his way to a decisive haul of four wickets for 10 runs. He also executed two run outs to help his side dismiss Churchill for a meagre 111 in 17 overs.
Oosthuizen had sufficient runs to defend after Peterhouse posted a total of 147/8. Luke Marillier anchored their innings with a steady 39 runs from 32 deliveries at the top of the order, while Cameron Rae chipped in with a crucial 30 off 37. Panashe Fantiso‘s 13-ball 22 gave the innings a boost, as did Isaac Hildebrand‘s 15 off 14, and Ryan Moyo’s contribution of 11 runs.
With the win, Peterhouse occupies second place in Pool C behind Clifton College, who opened their account with two commanding victories.
Scorecards
St John’s 193/5 (James Manning 65, Riley Ettlin 37; Pilate Ndlovu 1/20, Presley Jere 1/31). CBC 160/7 (Joshua Armstrong 75*, Kelebokile Moyo 45; Connor Lovatt 3/22, Tawana Nyandoro 2/25). St John’s won by 33 runs.
St George’s College 127/8 (Jayden Petersen 24, Abhiraj Singh 19; Dmitry Fatch 2/17, Reed Merick 2/23) Falcon College 130/1 (Alastair Carle 91*, Callum Orford 17; Abhiraj Singh 1/18, Munyaradzi Maunze 0/12). Falcon won by nine wickets.
Peterhouse 147/8 (Luke Marillier 39, Cameron Rae 30; Zvikomborero Masango 2/19, Brandon Sam 2/22). Churchill 111/10 (Praise Dube 38, Wessly Maramwidze 15; Cameron Oostuizen 4/10, Nicholas Orphanides 2/28). Peterhouse won by 36 runs.
