Marvellous Mason leads College to victory over Kearsney
Playing in his final game for the Maritzburg College 1st XI on Saturday, on Goldstone’s, College captain Chad Mason produced an outstanding all-round performance to lead his side to victory over Kearsney College.
While the toss went the home team’s way, victory looked a long way off when their innings began disastrously.
They lost both of their openers, Daniel Nadasan and Llewellyn Sutherland, cheaply, and they were soon joined by Tian van Niekerk, as the hosts slipped to 26/3 in the the eighth over of their innings.
However, the player who would turn around their fortunes, the skipper, Chad Mason, was already at the crease and keeping the visiting bowlers at bay. He has enjoyed a spectacular year with the bat and he ensured he would finish it on an appropriately high note by playing the cornerstone innings for the Red, Black, and White.
While he was at the crease, College added 131 runs before Mason, eventually, was the sixth man out, caught off the bowling of Jason De Gryse for 75 from 110 balls. His decisive innings had included 13 fours.
A number of other batsmen offered some support, with the players that followed Mason in the batting order all chipping in. Michael Gibson scored 16, Oliver Da Costa 16, Karl Dedekind 24, and Sphamandla Dzanibe 22.
In the last of their 50 overs, Maritzburg College, though, was bowled out for 213. Left-arm paceman Litha Gonya led the Kearsney attack with distinction, knocking over 3/23 in eight overs, while Bonga Maphanga claimed 2/34 in 9.1.
Jason De Gryse kept a lid on the scoring, snaring 1/25 in eight, and Kearsney captain Ross Coetzee, although wicketless, delivered 10 neat overs, surrendering only 31 runs.
Like College, Kearsney didn’t enjoy the best start to their innings, losing both of their openers within the first four overs.
Aaron Blackburn and Dolphins’ u18 captain, Ross Coetzee, stopped the bleeding, joining forces in a 74-run stand for the third wicket from 135 balls.
Coetzee’s counterpart, Mason, who, surprisingly, came on late, the eighth bowler used by College (who employed nine in total), ended his innings, caught by Llewellyn Sutherland for 38 from 59 balls, with three fours.
One run later, Blackburn was also on his way, bowled by Mason for 32 from 91, with four fours. Mason, though, was not yet done. He also got rid of Keegan de Jager for only four, with his dismissal shifting the momentum College’s way as Kearsney slipped to 112/5 in the 32nd over.
When Oliver Da Costa had Nicholas Comrie caught behind by Tian van Niekerk, in the very next over, College had the bit between their teeth.
Cole Young held up the host’s push for victory for a while, striking a six and four fours in his innings of 29 from 36 deliveries, but his dismissal, from a run out in the 42nd over, left Kearsney with a mountain to climb. Their innings had lost momentum and too many batsmen. They were in trouble on 142/7.
Just past the 150-run mark, Daniel Miskey also fell victim to a run out. Two of those in the Kearsney innings were telling.
Bonga Maphanga hit out defiantly, cracking a six and three fours, before he was the ninth man out for 22 from 17 in the 46th over, but Kearsney’s resistance finally ended in the 49th over, when they were all out for 181.
Mason had led the College attack, snapping up three crucial wickets for 38 runs in 10 overs. Up front, opening bowler Reece Willson set the wheels in motion for the home side, removing both openers, on his way to a return of 2/11 from six.
Oliver Da Costa exerted huge pressure on Kearsney’s batsmen, snaring 1/20 in 10 overs, while Michael Gibson picked up 1/9 in 2.2, and Daniel Nadasan delivered 1/27 in five.
Summarised Scorecards
Maritzburg College 213/10 (Chad Mason 75, Karl Dedekind 24, Sphamandla Dzanibe 22, Litha Gonya 3/23, Bonga Maphanga 2/34); Kearsney College 181/10 (Ross Coetzee 38, Aaron Blackburn 32, Cole Young 29, Chad Mason 3/38, Reece Willson 2/11).
Maritzburg College won by 32 runs.
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