Matsha magical for St Stithians, Michaelhouse and Hilton score ISCF wins
In a battle of the Saints, Ombesa Matsha and Liam Mudenda rose to the occasion and spurred St Stithians College to a last-over victory over St Andrew’s School on Sunday, the final day of the 2025 Standard Bank Independent Schools Cricket Festival.
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The St Stithians’ openers set Rice Field at St John’s College alight with a match-winning 145-run partnership. That contribution laid a rock-solid foundation as they claimed an eight-wicket win over the Schools SA20 regional champions for the Free State, North West, and Northern Cape.
Matsha was the star of the show. He smashed seven fours and five sixes in an unbeaten 87 runs, which he achieved at a scoring rate of 142.
Mudenda raced along, too, batting at an even faster pace. He amassed a strike rate of 160, taking only 43 deliveries to score 69 runs, of which seven were sixes and two were fours, before he was sent back to the pavilion by Erhard Barends (1/35).
Andrew Sobiech led the Bloemfontein boys’ challenge. Not only did he stand out with the bat, scoring 38 runs at the top of the order, but he also picked up 1/31, the best bowling figures by a St Andrew’s bowler on the day. His fellow opening batsman, Naudé Botha, also looked in good touch, facing 35 balls for his 40 runs.
While Matsha and Mudenda did a fine job with the bat, the St. Stithians bowlers played their part well, too. Zaakir Hanslo, with 3/26, was once again at the forefront of their efforts, which brought the Johannesburg school an impressive victory.
Michaelhouse‘s batting, at times fragile this season, delivered them a 26-run win over Harare’s St John’s College in their final outing. Captain Ethan Muir, who has found his form in recent weeks, led the way with a well-played 50, while Michael Blignaut weighed in with an unbeaten 46. Graydon Leslie, also, contributed 38, which helped the Balgowan boys to a strong 178/3 from their 20 overs.
‘House‘s Liam O’Dwyer (2/17) and Luke Mitchell (2/23), then, made their mark with the ball. They shared four wickets between them while conceding 40 runs from seven overs, with each dismissal coming at an opportune moment.
Facing a difficult run chase, Riley Ettlin and Luca Spagnuolo gave St John’s a glimmer of hope, batting well for 45 runs each. Still, the Zimbabweans came up well short of Michaelhouse’s challenging total, finishing on 152/7 after their 20 overs.
Hilton College dominated Woodridge College to sign off with an emphatic victory.
Luke Campbell (3/9) and Sechaba Gude (3/14) tore through the Woodridge top order with a combined six wickets for only 23 runs in eight overs. Leg-spinner David Hill (2/19), then, chipped in with two of his own as the Eastern Cape side was rolled for only 72 runs.
It was a modest total and Hilton captain Ben Hockly went after it aggressively. He faced just 34 balls for an unbeaten 45 and struck seven boundaries to lead his team to a 10-wicket win.
Summarised scorecards
St Andrew’s School 162/8 (Naudé Botha 40, Andrew Sobiech 38, Johan Liebenberg 23; Zaakir Hanslo 3/26, Thomas Collins 2/28); St Stithians College 166/2 (Ombesa Matsha 87*, Liam Mudenda 69; Andrew Sobiech 1/31). St Stithians College won by eight wickets.
Michaelhouse 178/3 (Ethan Muir 50, Michael Blignaut 46*, Graydon Lesile 38*; James Rawlings 2/31); St John’s College (Harare) 152/7 (Riley Ettlin 45, Luca Spagnuolo 45; Liam O’Dwyer 2/17, Luke Mitchell 2/23). Michaelhouse won by 26 runs.
Woodridge College 72/10 (Cameron Ferrant 16; Luke Campbell 3/9, Sechaba Gude 3/14, David Hill 2/19); Hilton College 73/0 (Ben Hockly 45*; Randy Syce 0/19). Hilton College won by 10 wickets.
