Menlopark bosses Waterkloof in key Finsbury League A Section clash
Wicketkeeper-batsman Jan-Willem Pienaar and all-rounder Johan Bosch guided Die Hoërskool Menlopark to a second consecutive victory over Hoërskool Waterkloof in the A Section of the Finsbury League on Wednesday.
With the Klofies travelling to KwaZulu-Natal for the Clifton T2o Tournament over the weekend, a fixture likely to be repeated in the Finsbury A League final on Saturday, 21 February, was brought forward and played across Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.
Playing at home, Parkies won the toss and elected to bat. An opening stand of 53 between Juan Lombaard (35) and André Kruyshaar (16) provided a solid platform, and their teammates built upon it, advancing the total to a strong 275 all out.
Fresh off a recent century, Pienaar continued his rich vein of form. In another commanding display, he struck six sixes and three fours in his 91, the highest individual score of the match.
Bosch, batting at seven, enjoyed an excellent all-round match, beginning with a blistering 55 from just 27 deliveries. Notably, his boundary count mirrored that of Pienaar – six sixes and three fours – as he shifted the momentum decisively in Menlopark’s favour.
On Wednesday, he followed up with a fine spell of bowling, claiming the last three Waterkloof wickets, to return 3/25. Murray Hofmeyr, with 2/27, and Wihan Spanneberg, with 2/37, had earlier made important breakthroughs at the top of the order.
It was, however, two crucial run outs in the middle order, which included Waterkloof’s leading batsman, Johan Feuth, that proved pivotal. Feuth had appeared to be well on his way to a potential match-winning knock before he was dismissed for 71.
Juan Swart (34) and AJ de Villiers (32) added useful contributions, but the defending champions were restricted to 215 all out, falling 60 runs short of Menlo’s total.
It was a must-win outing for Menlopark, so an emphatic win over Klofies was a huge boost to their morale. Not only did it secure their place in the final, but it also handed the defending champions their first defeat of the season.
Summarised scorecards
Menlopark 275 (Jan-Willem Pienaar 91, Johan Bosch 55, Juan Lombaard 35; AJ de Villiers 3/33, Rian Klopper 3/41); Waterkloof 215 (Johan Feuth 71, Juan Swart 34, AJ de Villiers 32; Johan Bosch 3/25, Murray Hofmeyr 2/27, Wihan Spanneberg 2/37). Menlopark won by 60 runs.
