Michaelhouse handily defeats DHS, Glenwood edges out Northwood
Michaelhouse vs Durban High School
Michaelhouse welcomed Durban High School to the Roy Gathorne Oval on Saturday for a limited overs match, but they were less hospitable when on the field, restricting School to just 133/7 from 50 overs before going on to win by six wickets.
A decision by ‘House skipper Graydon Leslie to bowl first paid off. It was a grind, though. The home team kept DHS in check with tight bowling, but established star batsmen, Ismaeel Omar and Josh van Biljon, demonstrated great powers of concentration to spend 18.1 overs together for the second wicket before they were parted.
Their stand produced 57 runs from 110 deliveries, but when Van Biljon was caught by Leslie off Preston Greene for 25, DHS suffered a collapse, slipping from 75/1 to 89/6 in just under eight overs. They struggled to accelerate their run-scoring rate after that, despite having 22.2 overs in hand when the second wicket went down.
Omar followed only two runs after Van Biljon with the innings’ top score of 35, but it took him 74 balls to get there. Aktar Bashar, batting at eight, finished on 27 not out as DHS batted at only 2.7 runs per over.
Liam O’Dwyer inflicted severe damage on the visitors’ innings, capturing a miserly 4/18 from his 10 overs as Michaelhouse clamped down on the visiting batsmen. A measure of their economy was the fact that Rendani Nonge, who gave up 3.7 runs per over in his 0/26 from seven, was the most expensive of the seven bowlers.
Rex Wardlow, with 1/20 from eight, and Preston Greene, with 1/24 from 10, also succeeded in ratcheting up the pressure on School.
When Michaelhouse batted, they advanced two runs per over faster than DHS, replying with 136/4 from 29 overs to record an impressive win.
Opening batsman, Cody Sander, produced a focused performance, scoring 36 not out from 74 balls at the top of the order. He also shared a 27-run fourth-wicket stand with Rex Wardlaw, who struck three fours in his 20 from 18 deliveries. After Wardlaw was bowled by Josh Morley, though, the innings caught fire behind Ben Heuer‘s aggressive hitting.
He flayed an unbeaten 50 from only 34 balls, launching two sixes and sending five deliveries to the boundary, while partnering with Sander for an unbroken 72.
Morley stood out for DHS, also getting rid of Victor North, on his way to figures of 2/23 from 10 overs. But it was Michaelhouse’s day.
Glenwood vs Northwood
On Dixon’s Oval, Glenwood and Northwood staged a thrilling limited overs clash, with the Green Machine clawing their way to a morale-boosting two-run win despite being minus-17 on the tally of extras.
When they won the toss, Glenwood put Northwood in and immediately made that decision count, with Vincenzo Loutz removing Ross McGlashan and Hamza Amla, while Jonah Chaita accounted for David de Bruyn, to leave the Knights staggered on 9/3 in the fifth over.
Luc Boyall and Josh Mills slowed the onslaught briefly, but when Esihle Gasa bowled Boyall, Northwood slipped to 25/4. Then, a run out of Mills for 14 further complicated matters for the visitors, leaving them wobbling on 42/5 in the 21st over. That, however, was when they began their fightback.
Thomas Oosthuizen and Max Nicholson joined forces and patiently added 45 runs from the next 112 balls. It was slow going, but it was what was needed. After Oosthuizen departed for 27, Nicholson was the next to go, out for 19, which left Northwood on 113/7 with 9.1 overs remaining.
That’s when Keegan Reeves brought life to their innings. He cracked five fours in his 50 from only 37 deliveries before being run out by Loutz, but he and Thabiso Mtambo had added 49 from only 42 balls. Mtambo and Trevor van Volenstee then shared another 15 runs to lift Northwood to 177/8, with Mtambo undefeated on 24.
Aided by 27 extras, the Knights had posted 177/8 and given themselves a chance to win.
Vicenzo Loutz led Glenwood’s bowling attack with 2/17 from six overs, while Esihle Gasa gave little way in his 10 overs, claiming 1/19.
When Glenwood batted, Northwood struck two early blows, with Josh Mills dismissing JP Pillay and Nuzayh Mohammed, both caught by Van Volenstee, before Glenwood had reached double figures. The home side settled, though, when Kreesan Pillai joined Akhil Sinath at the crease. Together, they added a watchful 51 from 85 balls.
Van Volenstee, then, grabbed his third catch off the leg spin of Max Nicholson, to send Sinath packing for 27. Glenwood lost their way somewhat after his departure, falling to 93/5 in the 31st over of their innings, before Pillai and Mishael Gunawardana played them back into the game with a partnership of 49 from only 54 balls for the sixth wicket.
Keegan Reeves ended it when he had Pillai stumped by McGlashan for 65, the highest score of the match. He had faced 93 balls and hit seven fours. When Pillai was removed, Glenwood was on 142/6. With just over 10 overs to go, they needed 36 to win.
That soon became 151/7 when Sebastien Oertel was run out, but, crucially, Gunawardana was still there. He helped Glenwood to within one big blow of victory before losing his wicket. His 36 runs, though, proved to be decisive.
Jonah Chaita, with whom Gunawardana shared a 21-run stand, was there at the end, unbeaten on 18, when Glenwood secured a two-wicket win with 14 balls to spare.
Max Nicholson tied the home side in knots, snaring 2/22 from 10 overs with his leg spin, while Josh Mills bagged 2/35 from nine overs, and Keegan Reeves 2/32 in 6.4.
Summarised scorecards
Durban High School 133/7 (Ismaeel Omar 35, Aktar Bashar 27*, Josh van Biljon 25; Liam O’Dwyer 4/18); Michaelhouse 136/4 (Ben Heuer 50*, Cody Sander 36*, Rex Wardlaw 20; Josh Morley 2/23). Michaelhouse won by six wickets.
Northwood 177/8 (Keegan Reeves 50, Thomas Oosthuizen 27, Thabiso Mtambo 24*; Vincenzo Loutz 2/17); Glenwood 179/8 (Kreesan Pillai 63, Mishael Gunawardana 36, Akhil Sinath 27; Max Nicholson 2/22, Keegan Reeves 2/32, Josh Mills 2/35). Glenwood won by two wickets.
