Michaelhouse marches to victory at Hilton
Hilton College hosted Michaelhouse on the Hart-Davis Oval on Saturday, where the visitors found the venue to be hospitable, cruising to a convincing five-wicket victory after a tepid batting effort from Hilton.
The toss went the home side’s way. However, as has all too often happened in 2025, they failed to get going and lost wickets in clumps as they clawed their way to a modest 105 all out.
To be frank, Hilton was likely rather relieved to make it to three figures after they stumbled out of the gate and were reduced to a creaky 24/6 in the early going.
Michaelhouse’s opening bowlers, Thandanani Zuma and Rendani Nonge, put the skids under the hosts’ top order, with Ben Hockly the only one of the top six to make it into double figures, although his 12 from 22 balls wasn’t that much to write home about.
Nonge inflicted the majority of the damage, knocking over 4/29 in 6.4 overs, while Zuma chipped in with a tidy 2/21 from eight.
Ben Heuer kept up the pressure, claiming 1/14 in seven, and Liam O’Dwyer, the sixth man brought into the attack, made his mark by snaring 2/13 in 4.1.
Hilton’s lower order offered some resistance, with David Hill, batting at nine, clubbing two fours and two sixes in the innings’ top score of 32 from 34 balls.
Robert Burman, batting unusually low down the order, at seven, chipped in with 18, and Luke Wilson, matched that score, patiently spending 64 balls out in the middle, which was by some margin the longest stay of any of the home team’s batsmen.
When Michaelhouse batted, Jayden Roux did his best to wreck their reply, removing the top three in the order – William Russon, Henry Love, and Graydon Leslie – to reduce the visitors to 21/3. Then, when Sechaba Gude dismissed Hayden Hewlett for 10, ‘House had stumbled to 27/4 and it was game on.
Nicholas Baker and Ben Heuer, though, wrestled control of the contest away from Hilton, adding 55 for the fourth wicket before Baker was caught off the bowling of David Hill for 41 from 38 balls, which had included four fours.
On 82/5, Michaelhouse was within sight of victory and Heuer duly steered them to the win, finishing with 40 not out from just 32 deliveries. His knock included four fours and two sixes.
Roux finished with 3/31 from six overs, while David Hill snapped up 1/0 in one over of leg spin, and Sechaba Gude returned 1/15 from six.
Hilton, though, had simply not scored enough runs and Michaelhouse strolled to victory in the 21st over.
Scores
Hilton College 105/10 (David Hill 32; Rendani Nonge 4/29, Liam O’Dwyer 2/13, Thandanani Zuma 2/21); Michaelhouse 107/5 (Nicholas Baker 41, Ben Heuer 40*; Jayden Roux 3/31).
Michaelhouse won by five wickets.
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