Midstream College set to face sternest challenge thus far in Benoni
On Tuesday, 27 January, Hoërskool Hans Moore became the only team in the Finsbury League‘s B Section to register a second victory in this year’s competition when they romped to a commanding 226-run win over Hoërskool Marais Viljoen in Alberton.
They had beaten Potchefstroom Gimnasium the previous week, continuing a dominant run of form.
Hans Moore also enjoyed a strong showing at the Northern Regional Playoffs of the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two competition over the past weekend, where they finished as the runner-up to Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) after a narrow three-run defeat in the final.
Their Switch Schools SA20 campaign was also the reason the fixture against Marais Viljoen was moved to midweek. The log leaders next turn their attention to Midstream College, who visit Benoni on Saturday.
Midstream, newcomers to the B Section this year, made an immediate statement with an opening victory over the same Marais Viljoen side that Hans Moore beat on Tuesday. They fell short against Hoërskool Nelspruit in their second outing, however.
In Hans Moore, they face their sternest test against the B Section’s form side, who were unbeaten until the final of the Northern Regional Playoffs. Their impressive run included a 23-run win over Affies and a 24-run win over Hoërskool Garsfontein.
The middle-order match-ups should be intriguing. Over the weekend, the Hans Moore pitch offered batsmen the chance to score freely once they had settled in, and Midstream’s Dian de Villiers and Ryan Strauss will be keen to exploit those conditions.
However, they will come up against the in-form duo of Aidan Shaw and Xavier van Biljon, who own strong home ground records. They understand how to make the best use of the conditions. Adding to the challenge, the visitors will also have to contend with the Moories’ spin twins, Kearan Weyers and Kyle Wratten.
Jonathan Wiseman, now in his third year of 1st XI cricket, will take the new ball and lead the Midstream College attack.
Hoërskool Nelspruit, in their first home fixture of the competition, will welcome a wounded Potchefstroom Gimnasium side to Mbombela.
Gimmies, whose only defeat thus far has come at the hands of Hans Moore, possess a strong line-up, with batsman Christivan Coetzer among the key figures. However, the experience of Gherdu van Eeden in the middle order and the bowling of Safwaan Muller will present a tough challenge for the visitors.
Marais Viljoen stays at home for a second week in succession for a showdown against Hoërskool Montana in Alberton on Saturday.
Monties became Potchefstroom Gimnasium’s first victim when they failed to chase down a low total. They’ll be eager to rectify that this weekend, especially with their captain, Juan Theunissen, in good form early in the season. In four matches, he has compiled 216 runs, including 53 in the loss to Gimmies.
Marais Viljoen, in turn, will look to the brothers, Zaim Hashim and Rieshaeel Hashim, and their captain, Ethan van Rooyen, to step up. They need a win with promotion and relegation implications looming on the final weekend of the competition, on 21 February.
Summarised scorecard – 27 January 2026
Hans Moore 319/9 (Matthew Haigh 88, Xavier van Biljon 62, Tristan Harris 60, Kyle Wratten 41*, Isaac Aube 34; Hendré Cilliers 2/35, Jadon Pretorius 2/39, Marco Hoffman 2/48); Marais Viljoen 93/10 (Zaim Hashim 24; Nathan King 4/16, Ruan Wessels 2/7, Xavier van Biljon 2/16). Hans Moore won by 226 runs.
