Minnaar and Hans Moore chasing a place in Fain-Noordvaal final
Hoërskool Hans Moore will relish their opportunity to make the final of the Fain Noordvaal competition on Saturday.
Follow all the action live on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)
The side from Benoni is on course for the big game after claiming a couple of big scalps on their way to the semi-finals. They ousted Hoërskool Garsfontein and then, most recently, convincingly dealt with last year’s runners-up, Hoërskool Marais Viljoen.
However, beating Menlopark’s young team, under the guidance of seasoned coach, Arno van Wyk, will be no easy feat.
The Parkies have won both of their Noordvaal games relatively easily, despite playing without some of their bigger names. The youngsters, who have filled in for them have risen to the occasion. Dian van Zyl and Jan-Willem Pienaar, especially, have been noteworthy contributors over the past couple of weeks.
Both batted well and were the mainstays of Menlopark’s batting in their victory over Hoërskool Pietersburg in the quarterfinals last week. This week, playing at home in Pretoria, they face a big threat from Hans Moore’s spearhead, Kenan Shaw. He has enjoyed an extremely fruitful season with the ball, boasting an astonishing 54 wickets from just 148 overs.
The visitors also have a couple of stars in their batting lineup. Captain Warren Minnaar has been in sublime form in 2024, scoring 1 312 runs in 29 matches at an impressive average of 45.64, while Xavier Coetzee has tallied 1 202 runs, including a sensational double-century earlier in the year. Their battle with the Parkies’ spin attack promises loads of excitement.
The tall right-arm off-spinner, Murray Hofmeyr has enjoyed a strong season with the ball, and in recent weeks Matt van der Westhuizen has, also, come to the fore. He’s a dual threat as one of Menlopark’s top batsmen, too.
The stage has been set for a fascinating race to the final, with Saturday’s winner hoping to dethrone Hoërskool Waterkloof, the champion of the competition for the past three seasons.
