Muhammed Malek goes big for Clifton, Kearsney’s Moodley derails Saints
Clifton College didn’t get enough out of their batsmen in a loss to Helpmekaar Kollege on Thursday at the Independent Schools Cricket Festival. On Friday, though, they put that right. Muhammed Malek led the way with an unbeaten 115 against St George’s College on the Baloyi Oval at St Alban’s College.
Matters didn’t start well for Clifton, who lost a wicket off the first ball of the contest. Veer Ramouthar and Yusuf Ahmed steadied the ship, making 22 and 42 respectively. Yet, when Ahmed fell in the 29th over, Clifton was on 138/5. They appeared to be on their way to a decent total, but nothing special.
The next 21.4 overs yielded 193 runs, however, and Muhammed Malek was to the fore, with a hard-hitting boost from his captain, Shiraz Perumal, and a useful cameo from Daniel Rea. Malek and Perumal combined for the innings’ key partnership, adding 137 runs in only 13.5 overs.
Kundanashe Mushonga eventually ended the onslaught by bowling Perumal, who exited for 64 from 49 balls, which featured six fours and two sixes. Malek and Rea, then, tacked on 56 in just under eight overs, with Rea going out off the last ball of the innings for 28.
Malek finished with 115 not out off just 95 balls, 11 of which he steered to the boundary, and Clifton totalled a good-looking 331/7.
Opening bowler Kundanashe Mushonga led the Harare side’s attack, claiming 2/43 from eight overs, while Kudaishe Nyatsanza took 2/61 in 10.
St George’s reply didn’t start much better than Clifton’s innings; they lost their first wicket to the third ball of the innings. Soon, wickets began to tumble regularly.
By the time 18 overs had been bowled, the Zimbabweans were in desperate trouble, floundering on 37/6, with the Clifton bowlers spreading the wickets around.
Four batsmen made it into double figures, but none bettered the 14 made by both Kundanashe Mushonga and Allen Masiya. In just less than 30 overs, St George’s was bowled out for only 80.
Clifton captain Shiraz Perumal, who captured an eye-opening 95 wickets in 2025, snapped up 3/15 in 3.4 overs to lead his side’s charge. Left-arm spinner, Blake Johnson, was miserly, nabbing 2/6 in five overs, while off-spinner Keegan Watson claimed 2/18 in seven, and left-arm seamer, Eli van Jaarsveld, knocked over 2/21 in six.
Muhammed Malek completed his excellent day with 1/0 from three maiden overs.
Kearsney College vs St Stithians College
Kearsney College faced St Stithians College on Parke de Terrace at Cornwall Hill. When the KZN side won the toss, they opted to bat first. It didn’t deliver the results they desired.
Saints kept their bowling tight, restricting Kearsney to 153 all out after 46.4 overs, which owed a lot to a last-wicket partnership of 61 between Matthew Rice and Ryan Staats.
Staats, batting at 11, showed those who batted above him a thing or two. He stroked four fours and three sixes in a rapid and unbeaten 43 off only 29 balls. Rice, meanwhile, played a more conservative knock, contributing 22 from 57 deliveries.
The top score of the innings, though, belonged to Kearsney captain Keegan de Jager. Batting at four, he faced 110 balls, hit four fours and a six, and made 53. Kearsney’s problem was that, apart from the three aforementioned batsmen, their next highest score was only six.
The Saints’ opening pair, Tendai Kadyamadare and Nqaba Matunda, got stuck into the Kearsney batting early, and Zaakir Hanslo, who came on as the first change bowler, also removed a couple of batsmen to put the skids under the boys from Botha’s Hill.
Matuna led the way with 3/28 from 6.4 overs, while Kadyamadare claimed 2/34 in eight, and Hanslo 2/38 from 10 as Kearsney struggled to break free of the shackles imposed on them.
While Kearsney’s 153 all out didn’t look imposing, that changed once Rivaan Moodley took the ball. The leg-spinner tied Saints in knots, sending down 10 overs, three of them maidens, and snaring a sensational 4/16, which destroyed the St Stithians’ middle order.
The Johannesburg school’s biggest issue was a lack of partnerships. Their best was 23 runs for the first wicket between Akhil Challa and Ombesa Matsha. No others made it beyond the teens. They mustered 17 for the tenth wicket, but they were all out for 117 in the 39th over.
While Moodley undermined the St Stithians’ reply, he didn’t do it alone. Michael Groom knocked over 2/21 in eight, Matthew Rice bagged 2/18 in 3.4, and Matthew Gorrie chipped in with a tidy 1/31 from 10.
Matthew Katzenstein provided the best resistance, facing 57 balls for his 32, while Ombesa Matsha made 21 and Thomas Collins 20.
Victory, though, went decisively to Kearsney College by 36 runs.
Summarised scorecards
Clifton College 331/7 (Muhammed Malek 115*, Shiraz Perumal 64, Yusuf Ahmed 42, Daniel Rea 28, Veer Ramouthar 22; Kundanashe Mushonga 2/43, Kudaishe Nyatsanza 2/61); St George’s College 80/10 (Kundanashe Mushonga 14, Allen Masiya 14; Shiraz Perumal 3/15, Blake Johnson 2/6, Keegan Watson 2/18, Eli van Jaarsveld 2/21). Clifton College won by 251 runs.
Kearsney College 153/10 (Keegan de Jager 52, Ryan Staats 43*, Matthew Rice 22; Nqaba Matuna 3/28, Tendai Kadymadare 2/34, Zaakir Hanslo 2/38); St Stithians College 117/10 (Matthew Katzenstein 32, Ombesa Matsha 21, Thomas Collins 20; Rivaan Moodley 4/16, Matthew Rice 2/18, Michael Groom 2/21). Kearsney College won by 36 runs.
