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Nomandi victorious, Grey High to face Pearson in boys’ final

By CS Chiwanza , in Cricket | Featured Cricket | News , at 2025-01-19 Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Nomandi’s title-winning team. Photo: Nomandi.

Nomandi outplayed Stirling High School, defeating them by 105 runs in the final of the girls’ section of the Eastern Province and Border Schools SA20 regional tournament at Buffalo Park, in East London, on Saturday afternoon.

Grey High goes up against Pearson in the boys’ final on Sunday morning at the same venue.

Grey and Pearson have been a class apart from the rest of the teams competing in the boys’ section. Neither has lost a match on their way to qualifying for the final.

Grey shrugged aside all opposition to qualify for the final with four wins from four games, while their Gqeberha rivals, Pearson, registered three wins in their three completed matches.

A big 108-run win over Queen’s College on Saturday afternoon launched Grey into the final, while Pearson secured their place with a four-wicket win over Selborne College.

Nomandi registered the highest total in the girls’ section’s matches in the final after being put in to bat first by Stirling High captain Cayleigh Wankel. Enkosi Mditshwa paved the way with a 35-ball 27 on a surface that offered assistance to the spinners.

Sikho Khetho, with whom Mditshwa shared a 29-run third-wicket partnership, had little trouble taking the baton from the opener. She struck seven fours on her way to an unbeaten 39 off 40 balls as Nomandi tallied 138/5. Stirling did not do themselves any favours with the numerous wides and no balls they served up to Nomandi, who benefitted from 39 extras.

It was the second meeting of the sides in as many days. On Friday, Nomandi, astonishingly, bundled out Stirling for only 11 runs. While Stirling was a little better and surpassed that score in the final, they failed to tally as many runs as the extras they conceded. They had trouble reading the Nomandi spinners and medium pacers and slumped to 33 all out.

Enkosi Mditshwa, Yamkhela Mnqabashe, Chumani Majambe, and Kwanele Kratshi bagged a brace of wickets each.

In the boys’ semi-finals, Luke Tait and Charl Posthumus acquitted themselves well, with both registering half-centuries that catapulted Grey High to 167/5 in their showdown with Queen’s College. They ran hard and dispatched any bad balls that were sent their way while compiling a hasty 123-run opening partnership, which lasted 15.2 overs.

Posthumus finished with a brilliant 65 from 45, while Tait added 64 from 59. After their dismissals, no other Grey batsmen were able to exit single figures. However, they had done enough damage to lift them to an unassailable total.

Teun Kloppenberg was Grey High’s hero with the bat on Friday, when they met Queen’s for the first time. In the semifinals, he showed up with the ball and captured two wickets for nine runs as Grey restricted Queen’s to just 59/7. The pick of the Grey bowlers, though, was Nathan Howell, who snapped up two for five in three overs.

The victory over Queen’s came after an eight-wicket victory over Mqanduli Village in the morning session.

Sulaymaan Gangat spun a web around Selborne College as Pearson limited the locals to 87 all out, snaring 3/13 from four overs.

Josh Wilkie, who was at the crease for 10.5 overs, did his best to resist the Pearson bowling attack. However, not even his 37-ball 38 runs could lift Selborne to a defendable total because no other batsmen bettered 10 runs.

Pearson’s reply was uneven as they lost four wickets in the powerplay. However, they assuaged that collapse with runs on the board. They had already scored 57 and needed only 31 more runs when they lost their fourth wicket in the sixth over.

That was in large part thanks to Cayden Wilson, who refused to be tied down by the Selborne bowlers and blasted an 11-ball 28. Luke Hector carried on the good work, with 21 off 18, and by the time he departed, Pearson required only two runs to win.

Bungqina Nuku did his best for Selborne, claiming three wickets for 31 runs. That wasn’t enough, however, to stop Pearson. Not even a double strike in a single over by Michael Hess could turn the tide.

Given the form of the finalists, the clash between Grey High and Pearson could be a humdinger of a contest. They lock horns at 09:30 on Sunday morning.

Scorecards

Girls’ section

Nomandi 138/5 (Sikho Khetho 39*, Enkosi Mditshwa 27, Addyson Stanton 2/23, Cayleigh Wankel 1/16) Stirling 33/10 (Tama Tandwa 9, Chloe Henricks 5, Enkosi Mditshwa 2/5, Yamkhela Mnqabashe 2/4). Nomandi won by 105 runs.

Boys’ section

Semifinals

Grey High 167/5 (Charl Posthumus 65, Luke Tait 64, Khazimila Simama 1/30, Geza Culumanco 1/25). Queen’s College 59/7 (Duncan Hayes 24, Fitzhenry Ross 14, Nathan Howell 2/5, Teun Kloppenberg 2/9). Grey High won by 105 runs.

Selborne College 87/10 (Josh Wilkie 38, Connor Fowles 9, Sulaymaan Gangat 3/13, Kade Myburgh 2/20). Pearson High 90/6 (Cayden Wilson 28, Luke Hector 21, Bungqina Nuku 3/31, Michael Hess 2/4). Pearson won by four wickets.

Morning session

Mqanduli Village 54/4 (Sinawo Nongalo 21, Bulumnko Didi 7, Nathan Howell 1/2, Connor Parry 1/7). Grey High 55/2 (Charl Posthumus 23, Teun Kloppenberg 13, Sanele Mphathelwa 2/16, Iviwe Ntengwane 0/35). Grey High won by eight wickets.

Queen’s College 30/10 (Geza Culumanco 10*, Aiden van Jaarsveld 9, Daniel Ritchie 3/5, Jadyan Ward 2/10). Pearson 32/0 (Jude Septoo 16*, Matthew Burton 15*, Mthokozisi Mbambo 0/20, Khazimla Simama 0/11). Pearson won by 10 wickets.

Selborne 147/6 (Connor Fowles 30, Reece Waite 28, Kwakhanya Jayiya 3/34, Baphelele Silo 2/23). Jumba 74/10 (Baphelele Silo 19, Chulumanco Soyizwaphi 14, Michael Hess 4/10, Mjo Lukhanyiso 3/11). Selborne won by 73 runs.

CS Chiwanza
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.