Northerns on top in main match of Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week

Northerns made sure they finished the 2016 edition of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week in Bloemfontein as the undisputed top team when they convincingly defeated hosts, Free State, by eight wickets in the main match. 

The team from Pretoria’s bowling attack restricted Free State to only 100 runs after sending them in to bat. Northerns’ opening bowler removed the top scorer of the tournament, Christopher Schreuder, without him adding a single run to his tally of 369 runs he accumulated during the week. 

Swanepoel (3/16) didn’t give the Free State batsmen many opportunities to score from his bowling in his ten overs. Ruan de Swardt also got rid of three batsmen for a mere 15 runs to put pressure on the home team.

The unprecedented drought in the Free probably contributed to this year’s tournament producing a record of 15 centuries. The previous record was set back in 2008 in Port Elizabeth when 13 centuries in total were scored. Since the inception of the tournament in 1940 as the Nuffield Week, there are not a lot of tournaments that more than six centuries were recorded in.  

On the last day of the tournament in Bloemfontein, another four players added their names to the list of centurions at the week. 

Eastern Province’s Jarryd Lookwhy (134) and Matthew Breetzke (101) shared a partnership of 183 runs over the second wicket against Easterns.

The match between Boland and Gauteng St. Andrew’s Vossie field yielded no result after a hailstorm lagged was sent off after only one delivery in Gauteng over. The pitch was not fast enough with the sail could not cover that made it then unplayable.

Boland captain Paul Barnard (109), did manage to make his mark on the week with a century in this match. 

The other century on the final day was recorded by KwaZulu-Natal Inland’s opening batsman Jiveshan Pillay (138 *) against Namibia.

Summarised Scorecards (Limited Overs): 

Free State 100 (Raynard van Tonder 28; Ruan de Swardt 3/15, Beyers Swanepoel 3/16, Donovan Ferreira 2/11); Northerns 100/2 (Tshepo Motaung 48*). Northerns won by eight wickets (D/L method). 

Boland 272/9 (Paul Barnard 109, Bernu Engelbrecht 56; Wiaan Mulder 4/31); Gauteng 0/0. No result. 

Eastern Province 336/9 (Jarryd Lookwhy 134, Matthew Breetzke 101; Nyiko Baloyi 3/87); Easterns 245/8 (Justin Brink 61, Jarred Alder 41, Brandon Harwood 40; Lutho Sipamla 4/49). Eastern Province won by 70 runs (D/L method).

KwaZulu-Natal Inland 293/3(Jiveshan Pillay 138*, Matthew Dicks 59, Sean Gilson 52); Namibia 188(Eben van Wyk 53; Jayden Gengan 3/29, Faiz Shafiq 2/11). KwaZulu-Natal Inland won by 94 runs (D/L method). 

North West 230/9 (Irwin Modimokoane 53, Jan-Harm Moolman 35; Khwezi Gumede 3/26); KwaZulu-Natal 183 (Andile Mokgakane 64, Zakariya Paruk 31; Ruan Minnaar 3/27, Jan-Harm Moolman 2/21). North West won by 13 runs (D/L method). 

Border 226 (Nathan Roux 73, Jason Raubenheimer 50, Jason Niemand 42; Michael Cohen 4/35); Western Province 183 (Grant Martin 51, Jesse Christensen 37; Siphamandla Krweqe 5/40, Akhona Mnyaka 4/28). Border won by 27 runs (D/L method). 

Northern Cape 241/5 (Simon Muller 57, Nakkie Duvenhage 38); Mpumalanga 133 (Conner Fletcher 47; Chadwin November 4/33, Mason Zacharia 3/26). Northern Cape won by 83 runs (D/L method). 

Limpopo 224 (Morné Venter 50, Sias Willemse 34*; Grant Esau 4/39); South Western Districts 198/7 (Jean du Plessis 66, Levin Muller 39; Ruvan Kruger 3/34). South Western Districts won by two runs (D/L method).