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Opening day of iHlobo Festival rained out, more forecast


Falcon College opening batsman Brandon Ndiweni cuts Sandiswa Yeni on his way to the Zimbabwean school's top score of 56 during the 2024 iHlobo Festival. Photo: Brad Morgan.
Falcon College opening batsman Brandon Ndiweni cuts Sandiswa Yeni on his way to the Zimbabwean school’s top score of 56 against the hosts during the 2024 iHlobo Festival. Photo: Brad Morgan.

After extremely hot weather over the weekend, rain moved into the coastal areas of KwaZulu-Natal on Monday and wiped out play on the opening day of Kearsney College‘s iHlobo Festival.

The rainfall hasn’t been heavy, but it has been consistent. Matt Savage, coach of the Kearsney 1st XI, told SuperSport Schools that the organisers hope to get in a T20 game or two on Tuesday afternoon, with the rain expected to stop somewhere around midday to mid-afternoon. The fields drain pretty well, he said, but a lot of rain has fallen.

For the first three days of the festival, 50-over games were scheduled, with a T20 on Thursday, but it has now become a case of hoping to get a T20 in on any day when the weather allows it.

Last year, the switch to the shorter format when rain fell allowed some matches to be completed, but, according to the weather forecasts, it might be only on Thursday that matches are played. That’s when there’s a slight chance of rain. On Tuesday, the forecast of rain is at 65 percent, and on Wednesday it rises to 78 percent.

FIXTURES

Tuesday, 7 January, 50 over

Maritzburg College vs St Alban’s, AH Smith
Kearsney vs Clifton, Matterson
Uplands vs St John’s, Osler
DHS vs Falcon, DHS

Wednesday, 8 January, 50 overs

Clifton vs Falcon, AH Smith
Maritzburg College vs Uplands, Matterson
Kearsney vs St Alban’s, Osler
DHS vs St John’s, DHS

Thursday, 9 January, T20

Kearsney vs Falcon, AH Smith
Clifton vs Uplands, Matterson
Maritzburg College vs St John’s Osler
DHS vs St Alban’s, DHS

Brad Morgan
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.