Paul Roos saved by the bell against Grey College
Pacing is an extremely important aspect of a two-day, two-innings match. Without a limited overs cap per innings, the batting side needs to find a balance between the balls remaining and runs on the scoreboard. Grey College have struggled to find that ratio in their last two games in the format.
They drew with Selborne College a fortnight ago and then drew with Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) on Saturday. On both occasions, the Bloemfontein side looked like the better team on their home ground, but they ran out of time to claim victory.
Batting first, on Friday, against the Stellenbosch visitors, Grey went big, declaring their innings on 367/9.
Opening batsman Aiden Dodd, was to the fore, scoring a Nelson, 111 runs, for the hosts. He also scored 78 in the first innings against Selborne.
Against the East London school, Henru de Wet struck an aggressive 103. This time, he chipped in with 57.
Jason Raal, Nathan van den Berg and Dion Slabber picked up two wickets each for PRG.
The visitors found the going tougher at the crease than Grey did and were bowled out for only 169. Nathan van den Berg showed off his all-round game, top scoring with 67, while Slabber was the second highest scorer for Ou Polla’s Boys, with 32.
Daniel Hayidakas led the Grey attack with the second-best bowling figures of the match, claiming 2/18. Bergh Vorster, Sicelo Matayi and the consistent Otto Krause, all removed two batsman each.
With a 198-run lead, but limited time remaining, Grey forced Paul Roos to follow on. When the match ended, the visitors were on 230/8 in their second innings, only 32 runs ahead.
Marcus Conradie settled in nicely to score 70, while Jason Raal contributed 40. However, it was Slabber’s unbeaten 31 off 86 that was arguably the most valuable performance of his side’s second innings. He farmed the bowling, keeping the tail enders safe, to steer Paul Roos to safety.
Jano Venter returned 2/17 for Grey, while Otto Krause claimed 2/31.
SCORES
Grey College 367/9 dec. (Aiden Dodd 111, Henru de Wet 57, Juan Maree 50, River Scott 34, Pieter Smit 33, Otto Krause 25*, Extras 21; Jason Raal 2/46, Nathan van den Berg 2/60, Dion Slabber 2/69); Paul Roos Gimnasium 169/10 (Nathan van den Berg 67, Dion Slabber 32, Etienne Serfontein 27; Daniel Hayidakas 2/18, Bergh Vorster 2/22, Sicelo Matayi 2/25, Otto Krause 2/33); Paul Roos Gimnasium 230/8 (Marcus Conradie 70, Jason Raal 40, Dion Slabber 31*, Xander van Niekerk 29, Enré van Zyl 26, Extras 20; Jano Venter 2/17, Otto Krause 2/31).
Match drawn.
- Free State Khaya Majola team named - 2025-10-21
- Voortrekker and Trio victorious - 2025-10-19
- Jeppe and the rain impacts Wildeklawer T20 quarterfinals - 2025-10-19
