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Pearson lifts Eastern Province-Border Schools SA20 Title

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

Pearson’s title-winning team. Photo: Pearson High School on Facebook.

Cayden Wilson put together an outstanding all-round performance to steer Pearson High School to victory in the Eastern Province and Border regional finals of the Schools SA20 tournament.

In the final, played at Buffalo Park in East London, Pearson beat Grey High School by 24 runs on Sunday morning.

Throughout Phase Two of the Schools SA20 tournament – the regional final, which brought together the best teams from the Eastern Province and Border regions – Pearson remained unbeaten.

Sunday’s win ushered them into the third phase of the competition, which will see them lock horns with the other regional winners for the title of national champion.

Wilson flayed five fours and four sixes on his way to a match-winning 69 off 46 balls and led his side to an unassailable 156/8. He then marshalled his bowling attack with aplomb as they dismissed Grey for 127 runs.

The Pearson skipper was named the player of the tournament at the 2023 u16 National Week and received an award for that at the Cricket South Africa Awards in September 2024. In December 2024, he was an outstanding performer for Eastern Province at the Khaya Majola Week and was included in the SA Colts team.

Wilson, after some good performances at the Makhanda Cricket Festival earlier this month, carried that strong form into the final against Pearson’s Gqeberha neighbours, Grey High School, and, after winning the toss, he elected to bat first.

That decision appeared to have backfired somewhat when Matthew Burton was out in the second over. He had, however, blasted a quickfire 17 off nine balls by not allowing Grey High’s opening bowlers to settle into a threatening line and length.

Pearson’s troubles were compounded when they lost Jude Septoo five balls later. Burton and Septoo were the only Pearson batsmen who had entered the match with runs under their belts. Their bowlers had been so effective in dismissing opposing teams for low totals that Burton and Septoo had needed only a handful of overs to chase down the required runs. The removal of the pair meant Pearson’s middle order faced their first test of the competition.

Wilson and Sulaymaan Gangat (19) combined for a 34-run third-wicket partnership at close to a run-a-ball and were together until the eighth over, when Markus Potgieter made the breakthrough for Grey. Gangat’s removal paved the way for Wilson and Luke Hector to add 87 runs for the fourth wicket from only 63 deliveries. While Wilson took charge, Hector anchored the partnership with a patient 25 off 31.

In the 18th over, Potgieter ended Wilson’s fine innings. It was his third wicket in the match, which made him Grey’s High’s most successful bowler. Iviwe Mazomba, Frederick Jansen, and Nathan Howell chipped in with a wicket each.

Spin bowler Matthew Burton opened the bowling for Pearson and set the tone with disciplined lines and lengths. He gave nothing away in his four-over spell, which he bowled out on the trot. He was, also, unlucky not to bag a wicket. However, Burton’s economy rate of 2.5 runs per over was the best achieved by any Pearson bowler and it heaped pressure on the Grey reply.

Kade Myburgh looked unstoppable with his deliveries that attacked the channel just outside the line of the off stump. He was the most successful bowler, capturing three wickets for 21 runs in four overs. Jadyan Ward, Sulaymaan Gangat, and Cayden Wilson also shone, bagging two wickets each.

Wilson could have finished with better figures had Frederick Jansen not come in and provided Grey High with a faint glimmer of hope by smashing an enterprising 28 off 12 balls. He launched three sixes in his brief but entertaining innings before Wilson had the last say by clean-bowling the Grey all-rounder.

Grey High’s second-highest run-scorer was Logan Goddard-Ford, who did for Jansen what Hector did for Wilson earlier in the day. He scored 16 off 15 balls while anchoring the innings. However, Goddard-Ford’s anchor role was not by choice. He simply could not hit the ball off the square.

Pearson demonstrated quality with both the bat and ball and they will be worthy opponents for whomever they go up against in the national final.

Summarised scorecard

Pearson 156/8 (Cayden Wilson 69, Luke Hector 25, Markus Potgieter 3/20, Nathan Howell 1/19). Grey High 127/10 (Frederick Jansen 28, Logan Goddard-Ford 16, Kade Myburgh 3/21, Jadyan Ward 2/13). Pearson won by 29 runs.

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