Pretoria a steep learning curve for Paul Roos youngsters
Paul Roos Gimnasium experienced a challenging weekend tour of Pretoria from 26 to 28 September, with their abilities being put to the test in conditions different from those they are accustomed to back home.
Read and relive all the 2025 School Cricket action right here on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)
Head coach and director of cricket at the Stellenbosch powerhouse, Deon Botes, however, had a plan for the tour, a method behind the madness, as it were.
The trip up north would ultimately be used to build depth and experience for the years to come. No matrics were chosen for the tour, with the side including six u15 players and three u16 and u17 players respectively, all of whom experienced invaluable learnings over the three days.
First up, on Friday 26 September, Paul Roos faced their toughest challenge of the trip, Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool. Affies are currently the flagship cricket side in Pretoria, leading one of the toughest leagues at schoolboy level, the Titans Platinum League, and are poised to become the first new champion of this league in five years.
Their extremely talented youngster, Christian Linde, decided to shine bright on the day once again. Having been sent in to bat by the visitors and following a 63-run opening stand by Dylan Stander (42) and JP Botha (41), Linde had a strong foundation from which he could launch an all-out attack.
As is his custom, anything loose was dispatched to the boundary for nine fours and a six. That, however, brought only 42 of his runs, which illustrates his efficient running between the wickets. This enabled him to still score at more than a run a ball, with his innings ending on 104 from only 91 deliveries.
Paul Roos’ opening bowler, Dion Slabber, who emerged as one of the top performers over the weekend, stood out with the ball, snapping up 2/52 in his quota of 10 overs.
In terms of Paul Roos’ batting, though, there wasn’t much to write home about, except for Nathan van den Berg. Van den Berg played a patient innings of 51, facing 64 balls. Unfortunately, he was the only Paul Roos batsman to surpass the 20-run mark, as Affies closed out a sizeable 193-run victory.
The following day, St Alban’s College and the TC Mitchell lay in wait. It was another tough outing for the bowling unit from Stellenbosch, with the day belonging to St Alban’s Liam Bash. Bash bossed with willow, smashing 15 fours and six sixes for a mammoth contribution of 143 runs. Kyle Block (64) and Tiashin Naidoo (59) both chipped in with half-centuries.
Dion Slabber (2/68) was impressive again in his 10 overs. The only other bowler to get two wickets was Benn Coetzee, the pick of the bowlers on the day. He too bowled his 10 allotted overs, taking 2/54.
Bash then continued where he had left off with the bat, picking up two wickets for only 19 runs. Kyle Earle‘s contribution of 3/29 proved decisive as St Alban’s bagged a victory by 129 runs.
On Sunday, 28 September, the visitors produced their best performance of the three days at the Hofmeyr Oval, the home of Pretoria Boys High, with Slabber and Coetzee at the top of their game.
Slabber, again bowling with the new nut, snapped up 4/26, taking his tally for the weekend to eight wickets. Coetzee also sent four batsmen back to the pavilion, costing only 32 runs in his nine overs. Thus, Boys High could only manage a total of 162, with Dylan Kruger, as their main contributor, working hard for his 40 runs.
The home side’s bowling was tight, too, and led by stalwart Justin Basdeo (3/25) and Ruan Coetzee (2/29), all their bowlers operated at an economy rate of four or less. That meant that Paul Roos could only manage 144/9, thereby suffering a third consecutive defeat, this time by 18 runs.
Summarised scorecards
Friday – 26 September
Affies 312/7 (Christian Linde 104, Dylan Stander 42, JP Botha 41, Vihan Pretorius 33, Zian Labuschagne 31, Extras 30, AJ Morkel 28; Dion Slabber 2/52); Paul Roos Gimnasium 119 (Nathan van den Berg 51; Nico Loggenberg 3/15, Zian Labuschagne 3/29, Armin Snyman 2/10). Affies won by 193 runs.
Saturday – 27 September
St Alban’s College 317/6 (Liam Basch 143, Kyle Block 64, Tiashin Naidoo 59; Benn Coetzee 2/54, Dion Slabber 2/68); Paul Roos Gimnasium 188 (Marcus Conradie 37, Morné Pauw 32, Nathan van den Berg 23, Ben Coetzee 21*, Tian van Niekerk 21; Kyle Earle 3/29, Liam Basch 2/19, Luke Ward 2/50). St Alban’s College won by 129 runs.
Sunday – 28 September
Pretoria Boys High 162 (Dylan Kruger 40, Louis Kruyshaar 35, Justin Basdeo 22*, Extras 20; Dion Slabber 4/26, Benn Coetzee 4/32); Paul Roos Gimnasium 144/9 (45) (Nathan van den Berg 35, Enré van Zyl 33*; Justin Basdeo 3/25, Ruan Coetzee 2/29). Pretoria Boys High won by 18 runs.
