Pretoria schools to meet in Benoni Schools SA20 final


It will be a battle that many have expected since the start of the Schools SA20 competition’s regional finals for the Northern Gauteng, Limpopo, and Easterns regions.
Relive all the action on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)
On Sunday morning, a showdown between Hoërskool Garsfontein and Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) will decide which school will represent the region at the national finals.
The Ysbere booked their spot in Sunday’s final with a dominating semi-final showing against Hoërskool Kempton Park. Led by their captain Xander Venter, they thumped Kempies by 102 runs.
Venter (41) opened the batting with the in-form Reuben van Zyl (40). Working well together, they set things up nicely for their side with a crucial 76-run partnership. Further useful contributions from Charl van Staden (25) and Righardt Joubert (22) boosted Garsfontein to a healthy 153/7 from their 20 overs.
It looked like a decent total, but young Katlego Lebelo made it an unobtainable one for Kempton Park by delivering a superb bowling performance. In just 1.2 overs, he dismantled their batting lineup, capturing 4/5, with his destructive intervention leading to Kempies crumbling to a disappointing 51 all out.
Affies were every bit as impressive in their semi-final win, making light work of St Benedict’s College.
Ruben Groenewald, as always, was in the thick of the action. His batting has been one of Affies’ strengths throughout the weekend and he delivered once more against Bennies. Going at a hearty strike rate of 224, he smashed an unbeaten 56 from just 25 balls. Vihan Pretorius backed him up with a blitzkrieg of his own, taking just 21 deliveries for his 44 not out.
After their side tallied 169/3, the Affies’ bowlers ran roughshod through the St Benedict’s batting lineup, especially the seamer, JP Botha. He’s more often noticed as a top-order batsman, but Botha produced two magical overs, which laid waste to Bennies’ reply.
In those 12 balls, he claimed four wickets while conceding only four runs. Those were big blows as St Benedict’s was sent packing for a mere 62 runs, leaving Affies the handsome winners by 107 runs.
Summarised scorecards.
Hoërskool Garsfontein 153/7 (Xander Venter 41, Reuben van Zyl 40, Charl van Staden 25, Righardt Joubert 22; Ethan Kotze 3/34, Stian van Breda 2/29); Hoërskool Kempton Park 51/10 (Sheldon Kruger 17; Katlego Lebelo 4/5, Zizwe Khumalo 2/6, Xander Venter 2/16). Garsfontein won by 102 runs.
Affies 169/3 (Ruben Groenewald 56*, Vihan Pretorius 44*, Ethan Williams 38; Cruz Pillay 1/18); St Benedict’s College 62/10 (Matthew Elphick 16; JP Botha 4/4). Affies won by 107 runs.