Rematch of Bloemfontein powers set to light up Potchefstroom


A rematch of the Free State region’s final is set to light up Potchefstroom on Sunday morning.
This time they meet for the title in the Phase Two playoff round of the Schools SA20 competition with a place in the national final on the line.
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The two Bloemfontein powerhouses, St Andrew’s School and Grey College, won their respective semi-finals with ease, setting up a rematch of the Free State final, which Saints won, on the JB Marks Oval.
St Andrew’s reversed an earlier loss to Potchefstroom Gimnasium, winning comfortably by 41 runs on the back of a fine batting performance by Andrew Sobiech. The opening batsman, who has been a prominent figure for his side right through the weekend, stepped up his game a further level, contributing a well-constructed 68 runs from 61 balls, with three fours and a six, to help his side reach the title decider.
Leon Athanasiou provided the needed support with an important 35 runs, which lifted St Andrew’s beyond 140 – a total that has proved hard to chase in Potchefstroom – and on to 148/4 from their 20 overs.
When Gimmies visited the crease, FG Botha continued the Bloemfontein side’s dominance, spinning a web around the local batsmen to snare 3/15 from his four overs. Athanasiou was in the thick of things again, claiming 2/5, and Cullen Kakora took 2/19, as Potch Gimnasium mustered only 107 all out in reply.
Grey College‘s Henru de Wet, it seems, can’t be kept quiet. He was, once again, the main contributor in his side’s seven-wicket victory over the Northern Cape’s Kalahari. De Wet was devastating with the ball on this occasion and dismantled the Kalahari batting lineup. In only three overs, he captured five wickets for two runs.
Unfortunately for Kalahari, only Strauss van Heerden (16) and Liam Laing (11) made it into double figures, which left the Northern Cape side well short, dismissed for 57.
Grey College needed only one of their batsmen to settle at the crease and Edrich Hanekom (20) did the job. His innings put Grey in a position to chase down the Kalahari’s total in 8.2 overs.
As the only unbeaten in Potchefstroom, Grey College will head into the final favoured to reverse their previous defeat to St Andrew’s.
Summarised scorecards
St Andrew’s School 148/4 (Andrew Sobiech 68, Leon Athanasiou 35; Jahndre Coetzee 1/25); Potchefstroom Gimnasium 107/10 (Lukas Kotze 38, Ulrich Botha 26; FG Botha 3/15, Leon Athanasiou 2/5, Cullen Kakora 2/19). St Andrew’s School won by 41 runs.
Kalahari 57/10 (Strauss van Heerden 16; Henru de Wet 5/2, Edrich Hanekom 2/11); Grey College 58/3 (Edrich Hanekom 20; Carl Thole 1/17). Grey College won by seven wickets.