Reza Ayob destroys Northcliff, Michael steers St Stithians to victory

Reza Ayob snared a five-wicket haul to help Jeppe High School for Boys secure a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Northcliff in their 50-over match at Northcliff, on Saturday.
Rain and lightning in the Johannesburg area meant only one other match was concluded, with St Stithians College cantering to a comfortable four-wicket win at St Alban’s College, also in a limited-overs game.
At Northcliff, Jeppe won the toss, elected to bowl first, and made that decision look good by bowling the hosts out for only 77 in 26.2 overs. Jeppe needed only 12.1 overs to chase down the victory target, powering their way to 80/1 and a quickfire win.
With Northcliff at the crease, Reza Ayob was introduced into the attack immediately after the powerplay. He gave up a single in his first over to keep applying the pressure that had been exerted by Tiago Almeida, Franco Nortjie, and Munib Ayob in the first 10 overs. That trio had seen to it that Northcliff stuttered to 37/3 in the powerplay.
Reza Ayob, then, tied down an end, bowling a 9.2-over spell unchanged. Between the 11th and 20th overs, he bowled in tandem with his brother, Munib, and then finished the match opposite Sipho Potsane. Reza gave little away, conceding only 21 runs while snaring his five wickets. He was judged to be the Player of the Match for his decisive impact.
Munib Ayob made it a memorable day for the Ayob brothers, capturing three wickets for 15 runs in six overs.
Cade Bradley (21), Kyle Davies (14), and Mabutho Mbambo (14) were the only three Northcliff batsmen to reach double figures.
Jeppe enjoyed a strong start to their run chase, thanks to an opening stand of 44 runs between Zizi Mkhize and Munib Ayob. After Ayob departed, Mkhize joined forces with Aiden Reyneke and together they constructed an unbroken 36-run second-wicket partnership that drove their team past the finishing line.
In Pretoria, Bertie Michael, who is on a cricket exchange and on the books of the English county, Somerset, steered St Stithians to victory with an unbeaten 80 off 103 balls. That earned him the Player of the Match and guided Saints to 241/6 after St Alban’s had posted 240/8 in their 50 overs earlier in the day.
Michael arrived at the crease in the 10th over and was blessed with a solid foundation after Liam Mudenda and Ombesa Matsha powered their way to a 77-run opening stand. During his time in the middle, the number three batsman watched six partners come and go as he shepherded St Stithians to victory.
A partnership of 72 between Michael and Robert O’Brien for the sixth wicket was pivotal and pushed Saints to the verge of victory.
Earlier in the day, Liam Basch stroked a fluent half-century, making 51 off 59 balls, as St Alban’s compiled a competitive score. It could have been better, though, as Basch was the only St Alban’s batsman who converted a good start into a milestone. Two others, Ethan Nel (31) and Jesse Eckard (34), went past 30 but failed to kick on, while Wayne Kruger (24) and Josh Melville (27) also made solid starts without turning them into significant innings.
Josh Joiner, Zakir Hanslo, and Robert O’Brien took a brace of wickets each. Hanslo’s 2/39 from 10 overs was the best return of any Saints’ bowler.
Scorecards
Northcliff High School 77/10 (Cade Bradley 21, Mabutho Mbambo 19, Reza Ayob 5/21, Munib Ayob 3/15). Jeppe High School for Boys 80/1 (Zizi Mkhize 31*, Munib Ayob 24, Gareth Hunkin 1/19, Oliver Vermaak 0/12). Jeppe won by nine wickets.
St Alban’s College 240/8 (Liam Basch 51, Jesse Eckard 34, Zakir Hanslo 2/39, Robert O’Brien 2/44). St Stithians College 241/6 (Bertie Michael 80*, Liam Mudenda 66, Tim Hewitt 2/37, Luke Ward 2/52). St Stithians won by four wickets.
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