Rondebosch return to winning ways as captain Neill scores unbeaten 130
Rondebosch Boys’ High returned to winning ways after their epic encounter with St Stithian’s yesterday to beat Westville Boys’ High by 47 runs on the second day of the Westvaal North-South T20 Tournament.
Wynberg Boys’ High and SACS both left their victories to the final over of their games, as they were made to dig deep for their successes against Selborne College and Grey High respectively.
Meanwhile, Grey College, from Bloemfontein, made light work of Paarl Boys’ High to register their first win at the event.
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In a sensational display of batting prowess, Jordan Neill, the formidable opener and captain of Rondebosch Boys’ High, spearheaded his side’s charge with an undefeated century.
His sublime innings of 130 runs marked the first century scored at this year’s tournament and propelled his team to an imposing total of 221/1, setting a daunting target for their opponents.
Partnering with Neill at the top of the order, Noah Heath contributed a brisk 20 runs off just 15 deliveries to set a solid foundation for the innings.
Bongani Mfunelwa then took to the crease and went on a fiery rampage, smashing a blistering 66 from a mere 38 balls. His explosive performance included an impressive tally of six sixes, adding to his captain’s account of four. Together, they provided an electrifying batting exhibition that set the stage for a compelling contest.
Despite a resolute half-century by Westville’s stalwart, Max Robertson, the Rondebosch bowling arsenal produced an impeccable display of precision and accuracy to leave the KZN outfit well shy of their victory target.
Declan Gillespie and Alex Combrinck took three wickets each, effectively thwarting Westville’s attempts to establish any significant momentum.
The boys from Cape Town will look to continue on the same winning track when they face Affies in their second match of the day.
For Westville, it doesn’t get any easier as they face the mighty St Stithian’s next.
While there were no centuries on the first day, Tre Gilbert of Selborne College reached the coveted three-figure milestone shortly after Rondebosch’s Neill had recorded the tournament’s maiden ton.
In a spirited display, Selborne posted a commendable total of 205/4 against Wynberg Boys’ High, with Gilbert being the major contributor.
In the 54 deliveries he faced, he caused substantial damage to the opposition, manufacturing a flurry of boundaries, with 10 fours and an impressive five sixes.
His superb innings left most of Wynberg’s bowlers struggling to find an answer as the overs ran out, with Gilbert’s wicket still intact.
Accurate bowling by Yaseen Moses, who snared two wickets for only 15 in his four overs, helped contain the Selbornians, though, leaving Wynberg with a sniff at victory, even if it appeared to be a slight one.
In pursuit of the challenging target, Paul James played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for Wynberg, anchoring the innings with a resolute 66. His steady presence at the crease set the stage for a dramatic finish.
Jordan Nel‘s contribution, adding 34 runs from 22 balls at the tail end, proved to be the final piece of the puzzle that secured victory for the Cape Town school, with just three wickets in hand and a mere six deliveries to spare.
Wynberg Boys’ High take on Centurion in the afternoon and Selborne College will look to return to winning ways against Potchefstroom Volkskool.
SACS left it even later in their match against Grey High School.
Reza Salie bowled well to take three wickets for 20, especially since one of the wickets was the all-important dismissal of Jean Upman, Grey High’s top scorer, who had settled in and was on 67 from 39 deliveries.
Though the target was not out of reach and the SACS batsmen did well to protect their wickets, their scoring was a little on the slow side of things, and they almost ran out of overs, before getting home with only four balls remaining.
Joshua Wyngaard led the Cape Town team’s batting, with 61 from only 39 balls, while Hamish Anderson and Keiron Bowers kept their cool at the end to see out the game for SACS.
They face Menlopark on Friday afternoon, while the boys from Gqeberha take on St Andrew’s School from Bloemfontein.
The other participating team from the City of Roses, Grey College, posted a victory over their old foes, Paarl Boys’ High.
In a contest decided by the bowlers, Grey’s Johnathan Muller and Juan Viljoen removed six Boishaai batsmen for a combined total of only 23 runs, which left their rivals 55 runs short of a winning total.
Grey’s Adam Niewoudt was dismissed just two runs short of the half-century mark, but it made all the difference as they dismissed the boys from Paarl for only 94.
Nelspruit awaits Grey College at 14:00, while Boishaai will look to turn the tide against a formidable-looking Waterkloof outfit.
Summarised scorecards:
Rondebosch Boys’ High 221/1 (Jordan Neill 130*, Bongani Mfunelwa 66*, Noah Heath 20; Josh Beck 1/42); Westville Boys’ High 174/9 (Max Robertson 53, Aryan Gopalan 36; Declan Gillespie 3/34, Alex Combrinck 3/43, Raeeq Daniels 2/33). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by 47 runs.
Selborne College 205/4 (Tre Gilbert 101*, Hayden McKay 36, Jacques van der Merwe 25; Yaseen Moos 2/15); Wynberg Boys’ High 206/7 (Paul James 66, Jordan Nel 34*, Beni Hansen 29, Extras 22; Adam Rogers 2/36, Tre Gilbert 2/38). Wynberg Boys’ High won by three wickets.
Grey High School 185/7 (Jean Upman 67, Corby van Heerden 33, Kian Cambier 26; Reza Salie 3/20); SACS 186/3 (Joshua Wyngaard 61, Extras 28, Hamish Anderson 27*, Oliver Whitehead 26, Keiron Bowers 25*; Xander Elkington 1/14). SACS won by seven wickets.
Grey College 149/7 (Adam Niewoudt 48, Samu Lephoto 37; Johan Wege 3/27, Marco Cato 2/36); Paarl Boys High 94 (Gideon du Toit 22; Johnathan Muller 3/6, Juan Viljoen 3/17, Henru De Wet 2/13). Grey College won by 55 runs.
