Smithyman shines for St David’s, Gordon bats KES to victory, Noordheuwel wins
Michael Smithyman struck an unbeaten century to lead St David’s Marist Inanda to a thrilling final over three-wicket victory over Jeppe in a 50-over match on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Troy Gordon’s unbeaten half-century carried King Edward VII (KES) over the line against Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) on the John Hurry Oval at KES.
In Krugersdorp, Wander Roolvink led Noordheuwel to victory over Northcliff with a scintillating 80 not out.
At Jeppe, Jason Rowles, the St David’s captain, called correctly at the toss and chose to bowl first. His bowlers were made to labour by the home side, who tallied 298 all out. Smithyman, though, showed his class with a wonderful undefeated 104 off 118 deliveries to shepherd St David’s to 299/7 and victory with only one ball to spare.
When Jeppe batted, Aiden Reyneke joined Vegas Scott in the middle in the seventh over after Zizi Mkhize‘s departure. They, then, cobbled together a 74-run second-wicket partnership that ended after Scott’s dismissal for a brisk 76 from only 40 balls.
Reyneke continued, keeping his end intact, on his way to 100 from 106 deliveries. He received useful support from Lincoln Casais, who chipped in with a steady 47 from 66.
St David’s made a shaky start to their reply, losing both opening batsmen within the first 12 overs. Fortunately for them, that brought Smithyman and Rowles to the crease, and the pair constructed a solid 87-run third wicket stand, which kept the visitors in the contest. It ended with the exit of Rowles after he had blitzed 70 off just 40 deliveries.
None of the visitors’ next five batsmen made it to twenty. However, that wasn’t an issue for St David’s because they had Smithyman to see them to victory.
KES vs Pretoria Boys High
Matthew Bromley and his side, who lifted the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two trophy for the Gauteng Lion’s region on Friday, completed a week of stellar cricket by defeating PBHS by a comfortable six wickets at home.
The toss went Bromley’s way, and the KES captain inserted the visitors to bat first. With Louis Kruyshaar putting up an unbeaten 80, Boys High tallied 244/8. Troy Gordon, then, one-upped Kruyshaar, weighing in with 93 not out, to pilot KES to victory.
In the early going, PBHS struggled to establish themselves with the bat, thanks to some wonderful bowling from the Player of the Match, Steele Grooteman. The spinner kept the visitors tied down, conceding only 17 runs in 10 overs, while bagging four wickets.
It wasn’t until Kruyshaar’s arrival in the middle that Boys High was able to push on to a respectable total. He and Victor Louw (40) shared a 78-run eighth-wicket partnership, which lifted the visitors beyond the 200-run mark.
KES stumbled out of the blocks in their reply, losing Tiago Dias and Luke Clark in the first 11 overs. When Gordon joined Urav Mukhija in the middle, the pair stabilised the innings with a 70-run third-wicket partnership. That was the platform they needed to go on to victory.
Noordheuwel vs Northcliff
At Noordheuwel, Wander Roolvink stood tall and bashed an unbeaten 58-ball 80 to lead the hosts to an emphatic eight-wicket triumph over Northcliff.
Jack Woolard, the Northcliff captain, thought batting first would help his side to put Nories under pressure. That didn’t work out well. The hosts made effective use of the pitch and the conditions to bowl out Northcliff for only 154 in 36.4 overs.
Ntokozo Tshabalala, the lone Northcliff batsman to go beyond the 30-run mark, scored a patient 47 from 64 balls.
The rest of the visitors’ batting lineup struggled to grab a foothold, and only Caleb Henenne made it beyond the teens. Two more reached double figures, but the rest fell for single-digit scores.
Noordheuwel didn’t stick around, chasing Northcliff’s 154 with zest. They charged to 158/2 after only 16 overs to bag an emphatic eight-wicket win.
Roolvink led the charge with his unbeaten half-century and shared a dominant 123-run opening stand with Stephan Jooste that took only 12 overs. Jooste was out just three runs shy of a half-century.
Northcliff did not do themselves any favours by conceding 20 extras.
Summarised Scorecards
Jeppe 298/10 (Aiden Reyneke 100, Vegas Scott 76; Jason Rowles 2/36, Roberto Mariano 2/38, Christopher Emslie 2/83). St David’s 299/7 (Michael Smithyman 104*, Jason Rowles 70; Shreshth Kumar 3/65, Lincoln Casais 2/33, Reza Ayob 2/55). St David’s won by three wickets.
Pretoria Boys High 244/8 (Louis Kruyshaar 80*, Victor Louw 40; Steele Grooteman 4/17, Abdullah Mohammed 2/46). KES 246/4 (Troy Gordon 93*, Urav Mukhija 56; Jaydon Knott-Craig 1/40, Euan Gottfried 1/43). KES won by six wickets.
Northcliff 154/10 (Ntokozo Tshabalala 47, Caleb Henenne 20; Reney van den Berg 3/20, JD Bezuidenhout 1/26). Noordheuwel 158/2 (Wander Roolvink 80, Stephan Jooste 47; Regan van der Walt 1/39, Oliver Vermaak 0/24). Noordheuwel won by eight wickets.
