St. Stithians chases down Bishops, St. Benedict’s outlasts St George’s
St. Stithians College vs Bishops Diocesan College
Bishops Diocesan College started their 2026 Independent Schools Festival campaign against St. Stithians College on Thursday with a successful coin flip. They chose to bat first in the 50-over affair on the Tuks B Oval.
While St Stithians found wickets hard to come by, they also made run-scoring difficult for the Cape Town school.
Didier le Roux kept matters tight, claiming 1/31 in eight overs, while Zaakir Hanslo tied down Bishops with 1/36 from 10. Saints also shone in the field, running out Bishops’ two highest run scorers.
Captain and opener Alex Vintcent grafted his way to 55 from 96 balls, which included two fours and a six, while Ibraheem Taliep, batting at four, was limited to only two fours, but tallied 58 off 95 deliveries.
Luc Dicey weighed in with 29 unbeaten runs, batting at six, and he and Taliep racked up 72 runs in 72 balls for the fifth wicket.
Their partnership lasted until the 300th and final ball of the innings, which Bishops finished on 201/5.
In reply, Saints’ openers, Ombesa Matsha and Akhil Challa, constructed a solid 76-run opening stand. Matsha smashed two fours and two sixes in his run-a-ball 42, while Challa played more cautiously for his 32 off 66 deliveries. Nic Bayly, the number four batsman, weighed in with a circumspect 23.
Five Bishops’ bowlers picked up wickets. However, only Bulela Klaas took more than one, capturing 2/24 in six overs.
Lower down their batting order, St Stithians found a second wind. Didier le Roux, at seven and Chris Collins, at eight, kept their innings chugging along. Le Roux struck four fours in his vital 31 not out from 57 balls, while Collins made 15 at better than a run a ball.
With only 11 balls to spare, St. Stithians made it across the line on 205/7, thus winning by three wickets.
St. Benedict’s College vs St. George’s College (Harare)
Cornwall Hill College’s Landsend Oval hosted Bedfordview’s St Benedict’s College and Harare’s St George’s College.
The Zimbabweans batted first and got off to a good start, with Michael Mukori and Allen Masiya making 58 for the first wicket. Mukori walloped eight fours in contributing 43 from 47 deliveries, while Masiya chipped in with 18.
Tom McArthur kept St George’s in check, however, snaring 2/22 from 10 tight overs, while Matthew Lewis played his part by claiming 2/31 from nine.
St George’s counterattacked through Munashe Muchatukwa, at seven, and number eight batsman, Tichaono Mharadze, who went hard at the Bennies‘ bowlers. Muchatukwa smashed four sixes and five fours to top-score with 59 off 47, while Mharadze hit five fours in his unbeaten 50 off 39 deliveries as they combined for 89 runs for the seventh wicket.
With that late innings flourish, St. George’s posted 237/8 after their 50 overs.
When St Benedict’s replied, Kudaishe Nyatsanza was the dangerman for the Zimbabwean bowling attack, snapping up 3/47 across 10 overs, which included clean-bowling opener Matthew Hickman-Steel for 35.
Number four batsman, Treasure Dube, fortified the Bedfordview boys’ response, with 44 off 65 deliveries. The next man in, Alex Johnston, led the Bennies’ run chase.
Together, the duo advanced the total by 67 runs for the fourth wicket. before Dube departed. Johnston stayed on and proceeded to develop an even bigger partnership with Tom McArthur.
McArthur hammered three fours and went undefeated with 38 off 37 in an unbroken 73-run stand for the sixth wicket. Johnston, meanwhile, earned himself the man of the match honour by smashing seven fours and a six in his unbeaten 74 off 76.
It took 48.1 overs for the chasers to reach 240/5, resulting in a five-wicket victory for St. Benedict’s College.
Summarised Scorecard
Bishops Diocesan College 201/5 (Ibraheem Taliep 58, Alex Vintcent 55, Luc Dicey 29*); St. Stithians College 205/7 (Ombesa Matsha 42, Akhil Challa 32, Didier le Roux 31*, Nic Bayly 23; Bulela Klaas 2/24). St. Stithians won the match by three wickets.
St. George’s College (Harare) 237/8 (Munashe Muchatukwa 59, Tichaono Mharadze 50*, Michael Mukori 43, Abhiraj Singh 27; Tom McArthur 2/22, Matthew Lewis 2/31); St. Benedict’s College 240/5 (Alex Johnson 74*, Treasure Dube 44, Tom McArthur 38*, Matthew Hickman-Steel 35, Extras 26; Kudaishe Nyatsanza 3/47). St. Benedict’s won by five wickets.
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