Standout individual performances highlight day four of CSA u16 Week
After rain had a big impact on day three’s matches, Saturday delivered some captivating cricket at the CSA u16 Boys National Week in Paarl, in the Western Cape.
Across the eight matches played, five five-wicket hauls were claimed, two centuries were scored, and six batsmen raised their bats in celebration of half-centuries. It was, arguably, the best day’s cricket of the week thus far.
No one enjoyed a better day with the ball than the Eastern Storm‘s Christiano Moffat. His nine overs against the SWD Garden Route Badgers at the Welbedacht Cricket Ground was match-defining.
Moffat knocked back 6/14, which led to the Badgers being bowled out for 99 runs and the Storm winning by an emphatic 173 runs.
He was fortunate to have plenty of runs to defend, thanks to the batting prowess of Anthony Stockigt and Rieshaeel Hashim.
Stockigt was exceptional after arriving at the crease under severe pressure following the fall of two early wickets, which soon became three, leaving Easterns in trouble on 19/3 in the 13th over. He counter-attacked superbly, scoring 108 from just 95 deliveries, which included 14 fours and four sixes.
Hashim, in at seven, also took the attack to SWD, racing to 70 from 55 balls, with five fours and three sixes. He and Stockigt added 142 runs for the seventh wicket.
Ibrahiem Taliep topped the batting charts with a pivotal performance in Western Province‘s narrow 20-run victory over a spirited Dolphins side at Dal Josaphat A Field.
The WP opener anchored their innings, facing 131 deliveries for an impressive 110. He, also, featured in two significant partnerships, firstly adding 101 for the second wicket with Janko Webb, who contributed 61, before combining with Schalk Fourie, who made 56, in a 119-run third-wicket stand.
Muhammed Malek responded with an impressive opener’s innings for the Dolphins, compiling a patient 93. He and Jamie Hasselbach, who made 76, laid a solid foundation for the Dolphins, with a 165-run partnership for the third wicket.
However, Abhay Khan, who was the sixth bowler introduced into the Western Province attack, broke the deadlock and captured 3/49, which led to the KZN side losing their last eight wickets for 53 runs.
Fifteen-year-old Divan Linde played a decisive role in the Titans‘ victory over the hosts, Boland, at Boland Landbou. The side from the Jacaranda City struggled to build partnerships, but Linde played as if he was batting on a different surface, striking nine fours and a six in his 92 from 119 balls.
His Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) teammate, Nico Loggenberg, followed up with a devastating bowling display, snaring 5/23 to lead The Titans to a convincing 78-run victory. With the five-for, Loggenberg took his tally to 11 wickets for the tournament, the third-best overall.
Corbin Tidbury showed he is far more than a batsman. After starring with the bat on Friday, when he made 96 against The Dolphins, he led the way for Eastern Province with the ball, claiming 5/18 in eight tidy overs to crush Free State‘s chase of a modest 175. They were all out for 82 after 34.3 overs.
Benjamin Kazandjis was another to register a five-wicket haul and spearheaded Mpumalanga‘s big 154-run victory over Kei. Mpumalanga had only 206 runs to defend, but Kazandjis ripped through Kei’s upper and lower order, snapping up 5/25 in six overs as Kei was dismissed for just 52 in 13.3 overs.
The Limpopo Impalas showed character in a 49-run win over the Northern Cape. Rulo van der Merwe‘s excellent 5/27 helped to restrict the Impalas to 142 all out, but Ripfumelo Mabunda responded with 4/15 as Northern Cape collapsed to 93 all out.
The Eastern Cape Iinyathi nearly produced a spectacular turnaround while defending only 64 against the North West Dragons.
It was a bowler-dominated contest on the Pen Basson Field, where 18 wickets fell for only 130 runs, but AW van der Merwe, with 4/24 from nine overs, saw the Dragons over the line by two wickets in a low-scoring thriller. The Dragons’ win was the only one scored by a team batting second on Saturday.
The Lions enjoyed an easier victory on the Paul Roos Oval, where they cruised to a 128-run win over The Tuskers.
Both Zuan Joubert and Zizi Mkhize scored 61 in The Lions’ 246/8. Mkhize was also among the wickets, picking up 2/19, as the Lions bowled out The Tuskers for only 118 in reply.
Summarised scorecards
Eastern Province 174 (Kits Mcconnachie 31, Extras 28, Sibabalwe Deliwe 28, Corbin Tidbury 24, Matthew Marshbank 24; Ryle Beckmann 3/25, Juan Maree 3/38, Schalk van Rensburg 2/28); Free State 82 (Peter Le Roux 26; Corbin Tidbury 5/18, Ilungile Arosi 2/5). Eastern Province won by 92 runs.
Western Province 260/7 (Ibraheem Taliep 110, Janko Webb 61, Schalk Fourie 56; Josh Mills 2/33, Esihle Gasa 2/45); Dolphins 240 (Muhammed Malek 93, Jamie Hasselbach 76, Extras 24; Abhay Kalan 3/49, Schalk Fourie 2/22, Raihan Khan 2/24). Western Province won by 20 runs.
Lions 246/8 (Zuan Joubert 61, Zizi Mkhize 61, Extras 30, Urav Mukhija 26, Sohail Seonath 25, Goolam Hoosain Ahmed 21; Aphile Nzama 2/8, Rex Wardlaw 2/15, Obakeng Motsepa 2/48); Tuskers 118 (Rex Wardlaw 22, Akhil Bharath 21; Nqaba Matunda 3/28, Zizi Mkhize 2/19, Zaakir Hanslo 2/33). Lions won by 128 runs.
Eastern Storm 272/8 (Anthony Stockigt 108, Rieshaeel Hashim 70, Duan Maree 35, Extras 25; Ross Taljaard 2/25); SWD Garden Route Badgers 99 (Keaton Lambaatjeen 31, Idan Balzun 23; Christiano Moffat 6/14, Duan Maree 3/16). Eastern Storm won by 173 runs.
Limpopo Impalas 142 (Kulani Vutivi Mnisi 26, Talenta Ndhlovu 23, Extras 22; Rulo van der Merwe 5/27, Nealan Cupido 2/29); Northern Cape 93 (Rulo van der Merwe 24, Extras 22; Ripfumelo Mabunda 4/15, Mashalane Seboko Mpontsheng 2/15, Dumisani Manyama 2/26). Limpopo Impalas won by 49 runs.
Mpumalanga 206 (Frederik Boshoff 46, Aiden van Zyl 27, Husain Patel 23*, Benjamin Kazandjis 21, Luan Swart 21, Extras 31; Sibahle Bango 3/41); Kei 52 (Thabiso Siwonxo 16; Benjamin Kazandjis 5/25, Frederik Boshoff 2/23, Bantubonke Manikela 2/4). Mpumalanga won by 154 runs.
Titans 203 (Christian Linde 92, Extras 30, Jesse Eckard 21; James Holm 2/32, Ave Nkantini 2/21, Dion Slabber 2/50); Boland 125 (Daniel Francke 31, Abriam Jacobs 26, Aiden Titus 25; Nico Loggenberg 5/23, Justin Luke Basdeo 2/34). Titans won by 78 runs.
Eastern Cape Iinyathi 64 (Sipho Mjekula 17; AW van der Merwe 4/24, Adriaan van Niekerk 2/14, Ruhann Steenkamp 2/19); North West 66/8 (Umar Gangat 19; Avethandwa Manyongo 3/25, Sipho Mjekula 2/0, Mthoko Mbambo 2/15). North West won by two wickets.
