Three teams take perfect records into Kovsie Smash quarterfinals
By the end of the fifth session of round-robin matches and three days of non-stop cricket, the quarterfinalists of the 2026 Kovsie Smash were confirmed.
The T20 event is being hosted by Hoërskool Fichardtpark in Bloemfontein.
The quarterfinals take place on Thursday morning, following a well-earned rest for all but Merensky Landbou Akademie and Duineveld, who met in Wednesday afternoon’s only match.
Heading into the quarterfinals, three teams remain unbeaten. Of those, Hoërskool Eldoraigne has arguably been the most impressive, and they delivered another commanding performance, this time against Hoërskool Driehoek.
The Eldos once again tallied more than 200, with captain Rowan McLaren and Benyael Morkel leading the charge. Morkel, who did not feature the previous day, struck his third consecutive half-century (50), while McLaren contributed a fluent 51.
Eldoraigne’s bowlers then restricted Driehoek to a meagre 98/6 from their 20 overs to seal a dominant 108-run victory.
The Centurion-based side will next face Oos-Moot in a meeting of Pretoria schools in the quarterfinals. Oos-Moot has lost only once in the tournament thus far, falling 15 runs short against Transvalia.
Transvalia and the 2025 runner-up, Hoërskool Kalahari, also have clean records. Transvalia brushed aside Hoërskool Trio, scoring a convincing 59-run victory, which showcased their balanced strength.
Waldo McLean (47) and Divan Knoetze (36) guided Valia to a competitive 157/7. Their bowlers then delivered, with Ethan Stroh (3/16) and Kriegler Botha (2/19) combining for figures of 5/35 as Trio was dismissed for 98.
Hoërskool Kalahari progressed comfortably, winning by five wickets, after chasing down the modest 67 all out posted by Potchefstroom Volkskool‘s Stayers.
Wilrich Mostert and Christiaan Stoop stood out, claiming two wickets cheaply each. It was, however, Mostert‘s unbeaten 26 that proved decisive for the Kuruman school.
In the first knockout round, Transvalia takes on the Volkies‘ Stayers, while Kalahari will be challenged by Hoërskool Pietersburg. The Pieties booked their place in the last eight with an emphatic eight-wicket win over Hoërskool Lichtenburg.
The tournament’s leading wicket-taker, Willem Viljoen, returned a destructive 3/13, while Stephan Swanepoel, who represented Limpopo at the Khaya Majola Week, lent strong support with 2/15 as the Liggies were restricted to 96/9.
Swanepoel then showcased his primary discipline, batting, striking an unbeaten 57 from just 25 deliveries to guide his side to victory in the 11th over.
Hoërskool Fichardtpark‘s Jayden Geldenhuys produced a superb innings and the highest score of the morning, striking nine fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 86 from 63 balls.
Hoërskool Sasolburg’s Adriaan van der Merwe responded with a rapid 48 of his own, which very nearly enabled his side to pull off a remarkable victory while chasing 160 to win. However, his dismissal proved pivotal as Sasolburg fell agonisingly short, losing by seven runs.
Fichardtpark will take on the unpredictable Overvaal in their quarterfinals’ clash.
Summarised scorecards
Day Three – Session 1
Eldoraigne 206/5 (Rowan McLaren 51, Benyael Morkel 50, Jean du Randt 39*, Ruan Steyn 26; Divan Dreyer 2/32, Ian van der Westhuizen 2/33); Driehoek 98/6 (Christiaan Schoeman 45*; Angus Myers 1/4). Eldoraigne won by 108 runs.
Transvalia 157/7 (Waldo McLean 47, Divan Knoetze 36; Dylan Young 2/35, Iwan du Plessis 2/31); Trio 98/10 (Zayne Williams 35; Ethan Stroh 3/16, Kriegler Botha 2/19). Transvalia won by 59 runs.
Oos-Moot 125/7 (Marnus Broodryk 36, Chrisjan van Staden 28; Cobus Wilken 2/22, Wihan Pulsen 2/23); Jim Fouché 106/10 (Benco Olivier 20; Luke Venter 3/11, Henco Erasmus 3/18). Oos-Moot won by 19 runs.
Potchefstroom Volkskool Stayers 67/10 (Christiaan Stoop 16; Wilrigh Mostert 2/7, Kopano Mosienyane 2/30); Kalahari 70/5 (Wilrigh Moster 26*; Christiaan Stoop 2/19). Kalahari won by five wickets.
Hoërskool Lichtenburg 96/9 (Jurgen Hesse 18; Willem Viljoen 3/13, Stephan Swanepoel 2/15); Hoërskool Pietersburg 97/2 (Stephan Swanepoel 57*; Jurgen Hesse 1/24). Hoërskool Pietersburg won by eight wickets.
Fichardtpark 159/2 (Jayden Geldenhuys 86*, Damian Mulder 29, Davyd Oosthuizen 24*; Nathan Bower 2/32); Hoërskool Sasolburg 152/6 (Adriaan van der Merwe 48, Stephan Roets 23, Henco Roets 22; Christiaan Myburgh 2/38). Fichardtpark won by seven runs.
Sentraal 157/9 (Damian Smith 39, Danny Botes 28, Erik Prinsloo 27; Thys Parsons 3/20, Jordan Buitendag 3/30); Voortrekker 137/9 (Andries Rautenbach 49; Ruardt Kleynhans 2/19, Erik Prinsloo 2/23, Danny Botes 2/30). Sentraal won by 20 runs.
Witteberg 158/5 (WJ Geldenhuis 46, Xander Fourie 41, Dumisani Johnsen 30; Wynand Benade 1/8); Merensky 89/10 (Waldo Mouton 20; WJ Geldenhuis 3/9, Xander Fourie 3/14). Witteberg won by 69 runs.
Goudveld 107/10 (Jeandré 37; Niekie Smit 3/8, Xander O’Connel 3/18, Marnus Myburgh 2/19); Duineveld 95/10 (Kian Naudé 18; Justin Swaine 2/11, Edrich du Plessis 2/17, Louw Fouché 2/23). Goudveld won by 12 runs.
Session Two
Duineveld 109/5 (Xander Olivier 29, Wilmar Myburgh 22*, Altus Vorster 2/25); Merensky 95/10 (Muhammed Khan 20, Sevreano Lackay 4/12, Wilmar Myburgh 3/19). Duineveld won by 14 runs.
Fixtures
Quarterfinals
Transvalia vs Potchefstroom Volkskool Stayers – UFS 2
Oos-Moot vs Eldoraigne – UFS 3
Fichardtpark vs Overvaal – UFS 4
Hoërskool Pietersburg vs Kalahari – UFS Oval
Remaining fixtures
Hoërskool Sasolburg vs Goudveld – UFS 1
Hoërskool Lichtenburg vs Trio – Fichardtpark Oval
Jim Fouché vs Voortrekker – Casa, Grey College
Witteberg vs Sentraal – Tommix, Grey College
Merensky vs Driehoek – GCB, Grey College
