Top bowling performances decide key CSA u16 Girls Week clashes
On Friday, the final day of the CSA Girls u16 National Week in Gqeberha, the sides lined up for two rounds of T20 cricket, as they had done on Thursday. The morning session followed a familiar pattern, with the bowlers enjoying the better of their battles with the batters.
Only three of the 16 teams – the Eastern Storm, the Eastern Cape Iinyathi, and The Titans – were able to post more than 100 runs in their 20 overs.
On Woodridge College‘s Rushmere Oval, Nadine Wells was to the fore again, anchoring the Storm’s innings and helping them to 116/5 against The Titans.
She batted patiently, aware that she held the key to her side’s success. Wells faced 52 balls and accumulated 37 runs before being run out by the Titans‘ Blessing Gumbo. A late cameo of 22 not out from Bruzaan Goosen also provided Easterns with a much-need boost.
Despite a fighting knock from Milan Jordaan, who was unbeaten on 56 from 53 balls – the best batting performance of the morning – The Titans came up 10 runs short, while they lost five wickets along the way.
On the Knight Field, Elysia Fourie was the Central Gauteng Lions‘ batting hero in a nail-biting four-run win over The Dolphins.
The Lions’ top order faltered on a difficult wicket, which made Fourie’s 30 worth far more than the number suggests. She accounted for almost 37 percent of Gauteng’s 82/8.
Noxolo Biyela shone for The Dolphins, claiming 4/15, but she and her fellow opener, Kendra Kreinacke, were sent packing for ducks as The Lions made a strong start in defence of their low total. Alyssa Edwards removed both and returned 2/13 from four overs, while her ball partner, Bonolo Phalane, dialled up the pressure with her miserly 2/4 from four.
The Iinyathi 101/8 posted on the Summerwood Oval, then followed that up with a good bowling performance to record a comfortable 26-run win over The Tuskers.
Josimina Minnie led the way, snapping up 3/10 in three overs. She was well supported by Azomila Silera, who nabbed 2/7, and Laiken James, who picked 2/9, and the KZN Inland team was held to just 75/9 from their 20 overs.
At HTS Daniel Pienaar, the Limpopo Impalas shocked a high-flying Boland outfit, snatching a pulsating five-run victory.
The win was the result of a match-defining spell by Pontsho Mopayi, who has starred for them throughout the week. She entered the attack when Boland was well set, on 62/2 after 10 overs, in their pursuit of 98 for victory. Mopayi, though, shifted the momentum by capturing 4/20 to lead South Africa’s northernmost province to a win over its southernmost province.
The best bowling performance of the morning, however, belonged to Kei‘s Amila Butshala, who stole the limelight with an inspired spell against the Northern Cape, also at HTS Daniel Pienaar. In four overs, she knocked over 5/5, which played a defining role in Kei cruising to a 24-run victory despite defending a sub-standard total of 93.
The most comfortable win of the morning went the way of North West, who won by eight wickets against Eastern Province (EP). Reabetswe Dithipe claimed 3/9 and Gogontle Padi 3/11 as the Dragons dismissed EP for 71.
On Woodridge’s Monahan Oval, Western Province picked up a five-wicket win over Free State. Amohelang Aau scored 33 for the central province, but they were limited to just 93/7 from their 20 overs.
It took a while for Province’s reply to get there, but they won with 10 balls to spare, led by 23 from Sasha Lee-Valentine.
Mpumalanga claimed a hard-fought three-wicket win over the SWD Garden Route Badgers at Westering. Sent in to bat, the Badgers clawed their way to 73 all out in 17.4 overs. Dineo Mlimo led Mpumalanga’s bowling effort, removing three batters for 12 runs from four overs.
Number three batter, Hayley Havenga, then, struck four fours in her 27 from 25 balls to set Mpumalanga on course for victory, which they achieved in the 15th over of their innings. Millicent Steenberg, with 3/8, and Jeze Campher, with 3/27, did their best to hold off Mpumalanga, but their efforts weren’t quite enough.
Summarised scorecards
Lions 82/8 (Elysia Fourie 30; Noxolo Biyela 4/15, Anelisa Mhlongo 2/8, Lungile Ngcobo 2/17); Dolphins 73/10 (Yamkela Shange 21, Lungile Ngcobo 11; Bonolo Phalane 2/4, Alyssa Edwards 2/13, Puledi Sebone 2/9, Karabo Matlaila 2/18). Lions won by 4 runs.
Free State 93/7 (Amohelang Aau 33; Miya Lalor 2/10, Morgan Simpson 2/23); Western Province XI 96/5 (Shasha Lee-Valentine 23, Hannah Constable 18, Miya Lalor 15; Lize van den Bergh 2/18). Western Province XI won by 5 wickets.
Eastern Storm 116/5 (Nadine Wells 37, Bruzaan Goosen 22; Thandeka Mngomezulu 2/15); Titans 106/5 (Milan Jordaan 56, Mohau Phasha 16; Thandeka Mngomezulu 2/15). Eastern Storm won by 10 runs.
Limpopo Impalas 97/9 (Palesa Mathebula 25, Nicole Terblanche 21; Lize de Waal 3/13, Chemeka Williams 2/12, Lemicke Daniels 2/14); Boland 92/10 (Meesha-lee Meyer 22, Teshlynn Petersen 12; Pontsho Refilwe Mopayi 4/20, Chantel Makamedi 2/9). Limpopo Impalas won by 5 runs.
Kei 93/10 (Siphosethu Gogozayo 22, Onele Madikizela 16; Brianna Arthur 4/13, Roeline Louw 2/20); Northern Cape 69 (Brianna Arthur 17; Amila Butshula 5/5, Inam Majambe 2/14). Kei won by 24 runs.
SWD Garden Route Badgers 73/10 (Wandumtha Kondlo 15, Millicent Steenberg 12; Dineo Mlimo 3/12, Snothando Nkosi 2/8); Mpumalanga 74/7 (Hayley Havenga 27; Jeze Campher 3/27, Millicent Steenberg 3/8). Mpumalanga won by 3 wickets.
Eastern Cape Iinyathi 101/8 (Mbali Mayoyo 21, Laiken James 18, Alitha Fotay 17; Lesogo Motsepa 2/21); Tuskers 75/9 (Xanalise van Dyk 24, Siphokazi Shezi 12; Josimina Minnie 3/10, Azomila Silera 2/7, Laiken James 2/9). Eastern Cape Iinyathi won by 26 runs.
Eastern Province 71/10 (Quinn Foreman 14, Madison Louw 10; Gogontle Padi 3/11, Reabetswe Dithipe 3/9, Luthando Mafoko 1/4); North West 72/2 (Jessica Joshua 19, Luane van Wyk 15*, Diarabilwe Ngubeni 15*; Morgan de Souza 1/18). North West won by 8 wickets.
