Top quality on show at Peninsula Cricket Festival
It’s a new year and, as has become the norm, schools’ cricket festivals begin before learners return to school. One of the most prominent festivals, based on the quality of its line-up, is the Peninsula Cricket Festival, which gets under way on Wednesday, 7 January.
The event features 12 schools competing at both 1st XI and u15A level, with Wynberg Boys’ High, Bishops Diocesan College, Rondebosch Boys’ High, and SACS flying the flag for Cape Town. Another Western Cape team is Stellenbosch’s Paul Roos Gimnasium.
Competition between the southern suburbs rivals is always fierce and the festival, which features two declarations matches, two 50 overs games, and a T20 to finish, is a wonderful opportunity to get a sense of what the stocks of talent in those schools look like for 2026.
Paul Roos, often the backbone of Boland’s provincial teams, will be keen to show they have replenished and reloaded.
KwaZulu-Natal’s interests are represented by Hilton College and St Charles College. They haven’t enjoyed the best of showings at the festival in recent years in the 1st XI matches, including both going winless in 2024, but they picked up some good results in 2025, and an upset victory by The Tuskers over Western Province at the Khaya Majola Week – with a good number of those KZN players returning to school and in action at the Peninsula Cricket Festival – suggests they could make a solid impact.
The Titans supply Hoërskool Waterkloof, Pretoria Boys’ High, and Affies.
Klofies are an interesting side. They play brave cricket, always prepared to go hard at tough targets, and that has brought them some memorable victories in recent years.
Affies has shown an ability to adapt well to the Western Cape conditions and in early 2025 won two out of three matches on their tour there, beating Paul Roos and Wynberg comfortably before going down to Rondebosch.
While Boys’ High’s results in 2024 were middling, they’re there or thereabouts, and it wouldn’t take that much for them to turn narrow losses into hard-fought wins. That’s what makes the change of personnel and the matches early in the year so interesting.
One of the sides to keep an eye on is Potchefstroom Gimnasium. Their cricket programme has gone from strength to strength in recent times. On the last day of 2025’s festival, they came mighty close to downing Rondebosch, who ended the event as the only unbeaten side, going down by only four runs.
The lone Johannesburg school in action will be St Stithians College. Although 2024 wasn’t a great year by their standards, they bring with them a hard-earned and well-deserved reputation as one of the country’s leading cricket-playing schools.
Their biggest challenge, as will be the case for all of the teams travelling from other provinces, will be to adjust to the Western Cape pitches while often facing local teams on their home grounds.
In 2024, in tournaments played in the Western Cape, at the Khaya Majola Week, the bowlers ruled the roost, while in 2025, at the CSA u16 National Week, which was hosted by Boland, the balance also tilted in favour of the bowlers.
Given that four of the five matches will be played over longer formats, a disciplined batting approach will be one of the keys to successes.
FIXTURES
Wednesday, 7 January, Declaration Cricket
1st XI
Wynberg vs Affies, Jacques Kallis Oval (Wynberg)
Bishops vs St Stithians, Frank Reid (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs Hilton, Cricket A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs St Charles, De Villiers (SACS)
Paul Roos vs Waterkloof, PRG Oval (Paul Roos)
Potch Gimnasium vs Pretoria Boys High, Wally Wilson (WPCC)
u15
Wynberg vs Affies, Silverhurst A (Wynberg)
Bishops vs St Stithians, Oaks (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs Hilton, Meadow A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs St Charles, Memorial (SACS)
Paul Roos vs Waterkloof, Markötter (Paul Roos)
Potch Gimnasium vs Pretoria Boys High, GK Oval (WPCC)
Thursday, 8 January, Declaration Cricket
1st XI
Wynberg vs St Charles, Jacques Kallis Oval (Wynberg)
Bishops vs Pretoria Boys High, Frank Reid (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs Waterkloof, Cricket A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs Affies, De Villiers (SACS)
Paul Roos vs St Stithians, PRG Oval (Paul Roos)
Potch Gimnasium vs Hilton, Wally Wilson (WPCC)
u15
Wynberg vs St Charles, Silverhurst (Wynberg)
Bishops vs Pretoria Boys High, Oaks (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs Waterkloof, Meadow A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs Affies, Memorial (SACS)
Paul Roos vs St Stithians, Markötter (Paul Roos)
Potch Gimnasium vs Hilton, GK Oval (WPCC)
Friday, 9 January, 50 Over
1st XI
Wynberg vs Hilton, Jacques Kallis Oval (Wynberg)
Bishops vs Affies, Frank Reid (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs Pretoria Boys High, Cricket A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs St Stithians, De Villiers (SACS)
Paul Roos vs Potch Gimnasium, PRG Oval (Paul Roos)
St Charles vs Waterkloof, Wally Wilson (WPCC)
u15
Wynberg vs Hilton, Silverhurst A (Wynberg)
Bishops vs Affies, Oaks (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs Pretoria Boys High, Meadow A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs St Stithians, Memorial (SACS)
Paul Roos vs Potch Gimnasium, Markötter (Paul Roos)
St Charles vs Waterkloof, GK Oval (WPCC)
Saturday, 10 January, 50 Over
1st XI
Wynberg vs Waterkloof, Jacques Kallis Oval (Wynberg)
Bishops vs Hilton, Frank Reid (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs St Charles, Cricket A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs Pretoria Boys High, De Villiers (SACS)
Paul Roos vs Affies, PRG Oval (PRG)
Potch Gimnasium vs St Stithians, Rondebosch Cricket Club (Rondebosch)
u15
Wynberg vs Waterkloof, Silverhurst (Wynberg)
Bishops vs Hilton, Oaks (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs St Charles, Meadow A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs Pretoria Boys High, Memorial (SACS)
Paul Roos vs Affies, Markötter (PRG)
Potch Gimnasium vs St Stithians, GK Oval (WPCC)
Sunday, 11 January, 20 Over
1st XI
Wynberg vs Potch Gimnasium, Jacques Kallis Oval (Wynberg)
Bishops vs Waterkloof, Frank Reid (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs St Stithians, Cricket A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs Hilton, De Villiers (SACS)
Paul Roos vs Pretoria Boys High, PRG Oval (Paul Roos)
St Charles vs Affies, Rondebosch Cricket Club (Rondebosch)
u15
Wynberg vs Potch Gimnasium, Silverhurst A (Wynberg)
Bishops vs Waterkloof, Oaks (Bishops)
Rondebosch vs St Stithians, Meadow A (Rondebosch)
SACS vs Hilton, Memorial (SACS)
Paul Roos vs Pretoria Boys High, Markötter (Paul Roos)
St Charles vs Affies, GK Oval (WPCC)
- Teams for the 2026 Peninsula Cricket Festival - 2026-01-05
- Top quality on show at Peninsula Cricket Festival - 2026-01-05
- KwaZulu-Natal does the u15 double - 2025-12-10
