Van der Walt blasts St John’s to victory; José shoots the lights out
Connor van der Walt led a sensational lower-order fightback to set St John’s College up for a thrilling three-run win over Northcliff in their Johnny Waite Trophy match at Northcliff on Tuesday.
The hosts won the toss and decided to field first. The Blues accepted that challenge by scoring 175/5 in their 20 overs. In reply, Northcliff fought hard but came up narrowly short, finishing on 172/6.
Van der Walt produced an incredible knock under heavy pressure. The visitors were on 62/5 when he made his way to the crease. Instead of playing within himself, the number seven batsman launched a counterattack that catapulted St John’s to a winning total.
He smashed seven sixes and four fours on his way to an unbeaten 80 from only 39 deliveries. Van der Walt also shared an unbroken 113-run sixth-wicket partnership with Tapiwa Chikwava, who anchored the innings with 32 not out from 29 balls.
With Northcliff set 8.8 runs per over to win, Mabutho Mabambo set the home side on the right track with an aggressive 75 off only 43 balls at the top of the order.
The opener, who was in the middle until the 14th over, didn’t just keep one end intact; he also ensured that Nothcliff stayed within touch of the demanding run rate.
His half-century, along with 29 from Regan van der Walt and 14 from Rouxwan Coetzer, kept Northcliff in the fight. With two overs remaining, they required 19 runs.
Juan de Villiers and Ethan Robinson, who were tasked with defending those runs, held their nerves and delivered seven dot balls to keep Northcliff at bay.
Jamie McHugh (17*) and Caleb Henenne (16*) tallied 15 runs off the last two overs. Agonisingly, that wasn’t enough.
McHugh enjoyed a good all-round outing. He also produced the best bowling figures in the match, capturing 3/23.
Juan de Villiers, on the other hand, was the pick of the bowlers for St John’s with 2/28 runs in four overs. Bryn Gilmour, Tapiwa Chikwava, Ethan Robinson, and Jared Gilmour picked up one wicket apiece.
Tuesday wasn’t just a fruitful day for the St John’s 1st XI; it was also a great day for Avinash José, their u16A captain. He blasted 161 off only 74 balls to catapult the St John’s u16A team to 260/5 in their T20 against Northcliff on the Rice Oval, at St John’s. His assault included 21 fours and eight sixes.
Justin Fairley, who scored 19 from 10 balls, and Liam Barendrecht, who contributed 46 from 29, had the best seats to watch José’s innings. The skipper shared an 81-run second-wicket partnership with Fairley and added 159 runs for the third wicket with Barendrecht.
Thanks to the captain’s exceptional knock, St John’s u16A won by 96 runs after Northcliff replied with 164 runs in their 20 overs. Kellan White was their top scorer with a 36 off 29 balls, while Wade Warns weighed in with 28 from 20.
Summarised Scorecard
St John’s 175/5 (Connor van der Walt 80*, Tapiwa Chikwava 32*; Jamie McHugh 3/23, Aiden Gamma 1/35). Northcliff 172/6 (Mabutho Mabambo 75, Regan van der Walt 29; Juan de Villiers 2/28, Jared Gilmour 1/15). St John’s won by three runs.
- Van der Walt blasts St John’s to victory; José shoots the lights out - 2026-02-11
- Casais shows maturity in Jeppe’s win over SACS - 2026-02-09
- Tidbury steers Graeme College to victory - 2026-02-08
