Waterkloof makes history with back-to-back North-South T20 titles
Waterkloof made history by becoming the first team to win two Westvaal North-South T20 Tournaments, and they did it with titles in successive years. The Pretoria boys achieved the feat after defeating their fellow city dwellers, Menlopark, in the 2023 Final on Sunday.
At a windy Camp Discovery, the Klofies had an opportunity to wield the willow first. Divan Behrens, who was on song from his team’s very first outing, continued his good form in the title-decider.
He set the tone with an important 40 from just 26 deliveries and, together with Wian Ruthven (34, 19b), the pair led a recovery after the loss of an early wicket.
Riley Miller also got in on the act with a vital 30, while Franco Cronje weighed in with 28. Their cameos helped Klofies to a respectable and very defendable 162/10, with their last wicket going down off the last ball of the innings.
Tiaan Serfontein, who spearheaded the Menlo attack, shone with the ball, returning the impressive figures of 4/31 from his four overs.
In reply, the fearsome Steve Stolk got Menlo off to the kind of start they needed. He was ruthless on anything off-length, smashing an aggressive 39 from only 19 balls.
The turning point, however, came from the bowling of Jacques van Niekerk. His miserly spell of 2/18 in four overs drastically swung the momentum back in favour of the Klofies and heaped pressure on the opposition’s batsmen.
Franco Cronje, after his important 28 with the bat, showcased his all-round game by picking up 3/56 with the ball.
Wian van Deventer resisted boldly, striking a superb 51 not out from just 27 deliveries. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t quite enough to get his team over the line, with the Klofie bowlers holding the powerful Menlopark batting line-up to only 151/9 to claim a historic 11-run victory.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius and St Stithians finished their campaign strongly with a convincing eight-wicket victory over Grey High. The left-hander rounded off his tournament with a second century in as many days, racing to 109 not out from a mere 50 deliveries.
His opening partner, Liam Mudenda, also enjoyed good form with the bat throughout the event and added a good-looking 34 at the top of the order.
The Saints’ mainstay with the ball, Kwena Maphaka, put Grey High on the back foot, with two wickets up front, which played a vital role in restricting the side from Gqeberha to 156 for 7 from their 20 overs. The left-arm paceman finished with 2/37 in his final spell of the tournament.
For Grey High, Corbi van Heerden (46, 31b) put up his hand with the bat. He exhibited some wonderful stroke-play to come up just four runs shy of what would have been a richly deserved half-century.
Kian Cambier chipped in with an impressive 36 from 27 balls and, lower down the order, Xander Elkington contributed a much needed 34, to privode some late impetus to the Grey batting effort.
However, with Pretorius and Mudenda in imperious form, the Grey bowlers were unable to prevent St Stithians from cruise to a convincing victory.
Summarised scorecards
Waterkloof 162/10 (Divan Behrens 40, Wian Ruthven 34, Riley Miller 30, Franco Cronje 28; Tiaan Serfontein 4/31, Steve Stolk 2/27, Matt van der Westhuizen 2/31); Menlopark 151/9 (Wian van Deventer 51, Steve Stolk 39; Franco cronje 3/56, Jacques van Niekerk 2/18, Hernus Marais 2/18). Waterkloof won by 11 runs.
Grey High 156/7 (Corby van Heerden 46, Kian Cambier 36; Kwena Maphaka 2/37); St Stithians 163/2 (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 109*, Liam Mudenda 34; Xander Elkington 1/30). St Stithians won by eight wickets.
Other Results
SACS 167/7 (Oliver Whitehead 57, Hamish Anderson 47; Logan Fouri 2/21, Charl Prinsloo 2/32, Wouter Kielblock 2/36) Hoërskool Centurion 169/9 (Morne Prinsloo 44, Judah Phillips 28*, Pieter Naude 26, Divan van Tonder 25, Jayden Meyer 25; Fayyaad Adams 3/22). Hoërskool Centurion won by one wicket.
Wynberg Boys’ High 235/5 (Xavier Garvs 117, Ben Hansen 78; Pieter Geldenhuys 2/28, Christiaan Bourbon Leftley 2/57); Paarl Boys High 178/5 (Borboun Leftley 50, Johan Wege 46, JJ van der Sandt 38, Gideon du Toit 20; Naas Beets 2/24, Divan Linde 2/25). Wynberg Boys’ High won by 57 runs.
