Westville sneaks by Kearsney in Schools SA20 thriller
Kearsney College hosted Westville Boys‘ High on the AH Smith Oval in Botha’s Hill on Thursday in a Dolphins’ Schools SA20 quarterfinal clash that went down to the wire, with Westville pulling off a heart-stopping one-run victory.
The visitors batted first after winning the toss and posted 169/5 in their 20 overs.
They lost Dolphins’ u16 batsman Kyle McGough in the second over, but Bhaskar Sewlal and Seth Simpson, then, steadied their innings with an attacking second-wicket partnership that produced 63 runs from 36 deliveries before the departure of number three batsman Simpson. He was the aggressor, blasting four sixes and three fours in a key innings of 44 from 23 balls.
Sewlal followed one run later, run out by Nic Comrie for 21 from 20.
Sean McGough made 16 at just over a run a ball. His dismissal, which left Westville on 87/4 after 11.3 overs, brought Tristin Delvin to the crease. His contribution would prove to be one of the keys to the Griffins’ narrow victory.
Delvin cracked an unbeaten 52 from only 34 deliveries, striking six fours and a six to help Westville to a solid total. Meanwhile, Miz Nair weighed in with 11 off eight, and Aiden Baudach finished on 18 not out from 18.
Keegan de Jager picked up 1/12 from two overs, while Bonga Maphanga bowled his full complement of four overs and claimed 1/24. Left-arm paceman, Litha Gonya, finished with 1/26 from three.
Kearsney, in their reply, lost Jonty Wiggett with the total on 13, but Jason De Gryse and Keegan de Jager strung together a good partnership following the opener’s departure, adding 70 from 45 balls before De Gryse’s innings was ended when Caleb van Loenen caught him off the bowling of Ashton Kidgell for 26 from 25 deliveries, which included four fours.
De Jager was joined by Cole Young and they added another 33 runs, although the run rate dropped, with that partnership coming from 27 balls. Having reached exactly 50, De Jager was run out by Chad van Breda. he had faced 35 balls and hit two sixes and four fours. When he was dismissed, Kearsney had reached 116/3 after 14.2 overs.
Young and Aaron Blackburn took up the run chase, tacking on 51 runs in 34 balls before, critically, Young was run out by Caleb van Loenen off the second-last ball of the innings, leaving Kearsney on 167/4, still needing three runs to win. Young had scored 46 from 38, with three sixes and one four.
Westville conceded only one run off the last delivery to snatch a nail-biting one-run win.
Blackburn finished with 24 not out from 15 balls, having blasted a couple of sixes and a four.
The two runs out by Westville changed the outcome of the contest. Only Dayalan Boyce, with 1/38 in four, and Ashton Kidgell, with 1/15 in two, picked up wickets, but Heath Stott‘s 0/17 in three overs was an important contribution in the context of the match.
Summarised Scorecard
Westville Boys’ High 169/5 (Tristin Delvin 52*, Seth Simpson 44, Bhaskar Sewlal 21, Keegan de Jager 1/12, Bonga Maphanga 1/24); Kearsney College 168/4 (Keegan de Jager 50, Cole Young, 46, Jason De Gryse 26, Ashton Kidgell 1/15).
Westville Boys’ High won by one run.
