Westville wins but good sportsmanship is a far bigger winner
Kearsney College hosted their neighbours, Westville Boys’ High, on the AH Smith Oval on Wednesday for a W100 clash. They’re fierce rivals, but the match concluded with an outstanding display of sportsmanship.
Kearsney batted first and tallied 106/9 from their 100 balls. Westville, in reply, was on 105/1 after 53 balls when the lightning alarm sounded.
They needed only a run to tie and two to win, with 47 balls in hand. The umpires, though, correctly refused to allow another ball to be bowled.
That’s how the match ended, but Kearsney conceded the game, which gave Westville a nine-wicket win and the points for their victory. That was a classy move.
Westville captain Seth Simpson won the coin flip and chose to field first. His bowlers backed up that decision well, preventing any of Kearsney’s top four batsmen from reaching double figures. After 42 balls, they were on 41/4.
Cole Young, who played a decisive innings in Kearsney’s big win over Northwood on the weekend, played a quite extraordinary knock to give the home side some momentum. It brought him 30 runs from 20 deliveries, but the extraordinary part of it was the fact that 24 of those runs came from only four balls, each of which was dispatched for six.
Nic Comrie, with 17, and Daniel Miskey, with 12, offered a little something, too, but Westville, spearheaded by Sean McGough, would have been more than satisfied with their fielding effort, which limited Kearsney to just over a run a ball.
McGough claimed 3/9 in 15 balls, while Tristan Delvin, with 2/21 in 20, and Dayalan Boyce, with 2/18 in 15, also enjoyed success. Heath Stott and Ewan du Toit, too, were also economical and picked up a wicket each.
Sean McGough, the star of the show with the ball, didn’t make a big impact with the bat. Opening the innings, he fell LBW to Michael Groom for six, but Kyle McGough and Seth Simpson, then, dominated the Kearsney attack.
Kyle McGough, especially, batted superbly. He lashed three sixes and seven fours in just 29 balls and raced to 63 not out. At the other end, Seth Simpson didn’t hang around either. His contribution was a hasty unbeaten 27 from 18 deliveries, with two fours and two sixes.
In just 44 balls, the pair added 92 runs. It wasn’t quite enough to take them past Kearsney. However, the host’s magnanimous gesture, gifted Westville the victory that would have been theirs before the lightning alarm stopped their run pursuit on the brink of victory.
Scores
Kearsney College 106/9 (Cole Young 30, Sean McGough 3/9, Dayalan Boyce 2/18, Tristan Delvin 2/20); Westville Boys’ High 105/1 (Kyle McGough 63*, Seth Simpson 27*, Michael Groom 1/17). Kearsney conceded the game. Westville was awarded a nine-wicket win and the points for victory.
