23 January 2023
On Saturday, in sweltering heat and on a Goldstones’ pitch that made the batsmen work hard for each and every run, Maritzburg College and Westville Boys High did battle in a hard-fought 50 overs a side tussle that was settled with only three overs remaining. After a late flurry of wickets, Westville come away with a 15-run win when it had appeared that College was set for victory.
Following an excellent 2022 season, Westville Director of Cricket, Wayne Scott, had spoken about how the Griffin had lost some matches they should have won at the beginning of the year. The team had, however, matured, he said, and had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on a number of occasions later in the season. That experience and a positive approach helped them to claim a gritty win on this occasion.
Westville batting
Batting first after winning the toss, Westville posted 168 all out. It was, by their standards, a sub-standard batting performance, given the undoubted strength of their batting line-up, but College, for the most part, bowled and fielded well. Four batsmen being bowled attested to their attacking intent with the ball, and two batsmen run out underlined a diligent effort in the field. One of those run outs sent South African Schools’ star Romashen Pillay packing for four.
Just four Westville batsmen made it into double-figures, with only Mikaylen Kistna, among the top four in the batting order, managing that feat before he was run out after a mix up with Blake Simpson. With 19 runs, he was the third highest Westville scorer.
Crucial partnership
Simpson contributed 18, but it was a crucial partnership between Sean McGough and Kaeden McAllister that proved to be the difference between victory and defeat. Together, they clawed back the initiative from the College bowlers, with the left-handed McAllister going on to top score with 49 from 86 deliveries, including five fours, before College captain Bryn Brokensha clean bowled him as WBHS sought to up the run rate towards the end of their 50 overs.
McGough lent much-needed support with a 45-ball stay that yielded 21 runs before he was caught by Brokensha in the deep on the leg-side after an attempted slog-sweep off the leg-spinner Chad Mason.
Sterling job
Mason did a sterling job with the ball, picking up 3 for 22 in his 10 overs, managing to keep the Westville batsmen in check while also sending three of them back to the Kent Pavilion.
Brokensha and his fellow opening bowler, Sphamandla Dzanibe, claimed two wickets apiece, with the College skipper returning figures of 2 for 24 in 8.1 overs, and Dzanibe 2 for 14 in 5.1.
The pitch, dry and lined with cracks, proved a tough challenge for the batsmen, with some balls keeping low and others rising sharply, and it was partially responsible for a high extras’ count of 39 runs, 24 of which were from byes and leg byes. Westville, in their stint in the field, wound up conceding 30 extras.
College’s reply
College, replying to Westville’s 168 all out, saw the first seven batsmen in their order reach double-figures, but wicket-keeper Rhett Quin, with an attacking 24 from 30 balls, was the top scorer as they failed to make those starts count. He, crucially, was one of the two victims of run outs.
Brokensha, with a watchful 22 from 61 balls, did his bit, before being caught and bowled by McAllister, while opening batsman Liam Armstrong weighed in with 20 before he fell to left-arm spinner Aryan Gopalan. Armstrong was partially a victim of the challenging pitch, caught off a ball that bit hard on the surface and popped, catching the edge of the bat. Blake Simpson, at slip, bagged the catch opportunity.
With less than 50 runs required to win and only four wickets down, College, it appeared, led the contest on points, but a few more wickets evened the game somewhat. Then, when the end came, it happened quickly.
The beginning of the end
College’s capitulation was precipitated by the downfall of Oliver Da Costa, who holed out to extra cover off the bowling of Romashen Pillay for 12, which left the home team on 145 for 7 after 45.3 overs.
Westville struck again immediately after Da Costa’s departure, with McAllister trapping M. Gibson in front for a duck. Their confidence that victory was now in sight clearly buoyed by the double-strike, the WBHS players raced to McAllister.
Just five runs later, James Wiggil played a somewhat flamboyant cover drive off of Pillay was caught for two, leaving the home side with only one wicket remaining and still 19 runs short of victory. The match had turned very suddenly and decisively in favour of the visitors.
Final wicket
Victory was sealed with, of all things, a run out as McAllister broke the stumps on a good return, with Dzanibe short of the crease trying for a second run after a straight drive from McKean. Westville enthusiastically celebrated a treasured victory, while College were left to rue a missed opportunity.
McAllister returned figures of 2 for 22 in six overs, while Pillay knocked over 2 for 25 in eight. Aryan Gopalan, meanwhile, heaped pressure on College with a superb performance, sending down 10 overs, seven of which were maidens, and snaring 1 for 7 with his probing spin. He was well supported by Blake Simpson, who also bowled a full quota of overs, and claimed 1 for 27.
SCORES
1st XI
Westville 168 all out (K. McAllister 49, S. McGough 21, C. Mason 3 for 22, S.Dzanibe 2 for 14, B. Brokensha 2 for 24)
Maritzburg College 153 all out (R. Quin 24. B. Brokensha 22, L. Armstrong 20, K. McAllister 2 for 22, R. Pillay 2 for 25)
Westville 1st XI won by 15 runs
2nd XI
Westville 2nd XI 78 all out
Maritzburg College 2nd XI 82 for 5
Maritzburg College 2nd XI won by 5 wickets
3rd XI
Westville 123 for 9
Maritzburg College 86 all out
Westville won by 37 runs
4th XI
Maritzburg College 203 for 3
Westville 48 all out
Maritzburg College won 155 runs
U16A
Maritzburg College 162 all out
Westville 166 for 2
Westville won by 8 wickets
U16B
Maritzburg College 155 for 9
Westville 136 all out
Maritzburg College won by 19 runs
U16C
Westville 148 for 3
Maritzburg College 139 for 6
Westville won by 9 runs
U15A
Westville 171 all out
Maritzburg College 83 all out
Westville won by 88 runs
U15B
Westville 115 all out
Maritzburg College 118 for 3
Maritzburg College won by 7 wickets
U15C
Westville 98 all out
Maritzburg College 100 for 5
Maritzburg College won by 5 wickets
U14A
Maritzburg College 112 all out
Westville 116 for 5
Westville won by 5 wickets
U14B
Maritzburg College 156 all out
Westville 159 for 6
Westville won by 4 wickets
U14C
Westville 130 for 4
Maritzburg College 131 for 8
Maritzburg College won by 2 wickets
U14D
Westville 110 for 9
Maritzburg College 113 for 5
Maritzburg College won by 5 wickets
U14E
Westville 160 for 9
Maritzburg College 55 all out
Westville won by 105 runs
U14F
Maritzburg College 137 for 5
Westville 139 for 3
Westville won by 7 wickets
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