12 October 2023
Drawn in arguably the toughest group at the Westvaal North South T20, Westville, third in 2022, opened their challenge with a 20-run loss to Affies in Pretoria on Friday.
Playing in their hometown, Affies, who went four for four in the recent Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week, took to the Griffins’ bowling with relish from the start of their innings. Westville did themselves no favours, though, by offering the Affies’ batsmen way too much width and too many half-volleys. They swung the bat hard from the start and punished loose balls ruthlessly.
Roxton Payne was easily the pick of the KZN school’s attack, returning 1 for 27 from his four overs, because he kept his line tight. But, playing on a small field at Waterkloof, Affies took calculated risks to accumulate 17 sixes and 13 fours in their 20 overs.
Apart from Payne, Dayalan Boyce did a decent job, claiming 1 for 32 in four, but the rest of the Westville bowlers suffered as Affies posted a daunting 221 for 4.
Follow the action live on SuperSport Schools: SuperSport Schools
Get the SuperSport Schools App!
Google Play Store 📲: SuperSport Schools – Apps on Google Play
IOS App Store 📲: SuperSport Schools on the App Store (apple.com)
Web đź’»: https://live.supersportschools.com
Pivotal partnership
Matters were even in the early going, with Affies losing their second wicket in the sixth over, with the total on 37, but Divan de Villiers and Ruben Groenewald then wrested control of the contest from Westville, sharing a partnership of 86 in just 6.5 overs.
Groenewald departed for 56 from 27 deliveries, with four fours and four sixes, bowled by Payne, but De Villiers continued on, finishing undefeated on 80 from only 45 balls, with six sixes and five fours. He received useful support from Janco Purchase, too, with the South African Schools centre sending three deliveries clean over the boundary in his 34, which came at two runs a ball.
Even Matthew Seymore, who came out to bat with only two overs remaining, launched two sixes in his five-ball stay, which ended with him on 13 not out.
Robertson’s big innings
Westville made a game of it in their run chase, thanks mostly to Max Robertson, who took the fight to Affies at the top of the order. The left-hander started cautiously, but he swiftly upped his pace to blast nine sixes and six fours in an outstanding 48-ball innings of 98.
The problem for Westville, given the opposition’s big total, was that they needed at least two batsmen to press on and that didn’t happen. Both Blake Simpson and Sean McGough contributed 24 runs, but the run rate crept ever higher once Robertson was out to the last ball of the 16th over. Together, he and McGough put on 99 for the third wicket.
Following Robertson’s dismissal, in a desperate attempt to try to overhaul the Affies’ total, Westville lost five wickets in the remaining overs to complete their innings on 201 for 9. It was a valiant effort with the bat, but they had simply left themselves with too much to do after a sub-standard day in the field.
Divan de Villiers, who led the Affies’ batting onslaught, was also their best bowler, snapping up 4 for 21 in four lively overs.
As tough as it gets
It’s unlikely to get any easier for the Griffins on Friday as they face Rondebosch in the morning and Saint Stithian’s in the afternoon. Both could lay claim to being number one in the country this season, and Saints convincingly dealt with Westville at the Michaelmas Cricket Week, where they cruised to four wins to match Affies’ achievement.
Westville will be the underdogs, but they’re not shy of talent, and they have the character and firepower to win, especially in the T20 format of the game. They will, though, need to tighten up in the field, otherwise it could be a very difficult day on Friday.
SCORES
Affies 221 for 4 (D. de Villiers 80*, R. Groenewald 56, J. Purchase 37, R. Payne 1 for 27)
Westville 201 for 9 (M. Robertson 98, B. Simpson 24, S. McGough 24, D. de Villiers 4 for 27, H. Muller 2 for 38)
Affies won by 20 runs
Leave a Reply