13 October 2023
Westville Boys’ High, third in the 2022 Westvaal North-South T20, could hardly have been drawn in a tougher pool for this year’s fifth edition of the competition. It is “the group of death” that people often seek to identify.
They’re up against Rondebosch and St Stithians, ranked one and two in the country according to SA School Sports, and Affies, ranked fifth.
In-form opposition
The Pretoria school has a team ideally constructed for the T20 game, and they put together a perfect record of four wins from four outings during the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week, just as St Stithians did. Rondebosch, meanwhile, cruised to three convincing victories in their three Cape Schools Week matches.
Westville, for their part, have been less consistent this season than last, and up against those top sides they need to bring their best.
On day one, Thursday, Max Robertson certainly did his bit with a magnificent 48-ball 98 against Affies, but it wasn’t enough as Westville conceded 221 for 4 and eventually went down by 20 runs.
On Friday morning, they again gave up 221 runs. This time, though, Rondebosch totalled 221 for 1.
Cracking knock
Jordan O’Neill played a superb knock, striking an unbeaten 130 from just 68 balls, with 18 fours and four sixes. Bongani Mfunelwa deposited six deliveries over the boundary as he weighed in with 66 not out from 38 balls.
Faced with another daunting run chase, the Griffins made a good start, with Aryan Gopalan and Max Robertson dealing well with the Bosch bowlers.
Robertson, again, top scored, this time with 53 from 39 balls, with six fours and one six. Gopalan struck two fours and a six in his 28-ball stay, which produced 36 runs.
However, having to bat at 11.1 runs per over to win produces heavy pressure from the very first ball to the last and it proved too much of an ask for the Westville batting.
Five batsmen made it into the teens, but not beyond, and more significant innings were necessary.
Bosch bowling
Declan Gillespie, with 3 for 34, and Alex Combrinck, with 3 for 43, were economical, but that didn’t matter too much as they combined to send more than half of the Westville batsmen packing. Meanwhile, Graeme Engebrecht, with 1 for 11 from three overs, dialled the pressure on the Griffins up to 11.
After their 20 overs, Westville finished on 174 for 9 – a decent total, but 47 runs shy of Rondebosch’s effort.
Next, a very strong St Stithians side, which beat Rondebosch by nine runs on Thursday, awaits the Griffins.
SCORES
Rondebosch 221 for 1 (J. Neill 130*, B. Mfunelwa 66*, N. Heath 20)
Westville 174 for 9 (M. Robertson 53, A. Gopalan 39, D. Gillespie 3 for 34, A. Combrinck 3 for 43)
Rondebosch won by 47 runs
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