22 February 2024
(Feature photo: David Hill and Simon Steyn successfully appeal in their match against St Andrew’s College. Photo courtesy of Justin Waldman Sports Photography)
The four KwaZulu-Natal teams in action at the 2024 Independent Schools Cricket Festival, being hosted by St Alban’s College in Pretoria, came out on the wrong side of the result in three of those games on Thursday, but the province’s most consistent side this season, Kearsney College, delivered an assured eight-wicket victory over St. Benedict’s College.
Kearsney College vs St Benedict’s College
Playing at Tuks, Kearsney skipper Ross Coetzee won the toss and chose to field first. That proved to be a good call as Ryan Browning repaid his captain’s confidence in the bowling attack by having both Bennies’ openers caught behind by wicketkeeper Matthew De Oliveira with only five runs on the board.
The Bedfordview boys scrambled to gain a footing, but they found traction only after they had stumbled to 36/4. Clayton Horlick and Carl Goosen then more than doubled their team’s total to 73 before Goosen became one of three victims of the leg-spinner, Asavela Khambule.
Horlick stood firm against the Kearsney attack for a while, but he was also dismissed by Khambule after scoring 37 from 88 balls. He departed on 126 and the last two wickets added only one run as St Benedict’s were all out for 127. It was testament to Kearsney’s tight bowling that it took St Benedict’s 45.5 overs to score their runs.
Khambule continued his outstanding form with 3/11 from 7.5 overs, while Browning, whose steep bounce is his calling card, captured 3/16 from eight. Sandiswa Yeni, his opening partner, picked up 2/30 from 10, and Michael Groom, with 1/8 in seven, kept Bennies on the back foot.
Bennies delivered a wholehearted effort in the field to keep Kearsney’s talented batting lineup at bay, and they did a fantastic job of keeping the run rate down, led by SA Schools’ spinner, Parth Patel, who picked up 1/26 in 10. However, they needed wickets, too, and they were stymied by Kearsney’s leading run scorers this season, Cameron Veenstra and Ross Coetzee.
Jason de Gryse and Matthew Lamplough put on 39 for the first wicket but then fell within a run of one another. That brought Veenstra and Coetzee together.
St Benedict’s kept them relatively quiet – in fact, the clean hitting Coetzee was held without a single boundary – but he and Veenstra read the situation and the conditions well to play according to what their team required. Patiently, they added an unbroken stand of 82 to see their side to victory.
Veenstra finished with 50 not out from 82 balls, with one four and one six, while Coetzee weighed in with a mature 38 from 93 balls.
Hilton College vs St Andrew’s College
Hilton College looked as if they were headed for a one-sided loss to St Andrew’s College after totalling only 121 all out on The Oval. But the contest proved to be anything but one-sided.
Still, it wasn’t the best of batting efforts by Ethan van Heerden‘s side, who owed plenty to Netanzi Denenga, batting at nine, who steered them from 59/7 to 121 all out, thanks to his 37, which featured two fours and two sixes.
Opening the batting, Ben Hockly made 37, but a modest 18 from Ben Erasmus was the next best score.
Roman van Zyl led the way for St Andrew’s, dismissing three of Hilton’s leading batsmen, on his way to 4/32 from eight. His new ball partner, Joe Wostenholm, gave little away and picked up 2/12. They received good support from first change bowler, William Beamish, who claimed 2/24.
Beamish was then at the forefront of the St Andrew’s reply, playing patiently for 44, while seeing the team from Makhanda to 105 runs. He had opened the batting but was the sixth man out.
Alex Price made 20, which, in a low-scoring game, was a valuable contribution.
In the end, despite a stubborn fightback, Hilton couldn’t overcome their low total and St Andrew’s ran out the winners by three wickets.
Luke Campbell snapped up 2/15 for Hilton in 6.1, and Natenzi Denenga captured 2/24, but balancing taking wickets and defending runs was a tough task and Hilton came up just short.
Clifton College vs Cornwall Hill College
Clifton College were at Cornwall Hill College for their first game of the ISCF, also against Cornwall Hill, who had recently welcomed SA u19 star Lhuan-dré Pretorius into their ranks. He would play a key role in the game.
Clifton captain Shahzaad Perumal chose to bat after winning the coin flip, but Pretorius soon showed his all-round ability by dismissing both openers, Bryon Ward and Cohen Naidoo, with Naidoo hoisting one six in his 39-ball stay and scoring 24 runs.
Perumal then doggedly went about his job and top scored with 29, having spent 82 balls at the crease. Aalok Beharie, with a run a ball 23, bolstered the Clifton total, but after 44.4 overs the Durban school was all out for 151.
Mohale Pitso picked up 3/33 from 8.4 overs, while Pretorius returned a fine analysis of 10-2-17-2. Obakeng Mokonyane was outstanding with the ball, too, claiming 2/11 in six.
Pretorius then played an unusually contained innings – credit to the Clifton bowlers for that – but he was there at the end, unbeaten on 85 from 120 balls, having struck four fours and six.
An unbeaten 33 from Lethabo Phahlamohlaka, who partnered with Pretorius for a stand of 82, took the home side to an eight-wicket win with 11.4 overs remaining in their innings.
Michaelhouse vs Bishops
It appeared as if Michaelhouse had done well to bowl out Bishops for 212 on the Baloyi Oval after the Cape Town side had chosen to bat. They’ve put up many better totals this season.
It was a good effort in the field, but the problem for ‘House was Bishops, widely regarded as the top team in South Africa at present, were far too much for them when they took to the field.
Jean-Luc Rey, especially, did a wonderful job with the ball, snaring 5/43, as Michaelhouse kept the usually free-flowing Bishops’ batsmen in check. Ross Moller, as always, was tidy and return figures of 2/35, while Cameron Strudwick exerted heavy pressure on the opposition with a neat 1/16 from his 10 overs.
Moller got rid of the prolific Adnaan Lagadien for only three, but his equally proficient opening partner, Kashief Joseph, anchored the Bishops’ innings with 59, which came off 93 deliveries.
Waco Bassick, in at nine, performed a brilliant job of extending his side’s innings. He entered with the total on 129/7 and was the last man to be dismissed, run out for 48, after helping Bishops add 83 runs at the tail end of their innings.
Calum Daniels, with 29, and Alex Vintcent, with 22, also made useful contributions.
Bassick then took the new ball with Tiaan Louw and ripped through the Michaelhouse batting lineup. He got rid of four of the top five batsmen in the order, on his way to a stellar return of 5/15 from six overs.
Michael Kotze backed him up with 3/10 from six, too, and Michaelhouse limped to only 74 all out. Michael Spencer, with 19, and Cameron Strudwick, with 17 not out, were the best of the ‘House batsmen, but they were well beaten by 138 runs.
SCORES
St Benedict’s College 127/10 (Clayton Horlick 37, Carl Goosen 22; Asavela Khambule 3/11, Ryan Browning 3/16, Sandiswa Yeni 2/30); Kearsney College 132/2 (Cameron Veenstra 50*, Ross Coetzee 36*, Jason De Gryse 21) Kearsney College won by 8 wickets.
Hilton College 121/10 (Natenzi Denenga 37, Ben Hockly 26; Roman van Zyl 4/32, Joe Wostenholm 2/12, William Beamish 2/24); St Andrew’s College 122/7 (William Beamish 44, Alex Price 20; Luke Campbell 2/15, Natenzi Denega 2/42). St Andrew’s College won by three wickets.
Clifton College 151/10 (Shahzaad Perumal 29, Cohen Naidoo 24; Mohale Pitso 3/33, Obakeng Mokanyane 2/11, Lhuan-dré Pretorius 2/17); Cornwall Hill College 152/2 (Lhuan-dré Pretorius 85*, Lethabo Phahlamohhlaka 34*; Zach Williamson 1/13). Cornwall Hill College won by eight wickets.
Bishops Diocesan College 212/10 (Kashief Joseph 59, Waco Bassick 48, Calum Daniels 29, Peyton Leigh 24, Alex Vintcent 22; Jean-Luc Rey 5/43, Ross Moller 2/35); Michaelhouse 81/10 (Cameron Strudwick 20; Waco Bassick 5/15, Michael Kotze 3/10). Bishops Diocesan College won by 131 runs.
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