21 September 2024
(Feature photo: Cameron Veenstra, of Kearsney College. Photo courtesy of Hannah Shirley)
Maritzburg College plays host to the 64th Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week from Saturday, 21 September, to Tuesday, 24 September, with 24 teams in action in Pietermaritzburg and its surrounds.
That’s an increase of four sides over 2023’s event. The additions are St Alban’s College, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Hudson Park, and a CSA Hub Team.
The lineup features 10 KZN schools – Maritzburg College, Clifton, Durban High School (DHS), Northwood, Glenwood, Westville, Kearsney, St Charles, Hilton College, and Michaelhouse.
They’re joined by an equal number of schools from Gauteng – Pretoria Boys High, St Stithians, Cornwall Hill, St David’s Marist Inanda, Affies, St John’s, St Alban’s, Jeppe, Waterkloof, and KES – plus Hudson Park, from the Eastern Cape, Paul Roos, from the Western Cape, Grey College, from the Free State, and the CSA Hub Team.
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In 2023, only Affies and St Stithians emerged from the event with four wins out of four. They’ll have to be on their game to repeat that record, not only because of the quality of their opponents but, in the case of Affies, because they’ll be without the prolific Jorich van Schalkwyk, who has enjoyed an outstanding season for his school. He’s on national duty, but, make no mistake, Affies remains loaded.
Saints will be a tough out. They’re experienced and their lineup includes paceman Kwena Maphaka, who made his debut for the Proteas earlier this year, and batsman Richard Seletswane, who has earned SA Schools’ selection for the past three years. Like Affies, their quality runs deep.
There’ll be interest in the performances of Maritzburg College’s captain Chad Mason, who has enjoyed an outstanding year. The College skipper is closing in on a rare double of 1 000 runs and 50 wickets in a calendar year and heads into the Michaelmas Week with 905 runs and 41 wickets to his name.
Another team to keep an eye on is Hoërskool Waterkloof. They’ve been in scintillating early season form and their results have included a convincing win over Affies. They boast an established and proven line-up with multiple batting threats, especially.
The SA Emerging u19 team is touring Zimbabwe, which means a number of players who would have been in action at the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week are missing. Besides Van Schalkwyk, they include Dayalan Boyce (Westville Boys’ High), Ben Hockly (Hilton College), Bayanda Majola (DHS), Rowen Rajah (St Charles College), Jason Rowles (St David’s Marist Inanda) and Ntando Soni (Glenwood). Even without those talented players, the cricket will remain of a very high standard, with the participants representing some of the richest cricket nurseries in South Africa.
In excess of 100 players who participated in the Michaelmas Week have gone on to play international cricket, representing, among others, South Africa, Namibia, New Zealand, England, The Netherlands, Scotland, Zimbabwe, Australia, the USA and Ireland.
Nine South African cricket captains – AB de Villiers (Affies), Francois du Plessis (Affies), Hashim Amla (DHS), Kepler Wessels (Grey College), Hansie Cronje (Grey College), Ali Bacher (KES), Graeme Smith (KES), Shaun Pollock (Northwood School) and David Miller (Maritzburg College) have been part of the week, while Kevin Pietersen (Maritzburg College) and Tony Greig (Queen’s College) skippered England, and Ross Taylor (Palmerston North) captained New Zealand.
On the coaching front, Corrie van Zyl (Grey College) took the reins for the Proteas, as did Ray Jennings (KES) and Mickey Arthur (Westville), who has also taken charge of Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Lance Klusener (DHS) coached Afghanistan, while Riaan Minnie (Northwood) currently serves as Namibia’s Analyst and Fielding Coach.
FIXTURES
Friday, 21 September
Maritzburg College vs Pretoria Boys High, Goldstone’s
Clifton vs Hudson Park, Barns
CSA Hub Team vs St Stithians, Collegians
DHS vs Cornwall Hill, Woodlands
Kearsney vs St David’s Marist Inanda, Eston
Hilton vs Grey College, Hilton
St Charles vs Affies, St Charles
Westville vs St John’s, Varsity 1
Northwood vs St Alban’s, Varsity 2
Michaelhouse vs Jeppe, Michaelhouse
Glenwood vs KES, Richmond
Paul Roos vs Waterkloof, Howick
Saturday, 22 September
Maritzburg College vs Affies, Goldstone’s
Glenwood vs Cornwall Hill, Barns
Kearsney vs St Stithians, Collegians
CSA Hub Team vs Jeppe, Woodlands
Northwood vs Pretoria Boys High, Eston
Hilton vs KES, Hilton
St Charles vs Grey College, St Charles
Paul Roos vs St Alban’s, Varsity 1
Clifton vs St John’s, Varsity 2
Michaelhouse vs St David’s, Michaelhouse
Westville vs Waterkloof, Richmond
DHS vs Hudson Park, Howick
Sunday, 23 September
Maritzburg College vs Hudson Park, Goldstone’s
CSA Hub Team vs St John’s, Barns
Grey College vs Jeppe, Collegians
Kearsney vs Waterkloof, Woodlands
DHS vs Affies, Eston
Hilton vs Paul Roos, Hilton
St Charles vs KES, St Charles
Glenwood vs Pretoria Boys High, Varsity 1
Westville vs St Stithians, Varsity 2
Michaelhouse vs St Alban’s, Michaelhouse
Northwood vs St David’s, Richmond
Clifton vs Cornwall Hill, Howick
Monday, 24 September
Maritzburg College vs St David’s, Goldstone’s
Westville vs KES, Barns
Clifton vs Waterkloof, Collegians
Grey College vs St Alban’s, Woodlands
Glenwood vs Hudson Park, Eston
Hilton vs St John’s, Hilton
St Charles vs Cornwall Hill, St Charles
DHS vs St Stithians, Varsity 1
CSA Hub Team vs Affies, Varsity 2
Michaelhouse vs Pretoria Boys High
Kearsney vs Paul Roos, Kearsney
Northwood vs Jeppe, Howick
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