7 September 2023
Maritzburg College and Hilton College met in the semi-finals of the One Insurance Eston Schools T20 Night League on Wednesday and, as had been the case when Hilton beat Saint Charles, Charles Swart was, once again, the difference-maker.
He was the glue in the Hilton reply, playing a controlled and composed knock to see them to a six-wicket victory with an over in hand. College, though, will feel they gifted their opposition too many runs with some fielding mishaps.
Maritzburg College innings
After winning the toss, College visited the crease first, and fresh off of the Fasken St David’s Time Cricket Festival, where a number of their batsmen went big, they looked comfortable, but Hilton managed to dislodge a number of their in-form players to keep the red, black and white in check.
Liam Armstrong, the scorer of two centuries in Johannesburg, was the first man to fall, cutting hard at a delivery from Ross Boast which, unfortunately for the opener, found a fielder and saw him depart for eight runs.
Asanda Khumalo contributed nine before a lofted drive to deep extra cover saw him out, caught off of the spin of Brett Cutting.
Good partnership
Captain Bryn Brokensha and opener Caleb Thomas steadied the College ship with a fine stand of 73, highlighted by some cracking drives over the top.
Thomas then fell to the pace of Murray Loughor-Clarke, bowled for a well-played 57 from 46 balls, which included seven sweetly struck fours.
Seven runs later, on 125, it was the skipper who was out, a victim of his Hilton counterpart, Ross Boast, who found a bit of extra bounce outside of the off stump. Brokensha flashed at the delivery and was comfortably caught behind for 33 from 31 deliveries, which included a six and two fours.
Oliver Da Costa departed five runs later, caught by Ben Hockly off of the bowling of Ethan van Heerden for four.
That left Chad Mason and Michael Gibson to see the innings through to its conclusion. Mason was unbeaten on 11 off of 11 when it ended, and Gibson cracked nine off of four, as College closed on 144 for 5 in their 20 overs.
Boast led the Hilton attack well, knocking over 2 for 26 in his four overs, while his fellow opening bowler, Ethan van Heerden, restricted the College batsmen’s scoring, returning 1 for 20 in his four.
Gibson stars with the ball
Hilton’s reply began steadily, but the introduction of Michael Gibson in the fifth over brought the breakthrough for College.
Bowling big in-duckers, and maintaining a tight line, Gibson challenged the batsmen throughout his four-over spell. Ben Hockly was his first of three victims, trapped in front for six, with the total on 21. At the opposite end of the pitch, Charles Swart was settling in.
Ben Erasmus stuck around for 10 runs, striking one boundary, before he was castled by Gibson, reducing Hilton to 38 for 2 in the seventh over.
Game in the balance
Boast then sent two deliveries to the boundary in one over from James Wiggill, but the very next over Gibson had him dismissed LBW for eight. At 48 for 3 in the ninth over, Hilton needed a decent partnership to steady their run chase. With the arrival of Ivan Jjuuko in the middle, they got it.
He and Charles Swart neatly seized control of the contest away from College. They combined for a 69-run stand in 8.3 overs, which set up Hilton to take the win.
When Jjuuko fell for 29 from 28 balls – with three fours and a six – caught by Chad Mason off the bowling of Bryn Brokensha, Hilton were on 117 for 4 after 16.5 overs, chasing 145 for victory.
The big issue for Maritzburg College was the fact that Swart was well established at the other end of the pitch and making sure the scoreboard kept moving.
With the game on the line, he and Kyle Christie went on the offensive, striking out at Chad Mason and Sphamandla Dzanibe, to lift the run-scoring rate.
Swart unbeaten
When the scoreboard ticked over to 148 runs, Hilton were home with six balls remaining. Swart had faced 50 balls for his unbeaten 60, which included 20 runs in fours. He had looked unhurried and unhassled throughout. Christie made eight from seven.
Gibson was the pick of the bowlers on either side, ending with the superb figures of 3 for 18 in four, but College’s usually miserly spinners were unable to keep the Hilton batsmen sufficiently in check.
SCORECARD
Maritzburg College 144 for 5 (C. Thomas 57, B. Brokensha 33, R. Boast 2 for 26)
Hilton College 148 for 4 (C. Swart 60*, I. Jjuuko 29, M. Gibson 3 for 18)
Hilton won by six wickets
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