24 January 2024
Kearsney College captain Ross Coetzee continued his rollicking start to the 2024 cricket season with a superb 73 not out to lift his side to a very challenging 182/2 in a W100 match played on the AH Smith Oval against Durban High School (DHS) on Wednesday.
Coetzee, batting at three, reached the crease 12 balls into his side’s innings after Murray Weyer was caught by Josh van Biljon off the speedy Bayanda Majola for two.
Cameron Veenstra slammed two deliveries for six for the home side, but he was out for 21 from 15 deliveries, just after the 50 had been brought up.
That brought wicketkeeper and SA Schools’ hockey player, Matt De Oliveira, to the crease and he and his skipper then set about destroying the DHS attack.
Coetzee was harsh on the Horseflies’ bowlers, facing only 47 balls for his 73, and lashing four fours and four sixes along the way. De Oliveira, meanwhile, took just 37 deliveries to strike an undefeated 53, which included four fours and three sixes.
Bhavesh Naicker picked up 1/14 in 10 deliveries, while Bayanda Majola removed Weyer, but was quite expensive, going for 31 from his 15 balls.
Unfortunately for DHS, they made a miserable start to their run chase, and with only 100 balls to face, and needing to bat at 1.83 runs per ball to win, they were effectively out of the game early on in their innings.
Coetzee, again, inflicted major damage on DHS by getting rid of dangerman Semal Pillay for a duck. Then, Ismaeel Omar, who played for the Inter-provincial champion KZN u16 side, along with Pillay and Josh van Biljon, was run out, leaving the Durbanites two down just 13 balls into their innings.
But it was soon to become far tougher for them. Sfundo Mthembu was caught by Coetzee off of Ryan Browning, and the aforementioned Josh van Biljon followed with the total on 22, also a victim of Browning.
When DHS slipped to 32/5, only 29 balls into their innings, with the dismissal of Sbusiso Msibi, they were deep in the mire.
Finally, though, they found some traction when Bayanda Majola and Bhavesh Naicker came together. Majola played the supporting role, while Naicker went after the Kearsney bowlers. Together, they added 59 runs for the sixth wicket before Majola was caught by Cole Young off the bowling of Jack O’Donovan for 16 from 23 balls.
Jared Havermann didn’t last long, going out with the total on 101, and it was left to Ruben Peters and Bayanda Majola to see out the innings.
Peters finished with nine not out, which included a six, while Majola was the standout performer for DHS, making an unbeaten 44 from 43 deliveries, which featured three fours and a six.
Ross Browning did a fantastic job for Kearsney, sending down 10 balls and capturing 2/5. Matthew Lamplough lent good support, with his 15 deliveries costing only 12 runs, while he also picked up the wicket of Sbusiso Msibi.
In the end, Kearsney romped to a 60-run victory.
Scores
Kearsney College 182/2 (Ross Coetzee 73*, Matt De Oliveira 54*, Cameron Veenstra 21, Bhavesh Naicker 1/14); Durban High School 122/7 (Bhavesh Naicker 44*, Ryan Browning 2/5, Matthew Lamplough 1/12, Jack O’Donovan 1/15)
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