21 December 2024
Kearsney‘s Sandiswa Yeni (feature photo) and Westville Boys’ High‘s Dayalan Boyce played prominent roles as the SA Schools Colts side upset SA Schools at Newlands on Saturday, winning a T20 clash by 25 runs.
Sent in to bat, the Colts made a bright start, with Adnaan Lagadien cracking a sharp 20 from 16 balls, which included three fours and a six, before his onslaught was stopped by Raeeq Daniels, who uprooted the opener’s off-stump.
Enathi Kitshini, then, accounted for Sabelo Mabanga, bowling Lagadien’s opening partner for 10, which left the Colts on 49/2 after 7.1 overs.
Pranav Raichetti, one of only two batsmen to score a century during the week – the other was Free State’s Naudé Botha – then teamed up with the Colts’ captain Lethabo Phahlamohlaka to steady the innings and drive their side into a position of strength. Together, they added 63 for the third wicket.
Their stand was ended by Maritzburg College‘s outstanding all-rounder Chad Mason, who excelled with the ball at the Khaya Majola Week, matching the Platinum Division’s Bowler and Player of the Tournament, Raeeq Daniels, with 14 wickets, at less than 10 runs a wicket. The leg-spinner had St Stithians’ Raichetti caught by Paul Matlala for 36 from 33 balls.
None of the remaining batsmen made it into double figures, but the skipper continued on to make 47 from just 36 deliveries, striking two fours and three sixes before he became the second of Nqobani Mokoena‘s victims. The Northwood all-rounder, who opened the bowling, took some stick but finished with 2/37 from his four overs.
Daniels, who took the new ball with Mokoena, returned to capture two more wickets in the last over, which helped keep the SA Colts to 145/8.
The Rondebosch paceman finished with a sparkling 3/15 from three, while Kitshini picked up 2/12, also in three, and Mason bagged 1/16 in two.
In reply, Jason Rowles enjoyed a good first over against Dayalan Boyce, taking 14 off the Griffin‘s bowler, but matters, then, tightened up and soon Rowles and his fellow opener, Christian Kind, were both out with only 21 runs on the board in the fifth over. Ryall Julies took care of Rowles, while Sandiswa Yeni removed Kind.
Kearsney College and Dolphins‘ captain Ross Coetzee, the Batsmen of the Tournament in the Platinum Section, didn’t make much of an impact, falling to Steve Stolk for seven. That brought Armaan Manack – like Rowles, from St David’s Marist Inanda – and Dakalo Leketa, from St Andrew’s School (Bloemfontein), together and they combined for a 54-run stand.
Stolk broke it by having Manack caught by Charl Prinsloo. Manack’s 48 was the highest score in the SA Schools’ innings and it came from 41 balls, with two fours and a six.
His departure left the SA Schools team on 102/4 after 14.4 overs, but it also precipitated a collapse. Two balls later, the fifth wicket, that of the captain, Beni Hansen, fell, with Stolk claiming his third. From there, the SA Schools’ challenge lost all momentum and fell apart.
Yeni and Boyce got in among the wickets, and Boyce added a run out as SA Schools lost seven wickets for 18 runs to slump from 102/3 to 120 all out.
Yeni matched Daniels’ performance for the SA Schools side, also knocking over 3/15 in three, including Leketa, who contributed 28 from 31, with a single six. Boyce finished with 2/21 in 3.2.
Usually neighbours but on opposite sides in KZN competition, Yeni and Boyce ensured that the Colts would win for the first time since 2018, which also happened at Newlands.
Stolk’s performance was key to the Colts’ win, and he ended with 3/19 from four. Ryall Julies took the only other wicket to go to the bowlers, picking up 1/13 in two.
SCORES
SA Colts 145/8 (Lethabo Phahlamohlaka 47, Pranav Raichetti 36, Adnaan Lagadien 20; Raeeq Daniels 3/15, Enathi Kitshini 2/12, Nqobani Mokoena 2/37); SA Schools 120/10 (Armaan Manack 48, Dakalo Leketa 28; Steve Stolk 3/19, Sandiswa Yeni 3/15, Dayalan Boyce 2/21).
SA Colts won by 25 runs.
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