Nicholas Keevy smashed two unbeaten half-centuries on a superb day three for Eastern Province at the Momentum U17 Boys Week in Durban. The promising cricketers took part in T20 action on Friday, with two sets of matches during the morning and afternoon sessions.
Keevy scored an unbeaten 90 off 66 balls in the 17-run win over Border after EP chased down 157-7 with two balls to spare.
He delivered another batting masterclass in EP’s successful chase against KwaZulu-Natal Inland (KZN Inland). The Grey High School pupil scored 62 not out off 56 balls (5×4, 2×6) as his team reached its target with just one over remaining.
There were three other sides to walk away with double victories on a fantastic day of cricket, with South Western Districts, Northerns and Zimbabwe taking the honours with imposing performances in their respective clashes.
Heath Richards continued his good form from day two as he galvanised SWD to wins over Boland and Northern Cape with dominant bat displays earlier in the day. He notched up 44 runs off 34 balls against Boland to help SWD to 114-5 after 20 overs before Kevin de Kock took three wickets for 12 runs to seal the Western Cape derby by 40 runs.
In the afternoon clash, SWD had Richards to thank again after they amassed 115-6, with the right-hander top-scoring with 42 runs. Matthew Thorne starred with incredible figures of four for six to clinch a comfortable 19-run triumph.
Northerns started the day off on the best note possible, thanks to Hanu Viljoen, who top-scored with 38 against Limpopo as they posted 151-9 in 20 overs, before Dihan Bekker’s 3-11 earned them a 71-run win after their opponents could only score 80-9 in their allotted overs.
In their second clash of the day, things weren’t as straightforward for Northerns after Johann Schonfeldt’s 47 helped North West to 126-5 after 20 overs. Tristan Janse van Rensburg (51) raised his bat for a well-played fifty as Northerns chased down the target on the final ball, despite being nine down.
Zimbabwe was the surprise package of the day after they recorded back-to-back wins over North West and then Limpopo in the afternoon session.
In their first T20, a collected bowling display, led by Sakhumzi Ndlela (2-25), limited North West to 117-8 before Milton Shumba’s 32 inspired their chase, winning by six wickets.
In their second victory, Zimbabwe could only score 122 in their innings before Rodney Mduduza’s magnificent return of 4-22 helped skittle out Limpopo to seal a 5-run victory with just 11 deliveries remaining.
In the remaining clashes of the day, Heinrich Pieterse’s match-winning half-century led Gauteng to a thrilling 10-run triumph over Free State in the morning session. The latter fought back well after the lunch break, as they cruised to an eight-wicket success against a tough KwaZulu-Natal Coastal side.
KZN Coastal’s afternoon loss was preceded by an encouraging eight-wicket win over Mpumalanga, while Western Province finished the day with one out of two wins against Northern Cape and Boland.
Dean Dyer scored a wonderful 78 as Inland came out tops over Easterns before Mpumalanga ended their day with a comfortable victory over winless Border.
Day four of the U17 Week will resume on Saturday, and live scores can be found on www.websports.co.za.
