KwaZulu-Natal Coastal are the unofficial champions of the Momentum U13 Cricket Week, writes THEO GARRUN.
The KZN team beat Northerns in the ‘main’ game of the final day in Benoni on Friday. Although the organisers are at pains to stress that this is a festival with no overall winner, everyone knows that the two best sides on display are matched up on the last day and the winner walks off with the unofficial crown.
The game had a tight finish. KZN were chasing 203 and they got the winning runs with seven wickets down and two balls to spare.
As far as individual performances were concerned, the day belonged to Easterns batsman Tristan van Schalkwyk. He smashed 178 runs off 156 balls with 16 fours and a six to guide the hosts to a 71-run win over KwaZulu-Natal Inland. No records of top scores are kept at the week, but that is the highest score at the U13 tournament that anyone can remember. It took Van Schalkwyk to over 400 runs in the five games – easily top run-scorer for the week.
Eastern Province’s Esa Gangat took 5/18 against Zimbabwe, taking his of scalps to 24 for the week, the most by a bowler. Free State’s Dorian Rabie took 3/55 against Western Province on Friday to take his total to 21 wickets, two behind.
The bowlers did well in general on the final day. There were four ‘fifers’ recorded, with Zander Nel (5-23 for SWD vs Limpopo), Ruan Lotz (5-25 for North West vs Boland), Sibulele Landelo (5-15 for Western Province vs Free State) and Esa Gangat (5-18 for Eastern Province vs Zimbabwe) claiming the honours.
Apart from Van Schalkwyk’s century, there was a 90, two 80s and five more half-centuries on the day, confirming that this was batter’s week.
Kyle Williams of Western Province made 91 against Free State, while the 80s were by Lukas Janse van Rensburg (82 for Easterns vs KZN Inland) and Ross Boast (83 for KZN Inland vs Easterns).
The half-centuries came from Thebe Fazide (71 for Northerns vs KZN Coastal), Ivan Lockem 68 for KZN Coastal vs Northerns), Blake Simpson (57 for KZN Coastal vs Northerns), Sibarashe Mudia (53 for Zimbabwe vs Eastern Province) and Corbett van Heerden (58 for Eastern Province vs Zimbabwe).
Scores
Northerns 202-9 (Thebe Gazide 71, Jacques Lambrecht 27; Ramoshona Pilay 2-25)
KwaZulu-Natal Coastal 203-7 (Ivan Lockem 68, Blake Simpson 57; Boago Gaoraelwe 4-25)
KwaZulu-Natal Coastal won by three wickets
Western Province 294-7 (Kyle Williams 91, Mohammed Kahn 37, Siyabonga Venge 37, David Simon 37 not out; Darion Rabie 3-33).
Free State 145 (Armand Fourie 32, Mauna Phelane 34; Sibulele Landelo 5-15, Liyakha Xatoto 3-17)
Western Province won by 149 runs
Boland 76 (Thato Motjjoi 3-10, Ruan Lotz 5-35)
North West 77-4 (Jeandre Lotheringen 24 not out; Kieran Gordge 3-13)
North West won by six wickets
Limpopo 74 (Zander Nel 5-23)
SWD 74-4 (Elro Spies 25)
SWD won by six wickets
Gauteng 215-9 (Malhar Shedbalkar 32, Siya Radebe 33, Masande Luthuli 39, Heinrich Cloete 39; Ethan Currin 3-21)
Border 116-5 (Osiphesona Mbekwa 43; Joshua Wyngaard 3-17)
Gauteng won by 14 runs (D-L Method)
Zimbabwe 208-9 (Simbarashe Mudima 53, Harry Streak 37, Tadiwa Mandimutsira 30 not out; Esa Gangat 5-18)
Eastern Province 179 (Corbett van Heerden 58, Divan Lamprecht 36; Tinodaishe Mushunga 3-34)
Zimbabwe won by 29 runs
Easterns 289-8 (Tristan van Schalkwyk 178, Lukas Janse van Rensburg 82)
KwaZulu-Natal Inland 218 (Matthew Urquhart 46, Matthew Diemont 39; Quade Pillay 3-33)
Easterns won by 71 runs
Northern Cape 148 (Juan Viljoen 33, Pharell van Wyk 34 not out; Gomo Moeletsi 2-10)
Mpumalanga 98 (Ewald Schreuder 23; Monnapule Jansen 3-17, Juan Viljoen 4-25)
Northern Cape won by 50 runs
Photo: Theo Garrun
