Gauteng, Western Province and KZN Inland finish Khaya Majola Week as the top teams

Gauteng came out on top by seven wickets against the Titans in the main match of the annual Khaya Majola Week in Potchefstroom.

No team managed to finish the tournament unbeaten. Gauteng, Western Province, and KwaZulu-Natal all suffered only one defeat during the week.

The Titans recorded 226/7 in their adjusted allotted 48 overs thanks to a century by their opening batsman, Kieron Croome. A light rain shower interrupted the Titans innings causing the Duckworth/Lewis-method to come into effect.  

Nkhanyiso Mkhize (3/40) was the pick of Gauteng’s bowling attack.

Gauteng’s opening batsman, Reuben du Toit (96), just missed out on his century. His stumps were rearranged by spin bowler Divan Engelbrecht to spoil his party.

Du Toit’s opening partner, Ronan Hermann (53), as well as their team’s captain, Billy van Zyl (55), also weighed in with half-centuries. The newly chosen SA Schools’ captain, Schalk Engelbrecht, removed two batsmen for 28 runs as he once again showcased his talent.

Hermann was also named Player of the Week for his excellent performances with the bat. He finished the week as the top run-scorer with 344 runs at an average of 114.67 runs per innings. This included an unbeaten century of 152 runs against Boland on the opening day.

This innings by Hermann is the fourth-highest since 1994 at the Khaya Majola Week. The record for the highest ever individual innings at the tournament belongs to Rilee Rossouw who smashed 182 runs against Kei back in 2006.

Western Province managed to end KwaZulu-Natal Inland’s unbeaten streak at the week with a convincing eight-wicket victory. KZN Inland was restricted to 105/7 in their allotted 20 overs with Western Province’s SA Schools’ spin bowler, Jesse Prodehl (2/27), causing most of the damage.

Maahir Joseph (64) and Meeka-eel Prince (41*) made the highest contributions for WP as they cruised home.

Dean Bacher, captain of the CSA Invitation XI, produced a superb allround performance to lead his side to a 43-run victory over the Free State. Bacher (92) was run-out before he could reach his century. He faced only 63 deliveries as he placed Free State under pressure.

He followed this up by picking up five wickets for only 27 runs. Bacher is the son of former Proteas opening batsman Adam Bacher.  

Eastern Province managed to secure their first victory of the week by beating Limpopo by eight wickets. The Limpopo’s SA Colts player Khaif Patel would however be happy with how he managed to conclude his week. He first contributed 41 runs with the bat before dismissing two batsmen for only 24 runs.

Border also managed to break their winless streak on the final day by defeating Northern Cape by 36 runs. The team’s captain, Ben van der Merwe (42), finished his week on a high thanks to a solid innings. 

Summarised Scorecards:

Titans 226/7 (Kieron Croome 102, Divan Engelbrecht 44; Nkanyiso Mkhize 3/40); Gauteng 239/3 (Reuben du Toit 96, Ronan Hermann 53, Billy van Zyl 55). Gauteng won by seven wickets.

T20

KwaZulu-Natal Inland 105/7 (Makabongwe Ngcobo 28; Jesse Prodehl 2/13); Western Province 109/2 (Maahir Joseph 64, Meeka-eel Prince 41*). Western Province won by eight wickets.

Easterns 134/8 (Sinethemba Ngenyane 42, Christiaan Conradie 30; Hanro Swanepoel 3/18, Johan Mahne 2/23); North West 45 (Johan Mahne 10; Khaya Sithole 3/6, Amaan Khan 2/4, Uwais Saloojee 2/5). Easterns won by 89 runs.

Boland 100/9 (Nathan Jacobs 27; Nathan Ngugi 2/13, Ronan Varday 2/13, Rasen Naidoo 2/34); KwaZulu-Natal 101/4 (Chad Laycock 45*, Nathan Trevethan 28; John Vermaak 1/4). KwaZulu-Natal won by six wickets.

Invitation XI 168/5 (Dean Bacher 92, Nicklis van Onselen 39); Free State 126 (Matthew Davids 24*, Marco Fouché 24, Alex McIntyre 23; Dean Bacher 5/27, JP King 2/18). Invitation XI won by 43 runs.

Limpopo 110 (Khaif Patel 41; Cameron Williams 2/18, Viwe Gana 2/19, Lisa Namba 2/22); Eastern Province 112/4 (Casey Keevy 48; Khaif Patel 2/24). Eastern Province won by eight wickets (D/L-method).

Mpumalanga 108/6 (Hannes Feuth 30, Lukas van der Walt 23; Kamvelihle Qusheka 2/12, Francois Ackerman 2/14); South Western Districts 109/1 (Anoxolo Khitsini 54*, Keenan Arries 43*). South Western Districts won by one wicket.

Border 135/6 (Ben van der Merwe 42, Ryan Muir 30, Imitha Maphuma 24, Bradley de Kock 22; Itumeleng Sekonyela 4/11); Northern Cape 99/6 (Naziel Adams 49, Biopelo Mancwe 20; Bune Hlonela 3/16). Border won by 36 runs.

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