Madibaz make it three out of three

The Mecer NMMU Madibaz won their third match in as many games when they beat the TIB Crusaders C.C. on day three of the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Club Championships in Pretoria on Wednesday. This win keeps the Madibaz on the top spot of the Section One log of the tournament.



The Madibaz won the toss and elected to bat first and were bowled out for 213 in 46.4 overs. The Hodnett brothers of the Crusaders did well to take wickets and it was Kyle Hodnett who returned with the impressive figures of 4/23 in eight overs, receiving good support from Grant Hodnett who took 2/51 in nine overs.



The Crusaders took to the crease with designs on winning the day but it was not to be with the Madibaz bowlers equally determined to take wickets. CSA’s 2011 Student Cricketer of the Year, Simon Harmer, showed why he received that award when he took 4/36 in nine overs with Sisanda Magala chipping in with 3/55 in nine overs. Michael Alexander and Grant Hodnett both top scored with 60 runs but could not finish the game for their team. The Crusaders were bowled out 194, giving the Madibaz and 19-run victory.



Madibaz coach Grant Morgan is satisfied that his team’s objectives are being met and they are playing the kind of cricket that was discussed before their arrival in Pretoria; “Often the bravest team plays the simplest cricket,” he said. “Brave cricket is not about slogging the ball to all corners of the field, it’s about keeping things simple and not trying to over complicate things. Of course chances have to be taken from time to time, but sticking to the basics is often the hardest and the most important thing to do. I believe this has been the key to the team’s success so far in this week,” he continued.



Assupol Tuks C.C. beat previously undefeated SDL Brackenfell C.C. by a convincing 107 runs to lift their side to second place in the Section One log. Tuks won the toss and chose to bat first, ending their innings on 256/5. Douglas Hewitt blazed through his inning, smashing 78 from 88 balls before his dismissal.



Brackenfell did not have a good day, losing wickets at the most inconvenient of times with Dirkie Marais top scoring with 39 runs. Maurice Aronstam once again showed his good bowling skills, taking 4/39 in nine overs. Graeme van Buuren provided amazing support as he powered through the Brackenfell batsmen, taking 4/22 in 10 overs. Brackenfell were bowled out for 149 in 43.2 overs.



In the final Section One match, ABSA Central University of Technology (CUT) bounced back from an unimpressive performance yesterday to steal the show and beat Western Province Cricket Club (WP) by eight wickets.



 WP won the toss and chose to bat first. Rushdi Hendricks did well to get a half century (53 off 89 balls) but wickets were falling too quickly for other batsmen to make decent runs. WP were bowled out for 185 in 50 overs with Francois Haasbroek, Ian O’Neill and Duwaine Calder taking two wickets a piece.



CUT captain Pite van Biljon led by example, returning unbeaten with a brilliant century (109 from 72 balls). The support received from Stephan Smith who scored 43 from 67 balls saw the Free State side glide to victory as they ended with 186/2, finishing the match in 27 overs.

CUT coach Donavin George is delighted with his team’s first win of the tournament, “Today was a very good day for us, we did a better job on the field than we have throughout the tournament and Pite (van Biljon) played an exciting game of cricket. He is a brilliant player and an excellent leader. If we stick to tomorrow’s game plan and we bowl the opposition out cheaply, there’s no reason why we can’t win again,” he said.



Section Two saw the BA Travel Clinic Old Selbornians C.C. also win their first match of the tournament in the lowest scoring match so far. They beat Olympian Wanderers C.C. by five runs to move up from last place to fourth on the log and also to gain that all important confidence going into the next match.



 The Selbornians chose to bat after winning the toss and were bowled out for a consternating 82 runs in 33.1 overs. The Wanderers bowlers were too good, Deon Carolus taking 3/14 in six overs and Aubrey Swanepoel 3/15 six overs.



It looked to be a sure win for the Wanderers but the Selbornian bowlers would not be defeated. Gareth Voke took brilliant figures of 4/25 in eight overs while Brendan Fourie and Murray Krug took three wickets each. Wanderers were bowled out for 79 runs in 30.4 overs.



In other matches, Volcano Kempton Park C.C. remained on top of the log after beating ABSA NWU-PUKKE by 69 runs. Kempton Park won the toss and chose to bat first, posting 201 in 43.5 overs. Pukke’s reply was just not strong enough as Kempton Park’s bowlers rampaged through the batting line up, Sarel Myburgh and Stefan Gericke taking four wickets each. Pukke were all out for 132 in 30.4 overs.

The final match of the day saw the University of Johannesburg also making it three out of three when they defeated Standard C.C. by 19 runs. Standard won the toss and chose to bowl. UJ posted 183 from 48.4 overs with Anton van Nieuwenhuizen scoring 54 from 64 balls. Standard’s Brent Kay took 4/38 in nine overs.



With 184 needed to win, Standard looked to get a good start but were continually thwarted by the brilliant bowling of C. Currin who took a remarkable 5/18 in seven overs. They were bowled out for 164 (48.2), giving UJ yet another win.



Day four commences with all teams chasing down that overall top four spot in order to get to the semi-finals. The Madibaz are ready to take on anyone who threatens to get in their way, “We came in this tournament with a template, we think seriously not just about the long term plan, but the plan for the day and I believe we have what it takes to go all the way,” Grant Morgan finished.