Posts Tagged ‘jackson’

Durban High School (DHS) welcomed Westville to Theobald Oval on Saturday for a 50-over contest played in challenging hot and muggy conditions, writes KZN10.com’s Brad Morgan.

In a low-scoring game, both schools’ innings followed similar patterns but, after a poor start, Westville managed a better repair-job of their innings to secure a hard-fought 5-wicket victory, with 3 overs in hand.

In 2 losses to Clifton the previous week, Westville had conceded rapid runs with the new ball, with Clifton getting away to fast starts in both matches.

So it was very pleasing to Westville coach Tomo Jackson to see his frontline bowlers
make early inroads into the DHS batting line-up while also keeping the run rate in check.

They were well supported, too, by a good fielding performance.

All-round excellence: SA softball star Troy Botha

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“I thought we bowled really well on a pitch that didn’t offer much to the seamers but offered some nice turn to the spinners,” Westville coach Jackson said afterwards.

 

Westville coach Thomas Jackson: ‘The pick of our seamers was Jared Slaney’

 

“Jared bowled 10 overs and picked up 1 for 17 – including 5 maidens – which is a class showing for a seamer.”

 

 

It was the Westville spinners, though, who really ratcheted up the pressure on DHS.

Jaden Arumugam sent down 10 overs and was miserly, claiming 1 for 21, while Mikaylen Kistna bowled 8 overs and snared 3 for 19.

DHS opener Yudi Ramanand held down his end after a poor start left the home team struggling in the early going.

Yudi then established some stability with Corné Nel, coming in at 5, and together they set about adding substance to the innings.

Ramanand was the first to go, though, when, after looking relatively untroubled, he played around a ball from the left-arm spinner Arumugam and was clean bowled for 31 from 71 balls.

 

 

Nel and Joshua Stride then held up the Westville onslaught until both were dismissed on 35, with Nel’s runs coming from 67 deliveries and Stride’s from 64.

Neither batsman hit a boundary as, remarkably, DHS managed only 2 fours in their innings, which was testament to Westville’s strong effort in the field – and the slow outfield.

The eventual DHS total of 145 for 9 in the allotted 50 overs was not enough, DHS Director of Sport and first XI coach, Nathan Pillay, admitted: “Conditions were quite slow. The outfield was a little bit thick as well, which made batting conditions quite tough.”

 

DHS Director of Sport and first XI coach Nathan Pillay
‘I thought we were about 30 runs short. It showed’

 

 

The going looked reasonably easy for Westville when they visited the crease, but DHS soon made inroads into their reply, capturing wickets regularly, aided by some soft dismissals.

 

By afternoon tea, Westville were limping along on 50 for 5
Sibonelo Makhanya doing the damage with 3 sticks. DHS were buoyed

 

 

After the break, though, Westville’s Ethan Matkovich and Anthony Dunford
set about wresting the game away from the hosts

 

Matkovich played a mature captain’s knock, recognising that there was no need to chase anything, with less than 3 runs an over required for victory. He played confidently, with little risk, and worked the ball around well.

The skipper found a willing partner in Anthony Dunford, who struck an unbeaten 47 from 73 balls, with 6 fours to help steer Westville to a hard-fought win.

Matkovich (who also took a superb catch to get rid of Nel to end the best partnership of the DHS innings) finished unbeaten on 51, facing 111 balls in a 160-minute stay at the crease.

 

 

“There was a decent partnership between Ethan Matkovich and [Nathan] Trevethen. That settled us down,” reckoned Tom Jackson. “Then, after losing Trevethan, a match-winning partnership between Matkovitch and Dunford went really well.”

 

DHS Director of Sport and first XI coach Nathan Pillay
‘All credit to Westville. Their 2 batsmen got stuck in, showed courage and determination’

 

It was a win for Westville, but also a game in which both teams came away with some positives to take forward into their next matches and plenty of reasons to be optimistic going forward.

 

FIRST XI MATCH SCORES IN BRIEF

DHS 145 for 9 (Joshua Stride 35, Corné Nel 35, Yudi Ramanand 31, Mikaylen Kistna 3-19)
Westville 147 for 5 (E. Matkovich 51*, A. Dunford 47*, S. Makhanya 3-31)

Westville won by 5 wickets