One hand on the trophy

The bonus-point victory allowed league leaders, Northerns, to keep their noses in front of Boksburg’s CBC Old Boys, who have just one match left to play in the 2014/15 campaign compared to the Benoni side’s two.

Northerns take on lowly Duduza at Willowmoore Park this Sunday, March 8, while CBC have a bye.

On the final day of the season, March 15, Benoni host KT (Kwa Thema) Windies and Old Boys entertain defending champions Kempton Park, who have been uncharacteristically inconsistent of late and languish in fourth place.

On a slow and low Pollak Park pitch in Springs last weekend, Northerns captain Kurt Francis won the toss and opted to field first against the other Old Boys.

“Because of the nature of the playing surface, we decided to bowl 27 overs of spin and it paid off for us,” said Francis.

Indeed it did, as the visitors tore through the hosts’ batting line-up and skittled them for a meagre 130 in the 30th of their allotted 40 overs, after the match was reduced, as a wet pitch meant a late start.

GC Pretorius was the outstanding performer with the ball for Benoni, taking a remarkable five wickets for the loss of just 21 runs in eight memorable overs, while another experienced all-rounder, Ernest Kemm, grabbed three for 11 in eight as the Springs batters capitulated.

Northerns then made heavy weather of the chase before reaching their modest target inside 30 overs with five wickets down.

Man of the Match Pretorius led the charge with a fine unbeaten 65, while Levon Shields weighed in with 27 as the Benoni lads kept their nerve.

“It was another solid team effort,” said Francis, “but we’re not thinking about the league title just yet.

“We have two games left and we’ll be focusing on winning both.”

Meanwhile, at Northern Areas on the same day, BNCC’s 2nd side walloped Duduza by 153 runs in their penultimate Premier Reserve League match of the season, thanks largely to an impressive 16-year-old fast bowler and another Kemm who can certainly hit a cricket ball.

Northerns skipper Juan Schaerer won the toss and unusually chose to bat first.

After a solid start, the home side lost a cluster of wickets in the middle overs, but that was the cue for Pippa Kemm, Ernest’s younger brother, to wreak havoc on Duduza’s attack.

Playing a mixture of exquisite shots along the ground and bludgeoning blows over the top to all parts of the ground, Kemm raced to an undefeated 102 of just 76 deliveries to take the game away from the visitors.

He was ably backed up in an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership by Dustin Grace, who has been struggling for runs this season but came good with a patient 34 that enabled the Benonians to post a highly competitive 239 for six in their 50 overs.

Then remarkable teen speedster Joshua Thomas joined the party, spearheading an all-out assault on the Duduza batsmen and claiming yet another five-wicket haul (five for 36 in his 10 overs) as the visitors were rolled for 86 in the 22nd over.

Stalwart seamer Jaco Kruger chipped in with three for 30 in 10 overs, and Jean Jordaan, in his first outing for the second side, snatched two wickets without conceding a run in his solitary over.

Schaerer’s defending champions go to Springs Old Boys for their final official game of the season this Sunday, but the best they can hope for is a runner-up finish.

Meanwile, BNCC’s Colts side played SOB in a tense top-of-the-table clash at Northern Areas last Sunday.

Northerns lost the toss and were put in to bat on a tricky, grassy pitch.

Openers DeWet Miller and WP Myburgh saw off the early threat and put on a stand of 64.

All the batsmen contributed, with Myburgh top-scoring with 44 to get Northerns to 206/9.

Springs started steadily but were always under pressure from the Northerns attack, Brett Martindale’s opening five overs going for just five runs.

Benoni’s spinners then shared nine wickets, with Matthew Wittstock taking 5/40, as Springs crumbled to eventually be all out for 183.