‘Wake-up call’ for Benoni Northerns Prems
The bit of rain that fell in Benoni on Saturday night may have been welcomed by most, but not by the cricketers of Benoni Northerns Cricket Club’s (BNCC) and Alberton Cricket Club’s Premier League sides who were greeted by wet patches on the main playing strip on the morning of Sunday, October 9.
The water, which had somehow got through the covers, forced the Eastern Premier League match, which was scheduled to start at 10am, to begin at 12.45pm as the umpires and players waited for the damp patches to dry up, much to the frustrations of both sides.
This lost time meant that the match, BNCC’s first home fixture, was reduced to 32 overs both ways.
The coin toss would prove crucial with each team keen on taking the ball first to suss out the wicket.
It would be Alberton, league newcomers, who would win the toss and make the most of the opportunity to bowl first.
The ball was zipping off the deck and was proving difficult to get away for the BNCC openers.
Ernest Kemm, fresh off a century versus Tembisa last weekend and another for the Eastern semi-professional team against Free State in the Sunfoil Three-Day Cup, started in buoyant mood before a spectacular catch at third man saw him dismissed for 15.
His opening partner, the usually aggressive Matthew “Traddle” Wright, started slowly, but turned on the heat later on to score a second successive half-century (64) before he was caught on the boundary off a full delivery.
Northerns failed to up the ante in the final five overs and added a disappointing 11 runs to the total as wickets tumbled to post 137/9.
CLICK HERE for a GALLERY from the batting innings.
Alberton went about their business as the wicket got better to bat on to chase down the score despite losing five wickets in the process.
Mark Robey’s 2/20 in four overs was the best figures by a BNCC bowler.
Northerns skipper Kurt Francis said that the result was “a wake-up call” for his team.
“We said in the beginning of the season that no side would be easy and yesterday proved it.
“We were not good at all and will need to improve in a few aspects of the game if we want to achieve our goal.
We will come back stronger, as the Northerns boys usually do, but it must start from now.”
The team will host fellow Benonians Actonville in a cricket derby at Northern Areas on Sunday, October 16.
The first delivery is expected to be bowled at 10am.
• Meanwhile, a Promotion League derby took place between BNCC and Actonville at Northerns’ B-field on Sunday.
Batting first Twayne Stewart’s BNCC outfit were bowled out for 196 in 39.5 overs (Shane Nel top-scoring with 32 runs).
Actonville struggled with the willow and were cleaned up with just 55 runs on the board in 22 overs.
Andrew Smith, Joshua Thomas, Stefan Jordaan and Stiaan Jordaan all bagged two wickets apiece in the 141-run win.
• On Saturday, October 8, skipper Suleiman Ebrahim’s BNCC Saturday First League side wrapped up a convincing 163-run over CBC Old Boys.
The team scored 235 runs in their 35 overs and wrapped up the Boksburg outfit for a paltry 72 runs in 17.4 overs.
Aron Visser (57 runs) top-scored for BNCC with the bat while Joshua Thomas enjoyed excellent statistics of 5/16 in 5.4 overs with the leather.
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