The past weekend of club cricket action in the North West Premier T20 A-league on Saturday, 18 November, saw numerous closely contested matches that went down to the wire.
NWU 1 managed to get the better of Potch Dorp 1 by 7 runs, thanks to solid batting from Taheer Isaacs (68 off 39 balls) and Wian Herbst (64* off 57 balls).
Tylin Clark (3/21) and Edward Nel (2/30) also did their part with the ball. NWU 1 batted first and made 176/6 in their 20 overs. Isaacs and Herbst formed a fantastic partnership, laying the foundation for a defendable total.
Pieter Wiid (2/23) and the experienced JP le Roux (2/29) put in good shifts with the ball for Potch Dorp. Dorp did everything in their power in the chase with Niel Janse van Vuuren (53 off 37 balls) and Divan Minnie (52 off 33 balls), keeping hopes of a win alive. Nel had other plans as he got the prized scalp of Divan Minnie, who looked to accelerate after reaching his fifty. Clark also chipped in under pressure; he bowled Janse van Vuuren in the final over.
Phemelo Seipati was the hero for Ikageng Cricket Club in a famous win against Ibbies in a rain-reduced 8-over match. Seipati smashed 41* (25 balls) to take his team to the required target of 73 in 8 overs. Ibbies had made 72/3 in their 8 overs earlier, with Luka Kruger scoring 31* (16 balls). Seipati also took 1/11 in his two overs.
Olebogeng Sebakwane took 2/15 for Ikageng. Ibbies managed to set that disappointing loss behind them when they comfortably beat Impala by 7 wickets in their second match of the day.
Sithembiso Mothise hit an unbeaten 66 (41 balls) to guide his side to the win in their chase of Impala’s total of 157/6 in 17 overs. Tiaan van Tonder’s 94 (52 balls) was not enough for Impala, as their bowlers failed to keep Ibbies at bay. Travelling Reefs and Potch Dorp ended the day with another thriller that the latter lost by only 3 runs. Dorp batted first and scored 130 all out in 17.4 overs.
Lohard Janse van Rensburg played a lone hand with 64 (36 balls) in his team’s total. Andreas Joubert (3/15) and CJ Ferreira (2/29) were the chief destroyers for Travelling Reefs. Dorp did their utmost to defend a low total, but Joubert’s 59 (26 balls) proved vital for Reefs. Katleho Leokoake also chipped in with a run-a-ball 18 to take his side over the line. Ettienne Beukes, with 3/13, was excellent with his left-arm spinners for Potch Dorp.
Rain intervened in a couple of matches on the day, but it certainly did not dampen the excitement.
