Roodepoort Cricket Club back to winning ways after victory against Wanderers

Roodepoort Cricket Club hosted Wanderers Cricket Club looking to bolster their chances of staying in the Saturday One division on March 11.

Roodepoort’s season has been blighted by personnel issues leaving the inconsistent lineup winning just one game from their 13 attempts, albeit a few losses due to rain. Roodepoort has an excellent crop of youngsters featuring the bulk of last year’s U18 Diadora Jozi Cup-winning team. Unfortunately, with many of them still teenagers, school commitments have left little time for club cricket.

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Wanderers won the toss and elected to bat first with the visitors taking several overs to adjust to the notoriously thick outfield. Well-struck shots bogged down in the marsh leaving boundaries a scarce commodity. Even running twos became a gamble, one that did not pay off for Wanderers opening batsman Zaid Ismail who was run out after misjudging the outfield.

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Two more quick wickets left Wanderers on 16/3 but Zaid Patel and Bongani Vikya steadied the ship and after acclimatising to the situation, brought out the big shots to bypass the greenery. Having scored 37 of 37 balls, Patel would nick one to the wicketkeeper just before drinks leaving Wanderers 50/4 after 17 overs.

The second half of the first innings would belong to the visitors as they added 131 runs at a rate of just over seven runs per over for the duration of their time at the crease. Jonathan Labuschagne and George Mukoki scored the bulk of those runs with 61 off 47 and 24 off 15 balls, respectively. Wickets would continue to fall periodically, however, as Roodepoort took the last of the wickets with the first ball of the final over, running out Akshat Arunprasad, Wanderers ending on 181 all out.

In reply, Divan de Villiers and Werner Botha laid a solid foundation with a measured 57-run opening partnership. Needing to accelerate, Roodepoort suffered a middle-order wobble, losing five wickets for just 18 runs in seven overs. Renier Louw then scored a run-a-ball 21 to get the innings back on track before a match-winning ninth-wicket partnership between JP Brewis and Stefan Kemp.

Coming to the crease at 124/8 with 10 overs to go, Kemp joined Brewis and together they each scored at a strike rate of roughly 140 to power their team over the line with four overs to spare. Labuschagne was outstanding for the visitors, taking four wickets for 34 runs, but he could only watch as the home team knocked off the winning runs.

The win lifted Roodepoort off the bottom, with the weather, a consistent lineup, and a little luck needed to keep them in Saturday’s top club division.