Bezuidenhout blitz proves too good
There is a lot of cricket interest in the U13 age group on the coast.
Damion Bezuidenhout looked like he was batting on a different track when he raced to a 28-ball half-century last Saturday.
He was playing for the South Coast Snipers against RC Challengers in a friendly match at Port Shepstone Country Club.
Most of the boys who played will be in action when the Robbie Coutts Cricket Academy sends two teams to the annual Glenwood Festival in February.
Challengers won the toss and batted first and were soon in all sorts of trouble with big guns Benjamin Kunz and Elijah Langton out early, dismissed by Jacob Steynberg and Dian Schoeman, respectively.
Sphephelo Mlambo, batting at three, produced a mature innings of 28 as wickets tumbled around him. Only Oliver Smith, with 12, offered any support.
The Challengers struggled to 67 all out in 14.4 overs, with Daniel Rush (on loan from Challengers), bowling straight-up seam, claiming 3-4.
Off-spinner Thuso Mavundla picked up 2-7, including the important wicket of Sphephelo.
Riley Buys took a wicket, as did Damion, and there was one run out, a direct hit from Daniel.
In response, the Snipers got off to the worst possible start, with Ndumiso Mwelase’s direct hit seeing Khulu Mlondo run out without facing a ball.
It brought Damion to the crease. With his father Piet hoping his son would take a few balls to play himself in, lefthander Damion promptly whipped the second ball he faced over midwicket for six.
And that was just the start. He smashed three sixes and seven fours en route to his first 50.
By the time he was retired, the game was all but done. The only other wicket to fall was Orlando Lombard for 1, bowled by Ruan Smit.
Snipers, thanks to Damion’s hitting, reached a score of 69-2 in 8.2 overs.
The respective coaches, André Ellapen (Challengers) and Jayden Scholtz (Snipers), let Challengers bowl out the 20 overs to give the boys some practice.
This produced a few more wickets, with Elijah Langton getting his newfound legspinners to land quite nicely, and he was among the wickets.
Matt Graham-Jolly picked up a few as well, with his late in-duckers.
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