COCKBURN’S HEROICS FOR JEPPE IN VAIN AS KES CLINCH CGL BOYS’ FINAL

In a gripping finale at St Stithians College on Friday, 24 October, King Edward VII School (KES) claimed the Switch Schools SA20 Central Gauteng Lions Phase 1 boys’ title, overcoming Jeppe High School for Boys by four wickets in a see-saw encounter.

The finalists had earlier overcome St John’s College (Jeppe – by a slim one-wicket margin) and Steyn City School (KES – by a comfortable 55 runs) to seal their place in the afternoon’s showpiece encounter at Dlamini Oval.

Batting first, Jeppe posted 141/8 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks largely to an electric 28 off 11 balls from Vegas Scott and a gritty 25 from Lincoln Casias. Despite a fast start, Jeppe unfortunately for them lost wickets at regular intervals, unable to fully capitalise in the death overs. KES’s bowling unit shared the load, with Abdullah Mohammed the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 2/14 in 3 overs.

In reply, KES also got off to a flying start, with Luke Clark’s rapid 17 off 6 balls and Tiago Dias anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 77 off 56 deliveries. His composed knock, laced with 7 fours and 3 sixes, proved match-winning - just.

The real drama unfolded in the 19th over when Jeppe’s Keegan Cockburn produced a sensational five-wickets-in-a-row haul, ripping through the KES middle order and reducing them from 132/1 to 132/6. His final figures of 5/17 from 4 overs nearly turned the game on its head.

However, Dias held firm and, alongside Steele Grooteman, guided KES to victory off the final ball of the match, ending at 145/6.

The match was a thrilling showcase of individual brilliance and resilience, with Cockburn’s hat-trick and Dias’s composed half-century standing out. As reward for the spectacle they produced both KES and Jeppe now progress with confidence into the regional Phase 2 of Switch Schools SA20 in January 2026, when they will face the best from Mpumalanga.

PLAYER OF THE DAY

KEEGAN COCKBURN

Could it be any other player but Jeppe quick Keegan Cockburn? Only two fifties were scored on the day, by the KES openers Luke Clark (53 in the semifinal) and Tiago Dias' crucial unbeaten 77 in the Final highlighting that batting was tough at St Stithians’ Jamieson 1 and Dlamini ovals… but it was the bowlers who made it that way. David Ireland (3/23) nearly bowled St John’s College to victory over Jeppe in the semifinal for who Shreshth Kumar had claimed 3/13.

That effort was in support of Cockburn whose 3/7 was just an appetiser for what he was to deliver in the afternoon considering all three batters were bowled. He was to almost repeat the feat against KES as for of the five-in-a-row were bowled with only Wade McQuinn’s pad sparing him the same fate. Cockburn will definitely be a player to match as the competition unfolds.

RESULTS: CENTRAL GAUTENG LIONS BOYS’ FINALS DAY

Thursday, 23 October 2025 @ St Stithians College

Semifinals

St John’s College 78 all out – 14.3 overs (Keegan Cockburn 3/7, Shreshth Kumar 3/13)

Jeppe High School for Boys 79/9 – 19.1 overs (David Ireland 3/23)

Jeppe won by 1 wickets

King Edward VII School (KES) 216/8 - 20 overs (Luke Clark 53)

Steyn City School 161/8 – 20 overs (Murray Leith 36)

KES won by 55 runs

Final

Jeppe High School for Boys 141/8 - 20 overs (Vegas Scott 28)

King Edward VII School (KES) 145/6 – 20 overs (Tiago Dias 77*; Keegan Cockburn 5/17)

KES won by 4 wickets but both teams progress to Phase 2