GRAEME COLLEGE DEFEND FOCUS SCHOOLS TITLE TO BOOK VOLUME 2 FINALS PLACE

Graeme College stamped their authority on the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Focus Schools Tournament in East London, defeating Queen’s College Boys' High School by 40 runs in the Final at Old Selbornian Club on 30 November 2025.

The three-day tournament, held from 28–30 November and featuring six schools from across South Africa, showcased some of the country’s most promising schoolboy talent - buoyed by the reward of a place in the Switch Schools SA20 Volume 2 Finals for the winners. While Dale College, Hudson Park, Prestige College and Queens High School all competed strongly, it was Graeme from Makhanda and Queen’s from Komani who emerged as the standout teams and earned the right to contest the title.

Batting first, Graeme College posted 119/8 from their 20 overs in an innings that was built on patience before big-hitting could be attempted with valuable middle-order contributions proving key. In that regard, Kits McConnachie led the way with a brisk 30 off just 19 balls (4x4), providing necessary momentum and putting pressure on the Queen’s attack. Supporting McConnachie, Olo Jaca's 19 (40 balls, 1x4) showed the resolve required before Luphelo Mdyesha added an important 16 off 20 as Graeme worked their way to a defendable total.

Queen’s bowlers did well to keep the scoring in check, with Vijay George producing the standout spell of 3/31 from four overs. His new ball partner, Mthokozisi Mbambo (2/19) and Kungawo Zukiso (2/18) offered strong support, ensuring Graeme never fully broke free.

However, the chase never truly caught fire. Queen’s College struggled to build partnerships against a disciplined Graeme bowling unit and were restricted to 79/9 in their 20 overs. Ross Fitzhenry top-scored with 18 off 26 (1x4), while Duncan Hayes (15 off 22) and Kamva Mgedezi (8 off 16) tried to steady the innings, but wickets continued to fall at key moments while boundaries proved hard to come by as Queen's two fours highlights.

Graeme’s bowlers shared the spoils superbly. McConnachie capped off an excellent all-round performance with 2/9 in two overs, while Mdyesha (2/16) was measly across his four overs and Corbin Tidbury (2/7) delivered decisive bursts that swung the match firmly in Graeme’s favour.

The victory is especially significant for Graeme College, who won this same Focus Schools Tournament in 2024 to qualify for the national finals in Volume 1 in 2025. With this latest triumph, they now book their place at the Switch Schools SA20 Volume 2 national finals at the University of Pretoria from 4–7 March 2026.

CSA FOCUS SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT FINAL MATCH SUMMARY

Sunday, 30 November 2025 at Old Selbornian Club, East London

Graeme 119/8 - 20 overs (Kits McConnachie 30; Vijay George 3/31)

Queen's 79/9 - 20 overs (Ross Fitzhenry 18; Corbin Tidbury 2/7, Kits McConnachie 2/9, Luphelo Mdyesha 2/16)

Graeme won by 40 runs to progress to the Switch Schools SA20 Volume 2 Finals at University of Pretoria from 4-7 March 2026.