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Menlopark and Waterkloof put on a show to get rain SA20 Derby Series underway
The inaugural rain SA20 Derby Series got off to an exciting start, with the floodlit opening fixture between Die Hoërskool Menlopark and Hoërskool Waterkloof delivering fun, vibes and six-wicket victory for the visitors.
A beautiful spring evening in Pretoria was the setting as the entire student body of the host school streamed around Menlo Oval to cheer on their boys – putting on a spectacle with their cheering and gees which few of their 1st XI would have encountered before.
For their part, Waterkloof brought a strong contingent of their cricket-loving community, including star old boy Evan Jones, to their near-neighbours to get a new era in schools cricket underway.
With the excitement building, Menlopark won the toss – conducted with a bat rather than traditional coin - and chose to bat.
A toss with a difference - won by hosts Menlopark after Waterkloof called 'rivers' instead of 'mountains'....
As it happened, Vorster de Villiers (son of ‘Vinnige’ Fanie) struck with his second ball, removing Andre Kruyshaar for a duck, and added Jan Willem Pienaar in the third over to leave the hosts on 3-2.
Wicketkeeper Juan Lombaard (26 off 34, two sixes) and captain Monre Koekemoer (9) steadied things with a 30-run stand for the third wicket, but the scoring rate never got going against disciplined bowling – including a three-pronged left-arm spin ‘attack’. To show how tough scoring proved in the dusk, De Villiers finished with 2-14 from his four overs, and Christiaan Smit even bowled a maiden.
Visiting captain Jean Cloete broke the stand when he had Koekemoer caught by Breedt. Ruan De Meyer (1-9) then removed Lombaard, and Cloete struck again to have Heinrich Claassen caught, leaving Menlopark on 55-5 in the 14th over – much work to do to set a decent total.
With their crowd egging them on, Jacques de Villiers led the fightback. His unbeaten 36 off 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes, was the innings' top score, and his 39-run stand with Jovan Hartman (13 off 14) for the sixth wicket was the best partnership of the match. Cloete ended it, bowling Hartman and removing Ben Schomper with successive deliveries in the 19th over. He finished with 4-13 from three overs, and Menlopark closed on 104-7.
Brothers, Adriaan (17 off 17) and Wian du Plessis (12) gave Waterkloof a brisk start with an opening stand of 32 before Jordan van Eck trapped both lbw. Van Eck's 2-7 from two overs was the most economical spell of the day. Juan Swart (18 off 21, one six) and Breedt added 26 for the third wicket, but Verster Richter gave Menlopark hope with two wickets in two balls in the 11th over, catching Swart off his own bowling and trapping Ahmed Ibrahim lbw first ball. That left Waterkloof on 73-4.
Breedt, however, made sure there was no collapse. He hit five fours and a six in his 39 not out off 26 balls, and held three catches in the field. He shared an unbroken 32-run stand for the fifth wicket with Cloete, whose 8 not out capped a match-winning all-round performance – which earned him the Player of the Match award. Wihan Spanneberg (3.1-0-14-0) kept things tight for the hosts, but 104 was never going to be enough on the day.
The win might give Waterkloof the early bragging rights in the series, but Menlopark proved fantastic hosts and their boys can surely expect many more supporters in matches to come.
