Menlopark and Waterkloof to light up Menlo Oval for rain SA20 Derby Series opener

The place to be on Tuesday, 22 September 2026 at 17:00 will be the Menlo Oval when Die Hoërskool Menlopark and Hoërskool Waterkloof's 1st XIs meet in the first-ever rain SA20 Derby Series fixture.

There will be no log points or a cumulative path to a title up for grabs. The fixture stands on its own - one match, two school communities, built on pride, mutual respect and the will to win. It will be more than a match.

WATCH: Menlopark vs Waterkloof live on DStv Channel 216, the Schools SA20 YouTube Channel and SuperSport Schools App on Tuesday, 22 September from 17:00.

Of course, Pretoria has its share of school derbies, but with a few thousand supporters expected and the teams evenly-matched under the floodlights, this clash is a worthy opener to the new series.

“We’re very excited to be the first to play in the exciting new rain SA20 Derby Series, and privileged to host it,” said Alex van der Merwe, Menlopark 1st XI coach, at the launch of the new competition.

“Menlopark is a special place, and we’re excited for the cricket which will be played at Menlo Oval. We’re quite fortunate to have floodlights and be able to play cricket under them with everyone around as Menlopark is quite a big school in Pretoria alongside Waterkloof – it will be really special. There will be a lot of entertainment and very good cricket.”

With the two schools having played their Menlo-Klofie ‘Big Bash’ over many years already, the advent of the rain SA20 Derby Series will add to the platform of the occasion.

“It’s always a nice evening at Menlopark with two co-ed schools who have good cricket programmes so it’s always good to get the parents and the pupils out in their numbers to support the boys – it’s always nice for the cricket communities,” said Waterkloof Director of Cricket and 1st XI coach Cobus Pienaar.

The strength of the two schools’ cricket pedigrees, despite being relatively young, cannot be overstated.

Hosts Menlopark, founded in 1963, can point to two recent Proteas mainstays and SA20 icons. Heinrich Klaasen has become one of the most destructive middle-order batters in world T20 cricket, while Rassie van der Dussen has built a reputation as one of South Africa's most reliable top-order batters across formats. Behind them is Steve Stolk, who captained Menlopark's 1st XI in 2024 before setting a U-19 World Cup record for the fastest half-century in the competition's history in January 2025.

Waterkloof, founded in 1979, answers with a deep and growing pathway to the Proteas of its own. Hardus Viljoen has taken his pace bowling from Northerns through to international cricket, as has Roelof van der Merwe (before his Netherlands sojourn), while the Hermann brothers have both carved out SA20 careers - Jordan with Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Rubin with Paarl Royals - and featured together for the Proteas in the recent tri-series in Namibia. Evan Jones, meanwhile, has been retained at star-studded Durban's Super Giants, Tristan Luus has described SA20 as “the turning point” in his career as a Dolphins and MI Cape Town quick, and Gideon Peters has pushed his way into national tri-series contention. Few schools can claim that much current SA20 representation across a single alumni base.

So, with a large crowd expected, gees (and braai smoke) flowing from both the ‘Parkie’ and ‘Klofie’ sides, and future stars undoubtedly on show you cannot afford to miss this rain SA20 Derby Series opener.