Old rivals Victoria and Reddam renew acquaintance with rain Schools SA20 WP final place on the line

A place in the rain Schools SA20 Western Province girls final is up for grabs on Friday, 30 October when Victoria Hub host Reddam House Constantia at Chukker Road Sports Ground in Kenwyn.

The semifinal will be broadcast live on DStv Channel 216 from 14:30, and you can also stream it on SuperSport Schools App and SABC+.

These two sides have met at this stage before. In rain Schools SA20 Volume 1 they faced off in the semifinal and Victoria came out on top. They went on to win both the provincial and Western Cape regional titles and earned a place at the National Finals tournament.

Volume 2 went very differently. Khayelitsha Hub knocked Reddam out in the Western Province quarterfinals and then ended Victoria’s run in the semifinals, before losing to Stellenberg in the final.

This time the two teams have taken very different routes to the same fixture. Victoria have yet to bowl a ball in this edition after getting byes in both previous rounds. They may have home advantage, but they come in cold, and how quickly they shake off the rust could decide the match against an opponent already in full stride.

Reddam, by contrast, have been ruthless. They opened their Volume 3 campaign with a 156-run win over Langa Hub, a match lit up by a superb 112 from Emily Hougaard. Their quarterfinal gave them a chance at revenge against Khayelitsha, and they took it emphatically, winning by 104 runs with Hougaard again top-scoring with 65, while Jessica Hendricks (a Western Province Under-16 cap last year) claimed 3/11.

Hougaard has 177 runs in two innings, and Victoria will need a plan for her. Reddam will, in all likelihood, be without one of their brightest talents. Miya Lalor, last season’s Pro Series Newcomer award winner, has been busy with senior provincial matches recently - but Western Province ladies do have a few weeks without action... Most school sides would struggle without a player of her all-round abilities, but Reddam’s batting depth so far suggests they can cope.

Victoria can lean on their pedigree. The school has produced numerous Western Province U18 and U16 girls players in recent years, and that depth will be tested on Friday.

Reddam bring form and momentum, Victoria bring freshness and pedigree, and Reddam will be keen to reverse the Volume 1 result. With a provincial final waiting for the winner, it should be a compelling afternoon of cricket. Set a reminder to tune in!