Maties reconfirmed their tournament favourites tag on Wednesday afternoon with a comprehensive 7-wicket victory over Madibaz at Senwes Park.
Maties captain Fritz de Beer won the toss and promptly put the men from Nelson Mandela University in to bat.
A captain’s knock from Joshua van Heerden proved the fulcrum of the Madibaz innings, by carrying his bat for a score of 85 not out – featuring seven 4s.
At the top of the order, the 21-year BCom General student was joined by Jarryd Lookwhy and they got the underdogs off to a good start before the hard-hitter fell for 21.
Wicketkeeper Tristan Stubbs, who was in top form on the opening two days, joined his captain at the crease and they took the score from 34-1 to 74-1 without much hassle.
Then, however, Benjamin Ward got in and amongst the Madibaz batsmen. The Maties leg-spinner first trapped Stubbs LBW for 16 off the final ball of his second over. The same fate befell David Masterson in his following over, before Michael Hansel was bowled a ball later to leave the score 84-4 and Ward on a hat-trick. It wasn’t to be for Ward and Van Heerden took charge of the innings.
Van Heerden brought up his 50 in 36 balls and with contributions from Morné Venter (10 off 8 balls), Sean Callaghan (18 off 16) and a Steers Powerplay Plus over which (when doubled) accounted for 16 runs Madibaz totted up 166-6 from their 20 overs.
When Fritz de Beer raced to 18 off 12 balls during Maties’ turn to bat it looked like it was to be a batting battle between the two captains. He though chipped a catch off Callaghan’s canny off-spin with the score on 29 to spark a mini-collapse.
Louis du Preez came to wicket but last only two balls when he tried to sweep Callaghan and was trapped LBW, 29-2. Isma-eel Gafieldien, a Boland regular, came to wicket and scratched around for nine balls before playing a poorly executed loft-drive to be caught off Keeran Forbes’s off-spin, 41-3.
All the while Vezokuhle Mntungwa had been accumulating at the other end and when he was joined by David Rushmere, Maties’ wicketkeeper-come-aggressor, it looked the perfect partnership for the situation.
That it proved to be with the pair first thwarting, then targeting the Madibaz change bowlers. In truth they were starting to leave themselves with much to do – needing 101 off the final 10 overs – before they made game-changing use of the Steers Powerplay Plus.
Rushmere and Mntungwa chose to take the ‘double-up’ in the 15th over and promptly took Morné Venter for 16 runs scored runs but 32 off the score to leave the remainder of the innings as a run-a-ball doddle.
Both brought up their landmarks (Rushmere’s fifty off 29 balls and Mntungwa’s off 47 balls) before cantering over the line with nine balls remaining.
With the win, Maties moved clear at the top of the table on 17 points while Madibaz (5 points) are now in fifth – three points behind fourth-placed UWC.
Awards
FNB Player of the Match: David Rushmere (Maties)
Steers Best Batsman of the Match: Joshua van Heerden (Madibaz)
MTN Pulse Bowler of the Match: Benjamin Ward (Maties)
Teams
Madibaz: Joshua van Heerden (captain), Jarryd Lookwhy, Tristan Stubbs (wicketkeeper), David Masterson, Michael Hansel, Morné Venter, Sean Callaghan, Keeran Forbes, Brian Jack, Neo Pepeta, Hlumelo Cekisani.
Maties: Fritz de Beer (captain), Vezokuhle Mntungwa, Louis du Preez, Isma-eel Gafieldien, David Rushmere (wicketkeeper), Branden Brodell, Luke Holland, Benjamin Ward, Khanya Dilima, Jay Stevens, Anele Ngcwabe.
