Despite only scoring 132 runs in their innings, Tuks did enough to beat UWC by 33 runs at the Ibbies Oval in Potchefstroom on Tuesday, thanks to a clinical bowling performance.
Tuks opened the batting on the second day of Varsity Cricket 2019, but had little to smile about when Modiri Litheko was sent back to the locker room in the second over after scoring only three runs. Jiveshen Pillay was the most impressive Tuks batsman yet again, but was dismissed after scoring 28 runs shortly after Tuks reached the 50-run mark.
Things weren’t getting any better for the Pretoria side, who lost three wickets in three overs and were soon struggling at 80/7. As wickets continued to fall, Kundai Matigimu and Nkosinathi Msiza took matters into their own hands, scoring a resilient 34-run partnership between them to bring Tuks to 121/9 at the end of their innings. Luke Philander was UWC’s leading wicket-taker, with three wickets to his name, while spinner Emmanuel Sebarame impressed too.
Needing to contain UWC’s run chase, Ruben Trumpelmann hit the ground running for Tuks, taking a significant scalp in Joshua Schippers in the first over. Tuks continued their search for wickets and it was Neil Brand who sent a second UWC batsman packing, dismissing Mujaahid Toffar and leaving UWC at 12/2.
UWC found their feet in a partnership between Karl Vermeulen and Luke Philander, who took their team past 50 after 10 overs, before Trumpelmann dismissed them both within the same over.
Suddenly the match was slipping from UWC’s grasp at a concerning 56/4. UWC kept fighting, with Akeem Minnaar, Keane Solomons and Abubkar Samodien scoring a combined 36 runs, but it was not enough for the Western Cape side who ultimately scraped across the 100-run mark to lose by 33 runs.
FNB Player of the Match: Ruben Trumpelmann (Tuks)
MTN Pulse Bowler of the Match: Luke Philander (UWC)
Steers Best Batsman: Jiveshen Pillay (Tuks)
Teams
Tuks: Neil Brand, Jiveshen Pillay, Modiri Litheko, Ruan de Swardt, Nkosinathi Msiza, Rubin Hermann, Sean Gilson, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bonga Chepkonga, Kundai Matigimu, Francois van Heerden
UWC: Mujaahid Toffar, Josh Schippers, Karl Vermeulen, Luke Philander, Thandani Majebe, Mihlali Mpongwana, Akeem Minnaar, Abubkar Samodien, Emmanuel Sebarame, Jeffrey September, Keane Solomons
By Bronwen Bain
