An excellent bowling display helped UJ claim a 24 run victory over UWC in the opening round of Varsity Cricket at the Puk Oval in Potchefstroom.
Both Harry Van Straaten and Keith Dudgeon claimed 4/26 in their respective four overs to tear the heart out of UWC. Van Straaten also top scored for the Johannesburg students to cap off an excellent all-round display.
UJ got off to a steady start with Yaseen Valli and Delano Potgieter scoring at a healthy rate to get the Johannesburg to 39/0 before Potgieter fell to the bowling of UWC’s Dawood Christians. UJ were 41/1 at the end of the fifth over.
Christians was in the thick of things again when he removed Valli for 25 (28 balls) to leave UJ on 50/2 after seven overs. Roelofsen would join Valli in the hut a few balls later as he fell for six to the bowling of George Banda. With two new batsmen at the crease, UJ attempted to resurrect their innings and reached 68/3 after 10 overs.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals for UJ as UWC kept the scoring rate down with Lesiba Ngoepe and Jason Smith each picking up a wicket which left UJ on 120/5 after 15 overs.
UWC maintained the pressure on UJ as a further four wickets fell in the last five overs which left UJ on 155/9 at the end of their innings.
Keith Dudgeon handed UJ the perfect start when he trapped Ashley Cupido LBW with the first ball of the innings and was followed into the change room by Ngoepe, run out off his first ball. Jason Smith and George Banda attempted to resurrect the innings but the latter fell to Dudgeon to leave the Cape students on 36/3 after five overs, needing a further 120 runs to win.
Smith was joined by Imraan Hendricks and together, the pair took UWC to 66/3 before Smith fell to van Straaten for 30 (23 balls). At the halfway mark of their innings, UWC were 66/4 and required another 90 runs to win off 60 balls.
UJ managed to pick up wickets at regular intervals in the closing stages of the match to claim victory by 24 runs. Van Straaten and Dudgeon proving to be the chief destroyers, picking up match figures of 4/26 and 4/26, respectively, in his four overs.
Scores:
UJ: 155/9 (H van Straaten 31, Y Valli, 25; D Christians 2/17, J Smith 2/17)
UWC: 131 all out (J Smith 30, I Hendricks 27; K Dudgeon 4/26, H van Straaten 4/26)
The teams:
UJ: Delano Potgieter, Yaseen Valli, Grant Roelofsen, Neels Bergh (captain), Harry Van Straaten, Jayden Broodryk, Umar Asad, Ndumiso Mvelase, Keith Dudgeon, Matthew Varner, Itumeleng Moseki.
UWC: George Banda, Ashley Cupido, Lesiba Ngoepe, Jason Smith, Imraan Hendricks, Jean Heunis, Dean Mazhawidza, David Selepe, Dawood Christians (captain), Lizaad Williams, Jody Lawrence.
