An exceptional bowling performance by Yaseen Valli, to go with his 37 runs, guided UJ to their third win of the Varsity Cricket tournament to keep them in the hunt for a Top Four spot.
UCT looked on course to record their second win of the tournament but losing wickets at regular intervals stifled any chance of them overcoming a determined UJ bowling attack, as UJ walked away with a 24-run victory.
UCT struck as early as the second over when Jordan Leppan got Lee Gruskin caught by Taariq Chiecktey without troubling the scorers. Grant Roelofsen then joined Yaseen Valli at the crease and together, they managed to take UJ’s score to 31/1 after five overs.
It wasn’t long before UCT got their second wicket as Stuart Cox removed Roelofsen for 13 in the seventh over, thanks to the help of Sader’s safe hands. UJ then cheaply lost their captain Neels Bergh but Valli continued to keep his strike rate at 100 and brought up UJ’s 50 in the 10th over.
Valli increased his scoring rate before Riaz Sader struck for UCT, removing Valli for 37 in the 12th over. UJ were five down four balls later but Harry van Straaten ensured the team reached 97/5 at the end of 15 overs.
Van Straaten, who combined well with Umar Asad, upped the tempo in the 16th over as he took 16 runs off Nhlakanipho Madwe before reaching his half century off 37 balls. The pair closed the innings with an unbeaten partnership of 85 to guide UJ to 164/5. Van Straaten top scored with an unbeaten 66 off 41 deliveries.
UCT began their innings with five runs as reward for picking up a wicket in the Power Play Plus Over and Jack Newby quickly added a further 10 runs in the opening over. Newby, and opening partner Seb Golding, continued to score at close to nine runs an over as the pair took UCT to 43/0 after five overs.
Itumeleng Moseki was brought into the attack in the sixth over, and despite conceding 10 runs, picked up the dangerous Newby for 20. The scoring rate somewhat slowed down when Chiecktey joined Golding at the crease and the pair took UCT to 76/1 after 10 overs, requiring a further 95 off 60 balls to win the match.
Chiecktey was next to go, falling to van Straaten for 18 in the 13th over as UCT needed a further 77 runs from 42 balls for victory. UCT took the Power Play Plus Over in the 15th over and picked up 12 runs off five deliveries before Golding lost his wicket to the bowling of Valli for 46 which left UCT needing 63 runs off 30 balls.
UCT had it all to do in the final overs after Valli picked up two quick wickets in the 17th over which left Ikeys needing 54 runs to win off 18 balls. Richard Tissiman attempted to get UCT over the line but his cameo of 23 off 18 balls proved in vain as UCT ended their innings on 147/6.
Scores:
UJ: 164/5 (H van Straaten 66*, Y Valli 37. S Cox 2/26, R Sader 1/25)
UCT: 147/6 (S Golding 46, R Tissiman 23*; Y Valli 3/7, I Moseki 1/12)
Teams:
UCT: Jack Newby, Sebastian Golding (captain), Richard Tissiman, Taariq Chiecktey, Nhlakanipho Madwe, Jordan Leppan, Alex Whitelaw, Rowan Levieux, Stuart Cox, Andrew Mills, Riaz Sader.
UJ: Yaseen Valli, Lee Gruskin, Grant Roelofsen, Neels Bergh (captain), Harry Van Straaten, Jayden Broodryk, Umar Asad, Ndumiso Mvelase, Keith Dudgeon, Matthew Varner, Itumeleng Moseki.
