Hottentots-Holland Cricket Club (HHCC) experienced a mixed bag of results as they kicked off their AMA T20 campaign on Saturday, 4 October, with a double-header against Cravenby and Milnerton away. The weekend concluded with a narrow loss to Primrose, setting the stage for their upcoming league season.
In the first game, HHCC started their campaign in emphatic fashion against Cravenby after being sent in to bat first.
Openers Yaasien Railoun and Shakoer Baderoen laid a solid foundation, with Baderoen contributing 34. Railoun then accelerated the innings, smashing five sixes on his way to a half-century, reaching 50 runs from just 37 balls, leading HHCC to a formidable total of 168/4 in their 20 overs.
Disciplined bowling and superb fielding paved the way for an emphatic bonus point victory. The pick of the bowlers were Shakoer Baderoen with figures of 2/16 from three overs and Abdul Aziz Temoor with 2/23 from four overs.
The second match of the day saw HHCC take on recently relegated Milnerton CC. HHCC’s bowlers began brightly, snatching four wickets inside the powerplay. However, Milnerton recovered well, ultimately posting a total of 115/9 in their 20 overs. Marwaan Wanza (2/15 from four overs) and Fuad Behardien (2/23 from four overs) led the bowling attack.
In reply, HHCC struggled to build momentum, failing to establish any meaningful partnerships. They were eventually bowled out for just 78 runs, handing Milnerton a comfortable win. Yaasien Railoun was the top scorer with 25.
On Sunday, HHCC travelled to Pinelands to face Primrose CC. After winning the toss and electing to bat first on a pitch described as difficult, HHCC again struggled with partnerships. Despite solid contributions from Railoun (25) and Temoor (18), the team managed to put up a defendable target of 110.
HHCC started their defense with fire, reducing Primrose to a shaky 20/4, with Wanza and Yaaseen Smith sharing the early wickets. Unfortunately for HHCC, a crucial partnership developed between the Primrose middle-order batsmen, who successfully took the game away and reached the target with 10 balls remaining.
HHCC now turns its attention to its upcoming league commitments. This weekend, the club officially kicks off its third consecutive WPCA 1A League season against Pinelands at the Navy Sports Ground on Saturday 11 October. The weekend will culminate with a return trip to Pinelands for an AMA T20 clash against the same opponents on Sunday 12 October.
* Strand Cricket Club started their AMA T20 campaign with a tough 49-run loss against South Peninsula at Northpine on Saturday. Despite a promising start with the ball, a missed opportunity in the field allowed the opposition to set a stiff target that Strand’s batting lineup ultimately couldn’t chase down.
Strand won the toss and elected to bowl first, a decision that initially looked sound. South Peninsula’s opening batsman was dropped early on a score of just 10. He capitalized on the reprieve, going on to play a brilliant innings of 66 runs, which anchored the South Peninsula innings and helped them set a challenging total of 135.
Strand’s bowlers fought hard despite the fielding lapse. Adeeb Bailey was the pick of the attack, bowling an economical spell of 3/19 from his four overs, while Ricardo Naidoo chipped in with 2/11 from his four overs.
Chasing 136 for victory, Strand’s innings got off to a difficult start, losing their first wicket, Logan Savory, with the score at just 1/1.
The lack of solid partnerships meant they never threatened the target, and they were eventually restricted to just 85 runs after their full 20 overs, resulting in a 49-run defeat.
Strand CC will be looking to bounce back quickly with a double-header this coming weekend. They travel to Khayelitsha on Saturday to face Northpine, and then move on to Gustrouw on Sunday to take on Seacrest in their next AMA T20 clashes.
* In a low-scoring thriller that went down to the wire, Helderberg Cricket Club held their nerve to defeat Hanover Park CC by a single wicket in their AMA T20 clash.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Hanover Park CC struggled to cope with the disciplined attack of the Helderberg bowlers. They were dismissed for a modest total of 85 runs in just 17.3 overs.
The Helderberg attack was spearheaded by Sharick Swarts who claimed 3/12 from two overs, and supported by Jody Sylvester (3 /18) and Gary-Jon Sylvester (2/16).
Chasing what appeared to be an easy target of 86, Helderberg CC’s innings quickly became a tense battle for survival. Despite the low target, they consistently lost wickets.
The team ultimately scraped home, reaching 86/9 in 19.4 overs, with the last pair at the crease. Key contributions to the nervy victory came from Chad Bailey, who anchored the innings with an unbeaten 21 runs off 27 balls and Jody Sylvester (13).
Helderberg CC face a busy weekend ahead, playing away to Vikings on Saturday and at home against Blue Downs on Sunday.
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