Local cricket teams vying for glory in the Boland Premier League will turn their attention to the shorter format of the game this weekend, as the Community Cup Premier T20 starts in the region.
Three of the clubs from Stellenbosch and surrounds will be in action on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, with the hopes of getting a good start in the competition. The competing teams are Van der Stel (VDS), Stellenbosch and Coronations cricket clubs.
The students of Maties and Victorians will not participate in the tournament.
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Good form continues
Saturday will see Van der Stel and Stellenbosch face-off in a derby at Van der Stel Sports Grounds and both sides will look to continue the winning form they struck this past weekend.
VDS remain unbeaten this season after yet another comfortable victory in the 50-over competition on Saturday 24 October, this time beating Caledon by 200 runs on the road.
The visitors batted first and amassed a total of 254/4 in their allotted overs thanks to contributions by David Botes (89) and André Pienaar (70).
The VDS bowlers were in sublime form, needing only 22.1 overs to blitz through the Calendon batting lineup. Divan Swanepoel (4/13), Dylan Ross-Watt (2/5) and Rayyaan Rhode (2/18) were their team’s chief destroyers.
Maiden victory
Meanwhile Stellenbosch recorded their first win of the season, notching up a three-wicket victory over Paarl East on home soil.
The home team fielded first and delivered an outstanding performance to bowl Paarl East out for 134 runs in 44.4 overs. Lishan Meyer (3/27), Peter Cyster (3/22) and Yves Khamanzi (2/35) handsomely contributed to their side’s performance in the field.
It took only 37 overs for Stellenbosch to reach the target with three wickets in hand. Yaasier Johnson (25) and Peter Minnis (24) were the top scorers.
Faltering at the coast
On the West Coast Vics (92/10) battled to get going with the willow in their match against Vredenburg/Saldanha, with only Ben Erasmus (38) providing some resistance against the home side’s potent bowling attack.
The Krewe seemed to have no issue on the batting front, crossing the line with five wickets in hand in the 31st over. The bowling contributions of Caleb Prins (2/11) and Sourav Chaudry (2/38) were the only light for the students.
The match between Coronations and Maties at the Pniël Sports Ground was cancelled due to a wet field.
This weekend’s T20 fixtures:
- Saturday 31 October: VDS vs Stellenbosch (VDS Sports Ground); Coronations vs Caledon (Pniël Sports Ground).
- Sunday 1 November: Hawston vs VDS (Hawston); Caledon vs Stellenbosch (Caledon); Hermanus vs Coronations (Hermanus).
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