Weeks of sweltering heat in the Midlands didn’t quite prepare the Boys from Balgowan for the cauldron that was ‘Maritzburg College on the weekend.
Cricket:
First XI skipper Murray Baker’s 69 off 95 wasn’t enough to chase down the host’s 242/8 as the mercury hit the 40 degree mark on Goldstones. Earlier in the day House’s paceman Thomas Mitchell had weighed in with 3/47 off his ten overs. Enjoying the milder conditions on the Roy Gathorne Oval in Balgowan, House’s seconds enjoyed a 95 run win, spear headed by Thomas Baguley’s 69* off 65 and Dylan Hewlett’s 64 off 72. Luke Payne’s 3/27 off ten overs kept College out of the chase. Thomas Kuhn’s allround showing, featuring a hard hit 41* and bowling returns of 6/34 ensured the third XI’s five wicket win over College. House’s fourths were skittled a single run shy of reeling in their 118 run target, with the fifths also not being able to reel in College’s score.
Michaelhouse’s U16C lads couldn’t emulate the wins enjoyed by the A and B sides, although a wicket with the teams all square on 117 had the College supporters sweating for a moment before the boys clinched their one wicket win. Next door, House’s U15Cs looked all set for a memorable win at the halfway mark with College running out of wickets; but the cooking Duzi-side conditions conspired with the hosts to hand them a win with a handful of balls to spare. Ruan Ramnath’s 50 was the cornerstone of House’s U15B win, while the U15A team chalked up a comprehensive seven wicket victory. It was a full house of wins for College in the U14 category although the A team encounter could have gone either way, House being skittled just one run short of their 154 run target.
Water Polo:
The 5-5 draw in the U14B clash was the only blemish on House’s water polo campaign on Saturday. Recording an otherwise clean sweep, including wins for the U14A (21-8), U15A (16-4) and second team (11-4), the Michaelhouse water polo club returned to the Midlands with six wins and a draw from seven contests.
Meanwhile in the pressure cooker of the basketball courts, Michaelhouse enjoyed the ascendency in the open age group fixtures winning five from six starts. College will feel that they landed the one that counted though with the firsts avenging their 2022 defeat with a comfortable 61-42. College’s U16A boys reversed their tight U15 loss when they outscored a motivated House by 29 to 26. House came out on top in the U16B, C, and D clashes with the E side bookending the age group with a loss. The Michaelhouse U15A (24-10) and B teams notched up wins while the C, D, and E sides came unstuck. Not to be outdone by their classmates on the cricket field, all five of College’s U14 teams recorded maiden victories over Michaelhouse including a narrow 15-14 win for the A team.
Sports report compiled by Michaelhouse
Photo: the victorious Michaelhouse second XI
