KEARSNEY SPORT
CRICKET
Maritzburg College 1st X1 152 all out
Kearsney 1st X1 153/9
Kearsney won by 1 wicket
Kearsney travelled to Maritzburg College on Saturday, where the hosts won the toss and elected to bat. An excellent opening spell from Kearsney openers Nhlakanipho Ngubane and Sandiswa Yeni saw the visitors strike early and have College 17/3. Despite the situation, College captain Jonathan van Zyl and Bryn Brokensha played positively and looked to transfer the pressure to the bowling side.
Boundaries flowed freely and College quickly raced to 110/3. Shortly before tea Hayden Bishop removed the College captain for 47; and Yeni bounced Brokensha out before tea. Kearsney continued to exert pressure and introduced off-spinner Ross Coetzee who produced a fine spell of 6.4 overs 3/14 to bowl College out for 152. Having bowled out the hosts in 37 overs it left Kearsney with a difficult task of batting for 45 minutes before lunch.
The College bowlers came out firing and took Michael de Beer’s wicket before lunch. College continued to make inroads into Kearsney’s batting order with wickets falling at regular intervals. However, two grade 10 batsmen, Cameron Veenstra (28) and Murray Weyer (29), showed immense courage in chipping away at the total.
It was clear this match was going to go down to the wire and, when Kearsney lost their 9th wicket still needing 12 runs to win, most felt the game had slipped away from the visitors. But Otsile Ntsele and Sandiswa Yeni had other ideas, batting sensibly and bravely facing 37 balls between them to eventually pass the College total.
This was an epic encounter which could have gone either way, and which showcased schoolboy sport. It was a memorable 1-wicket victory for the young Kearsney team playing away on Goldstones.
BASKETBALL
Maritzburg College 1st beat Kearsney 1st 76-70
Kearsney travelled to Pietermaritzburg for the Maritzburg College fixture, which is always physical and tough. Kearsney started well and had College on the back foot in the first few minutes. College, however, amped up their defensive pressure and forced Kearsney into turning the ball over too frequently, which allowed them some easy baskets in transition.
While the first quarter was close 17-20, College still had the upper hand. Kearsney fought hard and closed the gap through tough defense and making some of their shots from outside. The teams went into half time 27-apiece.
Kearsney continued to fight hard and squeeze their opposition on defense, but turnovers at crucial times from harassed Kearsney players kept College in the game when it appeared they were pulling away. The third quarter ended with College slightly ahead 60-59.
During the final quarter, Kearsney were forced into making too many turnovers by College’s relentless pressure. It appeared they also ran out of steam, which contributed to College scoring three quick baskets in succession, to take the game out of the visitors’ reach. College ran out deserved winners 70-76.
Top Performers:
Kearsney: Njabulo Ngcobo 20 points; Ayanda Jackson 12 points; Gregor Campbell 10points; Andile Nomvete 9 points
Maritzburg College: Luca Coetzer 12points; Lwandle Dlamini 10 points; Liyanda Mkhize 9 points; Kuhle Mthimkhulu; Mpumelelo Chonco 8 points
WATER POLO
Kearsney 1st team started well at the Clifton National Water Polo Tournament with impressive wins over Grey High (PE) and Affies. The inexperience of the team showed though as they progressed to the playoffs. The team finished 12th overall, a massive improvement from 2021. Ten players were U16 and younger, which bodes well for Kearsney’s water polo in the future.
Sports Report Compiled by Sue Miles at Working Words.
Image 1: Kearsney top scorer Murray Weyer in the win against Maritzburg College
Image 2:Kearsney captain & top scorer Njabulo Ngcobo
