Overview Sporting Achievements Another busy sporting week for Maritzburg College saw the cricket, basketball and water polo teams in action against Hilton College, as well as our boys taking part in squash, golf, shooting, tennis and canoe events. Highlights included a nail-biting 1st team cricket match on Goldstones, an electric 1st team basketball game, and an excellent start to the squash season.
Cricket:
College fielded 16 cricket teams against our well-respected opponents from “up the hill” Hilton College, and it was the Hilton teams that proved the stronger. The1st XI games played on Goldstones proved to be an exciting nail-biter with Hilton finally winning by one wicket off the second last ball of the match.
1st XI match report (Mr Robbie Coutts – 1st XI Coach) College captain Bryn Brokensha won the toss on Goldstones and had no hesitation in electing to bat on a good pitch that looked like it may get lower and slower as the day progressed.
Hilton started well and a mix of good bowling and poor shot selection never allowed College to settle, the home team were unable to put together any significant partnerships, the biggest partnership of the innings being 42, between Captain Brokensha (34) and Chad Mason (24). The pair unfortunately for their team, both got out run out with the score on 99. Wickets fell at regular intervals after tea, with College being bowled out for 140 in the 46th over.
College came out firing with opening bowler Brokensha bowling the Hilton opener with the first ball of innings, Brokensha made it 2 in the 3rd over, another bowled. Asanda Khumalo made it 13 for 3, Brokensha this time taking a good catch on the fine leg boundary. Hilton got themselves back into the game with a 48 run partnership between Captain Ross Boast and Stewart, the partnership was eventually broken by off spinner Oliver da Costa. Da Costa bowled tightly keeping his team in the game, picking up another 2 wickets, his spell of 10 overs only going for 15. The College bowling unit continued to put pressure on the Hilton batsmen, Brokensha made the big breakthrough trapping Hilton captain Boast LBW for a well-played 49. Khumalo then produced a great piece of fielding to runout Liebenberg, College very much in the game with Hilton on 98 for 8. The Hilton batsmen absorbed a lot of pressure and put on a partnership of 36, before Sphamandla Dzanibe made the break through, with another good piece of fielding from Khumalo, taking the catch in front of an excited Kent Pavilion. Hilton needing 7 runs with 1 wicket in hand. The Hilton last pair managed to keep everything that College threw at them and a thick edge to the third man boundary off the second last ball of the game gave Hilton an exciting win.
Scores in brief:
College 140 all out; Brokensha 34 Hilton 143 for 9; Brokensha 3 for 12, da Costa 3 for 15 Hilton won by 1 wicket
Basketball:
College’s basketball teams were on fire against Hilton, stirred on by the many supporters whose cheers resounded in the Alan Paton Memorial Hall for the 1st team game. College was the stronger on the day winning 14 of their 20 matches, with the 1st team securing an excellent 76-59 victory. 1st team report – Nonkululeko Gumede It was a promising start for the Hilton as they opened the scoreboard with the first three points. The glory was, however, short-lived as College saw red, and proceeded to take the lead in the first quarter with the help of Victor Ojo who made it nearly impossible for Hilton to make baskets. In the second quarter, Hilton gained confidence that rendered the game nail-biting as the first half was left at a draw. The atmosphere coming into the third quarter was electrifying and Maritzburg College’s Kuhle Mthimkhulu’s slam dunk only exacerbated the already fired-up Boys of College. The combo that is Lwandle Dlamini and Ashar Ngcobo only made things worse for Hilton whose frustration was starting to show by way of fouls. By the 4th quarter College had surpassed Hilton’s hopes for victory, and the game ended with a 76-59 win for the redblackwhite.
Top achievers in 1st team game were Lwandle Dlamini – 29pts and Victor Ojo – 13pts and 10 rebounds.
Summary of results vs Hilton Played 20, won 16, lost 4
14A lost 28-36 15A won 22-18 16A lost 21-24 1st won 76-59
Congratulations to the boys who have been selected for the inland basketball teams:
U18 Inathi Masinga, Kuhle Mthimkhulu, Lwandle Dlamini, Ashar Ngcobo, Ryeleigh Hoskins U16 Ntobeko Ngobese, Nkanyiso Ngcobo
Waterpolo:
It was another challenging day in the pool for the College teams against Hilton, who were the stronger, although there were some very good performances from the RedBlackWhite boys.
1st team report – Mr Darren Sherriff (Director of Aquatics) College’s 1st team match against Hilton took place earlier in the week in a water polo fixture which was going to be something of a battle. Hilton had just returned from the SAC Shield where they played some tough opposition. The 1st chukka started with Hilton taking an early lead and setting the tone for the game. They increased their lead in the 2nd chukka and College tried hard to fight back. The College team had a good 3rd chukka and gave it their all. Hilton showed to be too strong and won the game 7-21. U14A lost 2-27 U15A lost 6-14 1st team lost 7-21
Squash:
Both our Senior and Junior squash sides participated in their first fixtures of the term last week. The 1st and 2nd team travelled to Hilton College, where the players showcased their skills. The hard work in the preseason was evident with the 1st team running out 7-1 winners and the 2nd team recording an equally impressive 10-2 victory.
Following on from the Seniors success, the Junior team hosted Howick High on Friday afternoon, where they too put in a strong performance. Despite playing older opposition, the Junior team put in a sterling performance to win 7-3. A great start to the season for all our squash teams.
Sports report compiled by Maritzburg College
Image1: College’s 1st XI Asanda Khumalo made it 13 for 3 against Hilton College.
Credit: Justin Waldman Sport Photography
