CRICKET: Boksburg capitulates against Benoni
The Boksburg Cricket Club kicked off the second round of the current Eastern Cricket season with a disappointing loss to defending champions Benoni Northerns at Prince George Park on Sunday, January 17.
Following their advantage in the pre-match coin toss, the home side were sent out to field by their captain Len Meyer before enjoying a dream start in the revised overs match (44 overs instead of the traditional 50 due to the wet pitch).
The visitors were down 16/3 early on, including a duck dismissal for opener Rhenier Jordaan.
With their backs firmly against the wall deep into their innings and standing at 124 after 32 overs, Northerns were facing a spectacular loss as the home side’s smart bowling kept up the pressure.
But champions always find a way.
It was no different in this case as well as the visitors showed championship pedigree with skipper Kurt Francis (33 runs) and Stefano di Bartolomeo (56 runs) leading the rescue mission that saw the visitors maximise their remaining overs.
Having slipped their way out of a probable losing situation and forcing Boksburg to loosen their tight grip in the bowling front, Northerns went on to put up a decent score of 195 after 43 overs.
With the pressure firmly directed at them to overhaul Northerns’ total, Meyer’s men were dealt a significant blow when they lost stalwart John Haywood for five and Heinrich Cronje (14).
It went from bad to worse for the PG Park outfit as Ruan du Plessis, one of their star men last year, received his marching orders for one and Boksburg were suddenly asked for 15 runs per over to give themselves a chance for victory.
Another great escape was on the cards for Boksburg to settle the absorbing match but it wasn’t to be as Northerns emerged as the ultimate great escapers as they limited the hosts to 158 all-out to claim a 37-runs win.
Northerns’ Di Bartolomeo completed a balanced performance with ball and bat as he complemented his half century with a hat-trick of wickets to top both the batting and bowling stakes for the day.
Boksburg’s silver-lining in their desperate loss came in the form of 14-year-old Maxwell Meyer, who top-scored for the home side with 37 after running out Ernest Kemm earlier on in the match. – @SabeloBoksburg
