CBC sent packing as Kempton wins cricket league
Cricket league honours all came down to a Sunday skirmish between two long-standing adversaries in the play-off final.
The clash between Benoni Northerns Cricket Club and Kempton Park’s Premier XI, at Sahara Willowmoore Park, on Sunday, April 3, had all the makings of a real classic.
It would, however, be the team from the Barnard Stadium who would overpower Benoni in a six-wicket win to take all the plaudits and book a ticket to the elite National Club Championships, in Pretoria, at the end of the month.
Northerns advanced to the final after defeating CBC Old Boys by 26 runs at the same venue, the previous day, in the semi-final.
Admittedly, for Benoni, who batted first in the semi, it was not the most convincing display with the willow as they mustered up a score of 210/9, with Matthew “Traddle” Wright’s 46 runs the best of the Northerns batsmen.
With the ball, it was that man Wright who again caused problems with his slow bowling.
He achieved the best of the bowling figures, with 3/24 in 10 overs, while Mark Robey (2/21 in seven overs) and Stefano di Bartolomeo (2/40 in eight overs) did enough to get their Boksburg opponents all out for 184 in the 43rd over.
CBC’s Tyron Cameron matched Wright with the bat with his own 46 to top-score for his side. Cameron also starred in the bowling stakes, taking a mammoth four wickets in an overall impressive bowling performance by Old Boys.
“Very disappointing result,” said CBC captain Shaun Liebisch following the semi-final defeat.
“I thought we handled ourselves well on the field. Bowlers did their job. We got off to a great start with the bat but unfortunately couldn’t capitalise on that with some very soft dismissals – taking nothing away from the disciplined Benoni bowling during the middle order.
“The season was very up and down. We had a pretty average first half. After the Kempton game we started figuring out combinations and played good cricket bar one game against Benoni in the second half.
“I am proud of the boys for putting up a fight and clawing back into the league. The top four sides had a great battle. With a little bit of luck the results could have fallen our way but it was not to be this season.”
Kempton cantered to victory over Brakpan’s United Cricket Club by 118 runs in the other semi-final on Willowmoore’s B-field on the Saturday before going on to claim the final.
