Dale College enjoyed contrasting fortunes in their two recent schoolboy cricket fixtures, bouncing back from an earlier defeat to Queen’s College with a thrilling six-wicket victory in the Rain Schools SA20 Derby Series before suffering an eight-wicket loss to Graeme College in Makhanda.
Khwezi Mtshakazi was the hero against Queen’s in Komani on Friday, smashing an unbeaten half-century to steer Dale to victory with three balls to spare.
However, they were brought back to earth by a devastating bowling display from Graeme, with James Muir claiming six wickets for just six runs.
Dale captain Afika Ganda won the toss and elected to bowl, and his attack responded well by restricting Queen’s to 140/3 in their allotted 20 overs.
Ross Fitzhenry led the home side’s batting effort with an unbeaten 66 off 55 balls, building two important partnerships to give Queen’s a competitive total.
He added 59 runs for the third wicket with Caleb Waller, who scored 26, before sharing a further 69-run stand with Amila Maselana, who contributed 22.
Dale’s fielding also proved influential, with two run-outs complementing the wicket taken by Enkosi Sopali to limit Queen’s scoring opportunities.
The visitors’ reply did not immediately gather momentum.
Simvuyele Saliwa and Dane Meyer put on 16 for the first wicket before Ganda joined Meyer to add 39 for the second.
Queen’s continued to chip away at the wickets, keeping the required run rate under pressure and preventing Dale from taking control of the chase.
The turning point came when Mtshakazi and Zingce Poni joined forces.
The pair produced a decisive unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership of 81 runs in just 10 overs to carry Dale across the line.
Mtshakazi attacked with confidence, while Poni provided excellent support with a patient 27 off 33 balls.
Their partnership transformed a tense chase into a memorable derby victory, giving Dale the redemption they had sought after losing heavily to Queen’s earlier in the year.
Mthokozisi Mbambo was Queen’s most successful bowler, finishing with figures of 2/19.
Dale’s momentum was halted when they travelled to Makhanda to face Graeme College on the Marais Field, where the hosts secured a commanding eight-wicket victory.
Dale won the toss and chose to bat on a surface offering favourable conditions for scoring, but Graeme’s bowlers had other ideas.
Captain Andrew Muir made an immediate impact with the new ball, exploiting the early movement to claim three important wickets and put Dale’s top order under pressure.
Dale had reached 55/3 after 10 overs and would have hoped to build from that position, but Muir's younger brother, James, then produced a devastating spell that ripped through the middle and lower order.
James finished with career-best first XI figures of six wickets for just six runs in five overs as Dale collapsed to 69 all out.
Chasing 70 for victory, Graeme wasted little time in completing the job.
Opening batter Enrique Strydom set the tone with an attacking 24, while Zuko Pontshi remained unbeaten on 17 to guide the hosts to 72/2 in just 6.3 overs.
The eight-wicket win was a comprehensive response from Graeme, whose bowlers turned a potentially competitive fixture into a one-sided affair. — additional reporting by SuperSportschools.com
