Hoërskool Hans Moore showed why they are one of the best teams north of the Vaal River by claiming a historic spot in the Fain Noordvaal Final.
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The side from Benoni withstood a fiery spell from Die Hoërskool Menlopark's quicks, Tiaan Serfontein and Monré Koekmoer, just before lunch on their way to a comfortable seven-wicket victory in Pretoria on Saturday.
After an impressive display with the ball and in the field, the Moories had momentum on their side as they headed to the crease, thanks to their young spin bowlers, Kyle Wratten and Kearan Weyers, who delivered a masterclass in left-arm spin bowling, sharing five wickets between them.
Wratten led the way with an impressive return of 3-22 from his quota of 10 overs, while Weyers, who had converted from a left-arm seamer to a spin bowler earlier in the year, backed up his colleague with an impressive 2/21 from his 10 overs.
Kenan Shaw added another two wickets to his 2024 tally while keeping Menlopark's batsmen quiet, snapping up 2/13 in 7.1 miserly overs.
Parkies' James Bardenhorst was a thorn in the side of Hans Moore, top-scoring with a mature 39 runs.
He and Monré Koekemoer (28) combined nicely for a vital 48-run partnership, which lifted the home side to 131 all out, which could've been a challenging target on an unfamiliar pitch for the visitors.
Xavier Coetzee and captain Warren Minnaar, however, put Menlopark under the pump with some classy batting, steering the visitor's ship to safety with a match-winning 53-run partnership to which Coetzee contributed a well-played 40 runs.
Minnaar kept going after the demise of Coetzee, who fell victim to Menlo's Murray Hofmeyr (1-34).
The skipper punished the Parkies' bowlers, especially behind square, going on to finish with an unbeaten 42 as Hans Moore secured victory in just 19 overs.
In an under-15 semifinal. Hoërskool Garsfontein overcame Potchefstroom Gimnasium, winning by 69 runs to book their place in the final against Hoërskool Waterkloof.
The Garsies' Arrie Verster shone with a superb 68 runs not out. He was well supported by Ruan Cuyler's 54 and a vital 39 runs from Nathan Ferreira lower down the order.
Gimmies' Ruan Steenkamp did the bulk of the damage, claiming three Garsonfontein scalps for only 19 runs.
The Potchefstroom school was set 209 to win, but Jaydon Schmidt and Ruan Cuyler had other plans.
Schmidt sent four batsmen back to the pavilion at a cost of only 27 runs, while Cuyler claimed 3/47, as the Gimmies were held to 139 all out.
SUMMARISED SCORECARDS:
Menlopark 130/10 (James Bronkhorst 39, Monré Koekemoer 28, Jan-Willem 24; Kyle Wratten 3/22, Kenan Shaw 2/13, Kearan Wyers 2/21); Hans Moore 132/3 (Warren Minnaar 42*, Xavier Coetzee 40; Monré Koekemoer 1/23). Hans Moore won by seven wickets.
U15
Garsfontein 208/10 (Arrie Verster 68*, Ruan Cuyler 54, Nathan Ferreira 39, Extras 34; Ruhan Steenkamp 4/19, Adriaan van Niekerk 2/41, Ulrich Botha 2/59) Potchefstroom Gimnasium 139/10 (Wicko Cato 42, Ulrich Botha 34; Jaydon Schmidt 4/27, Ruan Cuyler 3/47). Garsfontein won by 69 runs.