Bishops Diocesan College are the inaugural Schools SA20 boys’ champions after beating St David’s Marist Inanda by 99 runs at Tuks Oval on Saturday.
Following four days of incredible schools cricket, which featured the best-of-the-best boys and girls teams from across the country, the boys from Cape Town emerged on top after an engrossing final.
St David’s captain Samrat Basu won the toss and elected to field first, hoping his bowlers would contain Bishops’. The Capetonians in turn had SA U19 batter Adnaan Lagadien (the hitherto top-scorer of the Final Showdown) and Samuel Stavely-Alexander opening the batting.
The pair made a rapid start by rotating the strike well and striking three fours between them before Jason Rowles (Lagadien’s SA U19 teammate) got the breakthrough when Stavely-Alexander (15 off 15, 1x4) was caught on the long-on boundary by Armaan Manack, leaving the score 31/1.
Bishops captain James Robb-Quinlan joined Lagadien and they added 26 runs together before Lagadien (22 off 19, 2x4) skied a pull-shot which St David’s ‘keeper Kamogelo Phiri snaffled, cueing enthusiastic celebrations from bowler Kyle Butler and his teammates in gold considering the pedigree of the dismissed batter.
Robb-Quinlan (26 off 23, 4x4) was next to be dismissed with the score on 75 in the 11th over, with his aggressive knock being ended by an excellent Phiri stumping off Hayden Campbell’s medium pace.
The Bishops innings could have gone either way at this stage, especially after Campbell (3-43) also claimed the wickets of big-hitting allrounders Thaafier Japhta (21 off 23, 1x4) and Waco Bassick (17 off 11, 3x4) to leave them 121 for five with the majority of 4 overs left.
However, Litha Mbiko (22 off 16, 1x4, 1x6) was finding his range and provided the impetus Bishops needed to set a highly-competitive score, ably supported by cameos from Alexander Vintcent (8 off 4, 1x4) and Michael Kruiskamp (18 not out off 8, 2x6).
TOUGH TARGET
With their 20 overs completed, Bishops had scored 168 for seven, setting St David’s a tough target with the pressure a Final provides.
St David’s strength ordinarily lies with their batters, not least Rowles and his fellow SA Schools opener Armaan Manack. However, Michael Kruiskamp (1-10) got the early breakthrough, with Robb-Quinlan doing the catching behind the stumps.
Phiri (9 off 12, 1x6) joined Armaan Manack at the wicket and promptly smashed a maximum before Bassick trapped him in front, bringing Morteza Manack to the crease with his twin brother. Their partnership lasted two overs before legspinner Julian Pilkington proved to be a golden arm, dismissing the set Manack (22 off 20, 3x4, 1x6) who was left crestfallen.
Pilkington then produced a googly to bowl St David’s captain Samrat Basu for a first-ball duck to leave the boys from Johannesburg on 50 for four. That became 52 for six when Morteza Manack (6 off 9) and Hayden Campbell (2 off 3) were dismissed by Raa’id Arendse (2-8) and a Kruiskamp-Robb-Quinlan run-out respectively.
It was now a case of when, not if, Bishops would get their hands on the Schools SA20 trophy.
That moment came when the final four wickets of Jared Stern (6 off 10), Roberto Mariano (2 off 5), Michael Smithyman (4 off 3, 1x4) and Kyle Butler (2 off 4) fell in quick succession handing Bishops a 99-run victory and the title of first-ever Schools SA20 boys champions.
SUMMARISED SCORECARD – SCHOOLS SA20 BOYS NATIONAL FINAL
Saturday, 15 March 2025 | Tuks Oval, University of Pretoria
Bishops Diocesan College 168/7 – 20 overs (James Robb-Quinlan 26, Adnaan Lagadien 22, Litha Mbiko 22; Hayden Campbell 3/43, Kyle Butler 2/21)
St David’s Marist Inanda 69 all out – 12.2 overs (Armaan Manack 22; Julian Pilkington 3/12, Raa’id Arendse 2/8)
Bishops won by 99 runs.
AWARDS
Player of the Tournament: James Robb-Quinlan (Bishops Diocesan College) – 160 runs and four dismissals
Batter of the Tournament: Adnaan Lagadien (Bishops Diocesan College) – 170 runs
Bowler of the Tournament: Julian Pilkington (Bishops Diocesan College) – 11 wickets
Spirit of Cricket Award: St Andrew’s School Bloemfontein