Old Boys find going tough against the best in Cup ties

It was a difficult weekend at the Multiply T20 Community Cup club championships for the Warriors representatives, Buco Old Selbornians, as they ended bottom of the table.

The deck was always stacked against Old Boys as they went to the champs with only club players, while all of the other teams were able to field their respective provincial stars.

This ended up making a big difference, as Old Boys lost four and battled out an exciting tie in the five games they played.

Old Boys opened their club champs on Friday against Dolphins representatives Clares CC, and batting first scored 122/7 at the end of their 20 overs.

Only two batsmen made it into double figures, with Selbornian and Border U19 captain Matt Dewar leading the way with an impressive 50-ball 71 (5x4; 2x6) while opener Royce Muller backed him up with 21 off 24 balls.

The bowlers were unable to stop the Clares batsmen, who only lost two wickets, both picked up by another Selbornian, Matthew Fourie (2/17 off three overs).

The second match of the day ended in a tie between Old Boys and Knights reps Burma Lads.

Old Boys batted first, managing 127/9 in their 20, with Dewar top scoring with 26.

Burma Lads tied the score with their 127/8, while Muller led the bowling effort with 2/20 from his four overs.

On Saturday’s second day Old Boys first came up against eventual champs Delfos CC, who were representing the Lions.

Old Boys, batting first for the third match in a row, scored a decent 139/6 in their 20, thanks to Dewar again top scoring with 46 off 30 balls (8x4), and Tarquin Benito adding 26.

However, the score was no match for Delfos, who chased it down in 13.2 overs for the loss of just two wickets.

The second game of the day, against defending champs Durbanville, representing the Cobras, saw Old Boys bowl first.

Durbanville, however, flayed the Old Boys bowlers all over, amassing a huge 208/6 in their 20 overs, with only Ethan O’Reilly impressing with the ball, claiming 3/33 in his four.

Old Boys managed 141/6, with Chris Beard’s 48 off 30 balls and Joshua Dodd’s 41 off 26 balls the best efforts.

The team’s final game was on Sunday, against Titans reps Kempston Park and, batting first, Old Boys scored 106/9 in their 20, with Chris Beard’s 32ball 39 the only score over 20.

Kempston Park chased the score down within nine overs.