Blockbuster clash on cards
Hudson Park are up against Selborne College in the final of the Border Schools T20 competition
EAST London's cricket school powerhouses Hudson Park High School and Selborne College will be going head-to-head once again as they clash in the final of the Border Schools Coca-Cola T20 competition at Hudson Park this afternoon.
Hudson and Selborne have been the top two sides on the Border over the last few years and it is all set to be another blockbuster encounter between the two sides.
“These are the two best teams in the Border and they have been for a number of years now,” said Border Youth co-ordinator Loyiso Sibaca.
“I think it is going to be an exciting game, it could go either way and I don’t know how the match will finish until the final ball is bowled.”
Last year Selborne finished as champions of the Border section and went on to beat the EP champs St Andrews College in the Eastern Cape final to end up representing the Warriors at the Coca-Cola Schools T20 National finals in Stellenbosch.
Hudson, who were knocked out in the Border section, received a second bite of the cherry when they fell into the Coastal Focus Schools section and took it emphatically by triumphing in it to qualify as the Coastal Focus School champs and then went on to make the final of the nationals, where they unfortunately came up short against winners St Stithians (Lions representatives).
Both teams will be eager to have another go at the nationals and that should make today's game all the more fierce.
“We would love for them to repeat what they did last year because it was a really good thing for Border cricket,” said Sibaca. “To have two teams from Border at the nationals is massive and it would be incredible if that happened again.”
Both teams enjoyed semifinal wins on Monday afternoon and will head into the match with plenty of momentum. Selborne triumphed by seven wickets in a keenly contested match against Lilyfontein, while Hudson beat Middledrift Hub by 33 runs.
In the Selborne match, Lilyfontein batted first and scored a competitive 135/5.
Opener Joshua Swinney scored a slow 48-ball 33 at the top of the order, before some impetus was injected by middle-order batsmen Ryan Kruger with 47 off 37 balls (7x4; 1x6), Tyler Blom with 19 off 13, and John-Georg Weschta who struck two sixes in an unbeaten cameo of 16 off nine balls.
Selborne's bowling effort was led by allrounder Matt Dewar who picked up 3/14, while he was backed up well by Sebastian Denison-Brown, who claimed 2/28.
On the batting front Selborne then reached their target thanks to Ethan Boucher top-scoring with an unbeaten 47 from 40 balls, while Thomas Bursey hit a 25-ball 35 and Austen Brandt an unbeaten 33 off 17 balls.
Nathan Summers claimed 2/36 for Lilyfontein while the other wicket went to Kruger.
The Hudson match was then a low scoring affair with neither team able to reach a a three-figure score in the game.
Hudson batted first and were bowled all out in the last over for 94.
No batsman was able to bat better than a hundred strike rate, with Raheem Moonieyan's run-a-ball 34 the best effort while Akhanya Rebe with 20 off 20 balls and Nonelela Yikha with 16 off 20 balls also contributing to the total.
To have two teams from Border at the nationals would be massive achievement
It was an allround bowling effort from Middledrift with all seven bowlers picking up a scalp, while Akhanya Bangani, Siphenathi Gqadu and Lusindiso Nogqala bagged a brace each.
Middledrift's reply then never got off the ground as they were blown over for 61, with only opener Bayoliswa Thunyiswa (11) getting into double figures.
Andrew Everts with 4/14 was the standout Hudson bowler and was backed up well by the all-round Moonieyan (2/4) and Luke Dallas (2/13).
Following today's final the Border champ will go on to face the Kei champ for a place in the Eastern Cape final, with the winner of that clash then representing the Warriors at the nationals next month.
This tantalising match gets under way at 2.30pm this afternoon.