A right royal victory earns bonus point

Queenstown Royals won the game against Mdantsane’s Black Lions Cricket Club by 198 runs and walked away with a bonus point at the TW Higgs field of Queen’s College on Sunday.

The game was reduced to 42 overs as Border failed to send a scorer for the game. Luckily a local scorer could be found. Royals won the toss by default as the opposition got to the field late and elected to bat.

Royals’ vice-captain Mkululi Takane said, “Marvin Groep and Justin Kuyler opened the batting and they were in an unforgiving mood as they were hitting boundary after boundary from the first ball of the innings.”

Takane said the openers were scoring at 12 runs per over as they exploded from the blocks with Groep the first to lose his wicket.

“He was run out from a free-hit that Kuyler rocketed straight to the bowler and it ricocheted back on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end.”

Groep scored 66 runs from 40 balls before being dismissed while debutant Jeandre Smith scored 28 from 16 balls. Royals scored 375 for the loss of nine wickets after 41 overs.

He said, “Black Lions were behind on time and were penalised 15 runs for the outstanding over. The Royals accumulated a total of 390 runs and Black Lions had to score 391 to win. Black Lions went in to bat and Anathi Joe got the first wicket.”

Lydon Coetzee, who was the first-change bowler, got two wickets before the game turned into a spin competition between Groep and Kuyler, said Takana.

“The spinners took control of the game and dried Black Lions’ runs up before Coetzee and Joe came back to finish the show. Thanks to the brave resistance from Zuvakala Pono who scored 81 off 57 balls and Mzixolo Sngotho 48 (off 55), Black Lions managed to score 192 in 31 overs all out.”