Excitement builds up for last clashes

Date: 11 May 2017 By: Anton van Zyl

The excitement is building up for the final matches in the local league run by the Louis Trichardt Cricket Club. On Sunday, the Strikers team needs to play two matches, first against Limpopo and then against Powarfix. Both teams would want to secure victories to cement their position at the top of the league log.

The past weekend saw a lot of excitement at the local cricket ground. The field was engulfed in a carnival-like atmosphere as dozens of supporters arrived to cheer on the players in the T-20 matches.

In the first match, Powarfix and Strikers clashed. Strikers batted first, but a slightly moist pitch made life difficult for the batsmen. Strikers were limited to 109/8, thanks partly to good bowling from Mustak Patel. He ended with figures of 3/17 in four overs. Powarfix had no trouble chasing this score and passed the total with only three wickets down. Jean Phillips scored 30 from only 17 balls to help his team to secure a victory.

In the second match of the day, the team from Limpopo came up against the Vikings. Limpopo needed a victory to close the gap between them and Powarfix on the league log. Vikings batted first and with Warno Smit at the crease, things looked quite rosy for them. He scored a brisk 46 from 30 balls. His effort, however, was a solo one and the team were all out with only 109 runs on the scoreboard. Limpopo’s star batsman, Leon Olwage, took matters in his own hands and knocked 65 runs off only 40 balls. They passed the total with five wickets down.

With only two matches still to be played, the league is drawing to an exciting end. Powarfix are on top, with 7 points, followed by Limpopo with 5 points.

The battle for the top batsman and top bowler is also turning into a very exciting fight. Leon Olwage has scored 135 runs in four matches, only seven runs more than Jean Phillips (128 after four matches). The Vikings’ Warno Smit is third with 82 runs after four matches.

Mustak Patel tops the list of bowlers. His season figures are 8/82 after four matches. His nearest rival is Limpopo’s Brendan Bridge with 7/58 after only three matches. Ikram Khandarev is third, having taken 6/53 in two matches.

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Anton van Zyl

Anton van Zyl has been with the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror since 1990. He graduated from the Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg) and obtained a BA Communications degree. He is a founder member of the Association of Independent Publishers.

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