Second T20 cricket league off to an exciting start

Date: 12 September 2024 By: Andries van Zyl

The Louis Trichardt Cricket Club’s second annual T20 league got off to a start this past weekend after rain washed out last week’s opening games. On Sunday, 8 September, RCI faced both the Roaring Lions and the Killers in a morning and afternoon match.

In the first clash of the day, RCI opened the batting against the Roaring Lions, amassing 205 runs for the loss of only three wickets (205/3) in their allotted 20 overs. Usman Arshad top-scored with an impressive 87 runs, which included eight fours and five sixes. He was well supported by fellow batsman Hussain Patel (Jr), who scored 41 runs, and Mehul Patel with 30 runs (not out). For the Roaring Lions, Shivam Patel, Craig Viljoen, and Thato Legodi each took one wicket.

In response to RCI’s mammoth total of 205/3, the Roaring Lions did well to bat through their 20 overs. However, they fell short of the winning target, only managing 150/8, giving RCI a 55-run win. For the Roaring Lions, Craig Viljoen was the pick of the batsmen, scoring 45 runs off 25 balls. Other double-figure contributions with the bat came from openers Neil Louw and Ayaaz Patel, both with 15 runs, and Ali Patel with 32 runs. As for RCI’s bowlers, Dilawar Patel was in devastating form, claiming five wickets for the loss of only 10 runs in his three overs (5/10/3), including a hat trick and an economy rate of 3.33. Fellow bowler Jabir Abhuji took 2/25 in his three overs, while Vimal Shah claimed one scalp.

Next, the RCI team faced the Killers in the afternoon session. Again batting first, RCI could only put 150/5 on the scoreboard when the last ball of their allotted 20 overs was bowled. Double figures were achieved by opener Nimesh Watekar (39), while Usman Arshad just passed his half century with a score of 53 before losing his wicket. Dilawar Patel scored at a run a ball to reach 16 runs. For the Killers, bowler Lukas Visser took 2/31 in his four overs, while AC Geldenhuys, Ruan van Tonder, and Zander Vollgraaff each took one wicket.

It was relatively plain sailing for the Killers’ batsmen, steering the team to victory in just 11.5 overs with a score of 152/2, giving them an eight-wicket win. The top scorer with the bat was Lukas Visser, with an impressive 81 runs (not out) off just 35 balls in an innings that included seven fours and seven sixes. Opener AC Geldenhuys fell just short of his half century with a score of 46 off 19 balls (seven fours and two sixes), while the only other batsman to reach double figures was Craig Viljoen, who contributed 13 runs. For RCI, Sandip Patel and a guest player (unregistered) each took one wicket.

The next round of matches in the league will be played this weekend. On Saturday, 14 September, at 14:00, RCI will come up against Limpopo. On Sunday (15^th) at 10:00, Limpopo will play against the Strikers, while the Killers will face the Roaring Lions at 14:00. All games will be played at the Louis Trichardt Oval, and spectators are welcome.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.