Sunday, March 8, was another memorable day in what has so far been a memorable 2014/15 season for Benoni Northerns Cricket Club (BNCC).
Not only did the club’s flagship XI all but wrap up the Easterns Premier League title for the second time in three seasons, but an unheralded fast bowler emerged to etch his name permanently into the annals of Benoni cricket, with a phenomenal club record bowling performance.
Andrew McFarlane, who normally doesn’t play Sunday League cricket, stepped up to the plate for Juan Schaerer’s BNCC Premier Reserve League side, who were short of players for their season-ending match at Springs Old Boys, and left all who witnessed his efforts breathless.
A bowling blitz of sheer class saw McFarlane rewarded for his breath-taking spell with the almost unbelievable figures of nine wickets for 13 runs in eight sensational overs (including an opening-over hat-trick) as he single-handedly crushed Old Boys in a 41-run victory for Northerns.
It prompted an out-of-breath Schaerer to dub his fill-in destroyer “Magic Mac”.
“I’ve been playing club cricket for 12 years and never have I seen a fast bowling performance like that,” the skipper said.
“Andy bowled with such pace that the Springs batsmen simply had no answers to the onslaught.”
Because of late withdrawals, McFarlane offered his services, but Northerns still arrived at Pollak Park with only nine players and, to make matters worse, Schaerer lost the toss and the visitors had to bat first on a dodgy pitch.
In difficult batting conditions, Northerns cobbled together 149 runs before being dismissed in the 30th of their allotted 50 overs.
Number four batsman Twaine Stewart top-scored with 37, and number eight, Jaco Kruger, clobbered 30 off 16 balls to give the score some respectability.
Old Boys started well in their chase and were 30-odd without loss before, as Schaerer put it, “the magic began”.
McFarlane proved unplayable from ball one and the hat-trick was a sign of things to come; his figures after his first three overs were a scarcely believable five wickets for five runs.
And, in the blink of an eye, the home side were all out for 107 in the 22nd over, and Magic Mac became the man of the moment.
At Willowmoore Park, on the same day, BNCC’s Premier side walloped Duduza by six wickets, to basically win the league.
Northerns, restricting the home side to 184 in 50 overs, chased that down comfortably in 37 overs, thanks largely to stand-in skipper Ernest Kemm’s half-century.
Openers Kemm and Levon Shields got Benoni off to a flyer with a 75-run stand in 12 overs.
Northerns moved to 59 points from 15 matches, while second-placed CBC Old Boys, who had a bye on Sunday, are on 54.
Both sides have won 11 games but, remarkably, all of Benoni’s victories have been with bonus points.
Mathematically, the Old Boys from Boksburg (who have beaten Northerns home and away this season – the only team to have beaten them) can still overhaul the leaders.
But, for that to happen, CBC would need to beat defending champions Kempton Park with a bonus point, at home, this Sunday, March 15, and Benoni would have to lose at home to bottom club KT Windies.
And then it would still come down to net run-rate, with Northerns far superior at this stage.
So, it looks very much like Northerns will be celebrating another league title on Sunday and then going to the National Club Championship, in Pretoria, later in the year.
Meanwhile, BNCC’s Colts side played their last game of the season against United Cricket Club, at Northern Areas, needing to win to seal the league title.
Benoni won the toss and asked United to bat.
United started well, but were then pinned down by Benoni’s spinners — Ian Crawshaw taking 4/29 — and were eventually all out for 150.
Northerns started the chase with the early loss of WP Myburgh, but then knuckled down and batted United out of the game with a 121-run stand between DeWet Miller and Diaan Basson.
Basson made a well-played 67 and Miller a gutsy 52, as Northerns reached their target with three wickets down and, in so doing, won the league in style with just one loss in 12 matches.
