The exceptional bowling of the Benoni Northerns Colts saw the Northerns dismiss the hapless Thokoza Colts 65 all out to see their team to a 10-wicket win in the Easterns Colts League at the Northerns Sports Grounds on January 23.
Northerns won the toss and immediately sent Thokoza out to bat in a game reduced to 30 overs due to Thokoza’s lack of punctuality.
The Northerns bowlers started like a house on fire, dismissing Thokoza’s openers, Itumeleng Moshane and Kamogelo Kgaborone, in the second over.
Sohail Ebrahim was sent to bowl in the second over and he cleaned Moshane with his very first ball. Four balls later, Ebrahim unleashed a rocket that rattled the stumps and sent Kgaborone back to the dugout for a duck.
In the third over, Luke Mynhardt struck with his first ball of the over as he bowled out Charlie Malese. Mynhardt let go of a belter that bounced under Malete’s bat and went straight into the stumps to leave Thokoza reeling at two for the loss of three wickets.
Thokoza’s three opening batsmen were all dismissed for ducks and the fight was left in the hands of Naledi Maitse, who posed a real challenge for the Northerns bowlers.
Maitse watched as Buhle Dhladla came and left her at the crease, as Dhladla was sent packing by a scorcher that hit the top of the stumps from Jason Marneweck in the ninth over.
Neo Ngwenya soon found himself in the thick of action as his partnership with Maitse steadied the ship. They, however, couldn’t register any maximums due to the slow outfield.
Northerns really had to graft for the fifth wicket and it came in the 20th over form the bowling of spinner Nikhil Gumpath, who had to round the wicket to dismiss Maitse.
Northerns bowler Matthew Gaul continued to ask Ngwenya and Snethemba Mngaga questions with beauties. He left Ngwenya indecisive in the 21st over as the time Ngwenya took to figure things out, the sound of the falling wicket behind him brought him back to reality. He was dismissed for 21 runs.
Gumpath was at it again in the following over as he dismissed Mngaga with ease and the Northerns fielders’ brilliance led to the wicket of Sandile Raditshwele, who was run out by Marneweck to leave the score at 58–8.
Mynhardt took the last two wickets to dismiss Thokoza for 64 all out in 26 overs to leave the Northerns with a target of 66 runs for a win.
Matthew Gaul and Nathan Strydom began the Northerns run chase well, rotating the strike with class to drive their team to 30 for no loss after six overs.
Gaul was, however, dismissed for 12 runs after 12 overs. Strydom was joined by Brayden Scott and they pushed the run rate. In the end, the Northerns reached their target after 18 overs to win by 10 wickets.
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