CBC Old Boys travelled to Prince George Park on January 20 for their local derby showdown against CMH Boksburg in their Eastern Premier League encounter, arrived, got the job done and left.
The in-form visitors won by a bonus-point four wickets, and if it weren’t for some sloppy batting for the second week running, the margin of victory would’ve been wider.
Despite the alarming low rate of runs from both sides, the clash still had its usual fair share of the unexpected.
It was also the kind of game which again highlighted the importance of not only winning the pre-match coin toss, but the decision which follows from that advantage.
Everything seemed to go the visitors’ way, and they executed brilliantly. CBC skipper Casey Arnold got the better of his opposite, Adam Forbes, during the coin toss, and he elected to bowl.
Following their impressive showing in the last two games against league leaders Benoni Northerns and Kempton Park, Boksburg shocked against their town rivals.
The PG Park XI simply imploded when game time arrived, with their captain the only double-digit scorer (33) on their way to being dismissed for 66 in 27.4 overs.
This derby performance will undoubtedly go down as one of the worst in the club’s proud history.
An unimpressed Forbes summed it up: “Tough day at the office, my boys couldn’t bat, they threw wickets away and none applied themselves.”
The lack of runs in this derby, however, was substituted with top-class bowling as wickets flew in all directions. CBC’s Rynard de Lange led the pack all round in finishing with a game-changing 4/22 in seven overs.
The pair of Matthew Varner and Keith Bennie were also brilliant on the day, with numbers of 3/10, including two maidens and 3/9; 1 in seven and 6.4 overs respectively.
The home side’s bowling also impressed. It was a family showing as Jordan and Matthew Hollard took out half of CBC’s batters between them. The stump-happy duo took 2/23; 1 and 3/30;2 in 8.2 and 9 overs respectively.
CBC skipper Arnold had some big words for his team.
He said: “Good game yesterday. I think CBC’s bowling was really, really, really good. It’s the best bowling I’ve had since I’ve been at CBC. We’ve had some good acquisitions to our club, so we really are good in that department. Our batting I’m a little bit disappointed, losing six wickets.
“But in defence, I think Boksburg were very hungry, too, to give us a good game and they fought hard. And they bowled well, the Hollard brothers bowled nicely and although I would’ve liked a bigger win, we got the bonus point.
“We won our derby game, which is always tough. We don’t take anything for granted against Boksburg, they always play well against us – they bring their A-game. I’m glad we ended up getting the win. I think we are close to being at our best, just got to support a few issues.”
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