Kempton outlasts CBC in final
The win earned Kempton a meeting with the winner from the Pretoria league with the winner there guaranteed a spot in the T20 club championship.
Kempton Park emerged as the better side in the absorbing Eastern Cricket T20 final against CBC Old Boys at Willowmoore Park on November 9.
After being sent to bat first, a stern Old Boys outfit rose to the occasion against their more fancied opposition with a total collective haul of 174/ 4 in their allotted overs. But the mighty Kempton rallied back during their innings with the willow, registering 176/3 after 18.1 overs to claim a seven-wicket victory to deny Old Boys.
Old Boys were led by Ryno van der Merwe, who finished with 47 runs from 41 deliveries. But his fellow top order strikers also put their hands up with all of Mark Pearse, Sherwyn Pillay and Dylan Bennie knocking 42, an unbeaten 45 and 29 respectively.
The two sides got on to their collision course following their morning victories against Alberton and Benoni Northerns with Old Boys taking care of Alberton and Kempton doing a job on Northerns.
Old Boys were simply untouchable in the semi-final, with their first defeat in the 50-over game against the same foes still fresh in the memory.
Like the final, captain Casey Arnold and co. were sent to bat first and they never looked back before racing to 225/7.
The triumvirate of Pearse, Arnold and Van der Merwe smashed half centuries in addition to Rynard de Lange’s 26 as the home side laid down the early challenge.
Old Boys were as brilliant with the leather: Devon Botha’s 3/14, Pillay’s 2/16 and Thulani Radebe’s 2/17 helped stop Alberton in their tracks as the local side registered a resounding 85-run win and completed the payback.
Van der Merwe scored his 58 runs off 37 deliveries; Pearse’s 51 arrived after 25 deliveries and Arnold scored his half century from 19 balls.
Alberton finished with 149 all out after 19.1 overs.
