Four wickets in a row for ‘Terrific Thuso’
For some it was the first time they’d played a proper cricket match and it was played in good spirit.
Thuso Mavundla achieved an extremely rare feat in cricket – that of taking four wickets in a row – in a friendly T25 junior cricket match between a Margate invitation team coached by André Ellapen and Port Shepstone CC juniors/Robbie Coutts Cricket Academy.
The match was played at PSCC, two days after some rain. The pitch played low and slow and runs were hard to come by, not helped by what could be described as a fluffy outfield.
Thuso captained the Margate team and after winning the toss, chose to bowl first.
Zibu Malamba struck first, bowling Benjamin Kunz, who had looked menacing, for six.
Thando Sovithi had Damion Bezuidenhout caught and bowled for three and Shaden Ellapen bowled Christiaan Otto for a rare duck.
Despite this, the hosts were going along steadily, thanks to Orlando Lombard and Daniel Rush steadying things.
Then, with the score on around 40/3, Thuso struck, in dramatic fashion.
He bowled Sheppie’s top-scorer, Orlando Lombard, for 11.
He then bowled Jaydon Koekemoer’s first ball. Jaydon had recently returned from a rugby tour and looked like he wanted to smash the ball into the Mzimkhulu River.
Jacob Steynberg was the next one out, trapped LBW. Celebrations were a touch muted as perhaps the boys did not quite realise what had happened.
However, when Oliver Smith was bowled off the next ball, the boys did show some exuberant emotion and rightly so.
Daniel watched from the other end, somewhat bewildered and quiet (for a change).
Francois Smit stuck around for a bit before becoming Thuso’s fifth wicket, bowled for two.
Bertu ‘The Wall’ van Reenen showed commendable application, playing solid defensive cricket shots, occupying the crease with plenty of overs to go, and avoiding the temptation to slog.
He was eventually not out for two.
Daniel was next out, also bowled by Thuso as he missed a straight one, for six runs.
Saien Chetty was last man in and struck only the third boundary of the innings before being LBW to Thando, for five.
The team totalled 73/10 with wides and no balls making up half the runs, scoring at one run for a wide or no ball.
Thuso finished with figures of 6-17 in five overs. Thando took 2-12, Zibu 1-7 and Shaden 1-15.
Sheppie finished with 73 all out.
In reply, Margate opened with Shaden and Riley Buys. They faced some fast stuff from Ben and Francois and held their own.
Riley was first out, bowled by Jacob for four, before Shaden was run out by a direct hit from Francois, for three.
Thuso made five, run out by a ‘slow motion’ direct hit from Ben. Thando was stumped by Oliver off Ben’s bowling.
The fielding had been quite superb and there was more to come.
Asenathi Mfingwana was bowled by Saien, off the first ball he bowled.
Melokuhle Tshapa came in at seven and looked solid, eventually finishing on four not out.
With almost everyone getting a bowl, Daniel came on to try some spinners and promptly bowled Zibu for one, Alwande Shange for a duck and Qhawe Dlaza for two, one wicket apiece in three successive overs.
Ninth man out was Kendan Buys, run out by Francois, leaving Cebo Nyawuza to face a few deliveries.
Margate could only manage 55-9 in the 25 overs, leaving Sheppie the winners by 18 runs.
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