Tukkies power to victory in 1st Campus Cricket final
The comfortable Tukkies victory was set up by the skill of their bowling attack, backed by the intensity and discipline of their fielding, which limited Maties to just 118 for four in their 20 overs after they had won the toss and elected to bat first.
The target was a stroll in the park for Tukkies as Aiden Markram, the captain of the victorious South African team at the U19 World Cup, blasted 50 not out off 45 balls and was well supported by Gerry Pike (27) and Theunis de Bruyn (30).
The Maties innings was set back from the outset as openers Gideon Conradie (0) and Emile Kriek (1) were dismissed in the first two overs by Vincent Moore and De Bruyn respectively.
It meant the Maties batsmen had to rebuild carefully and, although Keegan Petersen and Jean Bredenkamp added 34, it took them seven overs to do it.
It meant they had to resort to some desperate late hitting.
Petersen fell for 30 off 35 balls in the 16th over, caught in the deep off spinner David Mogotlane, while the death overs were well-policed by pacemen Moore and Corbin Bosch.
Dewald Botha claimed two fours and a six in scoring 41 not out off 40 balls, while Byron Boshoff made 17 not out off 13 balls to at least give the Maties something to bowl at.
But the tall and powerful Markram took custody of the run-chase from the outset, taking three fours off Riyaad Henry’s opening over.
Pike picked up three fours as he scored his 27 off 37 balls and he and Markram added 53 off 58 balls for the first wicket and ensured there would be no jitters in chasing a moderate total.
When Pike was dismissed, caught at long-off off spinner Niel Botha, De Bruyn came in and continued with the impressive form he had shown last weekend for the Titans in the premier four-day domestic competition.
De Bruyn slammed two mighty sixes and hit a four as he scored 30 off just 22 balls and took Tukkies to a hundred in the 16th over.
His demise came thanks to an excellent caught-and-bowled effort by Dewald Botha, but Sean Dickson came in and hit two quick boundaries to ensure there would be no late flutters.
Markram reached his half-century as he hit the winning run through extra cover, Tukkies winning with 11 balls remaining.
The University of Pretoria cricket family were then able to pour out on to the L.C. de Villiers Oval and celebrate being halfway to qualifying for the Red Bull Campus Cricket finals in London in July.
Maties are contemplating having to win both matches on Wednesday in order to qualify.
http://www.redbullcampuscricket.com/southafrica/latest/the-battle-has-begun-day-1/