Graeme College U13A Cape Schools Cricket Festival Tour Report
The Graeme College U13A cricket side enjoyed a fantastic tour to Cape Town, taking part in the Cape Schools Cricket Festival hosted by Wynberg Boys’ Junior School. Walking away with two wins and two losses, the side gained invaluable experience and proved they can hold their own against top-tier competition when they play with belief and back their talent.
Day 1 Graeme kicked off their festival campaign with two T20 fixtures, starting with a clash against SACS. Graeme won the toss and elected to bowl first, with opening bowlers Daniel Coetsee and Liam Brooks placing immediate pressure on the opposition. Brooks capitalized on this momentum by taking two early wickets, while excellent team fielding—highlighted by run-outs from Lubambo Mabini and Linathi Ntabeni—restricted SACS to 95/5 in their 20 overs. Graeme’s chase got off to a quick start thanks to Ntabeni, who scored a lively 24 off 20 balls. Captain Daniel Coetsee then anchored the innings with a match-winning 35 not out, well supported by Matthew Weber, to guide Graeme home to a four-wicket victory. In their second T20 match of the day against Paarl Boys, Graeme again won the toss and sent the opposition in to bat. Coetsee and Brooks struck early once more, taking a wicket apiece to put Paarl Boys under immediate strain. Spinners Ongi Nonguaza and Lubambo Mabini maintained control through the middle overs, with Mabini adding another sharp run-out to his festival tally. Paarl Boys struggled to build partnerships, finishing on 93/8 after 20 overs, with Nonguaza (2/11) and Coetsee (2/19) standing out as the pick of the bowlers. Graeme’s run chase started on shaky ground, losing in-form opener Ntabeni early and tumbling to 18/4. However, Matthew Webber and Josh Potts launched a brilliant recovery, sharing an unbeaten 76-run partnership. Potts contributed a vital 23 not out while Webber completed the fightback with a fine 50 not out, steering Graeme to a memorable six-wicket win.
Day 2 Graeme faced the host school, Wynberg, who won the toss and elected to bat first. Opening bowlers Coetsee and Christian Kemp put the Wynberg top order under immediate pressure, both earning early wickets for their efforts. The rest of the seam attack maintained the intensity, with Brooks, Asemahle Mkhomato, and Jadon Byren all taking wickets. Byren was the star with the ball, finishing with superb figures of 3/14 in 5 overs as Graeme bowled Wynberg out for just 83. Unfortunately, the chase proved difficult as poor shot selection and indecisiveness hampered the Graeme batting line-up, resulting in the side being bowled out for 46 to fall 37 runs short.
Day 3 Day four brought a tough matchup against an in-form Bishops side, who won the toss and opted to bat. Graeme started with great intensity when Mkhomato executed a direct-hit run-out to dismiss the opening batter. Despite struggling to bowl into a strong wind, Brooks struck twice in his opening spell, helping reduce Bishops to 38/5. Bishops launched a lower-order revival until Mkhomato struck again, followed by wickets from Kemp and Mkhomato once more. However, late extras and loose bowling allowed Bishops to push their final total to 166 all out. In response, Graeme lost both openers early but attempted to rebuild through Christian Titus, Matthew Webber, and Josh Potts. Regular wickets made the target elusive, and despite top-scorer Webber contributing 24, Graeme were bowled out for 125, losing by 41 runs.
A massive thank you goes to hosts Wynberg Boys’ Junior School for organizing an exceptional festival, and to the SACS families who so generously opened their homes to host the Graeme squad throughout the tour.
