17 September 2025
(Feature photo courtesy of Justin Waldman Sports Photography)
Durban High School (DHS) underlined their status as KwaZulu-Natal’s premier T20 outfit when they stormed to a 64-run victory over Maritzburg College in the Eston One Insurance T20 Night League final at the Beaumont Eston Farmers Club on Tuesday evening.
The win was built on the back of a superb innings from Josh van Biljon and a devastating spell of bowling from Ethan Cooper, who combined to take the contest away from the Red, Black and White.
Earlier this year, DHS claimed back-to-back titles at the prestigious Clifton T20 Tournament, where they saw off the province’s best, as well as visiting teams from Harare and Pretoria. Their triumph in Eston only reinforced their dominance in the short format.
Runs were hard to come by on Tuesday, but Van Biljon produced a gem of an innings. Coming in under pressure, he stroked a commanding 62 from 45 deliveries, peppering the boundary with 10 fours. It was a knock that dwarfed all other contributions on the night. No other DHS batsman managed more than 16, while College’s top scorer, Kyle de Bruyn, reached only 23.
College’s decision to bowl first looked a good one early on. Their new-ball pair, Sam Hughes and Reece Willson, made immediate inroads, reducing DHS to 26/2 inside five overs.
With wickets tumbling regularly, Van Biljon stood tall, shepherding the innings almost single-handedly, and helped DHS compile 135 all out, which, given the conditions, was a decent total. Du Toit (3/17), Willson (3/23), Hughes (2/22) and Pembridge (2/31) all chipped in to restrict School.
Needing less than seven runs an over to win, College might have fancied their chances. But their chase unravelled spectacularly.
DHS struck early when left-arm spinner Dhilan Naraidu bowled College skipper Daniel Nadasan. Soon after, captain Bayanda Majola had Deolyn Naidoo caught behind without scoring, leaving College tottering at 13/2.
De Bruyn briefly counterattacked with a brisk 23, but once he fell, the floodgates opened. Cooper ripped through the middle order, dismissing danger man Karl Dedekind for a duck and Willson for four in quick succession.
Majola bowled with fire from the other end, and when Cooper returned to claim two more, including the spirited Sphamandla Dzanibe (15 off 7), College was reeling at 50/7.
The end was swift. In just 11.3 overs, they were bundled out for 71. Cooper finished with the brilliant figures of 5/15 and sealed the win by bowling Hughes, while Majola backed him superbly with 3/26.
Cooper was late recognised as the Player of the Tournament after contributing 190 runs and eight wickets to DHS’s title-winning campaign.
For DHS, it was another commanding reminder of their depth and quality. They’re a team that is capable of winning even when the conditions are tough and runs are scarce.
SCORES
Durban High School 135/10 (Josh van Biljon 62; Dom du Toit 3/17, Reece Willson 3/23. Sam Hughes 2/22, Nathan Pembridge 2/31); Maritzburg College 71/10 (Kyle de Bruyn 23; Ethan Cooper 5/15, Bayanda Majola 3/26).
Durban High School won by 64 runs.
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