11 October 2025
St Charles College made the trip from Pietermaritzburg to the Riverside Sports Club, in Durban, on Saturday for a limited overs contest against Clifton College, where the hosts produced a composed all-round performance to secure a four-wicket victory.
After winning the toss, Saints chose to bat first, but lost Matthew Weightman early. Christiaan Prinsloo and Caleb Sharp then settled the innings, compiling a 51-run stand for the second wicket before Sharp was caught and bowled by left-arm spinner Blake Johnson for a well-constructed 31 from 42 balls, which included four boundaries.
Prinsloo anchored the innings, while Connor Simpson injected some momentum with 25, but when Prinsloo departed for 40 off 73 deliveries, St Charles found themselves in a tricky position on 134 for five. A mini-collapse followed, reducing them to 147 for seven, before Ryan Clarke and Keegan Vermaak rebuilt with a useful ninth-wicket stand worth 25.
Clarke’s innings rendered 45 runs from only 40 balls, which included six boundaries, before he was caught by Muhammed Malek off Johnson’s bowling. Vermaak kept the innings together, making 25 and combining with Connor Vogt (10) for a valuable 27-run last-wicket stand before being run out by Tim Saulez, which left St Charles on 216 all out.
The Clifton bowlers delivered a disciplined display. Caleb Naicker led the way with 3 for 28 from 8.4 overs, removing both openers. Shiraz Perumal kept things tight with an economical 2 for 28 from his 10, while Johnson finished with 2 for 34.
Chasing 217 at 4.34 runs per over, Clifton made a solid start through their openers, Muhammed Malek and Cohen Naidoo, who added 54 before Malek was trapped in front by Vermaak for 15. Naidoo followed soon after, caught off Ryan Clarke for 28, leaving the hosts on 59 for two.
Byron Ward and Tim Saulez steadied the innings with a 41-run stand, taking the total to 100 before Saulez fell for 17, with Vermaak claiming his second wicket. Ward, though, was in fluent form. He struck the ball crisply, finding the boundary regularly and clearing it three times in his 58 from 51 deliveries.
With support from Hayden Drieselmann (14), he helped Clifton to 168 before Vermaak struck again to remove him. During Ward’s time at the crease, Clifton had added 109 runs.
At 168 for five, the match was finely poised, but Perumal and Lawson Dinsdale ensured Clifton stayed in control. The pair added 48 for the sixth wicket, taking the hosts to the brink of victory. With the scores level, Perumal was caught off Rowen Rajah for a run-a-ball 29 that featured five fours.
Dinsdale (19 not out) and Naicker then completed the job, guiding Clifton to 217 for six in 42.3 overs – a rate of 5.11 per over.
For St Charles, Vermaak was the standout performer with the ball, claiming 3 for 52 from eight overs, while Clarke bowled tidily for figures of 1 for 37 from 10. However, the Saints were left to rue a costly 36 extras, including 23 wides. Clifton, by contrast, maintained their discipline, conceding just 12 extras and only nine wides.
Scores
St Charles College 216/10 (Ryan Clarke 45, Christiaan Prinsloo 40, Caleb Sharp 31, Connor Simpson 25, Keegan Vermaak 25; Caleb Naicker 3/28, Shiraz Perumal 2/28, Blake Johnson 2/34); Clifton College 217/6 (Byron Ward 51, Extras 36, Shiraz Perumal 29, Cohen Naidoo 28; Keegan Vermaak 3/52).
Clifton College won by four wickets.
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