25 November 2025
Westville Boys’ High was crowned the KZN Coastal champion of the Switch Schools SA20 – Volume Two competition after a commanding 50-run victory over Northwood in Saturday’s final, played on Bowden’s Field.
It capped an excellent day for the Griffins, who had shown plenty of character earlier in the morning to pip Durban High School (DHS) by three wickets, with just two balls in hand, in a tense semi-final. Northwood, in contrast, cruised into the decider after overrunning Clifton College by 10 wickets with more than half their overs unused.
In the final, though, Westville set the agenda. Two big partnerships at the top of the innings – worth 53 and 54 – laid the foundation for a total that would ultimately prove to be well beyond the Knights‘ reach.
Kai Cotton and Aidan Baudach were fluent in an opening stand of 53 before Cotton fell for 13 to a sharp piece of work from Ross McGlashan, who stumped him off leg-spinner Max Nicholson.
But there was no respite for the visitors. Westville captain Kyle McGough joined Baudach and immediately went on the offensive, with the pair adding 54 in eight overs to push the total to 107.
Baudach, having reached his fifty, holed out to Northwood skipper Jamie Wimble at long-off for a well-played 51 from 49 balls, which featured four fours and a six, but Westville was well placed with around five overs remaining.
They swung hard at the death. Tristin Delvin departed cheaply, Liam de Villiers struck a big six before falling to Hamza Amla, and Misbah Nair launched a monster hit over long-on before a sharp piece of awareness from Thabiso Mtambo ran him out.
McGough, though, was the constant. The Westville captain powered his way to an unbeaten 59 from 38 balls, striking five fours and two sixes, guiding his team to an imposing 159/6.
Amla, with 2/13 in two overs, was the pick of the Northwood attack.
The Knights needed a fast, clean start if they were to keep pace, but Aarin Rasmussen made sure they never got close. Sharing the new ball with Kyle McGough, he caught and bowled David de Bruyn for one and then bowled the dangerous Thomas Oosthuizen for a duck in his first over, the second of the innings, to leave Northwood in early strife on 14/2.
McGlashan counterpunched superbly, punishing anything on his pads and hitting four sixes in a brisk 31 from 16 balls, but he saw his captain, Wimble, fall for one, caught by Rasmussen at extra cover, as Lwandile Bulose struck with his first delivery. At 34/3, the Knights were wobbling.
McGlashan departed four runs later, and while Josh Mills, who made 21, and Luc Boyall, with 19, stabilised matters with a 41-run partnership, the pressure eventually told. Mills was run out, Boyall was caught and bowled by Delvin, and the innings unravelled.
Amla briefly lifted Northwood’s spirits with a towering six off Ewan du Toit, but the left-arm spinner removed him soon after, sparking the final slide. The last four wickets fell for just five runs, with Nair wrapping up the innings by bowling Keegan Reeves for seven and trapping Nicholson for one. Northwood was all out for 109.
Rasmussen’s 3/16 in four overs was a class return, Du Toit backed him up with 2/16 in three, and Nair’s late burst of 2/8 from 1.5 overs sealed a superb all-round display.
Both finalists will now join St Charles College and Hilton College in Pietermaritzburg in January for phase two of the competition, where KwaZulu-Natal’s representatives for the national finals will be decided.
Northwood held that honour in 2024, but Westville will head into the new year with plenty of confidence.
Scores
Westville Boys’ High 159/6 (Kyle McGough 59*, Aidan Baudach 51; Hamza Amla 2/13); Northwood 109/10 (Ross McGlashan 31, Josh Mills 21; Aarin Rasmussen 3/16, Misbah Nair 2/8, Ewan du Toit 2/16). Westville won by 50 runs.
Semi-Finals
Northwood vs Clifton College
Northwood was clinical in their semi-final, rolling Clifton for only 92 before chasing the target down in only 7.3 overs to claim a 10-wicket win. Eighteen wides were their only blip as they had some issues adapting to the hard pink ball.
Keegan Reeves struck early, bowling Muhammed Malek for six, before Yusuf Ahmed and Hayden Drieselmann added 40.
When Drieselmann fell to Josh Mills for 29 and Shiraz Perumal was bowled next ball, Clifton unravelled, with wickets tumbling regularly. They were all out in the 16th over.
Boyall (2/8), Reeves (2/12), and Mills (2/13) shared the wickets.
Northwood’s reply was a blitz. Ross McGlashan, arguably the best batsman on the day, smashed an undefeated 55, striking three sixes and seven fours from only 29 balls, while David de Bruyn cracked two sixes and two fours in his unbeaten struck 31 from 18.
Scores
Clifton College 92/10 (Hayden Drieselmann 29; Luc Boyall 2/8, Keegan Reeves 2/12, Josh Mills 2/13); Northwood 93/0 (Ross McGlashan 55*, David de Bruyn 31*). Northwood won by 10 wickets.
Westville Boys’ High vs Durban High School
On Bowden’s Field, DHS posted a steady 130/3 after choosing to bat first.
Sulaimaan Jadwat, with 40, and Josh van Biljon, with 62, added 75 for the second wicket. But Westville, who used nine bowlers, kept the scoring rate in check, with Kyle McDowell the most economical of their bowlers, picking up 1/5 in two overs.
Westville stumbled in their reply when leg-spinner Tristan Quail produced a superb spell of 4/17, reducing the hosts to 63/5 and later 82/7 with 49 runs still needed.
But Tristin Delvin and Aarin Rasmussen were heroic under pressure, sharing an unbroken 51-run stand to snatch victory with two balls remaining. Delvin hit a match-winning 44 not out from 33 deliveries, slamming four fours and a six, while Rasmussen contributed a calm and crucial 17 not out from 15 balls.
It was a gutsy escape that kept Westville’s title hopes alive and set the stage for their superb performance in the final.
Scores
Durban High School 130/3 (Josh van Biljon 62, Sulaimann Jadwat 40); Westville Boys’ High 133/7 (Tristin Delvin 44*, Kai Cotton 22; Tristan Quail 4/17, Aktar Basha 2/11). Westville won by three wickets.
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