21 December 2025
When The Dolphins faced The Tuskers on the opening day of the Khaya Majola Cricket Week in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, The Dolphins claimed the KZN honours with a convincing win. The Tuskers, though, won through to the final.
At the end of the week, two Dolphins’ fast bowlers – Bayanda Majola (DHS) and Dayalan Boyce (Westville Boys’ High) – cracked the SA Schools‘ nod, while Tuskers’ opening batsman, Ben Hockly, also made the side.
Boyce (feature photo) made the SA Colts’ team in 2024.
Dolphins’ all-rounder Bandile Mbatha (Glenwood) was included in the SA Colts side, as was top-order batsman, Seth Simpson (Westville Boys’ High). Tuskers’ opening batsman, Thandolwethu Zama (St Charles College), was also selected.
See the SA Schools and SA Colts teams at the end of the article.
Tuesday, 16 December
When they met on Tuesday, Zama began what would become a very good week for him with the highest score of the match, 79, which featured eight fours and three sixes. Twenties from Daniel Nadasan, Ethan Muir, and Sphamandla Dzanibe saw the Tuskers to 234/8 from their 50 overs.
Majola led The Dolphins’ attack with 3/43 from nine.
A superb 105-run opening partnership between Ismaeel Omar and Bandile Mbatha set The Dolphins up for victory. Omar finished unbeaten after a watchful 76, Mbatha struck 60, and Josh van Biljon weighed in with five fours and two sixes in his 59, which came from only 55 deliveries.
With two overs remaining, The Dolphins secured the win by seven wickets.
Scores
Tuskers 234/8 (Thandolwethu Zama 79, Samuel Hughes 28, Daniel Nadasan 27, Sphamandla Dzanibe 26; Bayanda Majola 3/43, Tristan Delvin 2/40); Dolphins 235/3 (Ismaeel Omar 75*, Bandile Mbatha 60, Josh van Biljon 59, Extras 20; Ethan Muir 2/41). Dolphins won by seven wickets.
Wednesday, 17 December
While it was The Dolphins’ opening batsmen who set up their win on Tuesday, The Tuskers’ Ben Hockly and Thando Zama were at the forefront of The Tuskers’ successes throughout the week.
Hockly was at his brilliant best on Wednesday, laying into the Central Gauteng Lions‘ bowlers to tally a fantastic 133 not out from only 114 balls, with 13 fours and four sixes. He and Zama, who made 36, put on 109 for the first wicket, which helped their side to 223/3 after 50 overs.
Gauteng was in huge trouble early on at 12/3 in the sixth over, then still had the odds against them at 51/5 in the 16th, and at 140/7 in the 27th.
Corné Botha, with 52 off 37, and Wade McQuinn, with an unbeaten 54 from 32, which featured five sixes and two fours, turned the tide and, although, they won by only two wickets, the Lions had 16.1 overs to spare.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, suffered a heart-breaking loss that proved costly, going down to Eastern Province by a mere three runs. although EP, with 30 extras, 17 more than The Dolphins conceded, almost gave the game away.
They posted 208/6, led by Daveric Petersen‘s 75 not out and then held the KZN side to 205 all out, with the DHS trio of Ethan Cooper, Ismaeel Omar, and Bonga Maphanga leading the run-scoring, with 57, 33, and 27 not out respectively. Three wickets apiece for William Beamish, Sulaymaan Gangat, and Tylo Maleiba, won it for EP, though.
Scores
Tuskers 223/3 (Ben Hockley 133*, Thandolwethu Zama 36, Ethan Muir 23; Morteza Manack 1/21); Central Gauteng Lions 224/8 (Wade McQuinn 54*, Corné Botha 52, Sipho Potsane 29, Morteza Manack 23; Samuel Hughes 2/15, Rowen Rajah 2/31). Central Gauteng Lions won by two wickets.
Eastern Province 208/6 (Daveric Petersen 75*, William Beamish 51, Dawid Vermaak 36*; Dayalan Boyce 2/27, Bandile Mbatha 2/47); Dolphins 205/10 (Ethan Cooper 57, Ismaeel Omar 33, Extras 30, Bonga Mapanga 27*, Seth Simpson 24, Josh van Biljon 20; William Beamish 3/28, Sulaymaan Gangat 3/34, Tylo Maleiba 3/36). Eastern Province won by three runs.
Thursday, 18 December
On Thursday, in a similar fashion to their KZN neighbours, The Dolphins batted well against the Central Gauteng Lions, led by an outstanding 102 from Seth Simpson, who slammed eight fours and four sixes in his knock. Ismaeel Omar continued his solid form, grafting his way to 50 from 90 balls to help The Dolphins to 258/6 from their 50 overs.
When Gauteng batted, The Dolphins picked up the wicket of Bafana Mthunzi cheaply, but Ombesa Matsha (75) and Armaan Manack (103*), who both made the SA Schools’ side, partnered for 137 runs for the second wicket to set their side on course for another win. They would go on to finish the week undefeated.
Still, they won with only seven balls to spare, with Troy Gordon on 45 not from 38 balls.
The Tuskers took on Eastern Province (EP) at Grey College and came away with a hard-fought three-wicket win with 7.4 overs in hand.
EP’s top order faltered, with Reece Willson the destroyer in chief, bagging 4/23 in 9.1 overs. Kaiyuran Naidoo was also excellent, snaring 3/21. Eastern Province fought back hard, but were bowled out for 182, with Cayden Wilson making 67 and Daveric Petersen 33.
While EP was on 45/4 in the 16th over of their innings, The Tuskers lost their first wicket, that of Hockly, for 22, with the total on 51 in the eighth over. They were on their way to victory.
Thando Zama led the way with 46, while 30 from Ethan Muir was another important contribution.
Those results meant The Tuskers sneaked into the semi-finals, just ahead of The Dolphins and Eastern Province, who shared the same number of log points. The Tuskers, though, had a better net run rate.
Scores
Dolphins 258/6 (Seth Simpson 102, Ismaeel Omar 50, Kyle White 31, Bayanda Majola 28; Wade McQuinn 2/34, JJ Basson 2/40); Central Gauteng Lions 262/4 (Armaan Manack 103, Ombesa Matsha 75, Troy Gordon 45*). Central Gauteng Lions won by six wickets.
Eastern Province 182/10 (Cayden Wilson 67, Daveric Petersen 33, Yaaseen Khazi 21; Reece Wilson 4/23, Kaiyuran Naidoo 3/21); Tuskers 183/7 (Thandolwethu Zama 46, Ethan Muir 30, Extras 30, Ben Hockley 22; Sulaymaan Gangat 3/33, Dawid Vermaak 2/43). Tuskers won by three wickets.
Friday, 19 December
The Tuskers took on the unbeaten defending champions, Western Province, for a place in the final on Friday and delivered a wonderful all-round performance to handily defeat the Capetonians by six wickets
Sam Hughes and Rowen Rajah got stuck into the Province batting early, and while they scored at a decent clip, WP also lost wicket regularly. After 42.5 overs, they were all out for 174.
Rajah finished with 3/48 from 10, while Hughes knocked over 2/27 from four, and Sechaba Gude came on as the sixth bowler to great effect, capturing 2/11 in six.
While Thando Zama went for only nine in reply, Ben Hockly played a decisive knock, making 58, the highest score in the match. Consistent support from Siphosethu Ngcobo (20), Daniel Nadasan (28), Ethan Muir (25), and Sphamandla Dzanibe (18*), carried The Tuskers into Saturday’s final, where they would meet The Central Gauteng Lions again, after they beat The Titans by 36 runs.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, suffered a setback against Free State, losing their last five wickets for only 38 runs to lose by 18 runs.
Dayalan Boyce bowled well, knocking back 4/36 as the Free Staters posted 213 all out, which owed plenty to Henru de Wet‘s 85.
Seth Simpson scored 56 and Bandile Mbatha 47, but the St Andrew’s School trio of Cullen Kakora (3/41), Nikhil Sukraj (3/44), and FG Botha (2/29), ensured the KZN boys came up short of the victory target.
Scores
Western Province 174/10 (Unathi Magoloza 32, Waco Bassick 30*, Sibahle Sigabi 25, Daniel Bosman 25, Qaeed Shaik 23; Rowen Rajah 3/48, Sechaba Gude 2/11, Samuel Hughes 2/27); Tuskers 178/4 (Ben Hockley 58, Daniel Nadasan 28, Ethan Muir 25*, Siphosethu Ngcobo 20, Extras 20; Paul James 1/15). Tuskers won by six wickets.
Free State 213/10 (Henru de Wet 85, Aiden Dodd 37, Naudé Botha 25, FG Botha 25; Dayalan Boyce 4/36); Dolphins 195/10 (Seth Simpson 56, Bandile Mbatha 47; Cullen Kakora 3/41, Nikhil Sukraj 3/44, FG Botha /29). Free State won by 18 runs.
Saturday, 20 December
On the final day, The Tuskers mustered 165 all out against the Lions in the final. It was a patchy batting effort.
Thandanani Zuma top scored with a patient 43, while Thando Zama chipped in with 33, but new ball bowler, Corné Botha, with 3/24, forced The Tuskers onto the back foot, on 23/3 in the eighth over, after removing Hockly, Nadasan, and Reece Willson.
When Central Gauteng batted, they went hard from the start. Ombesa Matsha fell to Wilson for only nine, but the St David’s Marist Inanda duo of Armaan Manack and Jason Rowles, then laid into The Tuskers’ bowlers, with Rowles, especially, getting on top of them.
He smashed four sixes and 10 fours in an unbeaten 76 from only 34 balls, while Manack played his part with 38 not out from 28, to help the Lions to 130/1 after only 11.5 overs.
Poor weather forced the players from the field, but by then Gauteng had done enough to by nine wickets on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method. It was their sixth title in the past decade.
The Dolphins finished strongly against the CSA u19 Invitation XI, the only team besides the Lions to go undefeated.
Batting first, The Dolphins tallied 240/8, led by an unbeaten 92 from 96 balls from Josh van Biljon, who struck eight fours and two sixes.
When rain and lightning stopped the CSA Invitation XI’s reply, they were in big trouble on 58/6 after 13.5 overs. Clifton College‘s Tim Saulez had done the damage, nabbing 3/10 in four overs, while Dalayan Boyce claimed 2/14 in 3.5.
The CSA Invitation XI, made up players who were not selected for their provincial sides, featured Taine Havermann, of DHS. It also featured Waterkloof‘s Riley Miller and Graeme College‘s Corbin Tidbury, who were both chosen for the SA Colts’ side.
Scores
Tuskers 165/10 (Thandanani Zuma 44, Thandolwethu Zama 33, Extras 30, Samuel Hughes 21; Corné Botha 3/24, Wade McQuinn 2/17, Morteza Manack 2/20); Central Gauteng Lions 130/1 (Jason Rowles 76*, Armaan Manack 38*; Reece Wilson 1/26). Central Gauteng Lions won by nine wickets (DLS-method).
Dolphins 240/8 (Josh van Biljon 92*, Ethan Cooper 30, Bandile Mbatha 29, Kyle White 28, Extras 21; Gomo Sibi 3/33, Jalen Mannikam 2/47); CSA Invitational XI 58/6 (JP Botha 20; Timothy Saulez 3/10, Dayalan Boyce 2/14). No Result.
SA Schools
Enathi Kitshini – captain (Thembalethu High, Garden Route Badgers), Taywin Adams (Klein Nederberg, Boland), JJ Basson (Noordheuwel, Gauteng), Daniel Bosman (Rondebosch Boys’ High, Western Province), Dayalan Boyce (Westville Boys’ High, Dolphins), Ben Hockley (Hilton College, Tuskers), Paul James (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province), Bayanda Majola (Durban High School, Dolphins), Armaan Manack (St David’s Marist, Gauteng), Ombesa Matsha (St Stithians College, Gauteng), Francois Prins (Boland Landbou, Boland), Reuben van Zyl (Garsfontein, Titans).
SA Colts
Riley Muller – captain (Waterkloof, CSA Invitation XI), Corné Botha (Noordheuwel, Gauteng), Xavier Coetzee (Hans Moore, Eastern Storm), Sulaymaan Gangat (Pearson, Eastern Province), Tahseen Hanslo (St Stithians College, Gauteng), Kamogelo Matlala (Elandspark, Eastern Storm), Bandile Mbatha (Glenwood, Dolphins), Wade McQuinn (King Edward VII, Gauteng), Seth Simpson (Westville Boys’ High, Dolphins), Randy Syce (Woodridge College, Eastern Province), Corbin Tidbury (Graeme College, CSA Invitation XI), Thandolwethu Zama (St Charles College, Tuskers).
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