13 September 2026
Clifton College and Durban High School (DHS) shared the spoils in a T20 double-header at Riverside Sports Club on Saturday, with both sides producing emphatic victories.
The unusual back-to-back fixtures were arranged because Clifton College’s 1st XI heads north to Zimbabwe on Thursday to contest the St John’s Rams T20, while the Clifton Water Polo Tournament gets underway on the same day.
With Clifton’s squad preparing for the trip, Saturday’s games provided valuable match time for both teams, and there was little to separate them across the two encounters, at least in terms of the final results.
In the opening game, DHS captain Josh van Biljon won the toss and elected to field, a decision that appeared a good one when his opening bowlers reduced Clifton to 21/3 after four overs.
Bonga Maphanga struck first, removing Hayden Drieselmann, before Ismaeel Omar, more accustomed to putting runs on the board, joined the wicket-taking act by dismissing Caleb Naicker and Veer Ramouthar.
Clifton would have welcomed the presence of in-form batsman Muhammed Malek, who recently smashed 170 against St Stithians at the Fasken Time Cricket Festival, but illness ruled him out of both matches.
Opener Daniyaal Klinck and Yusuf Ahmed then steadied the Clifton innings, adding 38 in eight overs before Klinck was dismissed for 34 from 37 deliveries, including five fours.
Clifton captain Shiraz Perumal provided the late impetus his side needed. He attacked the DHS bowling, striking five fours and a six in a rapid 41 from only 25 balls before Josh Morley caught him off Taine Havermann.
Havermann finished with 2/23 from three overs, while Omar was the pick of the DHS bowlers with 2/12 in three. Morley added 2/16 from his four overs as Clifton closed on 116/8, leaving DHS requiring just under six runs an over for victory.
The Horseflies, however, also found themselves in early trouble.
Van Biljon was caught by Daniel Rea off left-arm spinner Blake Johnson for four, while Mo Asmal followed for five, caught by Jack Snaith off Rea. At 26/2 in the fourth over, DHS had work to do.
Omar and Havermann began repairing the damage, adding 21 from 17 deliveries before Omar departed for a brisk 30 from 21 balls. His innings included four fours and a six, but his dismissal – a fine catch by Johnson at extra cover off a sweetly struck shot off Keegan Watson – did little to halt the DHS charge.
Havermann and Suliman Jadwat kept attacking, adding 33 at better than a run a ball before Perumal bowled Havermann for 20 from 20 deliveries, including two fours and a six.
Jadwat then found a willing partner in Maphanga, and the pair finished the job in style.
They needed only six overs to take DHS to a six-wicket victory, with Jadwat unbeaten on 32 from 28 balls, including four fours. Maphanga contributed an unbeaten 14 from 15 deliveries, with three fours.
Johnson was the standout Clifton bowler, conceding only seven runs while taking 1/7 in two overs with the new ball. Perumal claimed 1/18 in 3.5 overs, while Watson bowled economically for 1/10 in two.
Match Two
After lunch, the sides returned to the Riverside Sports Club field, this time with Clifton taking the ball first.
DHS made a modest start as Asmal and Van Biljon put on 10 for the opening wicket, but Dan Rea broke the partnership by dismissing Van Biljon for nine.
The wheels then came off.
Johnson removed Asmal, caught and bowled, and Rea followed that up by running out Rameez Muhammed without scoring. Two wickets fell without a run being added, and DHS never recovered.
Tristan Quail, batting at No 10, finished as one of DHS’s joint top scorers with nine not out, as the Horseflies were bowled out for just 47 in 11.4 overs.
Clifton’s bowlers shared the workload, with George Gooch leading the way with 3/9 in two overs. Perumal claimed 2/4 in 1.4 overs, while Rea returned 2/6 in his two.
Chasing only 48, Clifton took 7.3 overs to reach 48/3 and seal a convincing seven-wicket victory.
DHS did little to make the target more challenging, conceding 15 extras, including 11 wides.
There was consequently little pressure on the Clifton batsmen. Hayden Drieselmann was the only player to reach double figures, scoring 12 before being run out, but by then the damage had been done.
Matt Potgieter did his best to keep DHS in the contest, taking 2/10 from 2.3 overs, but with only 47 on the board, there was simply too little for the bowlers to defend.
Results
1st XI
Clifton College 116/8 (Shiraz Perumal 41, Daniyaal Klinck 34, Yusuf Ahmed 20; Ismaeel Omar 2/12, Josh Morley 2/16, Taine Havermann 2/23); Durban High School 117/4 after 15.5 overs (Suliman Jadway 32*, Ismaeel Omar 30, Taine Havermann 20; Blake Johnson 1/7). Durban High School won by six wickets.
Durban High School 47/10 (Tristan Quail 9*; George Gooch 3/9, Shiraz Perumal 2/4, Daniel Rea 2/6); Clifton College 48/3 after 7.3 overs (Hayden Drieselman 12; Matt Potgieter 2/10). Clifton College won by seven wickets.
U15A
DHS 156/8 (Zamo Mbatha 50*, Letokuhle Kayla 31; Busani Sithole 2/17; Matthew Driver 2/23, Nkonzo Zondi 2/27); Clifton 105/10 (Luke Coetzee 17; Bentlee Moodley 3/4, Zamo Mbatha 2/17). DHS won by 51 runs.
u14A
DHS 336/4 (R Naidoo 109 retired hurt, R De Vasconcellos 102 retired hurt, D. Khan 56, Y. Ballim 32; Y. Ismail 1/21); Clifton 176/4 (Ben Snaith 56 retired hurt, Khulubuse Mlondo 51, Bhonga Mtolo 25; R De Vasconcellos 1/6, U Parek 1/9). DHS won by 158 runs.
WATER POLO
Clifton College’s fine form ahead of the Clifton Water Polo Tournament continued with a convincing win over Westville Boys’ High. The competition is as open as it has been in many years, and the hosts will be laser-focused on scoring a home win for the first time since 2019.
1st: Clifton 10-5 Westville