11 November 2025
Westville Boys’ High edged past St Charles College in a tense, low-scoring encounter on Bowden’s Field on Saturday, scraping home by two wickets after restricting the visitors to 123 all out.
Opener Ewan du Toit proved the difference for Westville, anchoring the chase with a composed half-century after leading their bowling attack with an impactful 10 overs.
After winning the toss, St Charles opted to bat first but soon found themselves in deep trouble as Westville’s bowlers made early inroads. The top four batsmen were back in the pavilion with only 31 runs on the board, largely due to an outstanding spell from seamer Kyle McGough, who tore through the top order on his way to figures of 3/21 in seven overs.
A brief recovery followed, with Rico Honiball (20) and Ryan Clarke (18) adding 32 for the fifth wicket, before Honiball fell to Du Toit and Clarke was run out soon after.
From 63/5, the collapse continued. Du Toit bowled Rowen Rajah for nought, and Aarin Rasmussen removed Kaiyuran Naidoo for a single to leave St Charles reeling on 72/8 and in danger of failing to reach three figures.
A vital 40-run stand between Connor Simpson and Connor Vogt rescued the innings from complete collapse. Simpson top-scored with 23 before Du Toit struck again to claim his third wicket, while Vogt remained unbeaten on 20 as the visitors were dismissed for 123 in 36.1 overs.
Du Toit matched McGough’s haul with 3/21 from 8.1 overs, while Rasmussen returned an economical 1/10 from five.
Chasing a modest total, Westville’s reply also faltered early. Opener Rasmussen and number three batsman Dayalan Boyce departed cheaply, and when McGough fell for eight, the home side found themselves under pressure at 35/3.
Du Toit, however, stood firm, finding a reliable partner in captain Seth Simpson. The pair rebuilt patiently, adding a crucial 51 for the fourth wicket to steady the innings. Simpson’s exit for 14, caught off the bowling of André Bosman, triggered a mini collapse. Bosman struck again to remove Du Toit shortly after he reached his fifty. His determined innings had lasted 93 balls and featured eight boundaries.
At 99/7, Westville’s chase teetered on the brink, but Misbah Nair held his nerve. Despite losing partners, including Aidan Baudach, who became the fourth batsman to be run out in the match, Nair guided his side home, finishing unbeaten as Westville sealed victory with two wickets to spare.
Naidoo, with 2/28 in 10 overs, and Bosman, with 2/23 in six, led the attack admirably, but Du Toit’s all-round display proved decisive as Westville closed their 2025 campaign with a hard-earned win.
Scores
St Charles College 123/10 (Connor Simpson 23, Connor Vogt 20*, Rico Honiball 20; Ewan du Toit 3/21, Kyle McGough 3/21); Westville Boys High 125/8 (Ewan du Toit 50; Kaiyuran Naidoo 2/28, André Bosman 2/23). Westville Boys’ High won by two wickets.
Most of the rest of the results went Westville’s way, with their u14A team continuing their rampant trampling of all opposition with another big win. The Saints‘ 2nd XI claimed a hard-fought win over their Westville counterparts.
RESULTS
1st XI
St Charles 123/10; Westville 125/8
Westville won by two wickets
2nd XI
Westville 143/10; St Charles 146/7
St Charles won by three wickets
3rd XI
Westville 214/6; St Charles 79/10
Westville won by 135 runs
4th XI
Westville 121/10; St Charles 99/10
Westville won by 22 runs
5th XI
St Charles 101/10; Westville 91/10
St Charles won by 10 runs
u15A
Westville 277/6; St Charles 103/10
Westville won by 174 runs
u15B
Westville 158/10; St Charles 71/10
Westville won by 87 runs
u15D
WB 154/8: St Charles u15C 127/9
Westville won by 27 runs
u14A
Westville 289/6; St Charles 97/10
Westville won by 193 runs
u14B
St Charles 147/10; Westville 148/2
Westville won by 8 wickets
u14E
St Charles u14D 57/9; Westville 60/2
Westville won by 8 wickets
BASKETBALL
The meeting of the two 1st teams brought together two sides who not that long ago – Westville in 2024 and St Charles in 2023 – had claims to be the best in the country. In a super-tight contest, overtime was needed to separate the teams, and it was Saints who found an extra gear in the added period to open up a nine-point advantage by the final whistle.
The visitors also won the u15A match, but the u16A and u14A honours went the way of the Griffin.
Competition was highly competitive, with Westville winning 11 games to the seven of St Charles, with two contests being decided in overtime.
RESULTS
1st: Westville 59-68 St Charles (OT)
2nd: Westville 73-41 St Charles
3rd: Westville 43-45 St Charles
4th: Westville 24-23 St Charles (OT)
16A: Westville 44-36 St Charles
16B: Westville 33-23 St Charles
16C: Westville 22-32 St Charles
15A: Westville 30-34 St Charles
15B: Westville 43-36 St Charles
15C: Westville 19-10 St Charles
15D: Westville 22-30 St Charles
15E: Westville 10-17 St Charles
14A: Westville 30-22 St Charles
14B: Westville 14-25 St Charles
14C: Westville 18-10 St Charles
14D: Westville 25-11 St Charles
14E: Westville 22-15 St Charles
14F: Westville 32-21 St Charles
WATER POLO
In the pool, Westville went six for six, but there were some encouraging signs from Saints, who are building their water polo programme and making strides. Their 2nd team and u15A team, especially, gave Westville a good run for their money.
RESULTS
1st: Westville 15-1 St Charles
2nd: Westville 7-5 St Charles
3rd: Westville 14-4 St Charles 2nd
15A: Westville 11-5 St Charles
15B: Westville 9-7 St Charles u15A
14A: Westville 24-1 St Charles Junior Mixed
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