Local cricket round-up: HHCC slump to Cravenby, Strand and Helderberg win

Hottentots Holland Cricket Club (HHCC) suffered a disappointing defeat, falling to First Division A newcomers Cravenby CC in a rain-affected match at the Navy Sports Ground in Gordon’s Bay on Saturday 1 November.

Overnight rain led to a portion of the pitch being wet, forcing the 50-over game to be reduced to 32 overs per side. HHCC won the toss and elected to field.

Cravenby started their innings strongly, racing to a commanding position of 96/1 after 17 overs. However, a display of disciplined bowling from the HHCC attack hauled the home team back into the match. Key performances came from Shameel Abels (2/16), Yaaseen Smith (2/25) and Yusri Jabodien (2/35), successfully restricting Cravenby to 169/9 in their allotted 32 overs.

In reply, HHCC’s chase got off to a difficult start when they slumped to 20/3. They were unable to recover from the early trouble and were eventually bowled out for just 83 runs to lose by 86 runs.

In First Division C, Helderberg Cricket Club (HCC) claimed a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Hanover Park CC in another reduced-overs encounter. The match was shortened to 35 overs per side and saw HCC’s disci plined bowling and strong batting performance shine through.

Hanover Park won the toss and elected to bat, setting a target of 153/8 wickets in 35 overs.

Helderberg’s bowlers kept the pressure on, with Aiden Salie (2/27) leading the attack. Waqar Josephs (2/29) also contributed significantly, while Jody Sylvester (1/16) was particularly economical.

In response, HCC successfully chased down the target with 6 wickets in hand, finishing on 155/4 in 32.3 overs. The chase was anchored by a superb half-century from Brandon Williams, who scored a vital 60 runs off 86 balls. He was well supported by Sylvester (37) and Junaid Daniels (25).

In First Division D, Strand Cricket Club (SCC) secured another convincing bonus-point victory, this time triumphing over South Peninsula CC.

Due to a wet pitch, the game at Gustrouw Sports Ground commenced at 12:30, with each side allocated 35 overs. SCC won the toss and elected to field, a decision that quickly paid dividends as their disciplined opening bowlers kept the visiting South Peninsula batsmen under pressure.

The attack was spearheaded by veteran Johan Cyster (4/19), who was ably supported by Winston Isaacs (3/12). Their combined efforts saw South Peninsula restricted to a low total of just 102 runs.

After lunch, SCC’s youthful batting lineup confidently chased down the target. Young Dyron Malapa led the charge with a solid 30 runs. He was well supported by Sharwaan Naidoo (27).

Strand comfortably reached the target in just 21.3 overs, securing a valuable bonus-point win.

The First Division B fixture between Somerset West Cricket Club and Avendale was called off due to a wet pitch and the teams shared the points.

 Fixtures for Saturday 8 November:

– Hottentots-Holland vs Tygerberg (Gordon’s Bay);

– Somerset West vs Kuils River (away);

– Helderberg vs Sherwood-Manenberg (Helderzicht);

– Macassar vs South Peninsula (Parkwood)

– Strand CC vs Montrose CC (Gustrouw)