By Johnathan Paoli
King Edward VII (KES) has dethroned defending champions Hoërskool Waterkloof in a four-run thriller to lift the Wildeklawer Noord-Suid T20 Tournament trophy, with KES player Troy Gordon’s match-winning 78 proving decisive.
Playing at Camp Discovery, in the Dinokeng Conservation Area in Limpopo on Sunday, Gordon struck 10 fours in his 57-ball innings to rescue KES from a modest batting display, powering them to 148/7 before a disciplined bowling performance restricted Waterkloof to 144/7.
The victory denied Waterkloof a fourth title in five editions of the prestigious schoolboy competition and gave KES a tournament triumph built on resilience, composure and a bowling unit that repeatedly delivered under pressure.
Speaking to the media after the match, KES head coach Pieter van Rooyen praised his players for defending modest totals throughout the knockout stages, with their quarterfinal, semifinal and final victories all decided by single-digit margins.
“The boys showed great character, composure, and good application in defending fairly modest totals in the quarterfinal, semifinal, and the final. Our bowlers showed some really good discipline to be able to get us over the line in those three games, where it all went down to single-digit wins,” Van Rooyen said.
Gordon was central to KES’ success in the final, anchoring the innings while wickets fell around him.
Batting at number three, he struck 10 fours and contributed more than half of his side’s total in an innings that ultimately proved the difference between the two finalists.
His best partnership was a 48-run stand for the second wicket with Tiago Dias, who scored 17.
Dias was KES’s second-highest scorer, underlining just how important Gordon’s contribution was to giving his team a competitive total.
Morné Steyn added 14, while Kyle Henenne remained unbeaten on 11.
KES’s other batters struggled to make substantial contributions, but Gordon ensured they had enough runs to challenge Waterkloof.
His performance earned him the Player of the Match award, although the tournament’s individual batting honour went to Paarl Boys’ High’s 14-year-old Gilmer Horn.
Grey College’s Wilhelmus van der Schyff was named Bowler of the Tournament.
Defending 149, KES needed their bowlers to reproduce the discipline that had carried them through the knockout rounds, and they responded with another determined effort.
Steele Grooteman led the attack, claiming 3/21 from three overs, including the crucial dismissal of Waterkloof’s Juan Swart.
Swart had threatened to turn the contest in the defending champions’ favour, scoring 33 off just 20 deliveries.
But, Grooteman’s intervention prevented him from building on his promising start.
Connor Kuijers, Matthew de Jong, Morné Steyn and Tyler Cloete also contributed with wickets, taking one apiece as KES kept Waterkloof from establishing the partnerships needed to take control of the chase.
Waterkloof remained in contention until the closing overs, with Vorster de Villiers launching a late assault, finishing unbeaten on 31 from 18 balls, while Juan Cloete contributed an unbeaten 25.
Their efforts brought the defending champions within touching distance, but KES held firm to seal the four-run victory and lift the trophy.
Van Rooyen said his team had expected a fierce challenge from Waterkloof and knew they would have to remain composed until the final delivery.
“We always knew that Waterkloof was going to fight to the very end. We just had to stay in the fight for as long as possible to be able to get over the line,” he said.
Elsewhere, Northwood claimed third place after beating Menlopark by 11 runs; St David’s Marist Inanda finished fifth after crushing Affies by 63 runs; and St Andrew’s School secured seventh place with a 64-run victory over Paarl Boys’ High.
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