Narrow Win for SA Cricketers

South Africa
Women won their Twenty20 match against Ireland Women at Crowthorne, Berkshire by the narrow margin of eight runs. The winners
showed their inexperience in this form of cricket by allowing the Irish bowlers
too many dot balls – 57 of the 121 balls bowled.

Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl
first. South Africa
scored a moderate 111 for 5 wickets in their 20 overs on a large field where
boundaries were at a premium. Leading scorers for South Africa were veteran Daleen
Terblanche (37 off 42 balls), Analie Minny (22 off 26 balls) and Alicia Smith
(20 off 17 balls). 

When the Irish team batted it was the South African slow
bowlers, left-arm spinner Charlize van der Westhuizen (1
wicket for 13 off her 4 overs) and right arm off-spinner, Sunette Loubser (1
wicket for 9 off her allocation) who slowed the Irish batting down to restrict
them to 103 runs for 7 wickets, eight short of their target. The other South
African bowler to take wickets was Alicia Smith (2 for 27), while three Irish
batsmen were run out chasing the SA total.

Noor Rhode, whose remarkable record as South African
coach now stands at sixteen wins in eighteen matches, was unhappy about the
number of dot balls allowed by his batsmen, and the rather ragged fielding
towards the end of the Irish innings when unnecessary overthrows were allowed.

In Thursday’s limited overs match, Trisha Chetty, the nuggety SA women’s batsman/wicketkeeper, had an outstanding match today against Ireland at Wellington College in Crowthorne, taking three catches added to a lightning stumping off a wide, and then going on to score a belligerent 45 (not out, off 46 balls) to take  South Africa to a ten wicket victory, ably supported by Olivia Anderson, who scored a quiet 13 not out.

Isobel Joyce, who was seeking her first win as Ireland’s captain after a disappointing series against the West Indies, and her twin sister Cecelia, both disappointed with the bat after South Africa’s Cri-Zelda Brits won the toss and invited Ireland to bat first. In fact, only one Irish batsman, Eimear Richardson (19) got to double figures.

Despite being a bit rusty after a four month break from cricket, the SA bowlers were soon on target. Left arm quickie Ashlyn Kilowan (3/6) left-arm spinner, Charlize van der Westhuizen (3/7) and right arm off-spinner, Sunette Loubser (2/10) broke the back of the Irish batting to bowl them all out for 63 runs. The other South African bowlers who took wickets were Alicia Smith (1/8) and Shandre Fritz (1/2).

Noor Rhode, whose remarkable record as coach now stands at fifteen wins in seventeen matches, expressed happiness with his team’s performance after the match but was unhappy about a spell of half a dozen overs in the middle of the Irish innings during which the SA fielding deteriorated and unnecessary overthrows were allowed. 

SA meets the England
Academy at Reading on Monday in another Tweny20
encounter.