After Paarl Cricket Club’s hiccup against Maties, the club returned to the Parys grounds last Sunday, with a convincing 182 run victory over Malmesbury CC in the Boland Premier League competition.
Paarl CC scored 242/3 in their allotted 50 overs, narrowly escaping the threatening rain, dismissing the visitors for 64.
Akeem Minnaar, who stole the show with 102 not out in 136 balls, as well as with hitting 10 fours and two sixes in a flawless innings, was named Man of the Match.
His fourth unbeaten wicket partnership of 160 runs with Morné de Vries (68 in 70 balls, 7×4, 1×6) entertained the local supporters, with Krisnan Oosterhuizen (1/33), Marc van Wyk (1/25) and Donovan Dudley (1/38) being forced to toil for success after Malmesbury had lost the toss.
De Vries’ speed between the wickets caused a lot of frustration for the visitors, who managed to control the scoring tempo well in the first half of Paarl’s innings.
Paarl Cricket Club’ captain, Waylain September, took no chances in the overcast weather conditions, taking the new ball in an uninterrupted spell (10-1-24-3), to put the brakes on any ideas the visitors may have had to chase the target.
Anele Matye (10-0-18-5) bowled intelligently for his best figures to date, challenging strongly for the man of the match award.
Malmesbury slumped to 8/45, when tail ender Areldo Meintjies (34 in 20 balls) took a liking to the bowling of Herschelle Poggenpoel, hitting four towering sixes in the closing stages, to give his team’s scoresheet some respectability.
Paarl II were set a target of 163 in their away match against Malmesbury II, after impressive bowling by Faghri Jacobs (5.2-0-23-4). Jaywin Solomon (45 not out, 5×4) and Leswin Titus (44 not out, 1×4) were Paarl’s best batsmen in this encounter, involved in an unbeaten 75-run partnership for the second wicket.
When rain brought a halt to play, Paarl were on 111/1, in that way clinching their second victory of the season.
