MTN National Club Cricket Round-up

Battle of students in club final

PRETORIA - In the end Free State University barely worked up a sweat as they reached their second national club championship final today when they beat the highly-fancied title-holders Claremont.

Yet behind the five wicket victory at Aloe Park yesterday lies a story of determination against the odds as the young Kovsies skipper, Andre Volsteedt, now concentrates on today's final against Rand Afrikaans University at SuperSport Centurion.

As Volsteedt said, ``It's all a matter of self belief and we have managed to get where we have with a side which has worked hard at a game plan and stuck to it.''

Free State arrived without a manager or coach and HE Austin as the player-cum-manager/coach. Not entirely satisfactory, but under the circumstances the side put together a more than creditable performance.

One was to get rid of test opener Gary Kirsten cheaply, if a score of 40 can be regarded as cheap. With Claremont reduced to 226 for seven in their 45 overs and a top-score of 70 from Paul Kirsten, the Cape Town side were faced with a battle top contain the students.

It was Volsteedt, captain of the SA Schools side of 1993, who steered Kovsies home with an undefeated 38 as they reach 227 for five.

Pretoria University cruised to a fourth victory but the effort was in vain, although they had a superior net run rate to Free State and Claremont. The defeat by Kovsies on Monday spiked their hopes. Yet the way they man-handled Stellenbosch showed that Tuks are going to be a force in the Northerns Premier League.

Pieter van Rooyen smashed 71 off only 49 balls as Tuks raced to 188 for four to in reply to the Maties 185 for six to win by six wickets with overs to spare.

As for Rand Afrikaans they ended top of Section 2 unbeaten with Zander de Bruyn top-scoring with 70 as the Johannesburg students won with three balls to spare against Cape Tech/Green Point who arrived with a young, untried side after injuries and family reasons decimated the side which won the Cape Town league last season.

It was a partnership of 124 between De Bruyn and Neil McKenzie which gave RAU the middle-order muscle they needed to win the game.

One record which was broken yesterday was the first wicket of 188 which had stood for 10 years. Brenden Fourie and Andrew Dewar scored centuries apiece to give Old Selbornians a royal send off after a riotous evening on Tuesday at the tournament cocktail party. They added 205 against Potch University in Section 2, while West End CC finally won a game. They beat CBC Old Boys at Villagers in Irene to collect two points.