CUYLERVILLE won the 113th Kenrich Motors Pineapple Cricket Tournament by 103 runs against Grahamstown Invitational at the Port Alfred Country Club last Saturday.
It was the third consecutive year that Cuylerville won the A-section final. They finished with a score of 233/7 while Grahamstown Invitational only managed a score of 130 all out.
Charlie Muir got the highest score for the day with 87 runs, and Brian Handley got 46 while Thando Ngcete bowled 3/48. It was an unusual final as Manley Flats 1 was supposed to face Cuylerville but could not put a team together, Pineapple Tournament president Walter Biggs explained.
The final game seemed to be an easy win for Cuylerville with no real pressure on the batting side.
The game of the tournament was however at the newly renovated hospital fields, where Station Hill Cricket Club faced Kenton-on-Sea in the B-section final in a nail-biting, action-packed clash.
It was the first time for both teams to make it to the final, and was highly contested game between the two local sides, seeing as Kenton beat Station Hill in the recent league.
Both teams started the match full of anticipation, and nerves were sky high, as Station Hill chased a score of 150. Spectators enjoyed the game, cheering on as Kenton put pressure on the Station Hill batsmen, making incredible catches while also dropping one or two. Tony Pedro from Kenton managed to bowl 5/36 while Station Hill’s Alvin Marney bowled 6/27 as well as scoring 41 runs for his team.
In the end Station Hill beat Kenton with two wickets in hand, achieving a special milestone for the team and walking away with the De wet Steyn Cup for winners of the B-section.
Grahamstown Invitational won the runners-up Bathurst Cup in the A-section and Kenton won the Laubsher Cup for runners-up in the B-section.
It had been a great eight days of cricket with superb weather conditions for the players and many big scores through the week.
At the halfway mark last Wednesday, Southwell beat Rhodes by 185 runs at PAHS A field. On Thursday, Sidbury managed only 64 runs all-out and were beaten by Salem with five wickets in hand. Matt Liebenberg managed to bowl an outstanding innings and took 4/ 11.
At PAHS B field, Cuylerville seconds faced Station Hill in the B-section. Gary Botha from Cuylerville managed 93 runs and Morne van Wyk bowled 3/60. Marney had another great achievement scoring 110 runs. In the end it was another nail-biter for the tournament with Station Hill winning the match by only three runs.
In another game at the hospital grounds between Manley Flats and Port Alfred, Ryan van Zeeventer of Manley Flats bowled 5/41. Manleys won by 36 runs.
At PAHS A on Friday, the-A section semi-final between Southwell and Cuylerville was another highlight of the tournament, with a close match and two more centuries. James Stirk from Southwell racked up 111 runs ad Brandon Handley managed 110 for Cuylerville. In the end, Cuylerville won by two wickets, putting them through to the final.
Read this week’s edition for full story and more pictures.
