The West Coast Rollers made it six wins from seven games this season with a comprehensive 95-run victory against the Melkbos Fellows in Camps Bay on Sunday.
It was only the second meeting against the team from our ‘ancestral home’, with the first two years ago a bit of a lottery on a shocker of a pitch. The conditions were only marginally better this time around on a two-paced wicket and slllloooooooooooooooooooooooooooow outfield (so slow, in fact, that there were more sixes than fours hit on the day).
But having been starved for cricket for so long, we made the most of the situation, with the Rollers taking first strike. Ryan Cooper and James Lamprecht opened the batting and crawled to 50 off 13 overs before our resident lawyer was caught for 13 off 34.
Cornell Keulder came in at 3 - brand new Rhino bat in hand - and smashed three sixes before being caught in the covers for 34 off 27, triggering a massive collapse we saw us lose six wickets for 22 runs - Neville (0), Nicky Rheeder (12), Ryan (52), Jarryd van Wyk (1) and Nico Rheeder (2).
But a 58-run partnership off five overs between Tom Stapylton-Smith and Michael van Dewenter proved to be the difference between the two sides, with ‘Pinky Prawn’ using his long levers to great effect in smashing an unbeaten 44 off 29 balls, and Big Mike finishing on 20 off 13, which included a monstrous six which sailed over the fence towards the mountain side.
So 189 the target in very difficult conditions, and the Rollers could not have gotten off to a better start as Tom pulled off a blinder on the fine-leg boundary to dismiss the dangerous Wihan Reyneke off Cornell’s (5-2-12-1) third delivery.
As if to make sure of his Man of the Match award, Tom then picked up 2/22 in his five overs (plus another two catches), while Nicky (2/14) and Mike (2/18) also got in on the act - the latter getting Koeberg old boys Louis Pretorius (11) and Ian Combrink (1) in the space of three balls.
Ruark Potgieter (23 off 28) showed some resistance, but two wickets in four balls from Andrew Young (3-0-4-2) all but wrapped up the game as Melkbos were dismissed for 93 in the 27th over.
A little bit of drizzle and a whole lot of wind couldn’t damper post-match festivities as old friends caught up and shared a few beers around the fire. Thanks again to Michael Lemin and his team for a great day out!
(last over of Rollers innings which went for 9 missing from the scorecard)