Bulletin, Cricket

16th Annual Senior Cricket Festival

This year’s Union High School Senior Cricket Festival once again showcased some of the best school cricket talent that the province has to offer, as 12 teams battled it out on various cricket fields in Graaff-Reinet from 11 to 14 January.

The 4-day tournament, which Union High School proudly hosts each year, was a major success this year, with vast amounts of sunshine greeting players each day as they aimed to impress spectators.   

The festival was kicked off on Wednesday, 11 January, with a set of T20 matches and a delightful cocktail function at the Tony Burrell Union. Headmaster Mr William Pringle welcomed all to the festival.
Mr Pringle also thanked Union’s sports administrator Mr Calvin Beck and all those staff assisting him for their efforts.

Schools in attendance included the hosting side, Union High School, as well as Daniël Pienaar Technical High School, Framesby, Stirling High School, Edgemead High School, Nico Malan, Grey High School, Cradock High School, Victoria Park, Lilyfontein, Milnerton High School and Westering High School.

T20s, declaration matches as well as 50-over encounters were played on Union’s Murray and Puttick fields as well as at the Botanics Sports Grounds, Hoër Volkskool, Asante Sana Private Game Reserve and Wheatlands Farm, with each venue’s idyllic setting in the Gem of the Karoo providing the perfect backdrop for cricket at the height of summer.

Over the course of four days there were a number of high team scores, some big hitting from the batsmen, quite a few big wicket hauls from the spinners and plenty of smart cricket from the captains.

The fantastic camaraderie among the participating schools added to the convivial atmosphere, and ensured that the festival produced a lot of great cricket while being enjoyed by all concerned.

Union’s sports organiser, Mr Calvin Beck, believes this year’s tournament’s success was largely due to the well-managed facilities where all the cricket matches were played. “It was amazing. The facilities and conditions were excellent. All those involved must be given credit for the outstanding cricketing conditions.”

The school extends its grateful thanks to all participating teams as well as to Hoër Volkskool, Wheatlands Farm, Asante Sana Game Reserve and the Botanics Sports Grounds for making their facilities available for many of the matches.

Cricket, Sport Results

Senior Cricket vs Muir College

This past Saturday, 19 February, three Union High School cricket teams travelled to Uitenhage to compete against their Muir College counterparts.
Union’s 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗫𝗜 won the toss and elected to bat. The team was bowled out in the 38th over for 125 runs. Union’s top batsmen were Ivan Murray (38), Josh Horne (16) and Jude Langmead (13). Muir passed Union’s score in the 24th over of their innings, losing only two wickets in the process. Union’s best performing bowlers were Lihle Mxhunyelwa and Hlaki Skepe who took one wicket each. Muir won by 8 wickets.
During the second team‘s 50-over encounter, Muir went in to bat first, scoring 156 all out. Union passed their score on the 2nd last ball of the innings to win by three wickets. Ruhzé Hendriks and Jayden Swart enjoyed an 80-run partnership for the 1st wicket.
After winning the toss, Union’s 𝘂/𝟭𝟱𝗔 cricketers went in to bat, scoring 71 all out. Jade Lottering (19) and Xavier Barlow (10 not out) performed best with the bat. Muir quickly surpassed their score, winning the match by 8 wickets with a score of 72/2.
Bulletin, Cricket

Cricket Festival A Resounding Success

Union High School’s 15th annual Senior Cricket Festival was a huge success with eight schools taking part.

The schools, including Daniël Pienaar Technical High School, Marlow Agricultural High School, Queen’s College Boys’ High School, Stirling High School, Edgemead High School, Milnerton High School and Nico Malan competed over four days and showcased some exciting young talent.

T20s, 50-over encounters and declaration matches were played on Union’s Minnaar and Puttick fields as well as at the Botanics Sports Club and at Hoër Volkskool with each venue’s idyllic setting in the Gem of the Karoo providing the perfect backdrop for cricket at the height of summer.

Great weather over the course of the festival and fantastic camaraderie among the participating schools, ensured that the festival produced a lot of great cricket, while being enjoyed by all concerned!

Union extends its thanks to all participating teams as well as to Hoër Volkskool and the Botanics Sports Grounds for making their facilities available for many of the matches.

 

Congratulations to Skaakir Kazi (6 for 56 in 21 overs during Union’s declaration match against Edgemead High School. He is seen here being congratulated by the match’s umpire Jonathan Crankshaw.

Cricket, Sport Results

15th Senior Cricket Festival

Union High School is excited to announce that we will be hosting our 𝟭𝟱𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 at the start of 2022, from 12 to 15 January!
We look forward to welcoming Daniël Pienaar Technical High School, Marlow Agricultural High School, Queen’s College Boys’ High School, Stirling High School, East London, Edgemead High School, Milnerton High School and Nico Malan to our campus for four days of competitive cricket in an environment that promotes collegiality, friendship and camaraderie.
𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠
The team that will be representing Union High School as its 1st XI during this festival, consists of Sisipho Arnols (captain), Hlaki Skepe, Ivan Murray, Lihle Mxhunyelwa, Daniel Nell, Brent Hesselink, Joshua Horne, Laythan Carelse, Shaakir Kazi, Camran Swartz, Jude Langmead, Thokozani Mpanza and Jordan Wilmot.
We wish them all the best in their preparations for this festival
Cricket, Sport Results

A Return To Cricket

“𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺.” – Mike Singletary
More than a year after Covid-19 brought schools cricket to a halt, Union’s cricketers were excited to be able to take to the field again in two matches this past weekend – the first, against the Graaff-Reinet Cricket Club on Friday evening, 5 March, the second against the Brain Bands Invitation Team on Saturday morning, 6 March.
𝗧𝟮𝟬 𝘃𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗳𝗳-𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗖
Friday evening’s encounter against the Graaff-Reinet CC saw Union’s 1st XI take to the field at the Botanics Sports Grounds for a T20 match.
Graaff-Reinet CC won the toss and elected to bat first.
The Union boys took to the field with a positive energy, but was put under pressure right from the very first ball by the Club’s batsmen, who managed to conclude their innings with a total of 158 for 6. Union’s best bowler was Hlaki Skepe (3 for 27 in 4 overs).
Early damage to Union’s batting line-up caused by excellent swing bowling from the Club’s bowlers, saw the team in early trouble at 3 for 2. Chasing a total of 158 then became an insurmountable challenge, as wickets continued to fall. Union’s batsmen were bowled out for 72 runs. Dylan Kriel top-scored for Union with 14 runs, followed by Rogan Odendaal (12) and Josh Calitz (12).
𝟰𝟬 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘃𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀
On Saturday, 6 March, Union played against the Brian Bands Invitation Team at Union High School’s Minnaar Field.
The Union team was determined to improve on their performance from the previous evening and, with Union’s pitches starved of cricket, Union chose to bat first when they won the toss to take full advantage of a really good track.
Patience at the crease saw Union’s top order create a good platform, setting themselves up for a competitive total. Union managed to score 172 for 5 in their allotted 40 overs. Batsmen Jarrod Naude (38), Josh Calitz (31), James Pringle (20), MJ Newton (19) and James Pienaar (16) were the main contributors.
The Union team then took to the field with new-found confidence, striking early in the first over with a brilliantly executed delivery by Lihle Mxhunyelwa to disturb the woodwork, leaving the visitors at 0 for 1.
Shortly thereafter, Lihle struck again twice, and the Brian Bands team found themselves 3 wickets down with only 10 runs on the board.
Union continued to apply steady pressure through excellent bowling and fielding, holding onto 5 catches to dismiss the opposing team for 86.
Union’s best bowlers were Laythan Carelse (4 for 24), Lihle Mxhunyelwa (3 for 15) and James Pienaar (2 for 18).
The Union team must be commended on a brilliant team effort.
Bulletin, Cricket

Pitch Prep

Maintaining the pristine finish of Union High School’s high-end cricket grounds, or any school’s for that matter, isn’t an easy task, especially with pitches in use for long periods of the spring and summer months.
Although COVID-19 has stumped our 2020/21 cricket season, it has led to our cricket pitches experiencing less traffic, therefore giving our ground staff an opportunity to delve into the art and graft of cricket groundsmanship to produce a quality playing surface for when play eventually resumes.
As it goes without saying that preparing a cricket pitch must be one of the most drawn-out, effort-intensive activities in the field of sports, Union High School extends its immense gratitude to our estate manager Mr Donald Kingwill and our talented team of groundsmen for their consistent efforts in ensuring that Union’s cricket grounds are pitch-perfect.
These past few months have seen a tremendous amount of work done to the pitches on the Puttick and Minnaar fields, which included a layer of bulli added to the pitches just this week.
Our grateful thanks are also extended to our Old Unionites and the Old Unionite Association for their constant support of the school in this endeavour, in particular to Messrs Dave Stern, John Crankshaw and William Copeman for their valued contributions.
We look forward to watching some top-class competitive games on these pitches when our boys are able to take the field again!
Cricket, Sport Results

UHS Honours Cricketers

Union High School is exceptionally proud of its rich tradition and reputation for sporting excellence on the cricket field.

The history of Union High School credits Mr Herby Arnott, a legendary headmaster at Union High School during the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, with establishing cricket as one of the school’s premier sports.

Having been a superior player himself, and with his firm belief in the value of cricket as an educational tool, Herby Arnott developed cricket at the school with vigour during his tenure as headmaster.

Ever since, the success of Union’s cricket can be attributed to the legions of passionate players and coaches who have ensured that the greatest of games continues to flourish within the confines of Union’s magnificent grounds.

In honour of all these cricket players who have made the sport at the school what it is today, Union has erected a permanent reminder of the best batting and bowling performances in the history of the sport at Union.

Affixed to the walls of the Tony Burrell Union is a brand new permanent installation of cricket plaques celebrating all the centuries and five-wicket hauls made by Union’s cricketers.

It is hoped that the installation, which was officially unveiled during the 2020 Founders’ Weekend, will serve as an incentive for Union’s cricketers to excel, and by so doing, earn themselves a lasting place in the history of Union’s cricket – alongside some of Union’s greatest players.

• Old Unionites, visitors, parents and the school’s young cricketers are invited to have a look at the installation when next at the Tony Burrell Union – it truly provides a wonderful walk down memory lane.

• Any Old Boys who played the sport are also encouraged to let us know if a batting or bowling performance has been omitted on the installation. Send through any information pertaining to the above to uhsmarketing@unionschools.co.za

 

Cricket, Sport Results

Annual Senior Cricket Festival

Union High School hosted another successful edition of their annual Senior Cricket Festival from Thursday, 9 January to Saturday, 11 January.

Ten teams, including Edgemead High School, Queen’s College Boys’ High School, Milnerton High School, Nico Malan, Framesby, Stirling High School, Brandwag, Muir College and Daniël Pienaar, participated.

Over the course of three days there were a number of high team scores, some big hitting from the batsmen, quite a few big wicket hauls from the spinners and plenty of smart cricket from the captains.

• Union’s 1st XI faced Edgemead High School on the first day of the festival in a 50-over game.

Union batted first and scored 184. Jaden Brotherton (58) and Brett Amsterdam (51) were Union’s top scorers.

Edgemead then went in to bat and was bowled out for 91.

Bowlers Jaden Brotherton took 5 for 18 and Brett Amsterdam 5 for 31.

Union won the match by 93 runs.

• On Friday, Union faced Queen’s College in a 50-over game. The visiting team batted first and scored 231.
Union’s top batsman was Jaden Brotherton, who took 2 for 30.

Union then went in to bat and unfortunately only managed to put 73 runs on the board. Queen’s College won by 158 runs.

• In their last match of the festival, Union faced Milnerton High School in in action-packed T20 on Saturday, 11 January.

Union went in to bat first and scored 98. Top scorers were James Pienaar (19) and Brett Amsterdam (35).

Milnerton then went in to bat and scored 99 for 6.
Jarrod Naudé took 2 for 14. Union lost by 4 wickets.