It's main game day at the Khaya Majola Week

It was decided by someone, somewhere, a few years ago that the Khaya Majola Week should revert to being a festival, with no overall winner in the end.

That’s what it was for many years until, in 1995, it became a limited-overs knockout tournament, in two sections with cross-pool playoffs, semi-finals and a final, a winner’s trophy, and classification games all the way down to last position.

All the good reasons why they ran it that way then apparently disappeared and it was decreed that the week would follow the philosophy of the rugby Craven Week – that there is no winner and that the two teams that play the best rugby (cricket, in this case) will meet in the so called “main game” on the final day of the week.

At the Craven Week, for years now, no-one is buying the friendly, no winners or losers line, and the victorious team in the main game is called the champion team.

The same goes at this week, really. Gauteng were called the defending champions, coming in, and they will be going home from Michaelhouse without the title after failing to make the final. Before this they played in six out of seven main games and won five of them.

I’ve always rather liked the Corinthian spirit in sport, but even I have to confess that times have changed and that, these days, no-one’s really interested in a competition where there is no winner.

So, why not go all the way and bring back the cup? One reason, I suppose, is that the Khaya Majola Week features all thee formats of cricket: declaration games, T20s and 50-a-side limited overs.

That’s to let the players express themselves in different ways and it would be impossible to arrive at official finalists at the end of a mixed week like that.

Still, however they got there, and official or not, we have deserving finalists this year in Eastern Province and Western Province, and no-one who was here would argue that they don’t richly deserve to be in the big game today.

The scores from day 4 of the week are:

Western Province 243/5 (Daniel Smith 87, Lehan Botha 64, Guy Sheena 30*, Thembani Ngcizela 25*; Jack Lees 3/33); Gauteng 241 (Cameron Rowe 61, Heinrigh Pieterse 57, Nick Halstead-Cleak 39, Emmanuel Motswiri 32; Siya Plaatjie 4/29). Western Province won by two runs.

Eastern Province 239/8 (Nicholas Keevy 102*, Jade Smith 51, Tiaan van Vuuren 31; Merrick Brett 3/28, Zeeshan Ismail 3/48); Northerns 181 (Daniel van der Merwe 44*, Hanu Viljoen 38, Wasi Mushwana 33; Siphesihle Madlongolwana 3/20, Nicholas Keevy 3/49). Eastern Province won by 58 runs.

North West 215 (Van Zyl Smit 45, Jannie Claassens 44, Christopher de Freitas 35; Thulani Chiliza 4/16); KwaZulu-Natal 216/6 (Gareth Beavan 69, Jeremy Martins 57, Francis Moran 26; Julian Marais 1/16). KwaZulu-Natal won by four wickets.

KwaZulu-Natal Inland 146 (Jaques van der Walt 49, Michael Booth 25; Michael Kershaw 2/12, Lerato Nqoyi 2/18, Reeza Alexander 2/27); Free State 147/9 (Marco de Kock 85, Extras 22; Mondli Khumalo 5/35, Michael Booth 2/13). Free State won by one wicket.

Boland 244/6 (Ruan Terblanche 108*, Andrew Whaits 53, Ruben Senekal 44; Saahil Khan 2/35, Baadal Parag 2/47); Easterns 166 (Leander Lubbe 54, Neil Bothma 35; Gillad Oved 3/34, Juan Wilson 2/20, Anele Matya 2/39). Boland won by 78 runs.

Mpumalanga 169 (Zuan Swart 45, Lerato Mokoena 28; Heath Richards 4/19, Mesuli Vuba 3/17, Kevin de Kock 2/41); South Western Districts 131 (Tristan Reid 37; Akhulile Makatu 4/35, Anij Nagar 3/14, Zuan Swart 3/37). Mpumalanga won by 38 runs.

Namibia 138 (JC Balt 28, Extras 27; Tiaan Enslin 5/23, Prince Ngobeni 2/22); Limpopo 139/9 (Nhlamulo Mboweni 48*, Extras 29; Ettienne Beukes 3/31, Divan la Cock 2/20). Limpopo won by nine wickets.

Border 150 (Nonelela Yikha 68*; Michael Jantjies 3/33, Boitumelo Melesi 2/20, Orapeleng Mtlhoaring 2/24, Elrich Cloete 2/29); Northern Cape 151/5 (Orapeleng Mtlhoaring 42; Akhona Ratyana 2/23). Northern Cape won by five wickets.