The rain came down at the Khaya Majola Week, and the makers of plans got going

 

The 2^nd day’s play at the Khaya Majola Week in Stellenbosch was called off at about 12 noon on Friday when the heavens opened up. It’s not supposed to rain in the Western Cape at this time of the year, I’m told, but it certainly did, and it was a downpour to rival those we’ve had on the Highveld in the last week or two.

The organisers eventually sent the boys back to the hotel at lunchtime , with instructions to be ready to return within 30 minutes ,should it clear up. They want the boys to play, at any cost, at these weeks, which is part of what makes them special.

The disruption brought challenges. The abandoned games couldn’t be used in the calculations when deciding who plays who – strength on strength – on the last two days, and the limited time out on the field has aggravated the headaches the selectors were facing anyway, having to pick SA Schools teams at a four day tournament.

In the background, plans were being made – the ground staff will be on post at 5am on Saturday to make sure the fields are playable come starting time, and the organisers are already contemplating shorter games than the scheduled 50-overs format, should the starts be delayed. And they were trying set up the best possible contests for day 3, even though no-one has played a lot of cricket yet.

Over the years, I’ve often likened the Khaya Majola Week to a military operation. Today I saw how it’s conducted. CSA’s manager of youth cricket, Niels Momberg, is the CO, stern and perfectionistic; the indefatigable Morgan Pillay, the week's permanent secretary, is his executive officer, making things happen, and the brilliant Hannes Nienaber - co-opted cricket fundi - is the head of intelligence – an endless source of statistics and historical context for them to base their decisions on.

It's the beating heart of the world greatest school cricket tournament, and it was something to behold.

Summarised scores Day 2 – All the games abandoned because of rain.

Eastern Province 126/0 (Zac Micklewright 65 not out, Ashley Ostling 54 not out), vs Boland.

Central Gauteng Lions 76/4 (Richard Seletswane 37 not out), vs Titans.

Garden Route Badgers 100/4 (Elro Spies 42), vs Namibia Welwitchias.

Limpopo 166/10 (Zack Duvenhage 61; Paseka Jonker 3/17), vs Northern Cape.

Free State 109/5 (Liam Dohery 24, Khanyisile Nondwanga 24), vs Kwa-Zulu-Natal Coastal.

Border 95/3 (Chloe Van Schoor 25), vs Namibia Cheetahs.

Western Province 145/2 (Maahir Joseph 69 not out, Meeka-eel Prince 38), vs KwaZulu-Natal Inland Inland

Mpumalanga 124/5 (Yalin Koul 42, Hannes Feuth 36 not out), vs  Border Kei

Northwest 188/3 (Dewald du Plessis 51 not out, Bathabile Masiga 54, Rico Fryer 42). vs Easterns

Saturday morning dawned clear and sunny in Stellenbosch. Praise be.

Today’s Fixtures

Titans vs Boland, Western Province vs North West, Central Gauteng Lions vs KwaZulu-Natal Inland, Free State vs Eastern Province, Easterns vs KwaZulu-Natal, Garden Route Badgers vs Border, Mpumalanga vs Northern Cape, Namibia Welwitschias vs Limpopo, Namibia Cheetahs vs Border Kei.