GEORGE NEWS - The Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers started 2025 on a high with an impressive eight-wicket victory against the Mpumalanga Rhinos at Uplands College in White River last weekend.
With this victory the Badgers moved to the third position on the log and remain in contention for a place in the final of the Cricket South Africa Division 2 Four Day competition.
They have 63.44 points after five matches. The defending champions, Northern Cape Heat, are the log leaders with 81.72 points after five matches, with the Tuskers in second place on 72.94 points after four matches.
The home side, after being put in to bat by Yaseen Vallie who won the toss, was bowled out for 226 in its first innings. Jarred Jardine (3/58) was the stand-out bowler for the Badgers.
In reply the Badgers batted with a huge sense of responsibility and accumulated 388 for a healthy first innings lead of 162, gaining batting bonus points in the process.
Captain Yaseen Valli was the main contributor with a century (116 from 219 balls, 1x6, 8x4). He received good support from Keenan Vieira (93), George van Heerden (62*) and Kyle Jacobs (46). The third-wicket partnership between Valli and Vieira was 161 and the opening stand between Valli and Jacobs 93.
The Rhinos were dismissed for 242 in their second innings, with Yasser Cook offering resistance with an innings of 83. For the Badgers, spinner Pheko Moletsane was in great form with career best figures of 5/23 in 12 overs, while Lifa Ntanzi (2/36) also displayed good support.
The Badgers only needed 19.3 overs to knock off a modest target (84/2) to clinch victory before lunch on the final day.
They will now focus on their next match – a home fixture against log leaders Northern Cape Heat - that will be played on 30 January at the Recreation Ground in Oudtshoorn.
The summarised scorecard is:
Garden Route Badgers beat Mpumalanga Rhinos by 8 wickets:
Mpumalanga Rhinos 1st innings 226 (Yasser Cook 47, Jurie Snyman 45, Benajmin van Niekerk 34, Zakir Kathrada 33, Jarred Jardine 3/58, Sintu Majiza 2/43, Lifa Ntanzi 2/53, Kelly Smuts 2/30) and 2nd innings 242 (Yasser Cook 83, Bejamin van Niekerk 60, Pheko Moletsane 5/23, Lifa Ntanzi 2/36)
Garden Route Badgers 1st innings 388 (Yaseen Valli 116, Keenan Vieira 93, George van Heerden 62, Kyle Jacobs 46, Gareth Dukes 5/83, Muhammed Mayet 4/28) and 2nd innings 84/2 (Yaseen Valli 28*, Kyle Jacobs 28)
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
