Intune Communications and Entertainment: Grey High crowned Warriors Coca-Cola Schools T20 Challenge Champions

Grey High School of Port Elizabeth is the final team to qualify for the Coca-Cola Schools T20 Challenge National Finals, after beating a strong Selborne College team by 12 runs in the Warriors franchise final on Sunday, 11 March in Port Elizabeth.

Selborne won the toss and sent Grey High into bat. Grey got off to a fantastic start with LJ Du Preez hitting bowler Jordan Coles for 18 runs off the first over of the match.

Selborne needed to make a change and in a stroke of genius they brought in 15-year-old Matthew Fourie to take over from Coles. Fourie took the first 3 wickets of the match and ended with 3/15, earning him recognition from Proteas Batsman, Temba Bavuma, who selected him for the Coca-Cola T20 All-Star team that will play against a Cricket South Africa Development Hub team at the Coca-Cola Schools T20 National Finals in Pretoria.

As soon as Fourie had finished his spell Grey High started forcing the pace again and at the end of their 20 overs they had accumulated 138/6, with Tristan Stubbs getting 38, Nicholas Fowler 23 not out and LJ du Preez 23.

Selborne’s did not get off to the start that they wanted. They lost Matthew Ferrent and Matt Dewar off the first two balls of the innings and from there onwards they were chasing the game.

Thomas Bursey (30) and Ethan Boucher (21) tried hard in the middle overs but lost their wickets as soon as they started to accelerate the score

Selborne needed 54 off the last 3 overs and Aiden van Wyk tried to knock off the runs himself and in the end made the run chase respectable getting his team to 126/9, 12 runs short.

Joining Matthew Fourie in the Coca-Cola T20 All-Star team is Matthew Dewar, the captain of Selborne and a player who performed well consistently in the tournament, getting them into the Franchise finals.

Bavuma was impressed with what both players had done for their team. “Matthew Fourie started very well with the ball for the Selborne team by taking 3 wickets economically, he slowed down the Grey High storm. I also selected Matthew Dewar who performed well today, he is a quality batsman,” Bavuma commented.

Matthew Fourie, who is just 15 years old said it was amazing to have been selected to play for the Coca-Cola T20 All-Star team. “I thought my tournament was done, but then I found out that I still have one more exciting match to play at the national finals with new team mates,” Fourie said.

Matt Dewar said his selection was unexpected. “I’m very excited to meet and play with the other selected players from around the country. I know a couple of the guys that made the team and I am looking forward to catching up with them,” commented the Selborne College skipper.

Matthew Dewar and Matthew Fourie will join Matthew Montgomery and Simon Holmes from Hilton College, Matthew Thorne from Outeniqua, Rudi Klaasen from Paul Roos, Neil Bothma and Khaya Nyamathe from Marais Viljoen, Mason Zacharea and Reeza Alexander from Northern Cape High School and Odilile Modimokoane and Stian Swanepoel from Hoërskool Rustenburg in the Coca-Cola T20 All-Star Team to take on the Cricket South Africa Development team at national finals. The new addition of the Coca-Cola Schools T20 Challenge is aimed at spreading the talent search net wider and it saw a team of cricket experts attend all franchise finals in search of outstanding players in the teams that do not qualify for the national finals.

To engage with the tournament online, search #WhereHeroesAreMade on Twitter or visit @CocaCola_ZA and @OfficialCSA

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