Saturday, 12 September 2026, was a memorable day of cricket as a team from CATCH Trust took part in the Gary Kirsten T20 Challenge, hosted by Parklands College.
Coming into the tournament as defending champions, the CATCH Trust team knew they had a title to defend and a challenge ahead of them. Despite the rain interruptions and a tough final, the team showed determination, teamwork and fighting spirit throughout the day.
CATCH trust’s first match of the day was against Pinelands High School. Pinelands won the toss and elected to bowl, sending CATCH in to bat first.
The opening pair Avuya Buti and Ayola Sam put together a steady partnership before Qader Ganief claimed the first wicket for Pinelands. Just as the innings was beginning to build momentum, play was suspended in the eighth over due to rain. After the delay, the teams returned to the field with CATCH on 69/1 after 11 overs.
CATCH continued to build their total, with Inga Ngcongolo providing an explosive finish to the innings. Inga smashed three consecutive sixes, two in the same area and one straight back over the bowler and ending the innings on an unbeaten 48 off 32 balls.
CATCH Trust finished their innings on 150/5 after 20 overs, with Ayola Sam contributing a valuable 37 from 37 balls.
Pinelands began their chase with CATCH striking quickly and taking important wickets. However, Amaan Ebrahim kept Pinelands in the contest with an impressive 45 from 24 balls, including four fours and two sixes. Ayaan Parker also contributed 28 from 31 balls.
CATCH’s bowling attack continued to apply pressure, with Likona Spandeel taking 2/21 and Ahluma Rhululu taking 1/14.
Pinelands ultimately fell short of the target, with CATCH Trust winning by 29 runs and booking their place in the final.
The final saw CATCH Trust face the hosts, Parklands College.
CATCH won the toss and elected to bat first. The innings got off to a challenging start, with CATCH losing their first wicket from the very first ball.
With the team under early pressure, Ayola Sam and Lwando Siswana stepped up to consolidate the innings and rebuild the total.
Ayola anchored the innings with an excellent 51 from 52 balls before being caught at point. Lwando contributed contributed 25 from 32 balls, while Likona Spandeel added a quick 16 from 11 balls towards the end of the innings.
CATCH Trust finished on 150/6 after 20 overs, setting Parklands a competitive target.
Parklands, however came out strongly in the second innings and began finding the boundary regularly, putting CATCH under pressure.
Josh Neil led the Parklands chase with an unbeaten 58 from 49 balls, supported by Ethan Randall, who scored 37 from 21 balls and Adam who added 26 from 23 balls.
Despite CATCH’s efforts to fight their way back into the contest, Parklands College reached the target in 18 overs and won the final by 7 wickets.
While the team from CATCH Trust were unable to defend their title, the team can be proud of the way they competed throughout the tournament.
From battling through a rain delay to producing a strong performance against Pinelands High School and then competing in a challenging final against the the hosts, the day was filled with determination, cricketing skill and plenty of memorable moments.
A huge congratulations to Parklands College on winning the Gary Kirsten T20 Challenge and to all who took part.
The result might have not gone our way, but the memories made and lessons learned will stay with the team long after the final ball.
