Warriors crush Knights by 10 wickets
by Bruno Dunn 19 January 2013, 12:24
Career best figures of eight for 30 from Andrew Birch handed the Chevrolet Warriors a convincing ten wicket victory against the Chevrolet Knights in their Sunfoil Series match at Chevrolet Park in Bloemfontein on Saturday. The Warriors were set a victory target of just 94.
Full Scorecard – Knights v Warriors
The Warriors managed to score 281 in their first innings, giving them a slender 13 run lead, thanks to 50 from Simon Harmer, 40 from Arno Jacobs and 37 from Ashwell Prince. Birch then ripped through the Knights top order, claiming the wickets of Michael Erlank (0) and first innings centurion, Rilee Rossouw (4) in a fiery opening over.
Rudi Second was out for three in Birch’s third over when he was caught behind by Adrian McLaren. Another over from Birch meant another wicket for the Warriors, the 27 year-old taking a return catch to remove Ryan Bailey for eight. The Knights were affectively nine for four.
Davy Jacobs decided to give Birch a rest after a fantastic spell of four for 17 in six overs and throw the ball to Harmer. The decision paid off immediately as Harmer struck in his first over by trapping Obus Pienaar LBW for 17.
Patrick Botha and Dean Elgar did their best to try bat the Knights out of trouble, and at the close of play their partnership had reached 28, with the home side affectively 63 for five.
Day three started with back-to-back maidens from Birch and Rabie, but in the third over Birch completed his five wicket haul when Botha was caught behind for 18. The day got worse for the home side when Birch found Elgar’s outside edge and he was caught behind for 34. The Knights were on the ropes with their total affectively 73 for seven.
Next to go, in what was becoming a precession, was Romano Terblanche, clean bowled by Rabie for eight. Birch wrapped up the tail with his seventh and eighth wickets when Dillon du Preez was caught by Ayabulela Gqamane for four and then trapping Corne Dry LBW for a duck.
With just 94 runs needed for victory, the Warriors opening pair of Michael Price and Davy Jacobs batted with aggression and real intent. They raced to their 50 in a mere 46 deliveries and passed their victory target in just 13.3 overs, at a run-rate of 7.30 to the over. Jacobs was not out on 44, including 4 fours and three sixes, while Price was 48 not out with seven fours and a six.
Birch completed the match with figures of nine for 83 and Rabie finished with five for 110.
The victory keeps the Warriors in touching distance of log leaders, the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras.
Report Day 1
Report Day 2
CHEVROLET WARRIORS: ML Price, DJ Jacobs (capt), A Jacobs, AG Prince, V Makhaphela, C Jonker, AP McLaren (wk), SR Harmer, ACR Birch, A Gqamane, GR Rabie
CHEVROLET KNIGHTS: MN Erlank, RS Second (wk), RR Rossouw, D Elgar, RT Bailey, AJ Pienaar, P Botha, RK Terblanche (capt), D du Preez, CA Dry, MP Siboto
