Warriors deny Dolphins semifinal spot
by Bruno Dunn 05 December 2012, 22:30
A superb 5-28 from Ayabulela Gqamane and 4-28 from Andrew Birch was enough for the Chevrolet Warriors to beat the Sunfoil Dolphins by 22 runs in their Momentum One Day Cup match at Buffalo Park in East London on Wednesday.
Full Scorecard – Warriors v Dolphins
The result knocks the Dolphins out the tournament as they needed to win in order to qualify for the semifinals.
Birch started the defence of their 210 runs in the best possible way, dismissing Imraan Khan and Daryn Smit with only 22 runs on the board. The leading wicket-taker then struck again when he bowled Divan van Wyk for 23. Cody Chetty joined Vaughn van Jaarsveld and the two put on a partnership of 50 from 61 deliveries.
Birch picked up his fourth wicket, having Chetty caught by Ashwell Prince for 39 from 77 deliveries. David Miller only lasted six ball, scoring three runs before Gqamane had him caught by Ackermann.
When Van Jaarsveld was caught by Simon Harmer off the bowling of Gqamane for a well played 71 from 87 deliveries, the Dolphins found themselves in slight trouble at 157 for six. Slight trouble soon turned to huge trouble as Calvin Savage (0) and allrounder Robbie Frylinck (5) fell in quick succession as the Dolphins were 160 for eight.
A partnership of 21 from Kyle Abbott and Prenelan Subrayen gave the Durban side some hope, but the tail was wrapped up by Gqamane, leaving the Dolphins 23 runs short of their victory target.
Earlier Kyle Abbott's 4-38, along with Lonwabo Tsotsobe's 3-43 helped bowl the Warriors out for 210, which the Dolphins would have been confident of chasing down.
The pair took the new ball and Tsotsobe dismissed Ashwell Prince for a duck in the opening over to give the Dolphins the perfect start. The former world No 1 then sent Jon-Jon Smuts back for 12 as the Warriors were struggling at 19 for two.
Christiaan Jonker marched to the crease and along with Colin Ackermann spent an hour at the crease but the latter only managed 13 before Chetty took his second catch of the innings, Ackermann falling to a Savage delivery.
Captain Davy Jacobs provided Jonker with the partnership that the Warriors desperately needed. The fourth wicket partnership reached 50 from 65 deliveries as they eased the total past 100 in the 27th over.
Jacobs was dismissed for 25 by Imraan Khan and Wayne Parnell came and went soon after. Jonker and Craig Thyssen built a partnership that got the Warriors past 150.
Kyle Abbott claimed the prize wicket of Jonker when he trapped him leg-before for a well played 84 from 110 deliveries. Thyssen tried his best towards the back-end of the innings with a cameo of 23 before he became Tsotsobe's third victim.
Tsotsobe and Abbott may have claimed the most wickets, but Savage was the most economical, he completed his 10 over spell with tidy figures of 2-39.
CHEVROLET WARRIORS: Ashwell Prince, Jon-Jon Smuts, Christiaan Jonker, Colin Ackerman, Davy Jacobs (capt, w/k), Wayne Parnell, Craig Thyssen, Ayabulela Gqamane, Basheer Walters, Andrew Birch, Makhaya Ntini.
SUNFOIL DOLPHINS : Imraan Khan, Divan van Wyk, Daryn Smit (capt, wk), Cody Chetty, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, David Miller, Robbie Frylinck, Kyle Abbott, Mthokozisi Shezi, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Prenelan Subrayan.
