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Lions pip Cobras in thriller, Knights poised for victory
It took just seven deliveries on Wednesday morning for last season’s champions, the Imperial Lions, to complete an 11-run victory over the WSB Cape Cobras in their headline 4-Day Franchise Series match at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom.
Resuming on their overnight score of 191 for nine, the last two Cobras' batsmen, Aviwe Mgijima and Tladi Bokako, needed another 15 runs to reach their victory target of 206.
They survived the first over bowled by Bjorn Fortuin taking three singles off the left-arm spinner.
But seamer Malusi Siboto's first ball of the second over proved too much for Mgijima, the ball clipping his off stump.
Mgijima had batted for 91 minutes and faced 46 balls in his brave 25.
His dismissal also meant that Siboto recorded his seventh five-wicket haul in first-class cricket with the remarkable figures of 12.1-5-15-5.
The match was played on a dust bowl that greatly assisted the spinners, so it is not surprising that the game only just crept into the third day with batsmen struggling throughout.
Of the 40 wickets to fall in the match, the spinners accounted for 28 with left-arm spinner George Linde of the Cobras recording match figures of 11-131 (4-67 and 7-64).
Only three batsmen recorded half-centuries: Jason Smith (68 not out) and Kyle Verreynne (50) for the Cobras, and player of the match Kagiso Rapulana (84 not out) for the Lions.
IMPERIAL LIONS: Ryan Rickelton, Dominic Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Kagiso Rapulana, Wihan Lubbe, Nicky van den Bergh (capt & wk), Dwaine Pretorius, Bjorn Fortuin, Aaron Phangiso, Malusi Siboto, Beuran Hendricks
WSB CAPE COBRAS:
Pieter Malan (capt), Aviwe Mgijima, Dane Paterson, Tladi Bokako, George Linde, Janneman Malan, Jason Smith, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Matthew Kleinveldt, Nandre Burger, Simon Khomari
KNIGHTS POISED FOR VICTORY
The VKB Knights are well placed to clinch victory over the Warriors on the final day of their opening 4-Day Franchise Series match at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Thursday.
At the close of play on Wednesday, the Warriors were in disarray on 64 for five in their second innings, still needing a further 372 for victory after the Knights declared their second innings on 332 for six, leaving their opponents an academic target of 436 for the win.
Opening bowler Gerald Coetzee quickly put the skids under the Warriors innings when he dismissed both openers in his first two overs.
First he trapped Edward Moore leg before with his third ball before claiming the scalp of Matthew Breetzke, caught by wicketkeeper Clyde Fortuin, in his second over.
That left the Warriors reeling on nine for two and worse was to follow as Mbulelo Budaza struck twice in quick succession to dismiss Rudi Second for nine, caught by Fortuin, and then the key wicket of Gihahn Cloete (31), leg before.
That left the Warriors on 49 for four and another nail in the coffin was hammered home shortly before the close when captain Jon-Jon Smuts was bowled by legspinner Shaun von Berg for eight.
That left the undefeated Sinethemba Qeshile – the only Warriors batsman to score a half-century in their first innings – and the tail a massive challenge to avert defeat on Thursday.
The Knights' second innings was largely built on a third-wicket partnership of 176 between skipper Pite van Biljon and Keegan Petersen.
Van Biljon struck 10 fours and two sixes in his 135-ball 95 before being bowled by medium-pacer Lutho Sipamla. Petersen reached 84 (148 balls, 7x4s) before being trapped leg before by the same bowler.
A brisk unbeaten 61 in 88 balls by Von Berg enabled the home team to stretch their lead even further after tea.
Sipamla was the most successful bowler for the Warriors – claiming all three wickets that fell after lunch – and he finished with 3-70 in 16 overs.
VKB KNIGHTS: Grant Mokoena, Raynard van Tonder, Keegan Petersen, Pite van Biljon (capt), Patrick Kruger, Shaun von Berg, Gerald Coetzee, Marco Jansen, Tshepo Ntuli, Mbulelo Budaza, Clyde Fortuin (wk)
WARRIORS: Matthew Breetzke, Andrew Birch, Jon-Jon Smuts (capt), Sinethemba Qeshile, Yaseen Vallie, Lutho Sipamla, Jade de Klerk, Glenton Stuurman, Edward Moore, Onke Nyaku, Rudi Second (wk)
TITANS LOOK TO SET UP VICTORY BID
The Multiply Titans were 117 for three in their second innings – an overall lead of 173 – at the close of the third day of their 4-Day Franchise Series clash against the Hollywoodbets Dolphins at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.
Needing quick runs to set up the match, Tony de Zorzi and Andrea Agathangelou got the innings off to a brisk start, but both were dismissed with the total on 45 with Okuhle Cele getting De Zorzi and, four balls later, Andile Phehlukwayo accounting for Agathangelou.
Titans skipper Grant Thomson then cracked seven fours in a brisk 38 before he played on to Eathan Bosch shortly before the close. First innings century-makers Neil Brand and Farhaan Behardien will return to the crease on Thursday morning.
Earlier, the Dolphins conceded a first-innings deficit of 56 after being dismissed for 385 at tea on a pitch that has so far favoured the batsmen with 943 runs scored so far.
Resuming on their overnight total of 188 for three, the Dolphins' middle and lower order all came to the party with a series of useful contributions, including two half-century partnerships between Sibs Makhanya (47) and Andile Phehlukwayo (32) and Eathan Bosch (50) and Daryn Dupavillon (26). Almost every Dolphins batsman reached double-figures.
Bosch was the final batsman to be dismissed, falling for exactly 50 (61 balls, 7x4s).
Paceman Marcello Piedt was the most successful bowler for the Titans with 4-61 while Moreki and Galiem picked up a couple of wickets each.
MULTIPLY TITANS: Andrea Agathangelou, Tony de Zorzi, Neil Brand, Grant Thomson (capt & wk), Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Dayyaan Galiem, Rubin Herman, Junior Dala, Tshepo Moreki, Marcello Piedt
HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS: Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Grant Roelofsen (wk), Marques Ackerman, Cody Chetty, Khaya Zondo (capt), Sibs Makhanya, Eathan Bosch, Okuhle Cele, Daryn Dupavillon, Andile Phehlukwayo, Prenelan Subrayen
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