Rain spoils T20 Challenge Cape Derby

The T20 Challenge Cape Derby between World Sports Betting Western Province and Goldrush Boland has been abandoned without a ball being bowled due rain at World Sports Betting Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on Sunday.

With the toss due 15 minutes before the start at 14h00, the covers remained on with heavy rain in the morning and scattered showers throughout the day. The umpires eventually made the call to abandon the match at 16h30 with both Province and Boland starting the campaign unbeaten and with two points each.

Both teams had won two matches out of the last five head-to-head encounters with one no-result. WP had won the last encounter by 63 runs in April this year in Paarl, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten 77 from 42 balls by Kyle Verreynne while Beuran Hendricks (3-18) and Onke Nyaku (3-27) starred with the ball as the hosts were dumped for 110 in response to WP’s 173 for four.

The previous encounter here at Newlands was also washed out with Western Province on 86 for one at the time. However, the previous two matches saw Boland secure victories by five and seven wickets respectively, both in 2022.

Western Province and Boland did not have the best of efforts last season, with the home side winning just five of their 14 matches and Boland managing just four wins. Both sides were some way off the play-off positions in terms of points gained.

Province were some eight points behind the Momentum Multiply Titans in fourth while Boland were a further nine points back but thankfully eight ahead of the KZN Inland, whom were relegated. Boland’s escape from the relegation zone was thanks to two consecutive victories in the final run-in while WP managed just a single win from the last five matches.

The home side will be without Tony de Zorzi, Verreynne and Nandre Burger who are with the Proteas in the UAE while Boland are unaffected by Proteas call-up’s. The visitors will be hoping that the experience of Aya Gqamane, Pieter Malan and Shaun von Berg will stand them in good stead.

WORLD SPORTS BETTING WESTERN PROVINCE – TBA

GOLDRUSH BOLAND – TBA