Jason Niemand scored a measured half-century as Eastern Cape Iinyathi gave a firm reply to Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers' first innings score of 165 on day one of their CSA Four-Day Series match at Buffalo Park, East London, on Thursday.
Niemand's half-century helped Iinyathi reach 122 for two wickets at the close of play.
Eastern Cape Iinyathi trail the Badgers by 43 runs with eight wickets remaining.
The 24-year-old faced 124 deliveries and struck seven fours on his way to an unbeaten 56 runs at the close of play. This 50 is Niemand's seventh first-class half-century.
Though they managed to wrestle back control of the game, Eastern Cape Iinyathi's innings did not start well. Niemand's opening partner, Joshua van Heerden, had a short stay in the middle, despite looking solid. The 24-year-old Germany international was forced to walk back to the dressing room after he was run out by Matthew Christensen in the eighth over.
After Van Heerden's dismissal, Niemand and Nonelela Yikha regrouped and put together a 70-run second-wicket partnership that put the home team on solid footing. The Impalas were closing in on the 100-run mark when Yikha was trapped lbw by Basheeru-Deen Walters.
At stumps, Niemand was in the company of Jerry Nqolo (10*) in the middle.
Basheeru-Deen Walters was the only bowler to take a wicket for the Badgers on day one. The 36-year-old pacer bowled nine overs and conceded 23 runs.
Earlier in the day, the Badgers' innings progressed in fits and starts after they had been asked to bat first by Eastern Cape Iinyathi's captain, Marco Marais.
Blayde Capell (37) and Jhedli van Briesies worked Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers out of a hole with a 60-run second-wicket partnership.
Capell and van Briesies came together in the first over after the dismissal of Matthew Christensen for a two-ball duck.
The 26-year-old opener lost his wicket after he mistimed a Phaphama Fojela delivery and gifted Mncedisi Malika an easy catch. The Capell-van Briesies partnership was broken by Sinovuyo Ntuntwana in the 17th over.
The Badgers wasted the solid platform built by Capell and Van Briesies as they slid from a relatively okay position of 61 for two in 17 overs to 118 for five after 34 overs.
Capell's replacement, Andre Malan (15), did not last long. The 31-year-old partnered with Van Briesies through 9.2 overs, and in that period he faced 28 deliveries before Jade de Klerk broke through his defences.
Jhedli van Briesies, who had looked composed and self-assured as he struck nine fours in his 47-run innings, was trapped lbw by Gideon Peters three runs short of his maiden first-class half-century.
Van Briesies, who is playing in his 14th first-class match, recorded a new high score in the format. His previous best was 40.
Jean du Plessis had barely got his eye in before Peters dismissed him to claim his second wicket of the innings. 2.3 overs after Du Plessis' dismissal, Onke Nyaku (14) was the next batter out.
The 28-year-old allrounder's marching orders came from Phaphama Fojela. Fojela dislodged Nyaku's stumps. Pheko Moletsane continued the collapse when he became Gideon Peters' third victim. Moletsane was dismissed for a five-ball duck.
The Badgers' hope for a score closer to 200 or more lay in Sean Whitehead's longevity at the crease. The 25-year-old allrounder has an average of 40.73 and boasts two centuries and four half-centuries so far in his young career.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Whitehead did not last long enough to have a significant impact on the game. He only managed 21 runs from 34 balls.
After Whitehead was back in the hutch, the Badgers added a mere 11 runs to the total before they were bowled out.
Sinovuyo Ntuntwana was the pick of the bowlers for Eastern Cape Iinyathi. The 30-year-old took three wickets from 12 overs for 51 runs. Gideon Peters was one run more expensive than Ntuntwana. Like Ntuntwana, the 23-year-old also took three wickets from 12 overs. He conceded 52 runs.
IMPALAS-TUSKERS MATCH IN THE BALANCE
Morne Venter scored a measured half-century to help Limpopo Impalas reach 251 all out on day one of their CSA Four-Day Series match against the AET Tuskers at Polokwane Cricket Club on Thursday.
In their reply, the Tuskers had accumulated 49 runs without losing a wicket at stumps. The Tuskers, who had openers Yaseen Valli (18*) and Thamsanqa Kumalo (21*) at the crease at the close of play, trail the Impalas by 202 runs with 10 wickets in hand.
Limpopo Impalas won the toss and chose to bat first.
Venter found himself at the crease after the Impalas top order had a look in but failed to kick on. The 25-year-old, who is playing in his third first-class match, showed a lot of class as he struck 11 fours on his way to 76 runs off 141 balls.
Ruan Haasbroek, with whom Venter shared a 78-run partnership, was the only other batter to score significant runs for the Impalas.
The first four overs of the Impalas' innings were a one-man show. Liam Peters faced 17 of the 24 deliveries sent down by the Tuskers bowlers. He also scored all the runs the Impalas had at the time.
Unfortunately for the Impalas, Peters's innings was short and sweet. He had scored 12 runs from 17 balls when he was dismissed by Keith Dudgeon.
Ludwig Kaestner and Thomas Hobson were watchful as they consolidated the Impalas' innings. The pair scored at 1.98 runs an over for the duration of their 42-run partnership.
Their second-wicket partnership fell apart when Kaestner was caught and bowled for 15 by Malcolm Nofal. 6.5 overs and 21 runs later, Hobson joined his erstwhile partner back on the pavilion.
Again, Malcolm Nofal was involved, this time as the fielder who took the catch to dismiss the 28-year-old batter.
Louren Steenkamp and Morne Venter mounted a 54-run fourth-wicket resistance against the assault by the Tuskers' bowling attack.
The duo was scoring at a relatively brisk rate of 4.74 runs an over. Steenkamp was the more attacking of the two, he was going at a strike rate of 103.70. His blitz, which yielded 28 runs from 27 balls, was brought to a halt by Andile Mogakane.
A little over seven overs after Steenkamp's dismissal, Venter raised his bat to celebrate his second first-class half-century. Before this knock, Venter's previous high score was 66.
After 64.2 overs, the 25-year-old, who was on 64, surpassed that figure with an exquisite drive that zoomed past long-off for four runs.
Ruan Haasbroek was unable to do as Venter. The 25-year-old lost his wicket five runs short of his seventh first-class half-century. Haasbroek's dismissal signalled a collapse of the Impalas' lower order.
It took the Tuskers 2.4 overs for them to claim another wicket as Sizwe Masondo meekly fell to Nofal's bowling. 2.4 overs seemed to be the magic number because that was also the period between Masondo and Venter's dismissals.
Venter's outstanding innings ended after he edged a Stefan Tait and was caught by Dilivio Ridgaard behind the stumps.
Sahil Patel and Sithembile Langa shared a brief 17-run eighth-wicket partnership. Their partnership's short life was a sign of things to come, the writing was on the wall for the hosts.
Stefan Tait was the pick of the bowlers for the Tuskers. The 26-year-old bagged his second first-class five-wicket haul with figures of five wickets for 49 runs in 17 overs. Five for 47 is his new career-best bowling figures in an innings.
HEAT IN CONTROL AGAINST STORM
Ernest Kemm led the way with a fantastic century as Northern Cape Heat piled on 362 runs for six wickets on day one of their CSA Four-Day Series match against Eastern Storm at the Diamond Oval on Thursday.
At the toss, Kemm elected to bat first and made the best of the conditions. The 32-year-old Northern Cape Heat captain carved 19 fours on his way to 117 runs from 243 deliveries.
Kemm was ably supported by Jason Oakes and Rivaldo Moonsamy, both with whom he shared significant partnerships.
After a poor start that saw Victor Mahlangu departing after scoring only six runs from 20 balls after 5.4 overs, Northern Cape Heat wrestled control back from the visitors.
Jason Oakes and Ernest Kemm achieved this through a 110-run second-wicket partnership that spanned over 38.3 overs.
During the course of their partnership, Jason Oakes reached his ninth first-class half-century. The 27-year-old faced just under 110 deliveries on his way to the milestone.
Kemm was a little slower. The 32-year-old faced 127 balls to reach his 19th first-class half-century. Following Oakes' dismissal, Kemm was joined by Rivaldo Moonsamy at the crease.
The 26-year-old former Northerns player was in imperious form as he carved eight fours to race to his 15th first-class half-century. Moonsamy faced 51 deliveries to reach 50.After 57.3 overs, Amaan Khan gifted Kemm a short delivery with just enough width for the former Titans player to cut past deep backward point for 4 runs. And with that, he brought up his 12th first-class century.
Moonsamy's free-flowing innings ended shortly after the late afternoon drinks break. He had scored 13 fours on his way to 85 runs off 92 balls.
Nineteen balls after Moonsamy's dismissal, Ernest Kemm joined him in the dressing room. With the two set batters gone in a short space of time, Grant Thomson (30) and Hanu Viljoen (28) needed to roll up their sleeves to rebuild the innings.
Thomson and Viljoen stood strong and consolidated the innings for 15.5 overs. Their fifth-wicket partnership had just passed the 50-run mark when it was disrupted by the dismissal of Thomson by Nico van Zyl.
Viljoen's plan to guide Northern Cape Heat to stumps without further damage was undone by Tumelo Simelane moments before the close of play.
At stumps, Northern Cape Heat had Kelly Smuts (15*) and Romano Terblanche (7*) at the crease.
Tumelo Simelane was Eastern Storm's most successful bowler with three wickets for 95 runs in 27 overs. Kabelo Sekhukhune, Amaan Khan and Nico van Zyl took a single wicket each.