Six Gun Grill Western Province were slightly on top of hosts Gbets Rocks with the home side on 25/2 in their first innings at the close of play on day one of their CSA Four Day series clash at Boland Park in Paarl on Wednesday afternoon.
In the day's final session the visitors were bowled all out for 355 in their first innings, with the Rocks then slipping two wickets down by stumps to leave them in a spot of bother.
It was the third over that brought the wickets as Beuran Hendricks had opener Janneman Malan (2) caught by Daniel Smith and then bowled Stiaan van Zyl for a three-ball duck leaving them on 10/2.
Pieter Malan (18no) and Aviwe Mgijima (4no) had to guide their side safely to the close and they will resume on the second morning looking to build a good partnership to dig themselves out of trouble.
Earlier in the final session, Province resumed their innings on 254/5 after tea looking to hammer home their advantage, but they were instead immediately pegged back as Mihlali Mpongwana (7) was trapped LBW by Hardus Viljoen, leaving them on 255/6.
George Linde (50) and Kyle Simmonds (41) then combined for an important 56-run seventh-wicket partnership to get them over the 300 run mark.
Linde, having just reached his 50, was caught by Van Zyl off the bowling of Achille Cloete, followed the next ball by Hendricks for a first-ball duck with him caught by Malan as they slipped to 311/8.
That became 324/9 when Dane Paterson (7) was caught by Shaun von Berg off the bowling of Michael Copeland, with Simmonds and last man Mthiwekhaya Nabe (14no) adding a crucial 31-runs for the final wicket.
BIRD FLIES HIGH WITH WELL-DESERVED 50
Cloete was the pick of the bowlers with 4-67, while Copeland, 3-44, and Viljoen, 2-60, backed him up well.
Earlier in the day in the post-lunch session Province resumed on 129/3, with Jonathan Bird (78) and Smith (62) picking things up after the break.
The two set about a strong 80-run fourth-wicket stand, taking their side past the 200 run mark, with Bird bringing up a well-deserved half century along the way before Siyabonga Mahima had him caught by Janneman Malan with the score 209/4.
Smith and Linde would have been keen to take them to tea, but a few overs before the break Smith, having reached his half century, was trapped LBW by Copeland as they slipped to 243/4, with Mpongwana and Linde then taking them to tea.
At the start of play Province won the toss and chose to bat, with them getting off to a good start thanks to a 69-run opening stand between the attacking Eddie Moore, as he hammered eight fours in a quickfire 44 off 32 balls, and Bird.
Moore’s fun, however, came to an end as he became the first to fall, with him caught by Von Berg off the bowling of Cloete.
Mohammed Vallie (15) and Bird shared in a 27-run second-wicket stand before Cloete struck again, trapping Vallie LBW with the score 96/2.
Valentine Kitime (19) and Bird then looked to take their side to lunch, but on the stroke of the break Viljoen struck, having Kitime caught by Copeland to keep Province in check after their decent start.
SIX GUN GRILL WESTERN PROVINCE: Eddie Moore, Jonathan Bird, Daniel Smith (wk), Yaseen Vallie, Valentine Kitime, George Linde, Kyle Simmonds, Mihlali Mpongwana, Beuran Hendricks (capt), Dane Paterson, Mthiwekhaya Nabe
GBETS ROCKS: Janneman Malan, Pieter Malan (capt), Stiaan van Zyl, Clyde Fortuin (wk), Aviwe Mgijima, Ferisco Adams, Shaun von Berg, Hardus Viljoen, Siyabonga Mahima, Glenton Stuurman, Achille Cloete