The Hollywoodbets Dolphins were slightly on top of the Renault North West Dragons at the close of play on day three, after they reached stumps on 14-0 in their second innings, needing 224 more runs to win their CSA 4-Day series match at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead on Saturday.
It was a strong final session of the day for the hosts as they picked up the last five Dragons wickets for 58 runs to see them all out for 186, which set the Dolphins 238 to win the match.
Openers Sarel Erwee (5*) and Tshepang Dithole (9*) will resume on Sunday’s final morning looking to build a good partnership to put them in a strong position, while the Dragons will be targeting early wickets to make things interesting.
Earlier in the game the Dragons scored 311 all out batting first, with the Dolphins responding with 260 all out, before the visitors reached tea on day three on 122-5.
Straight after the resumption Rubin Hermann (34) fell, caught by Khaya Zondo off the bowling of Bryce Parsons, with the score 128-6.
Bamanye Xenxe (24) then joined Ruan de Swardt (49*) and they combined for a 43-run seventh-wicket partnership, that seemed to be putting the visitors on top.
But Xenxe’s wicket, run out by Daryn Dupavillon, sparked a late- innings collapse as the last four wickets tumbled for 15 runs, leaving De Swardt stranded just a run short of a deserved half century.
Parsons, with fantastic figures of 5-28, was by far the pick of the bowlers, while Prenelan Subrayen, 2-58, backed him up well.
In the post lunch session the Dragons resumed on 66-3, and soon found themselves in big trouble as Wihan Lubbe (1) was nailed LBW by Subrayen and Raynard van Tonder (16) edged Dupavillon to keeper Hanu Viljoen, leaving them on 69-5.
That brought Hermann in to join De Swardt and they set about a rebuild with an unbeaten 53-run stand to take their side to tea without further trouble.
In the morning session the Dragons made short work of the Dolphins tail, to give them a decent 51-run lead to take into their second innings.
The Dolphins resumed their first innings on 244-7, but only added 16 to their score, as Romashan Pillay (70), who had struck a fighting half century in day two’s late afternoon session, could only add five to his overnight score when he was first to fall, caught by Van Tonder off the bowling of De Swardt.
De Swardt then had Subrayen (3) edging behind to keeper Janneman Malan and Odirile Modimokoane bowled Okuhle Cele for a duck to end the Dolphins' innings.
De Swardt, 3-39, and Modimokoane, 3-46, were the pick of the bowlers, while Xenxe, 2-34, also chipped in.
The Dragons' second innings got off to a steady start as Matthew Kleinveldt (36) and Malan (3) shared in a 34-run opening stand.
But the Dolphins hit back as Subrayen pinned Malan LBW and Cele trapped Lesiba Ngoepe LBW for a third-ball duck as they slipped to 37-2.
Kleinveldt and Van Tonder almost rallied and took them to lunch, but on the stroke of the break Parsons had Kleinveldt stumped by keeper Viljoen to give the Dolphins a boost.
HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS: Tshepang Dithole Sarel Erwee, Khaya Zondo, Bryce Parsons, Jason Smith, Romashan Pillay, Hanu Viljoen (wk), Prenelan Subrayen, Keshav Maharaj (capt), Okuhle Cele, Darryn Dupavillon
RENAULT NORTH WEST DRAGONS: Matthew Kleinveldt, Janneman Malan (wk), Lesiba Ngoepe, Raynard van Tonder, Wihan Lubbe (capt), Ruan de Swardt, Rubin Hermann, Bamanye Xenxe, Caleb Seleka, Odirile Modimokoane, Lutendo Tsanwani