An unbeaten 90 from Aiden Markram and a five-wicket haul by Aya Gqamane were the two outstanding performances that enabled the Momentum Multiply Titans to comfortably beat the Gbets Rocks by six wickets in their CSA One-Day Cup match at Boland Park in Paarl on Friday.
It was the Rocks’ second consecutive defeat in the competition, and their second on home turf.
Gqamane’s 5-31 in 8.1 overs helped the Titans to dismiss the Rocks for 224 in 48.1 overs after Titans’ skipper Sibs Makhanya won the toss and inserted the home team.
And it was Markram’s innings that helped the Titans to overcome a sticky start and, along with Makhanya (65) and Donavon Ferreira (37 not out), eventually fashion a comfortable victory by six wickets with 9.2 overs to spare.
V I C T O R Y: Aiden Markram’s unbeaten 90 sees us chase down the target of 225 and claim victory by 6 wickets. Donovan Ferreira was with him on the other end on 37*.
— Momentum Multiply Titans (@Titans_Cricket) December 9, 2022
Congratulations men, top performance with bat and ball ????????? we go again on Sunday. #1DayCup | #SkyBlues pic.twitter.com/umOYtXQYl0
With the Titans having reduced the Rocks to a perilous 41 for four in the first powerplay, the visitors were in danger of subsiding themselves in the early overs after Hardus Viljoen trapped opener Jiveshan Pillay leg before in his opening over and followed that up with the scalps of Neil Brand and Dewald Brevis in his first spell to reduce the Titans to 29 for three in the ninth over.
But then Makhanya joined Markram and the two fashioned a match-winning partnership of 129 for the fourth wicket with Markram playing the anchor role while Makhanya struck a breezy 65 in 63 balls with nine fours and a six.
Makhanya became Viljoen’s fourth victim when the big man – who bowled superbly for his excellent figures of 4/34 in nine overs – came on for his second spell, top-edging a hook to deep square leg.
But any thoughts of an upset were quickly put to bed by the ever-solid Markram – whose innings spanned 108 balls and included seven fours – and new partner Donavon Ferreira (37 not out) who finished off the game with a flourish, striking Bamanye Xenxe for four, six and six off consecutive deliveries in the 41st over.
GQAMANE ON FIRE
Earlier, Gqamane grabbed his second five-wicket haul in List A cricket – including his 100th scalp overall – to help restrict the Gbets Rocks to their modest total.
INNINGS: Aya was on faya ?? with the ball as his 5-31 in 8.1 overs saw us restrict the GBets Rocks to 224 all out. Exceptionally bowled Aya ????.
— Momentum Multiply Titans (@Titans_Cricket) December 9, 2022
Aaron Phangiso (2-33), Neil Brand (1-35) and Corbin Bosch (1-52) also contributed with wickets. #1DayCup pic.twitter.com/kYZU78m192
The 33-year-old allrounder enjoyed an early three-wicket burst in the first powerplay to reduce the home team to 41 for four; before returning to claim his five-for, ending the innings for good measure by running out Imraan Manack after the tailender had struck the ball straight back at him.
Gqamane’s first three wickets represented the engine room of the Rocks’ batting with Janneman Malan, Stiaan van Zyl and Clyde Fortuin all falling victim to him.
He ripped out Malan’s middle-stump, had Van Zyl caught behind trying to hook a bouncer and then bowled Fortuin to claim 3-21 in his initial six-over spell.
Gqamane, the ultimate full-hearted cricketer, captured his 100th List A wicket when he clung onto an unlikely caught and bowled chance off the Rocks’ captain Ferisco Adams with the first ball of his second spell.
Adams, who had hauled his team out of a tough spot with his sixth List A half-century, belted a full toss with ferocious power straight back at Gqamane who could do little more than parry the ball upwards before diving full length to complete the catch.
Farhaan Behardien (33) and Michael Copeland (41) added 82 for the fifth wicket to ease the Rocks’ plight before Adams and Shaun von Berg (34) inched the team’s total towards respectability with a seventh-wicket partnership of 86.
Aside from Gqamane, left-arm spinners Aaron Phangiso (2-33 in 10) and and Neil Brand (1-35 in 10) helped to shackle the Rocks’ innings before Adams helped accelerate the stodgy run-rate with a 48-ball half-century that included three fours and two sixes.
MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS: Dewald Brevis, Jiveshan Pillay, Neil Brand, Aiden MarkrSibonelo Makhanya (c), Donavon Ferreira (w), Corbin Bosch, Ayabulela Gqamane, Aaron Phangiso, Tabraiz Shamsi, Okuhle Cele
GBETS ROCKS: Janneman Malan, Valintine Kitime, Stiaan van Zyl, Clyde Fortuin (w), Michael Copeland, Farhaan Behardien, Ferisco Adams (c), Shaun von Berg, Imran Manack, Hardus Viljoen, Bamanye Xenxe