Titans beat SWD to claim first semifinal spot

The loss of three wickets in the ninth over, saw the Six Gun Grill South Western Districts' run chase implode, handing the Multiply Titans a spot in the semifinals of Cricket SA T20 Knock Out competition in Kimberley on Tuesday.

The Division Two side had started in lively fashion thanks to an 82-run stand for the first wicket between Hanno Kotze and Leus du Plooy. However both were dismissed in that ninth over, bowled by the Titans captain Aaron Phangiso, and the momentum of the innings and ultimately the match too was lost, as the men in blue claimed a comfortable 54-run victory after bowling SWD out for 138 in the 17th over.

Du Plooy showed why he was so highly regarded as a junior, producing a well-crafted innings of 55 off 33 balls, as SWD stayed ahead of the required run rate in pursuit of a massive target of 193.

The two openers, with Du Plooy dominant, struck 11 fours and a six in the power play, during which the Oudtshoorn outfit scored at 11 runs an over.

The match changed in Phangiso's second over; he had Kotze stumped by wicketkeeper Gihahn Cloete for 24 and immediately followed that by dismissing SWD skipper Jean du Plessis first ball, with Cloete taking a diving catch after Du Plessis had gloved the ball. Du Plooy was superbly run out off the final ball of the over thanks to a sublime stop and throwing at point by Simon Harmer, followed by Cloete diving to break the stumps, with Du Plooy short of his ground.

Du Plooy's 55 included eight fours and a six, but his dismissal handed the initiative to the Titans.

Wickets fell regularly thereafter was the inexperienced SWD middle-order panicked. In all, SWD last all 10 of their wickets for just 56 runs off 52 balls, including a further three run-outs.

Once more the wily Phangiso showed what a valuable asset he is in this format, finishing with 2-18 from three overs.

FERREIRA TAKES CHARGE

The Titans' total of 192-5 was set up by Donavon Ferreira's unbeaten 55 which came off only 29 balls.

Asked to bat by SWD captain, the Titans were guided initially by a smartly made 48 from the returning Theunis de Bruyn, and while SWD fought back briefly thanks to two wickets in the 11th over by Herschell America, Ferreira's big-hitting in the last five overs of the innings, saw the Titans score 69 runs as they registered the joint sixth-highest total of the tournament.

De Bruyn, back in the side in place of the injured Dean Elgar, held the first half of the Titans innings together, hitting two sixes inside the power play as the Titans scored 44-2 with the fielding restrictions in place.

The Titans took early control, but America, having picked up the wicket of Neil Brand in the third over, returned in the 11th, to give SWD hope. He had De Bruyn, who struck four fours and three sixes, caught at long-off by Hanno Kotze and then bowled a devastating bounder to Dayyaan Galiem, which the batsmen, tried to fend off, with the ball deflecting onto his stumps.

Following Sibonelo Makhanya's dismissal in the 17th over for 26, Ferreira took charge, taking 19 runs off the 19th over bowled by America and then blasted a six in the final over bowled by Andre Malan, to take him passed 50. A boundary off the last ball of the innings took him to 55, a knock that included four fours and three sixes, with Aya Gqamane making 23 off 10 balls. Those two shared a stand of 50 for the sixth wicket.

America was the most successful of SWD's bowlers with figures of 3-34, while Marcello Piedt took 1-25.

SIX GUN GRILL SOUTH WESTERN DISTRICTS: Hanno Kotze, Leus du Plooy, Jean du Plessis (capt & wk), André Malan, Renaldo Meyer, Heath Richards, Marcello Piedt, Jhedli van Briesies, Sintu Majiza, Pheko Moletsane, Herschell America

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS: Gihahn Cloete (wk), Neil Brand, Theunis de Bruyn, Sibonelo Makhanya, Donovan Ferreira, Dayyaan Galiem, Corbin Bosch, Aya Gqamane, Simon Harmer, Aaron Phangiso (capt), Okuhle Cele