The After two days of play at the annual Khaya Majola Cricket Week, only two unbeaten teams are left in the Platinum Division. They are the hosts, Western Province, and the Dolphins.
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WP staged a backs-to-the-wall fightback to score a hard-fought 21-run victory over the defending champions, Lions, on the Jacques Kallis Oval.
The home team was restricted to just 140 runs, thanks to brilliant bowling by seam bowler Ruan Strauss (6/22).
On a day that undoubtedly belonged to the bowlers, WP’s Divan Linde (5/27) responded well and snared a five-wicket haul with his spin bowling to lead his team to a treasured win.
U19 Khaya Majola Week Day 1 scorecards
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KZN Inland 196/8 (Cian Fortmann 50, Marcell Wellmann 30, Sphamandla Dzanibe 27*; Daniel Nadasan 26, Charles Swart 22; Raeeq Daniels 3/38, Timothy Short 2/37, Mbulelo Dube 2/48);
Western Province 197/4 (Benni Hansen 58, Siyabonga Venge 57,… pic.twitter.com/kTyDnWYlDv
Lions had appeared on course for a comfortable victory, reaching 97/1 in the 31st over, before Paul James (3/12) and Linde caused chaos for the visitors. The defending champs crumbled, losing their last nine wickets for only 22 runs.
With the Lions suffering successive losses, it seems likely that a new Khaya Majola Week champion will be crowned.
The reason the door remains slightly ajar for Lions is that KZN Inland defeated Free State by 47 runs in their clash. The Pietermaritzburg side owed plenty to Chad Mason, who dismissed seven of Free State’s batsmen for just 27 runs with his leg spin.
His excellent return was the fifth-best bowling performance in the tournament since 1994. At first, Free State seemed to be on their way to a solid total when Christian Kind (55) and Naudé Botha (59) put on 93 for the opening wicket. In the end, though, they were limited to just 162.
Dolphins retained their unbeaten status, thanks to a five-wicket win over Boland. It was the batting of Mfana Shange (26*) and Nqobani Mokoena (21*) that carried their team past the victory target. A fifty by Max Robertson (55) had earlier laid the foundation for his side's successful run chase.
Titans, beaten on the opening day, got on track on Tuesday with a win, thanks to a solid all-round performance by Charl Prinsloo. He scored an unbeaten 33 runs with the bat and then picked up 2/17 to lead his side's bowling effort.
North West's left-arm spinner Nathan Rossouw (5/18) also performed well, helping his team skittle Northern Cape for just 70 runs.
The Cricket South Africa Invitation Team remains unbeaten in the Gold Division. The Invitation side's Ombesa Matsha (66) and Zuko Pontshi (57*) shared a partnership of 101 runs for the second wicket as they comfortably chased down 190 to score a seven-wicket victory over Border.
Easterns also bagged a second win on the trot, cruising to a seven-wicket victory over Limpopo in another Gold Division game. The winning team's Aldré Huysers (84) and Jacques Havenga (50*) were at the forefront of their success, with a 100-run partnership for the third wicket.
Summarised Scorecards (Limited Overs):
Western Province 140 (Adnaan Lagadien 33, Paul James 26, Kashief Joseph 25, Divan Linde 24; Ruan Strauss 6/22, Sipho Potsane 2/16);
Lions 119 (Armaan Manack 44, Pranav Raichetti 37; Divan Linde 5/27, Paul James 3/12). Western Province won by 21 runs.
KZN Inland 209/9 (Daniel Nadasan 38, Cian Fortmann 34, Ben Hockley 28, Siposethu Ngcobo 23, Extras 21; Darion Rabie 2/25, Meyer Pretorius 2/41, Hendru de Wet 2/47);
Free State 162 (Naudé Botha 59, Christian Kind 55, Extras 23; Chad Mason 7/27). KZN Inland won by 47 runs.
Boland 130 (Johan Wege 49, Christiaan Wege 24, Extras 20; Ntandoyenkosi Soni 3/17, Sandiswa Yeni 2/27); Dolphins 131/5 (Max Robertson 55, Mfanafuthi Shange 26*, Nqobani Mokoena 21*; Taywin Adams 2/36). Dolphins won by five wickets.
Titans 235/9 (Steve Stolk 41, Divan de Villiers 38, Charl Prinsloo 33*, Mohammad Rasool 30, Tshepang Laka 25, Extras 24, Jorich van Schalkwyk 23; Dawid Vermaak 2/24, Kian Cambier 2/26, Cayden Wilson 2/42); Eastern Province 201 (Xander Elkington 54, Hamza Khan 36, Kian Cambier 29, Indiphile Tshisa 28; Charl Prinsloo 2/17, Mohammad Rasool 2/20, Divan de Villiers 2/46). Titans won by 34 runs.
Border 189 (Chulumanco Macozoma 59, Tré Gilbert 50, Jacques van der Merwe 23; Vihan Pretorius 3/19, Paul Matlala 3/32, Ryall Julies 2/20);
CSA Invitational XI 190/3 (Ombesa Matsha 66, Zuko Pontshi 57*, Extras 26; Aaron Senekal 1/17). CSA Invitational XI won by seven wickets.
Northern Cape 70 (Benjamin Potgieter 33; Nathan Rossouw 5/18, Barend de Klerk 3/21);
North West 73/5 (Caiden Seleka 25; Danie van der Merwe 3/19). North West won by five wickets.
Mpumalanga 73 (John Duncan 27; Corné Kennedy 3/17, Enathi Kitshini 2/9, Shirwin Plaatjies 2/15, Liviwe Bawuli 2/15);
Garden Route Badgers 74/2 (Enathi Kitshini 29*; Curtleigh Koetzee 1/14). Garden Route Badgers won by eight wickets.
Limpopo Impalas 193 (Victor Sehata 33, Extras 32, Hanno van Zyl 28, Coetzee du Preez 26*, Nicolas Oerlemans 20; Sabelo Mabanga 4/28, Ahmed Imran 2/36, Parth Patel 2/37); Easterns 196/3 (Aldré Huysers 84, Jacques Havenga 50*, Sabelo Mabanga 40; Timothy Baker 2/23). Easterns won by seven wickets.