NTULI STARS WITH THE BALL AS HEAT CLAIMS VICTORY
Northern Cape Heat's 26-year-old spinner Tshepo Ntuli bagged back-to-back first-class five-wicket hauls in the first and second innings as he helped Heat overcome Limpopo Impalas in their four-day encounter at The Oval in Kimberley on Saturday. Heat won the encounter by 275 runs.
In the Impalas’ first innings, Ntuli bagged six wickets for 39 runs and in the second, he claimed five wickets for 47 runs to register his fourth and fifth first-class five-wicket hauls.
On day one, Impalas won the toss and elected to field first. The Limpopo Impalas bowlers kept the Heat's batters relatively quiet until the moment Kelly Smuts (77) joined forces with Romano Terblanche (49*). The pair put together a 66-run partnership, Heat's highest partnership of the innings. The pair's effort helped Heat reach 238 in their first innings.
Limpopo Impalas' reply was ill-fated from the onset. The opening pair of Liam Peters and Louren Steenkamp shared the crease for only 7.4 overs before it was broken. What followed was a procession of wickets as the Impalas failed to compile meaningful partnerships that could stem the collapse.
Thomas Hobson (57*) and Ntoko Mahlaba (29) combined for a 78-run eighth-wicket partnership that gave the Impalas a little bit of hope. After that partnership was broken, there was no other partnership that came to fruition. The Impalas were bowled out for 170.
On day two, Victor Mahlangu and Jason Oakes scored brilliant half-centuries that helped Heat to put the game beyond the reach of the Impalas in Northern Cape Heat's second innings at the close of day two.
Day three began with Rivaldo Moonsamy and Grant Thomson at the crease for Northern Cape Heat. The pair added 10 runs to their overnight partnership before Sithembile Langa dismissed him. His erstwhile partner, Thomson, survived 10 overs longer before he too made the trek back to the dressing room after scoring a hard-fought 16 from 55 balls and combining with Kelly Smuts for a 43-run partnership.
Smuts, a former Warriors and SA under-19 player, did not last long after Thomson's dismissal. Smuts was trapped lbw by Langa for a handy 36 runs from 53 balls.
Romano Terblanche joined forces with Juan Landsberg to compile a 58-run partnership that saw Northern Cape Heat past 300 runs. Terblanche's innings was brought to a halt by Ruan Haasbroek in the 81st over.
After Terblanche's dismissal, Landsberg dug deep and soldiered to his maiden first-class half-century that came off 106 deliveries. The 26-year-old left-arm spinner's effort almost pushed Heat beyond the 350-run mark. Landsberg's innings was cut short by Haasbroek with Heat on 348 runs.
Former Free State and Eagles spinner Tshepo Ntuli struggled to get the ball off the square and faced 13 balls for his two runs before he fell to Langa's bowling. Johan van Dyk was the last batter to be dismissed. His innings yielded a valuable 26 runs from 59 balls.
Sithembile Langa was Impalas' most successful bowler with three wickets from 18 overs at an economy of 2.78 runs an over. Ruan Haasbroek also took three wickets from 17 overs, but at a marginally higher economy rate of 2.88 runs an over.
Trailing by 429 runs, Limpopo Impalas would have hoped for a 50-run opening partnership between Liam Peters and Louren Steenkamp. The opening pair only managed to chip 15 runs from their deficit before Steenkamp was dismissed by Grant Thomson, trapped lbw for an almost-a-run-a-ball 10 runs that came off 11 deliveries.
Impalas found themselves in deeper trouble when their No 3 batter Ludwig Kaestner was dismissed in the eighth over. The bails to the 22-year-old's stumps were dislodged by Tshepo Ntuli spin to leave the Impalas struggling at 24 for two.
Ruan Haasbroek and Liam Peters' rebuilding effort after two early wickets lasted only for 9.1 overs. Their third-wicket partnership saw Impalas past 50 runs and not much further. Unable to match his heroics with the ball, Haasbroek was dismissed by Ernest Kemm.
Thirty-one-year-old Kemm, a former Titans player, was on a roll. He dismissed Thomas Hobson for a duck two balls later. Impalas were in murkier waters, they were four wickets down and in need of 377 more runs to win.
In the wake of the procession of wickets, Liam Peters dropped anchor and chose to play a watchful innings. Peters' watchfulness was the perfect foil to Nyiko Shikwambana's aggressive stroke-playing. Shikwambana hit five fours as he raced to score a 34-ball 31 runs. Shikwambana scored 31 of the 41 runs of the pair's partnership. Shikwambana vacated the crease after being trapped lbw by Tshepo Ntuli.
Eight balls later, Ntuli was back at it again. The crafty right-arm off-break bowler also trapped allrounder Sizwe Masondo lbw for a duck.
Liam Peters' 113-ball vigil, which brought him 43 runs, ended in the 40th over, again, thanks to Ntuli's bowling. Peters was seven runs away from his maiden first class half-century when his wicket fell. The dismissal of the 25-year-old by Ntuli signalled the beginning of the end of the Impalas' innings.
Four balls after celebrating his fifth first-class five-wicket haul, Ntuli broke through Sithembile Langa's defences to dismiss him for a four-ball four runs. 17 balls after Langa's dismissal, Zakhele Qwabe was the next batter to make his way back to the dressing room. The pacer had contributed 10 runs to the Impalas' effort.
Ntoko Mahlaba was the last wicket to fall after 44.2 overs. Mahlaba's valiant 45-ball 19 runs were not enough to inch the Impalas closer to Northern Cape Heat's total.
Tshepo Ntuli was Northern Cape Heat's most successful bowler. Ntuli claimed his fifth first-class five-wicket haul in the innings. Ntuli took five wickets for 47 runs in 20 overs.
VISSER HELPS EASTERN STORM EXTEND LEAD
Aron Visser stroked nine boundaries for his 111-ball 61 runs that helped Eastern Storm to extend their lead over the Garden Route Badgers in their four-day encounter at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, on Saturday. Visser's unbeaten knock helped Storm to reach 95 for three at the close of play on day three.
Eastern Storm lead the Garden Route Badgers by 174 runs with seven wickets in hand.
Centurion Matthew Christensen and Sean Whitehead struggled to pick up from where they left off on day two. The pair added a mere 11 runs to their overnight partnership. All of those runs came off Whitehead's bat before the allrounder was trapped lbw by Amaan Khan for a brisk 18 runs from 22 balls.
The next batter in, Pheko Moletsane, never got going. The 21-year-old former SA U19 player faced 12 deliveries for his six runs before he was trapped lbw by Tumelo Simelane.
For a moment, it looked as if Christensen could be in danger of running out of partners before scoring his third first-class century. Fortunately for him, Jarred Jardine did not lose his wicket first. After reaching his 100 runs, Christensen became the third batter to be trapped lbw by Simelane. Two overs later, Jardine became the fourth. Simelane completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Basheeru-Deen Walters, caught and bowled, for a three-ball duck.
Tumelo Simelane was Eastern Storm's most successful bowler. The 27-year-old spinner bagged his second first-class five-wicket haul with match figures that read: five wickets from 19.1 overs at an economy of 2.3 runs an over.
Aron Visser and Wesley Coulentianos gave Eastern Storm a good start to their second innings with a 69-run opening stand that lasted 18 overs. The partnership was broken when 28-year-old Coulentianos was dismissed, lbw, by Sean Whitehead.
After Coulentianos' dismissal, Visser and Kabelo Sekhukhune saw Eastern Storm through to tea without further damage. Sekhukhune, a former SA Under-19 player, did not last long after the tea break and fell for a 25-ball three runs. The next batter in, Danie Rossouw, barely got his eye in before he was trapped lbw by Sean Whitehead for one run.
Visser (61*) and Shane Dadswell (4*) were at the crease for Eastern Storm at stumps.
Sean Whitehead was Garden Route Badgers' most successful bowler with 2-24 runs in 13 overs. Marcelo Piedt also contributed with one wicket from eight overs.
RAIN PREVENTS PLAY ON DAY THREE AT PIETERMARITZBURG OVAL
The third day of play in the four-day match between AET Tuskers and Mpumalanga Rhinos at Pietermaritzburg Oval was washed out by rain.
Mpumalanga Rhinos trail Tuskers by 258 runs with 10 wickets remaining.
Late on the second day of play, the Tuskers asked the Rhinos to follow-on after they had scored a mere 151 runs in their first innings in response to Tuskers' first innings total of 441 runs.
In their first innings effort, the Rhinos had only one batter to cross the 30-run mark in their innings. Opening batter Blake Schraader top-scored for the Rhinos with 34 runs. The Rhinos' abysmal innings were a stark contrast to the Tuskers innings that produced two centurions, Thamsanqa Khumalo (141) and Michael Erlank (118), and one half-century scorer, Malcolm Nofal (69*).
Tumi Koto (13*) and Blake Schraader (18*) were at the crease for the Rhinos at stumps on day two and will seek to build a strong partnership when play resumes on day four.