A five-wicket haul by Bjorn Fortuin and four scalps for Wiaan Mulder enabled the DA World Lions to beat Western Province by 106 runs in the final session of their opening CSA 4-Day Series match at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday.
At tea, with their total on 234 for four chasing a target of 381, Province seemed to have a chance of an unlikely victory with captain Kyle Verreynne and Juan James involved in an unbroken partnership of 75 and the home team needing a further 147 to win.
After the break, however, the Lions came back with renewed force as they took the final six wickets for just 40 runs. The principal mover for the visitors was left-arm spinner Fortuin who took four of his five wickets, including both Verreynne for 68 (113 balls, 9x4s) and James for 38.
Fortuin also accounted for the first-innings century-maker, Kyle Simmonds, caught behind by wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton – his fourth catch of the innings – for just seven runs. It was Fortuin’s sixth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as he finished up with 5/86 off 30 overs.
Mulder, who claimed the first three wickets in the innings, including the crucial one of David Bedingham for 60 (89 balls, 10x4s), then returned to complete the win by bowling tailender Nandre Burger and earn himself the excellent analysis of 12.3-3-35-4.
This was a match that the Lions bossed from the start, compiling 402 in their first innings thanks to a superb 170 from player of the match Mitchell van Buuren after the Lions had stuttered to 97 for four and 149 for five.
Despite a fine century from Symonds, Province conceded a first-innings deficit of 131 and were always on the back foot thereafter.
For the Lions, there were fine all-round performances from Rickelton, Mulder and Fortuin, while paceman Duanne Olivier claimed a five-wicket haul in the Western Province first innings.
WESTERN PROVINCE: Beuran Hendricks, Dane Paterson, David Bedingham, Edward Moore, Juan James, Kyle Simmonds, Kyle Verreynne (capt, wk), Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Valentine Kitime
DP WORLD LIONS: Joshua Richards, Dominic Hendricks, Zubayr Hamza, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Mitchell van Buuren, Wandile Makwetu,