KABER RESTRICTS EASTERN STORM
Thomas Kaber's 10th five-wicket haul helped Eastern Cape Iinyathi to restrict Eastern Storm to a score of 231 all out in their first innings. The teams met at Buffalo Park, East London, in their CSA 4-Day Challenge match.
Eastern Cape Iinyathi put up a first innings score of 336 and have a 105-run over Eastern Storm with nine wickets in hand.
On the morning of day two, Joshua Dodd managed to add a mere four runs to his overnight tally of 19 runs before he was trapped lbw by Amaan Khan.
Following Dodd's dismissal, Mncedisi Malika and Jade de Klerk mounted a strong lower-order resistance against the Eastern Storm bowlers.
In their resistance, Malika was the first one to reach a half-century. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper needed 101 deliveries to register his seventh first class half-century.
A short while later, Jade de Klerk was also raising his bat to celebrate his third first class half-century. De Klerk needed just under 100 deliveries. A few balls later, De Klerk passed his previous first class high score of 53 runs.
Barely two overs after the celebrations and applause, the Malika-de Klerk partnership, which was now worth 101 runs, was broken by Tumelo Simelane when he bowled Malika for a well-played 52 from 106 balls.
One wicket turned into two when De Klerk followed his erstwhile partner back to the pavilion two deliveries later. De Klerk was dismissed by Mykyle Pillay for 55 from 102 balls.
Phaphama Fojela was the last Eastern Cape Iinyathi wicket to fall. Fojela was dismissed for a single run that came off seven balls. Eastern Cape Iinyathi were bowled out for 336.
Amaan Khan was Eastern Storm's most successful bowler with two wickets from 19 overs. Khan bowled five maiden overs and conceded 12 extras. Divan Posthumus, Shane Dadswell and Mykyle Pillay also took two wickets each, but they had higher economy rates.
TROUBLED WATERS
Eastern Storm's innings ran into troubled waters as early as the sixth over when Mark Pearse was dismissed by Sinovuyo Ntuntwana for 13 runs.
Eastern Storm's problems were doubled when Ntuntwana doubled his wicket-haul 5.5 overs later to leave the visitors struggling on 32 for two wickets. Aron Visser was trapped lbw by Ntuntwana for two runs from 18 deliveries.
Wesley Coulentianos, who lost two partners in quick succession early into Eastern Storm's innings, faced 87 deliveries to reach his 26th first class half-century.
Unfortunately for Eastern Storm, Coulentianos was unable to add to his tally. The left-handed batter, who had been part of an 82-run partnership with Kabelo Sekhukhune, was dismissed for 50 from 94.
Shane Dadswell was on Coulentianos' heels 2.1 overs later. The 25-year-old had barely marked his guard when he was dismissed, trapped lbw, by Thomas Kaber for five runs from four deliveries.
Sekhukhune brought up his seventh first class half-century moments after Mangaliso Mosehle had joined him at the crease.
The wicketkeeper had faced only five deliveries when Sekhukhune reached the milestone. But, Mosehle's stay at the crease was a brief one. The 32-year-old former Proteas player was dismissed after scoring 12 runs from 11 deliveries.
Sekhukhune and the next batter in, Divan Posthumus, shared a 34-run partnership that lasted 8.3 overs before it was broken by the dismissal of Posthumus by Thomas Kaber.
Posthumus had contributed 19 runs to the partnership. Mykyle Pillay joined Sekhukhune at the crease and they put together a brief 22-run partnership. The partnership was broken by Kaber.
Kaber picked up his sixth wicket when he dismissed Amaan Khan for 12 from 14. When Khan was dismissed Sekhukhune was on 90 and the 25-year-old was in danger of running out of partners before he reached his second first class century.
Three balls later Tumelo Simelane was run out by Nonelela Yikha for a four-ball duck. Jade de Klerk made it two wickets in two balls when Nico van Zyl for a first-ball duck.
Thomas Kaber was Eastern Cape Iinyathi's most successful bowler with six wickets from 21 overs. Kaber conceded 79 runs.
Jerome Bossr's woeful run from the first innings spilt over into the second innings. The opener was dismissed in the second over of Eastern Cape Iinyathi's second innings for a four-ball duck. The dismissal of Bossr also signalled the close of play on day two.
Amaan Khan took Eastern Storm's solitary wicket. Khan bowled four balls in his first over and will finish off the over on the morning of day three.
CAPELL TON INSPIRES BADGERS
Blayde Capell's sensational century inspired the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers to a score of 348 for five at stumps on the second day of their CSA 4-Day Challenge match against Limpopo Impalas at Recreation Ground, Oudtshoorn, on Friday. The Badgers lead the Limpopo Impalas, who were bowled out for 274, by 74 runs with five wickets in hand.
Capell's 126 runs, which featured 15 fours and a single six, came off 225 deliveries.
On the morning of day two, Blayde Capell picked up from where he left on day one. The Garden Route Badgers opener breezed past the first hour with little difficulty and soon raised his bat to celebrate his sixth first class half-century.
Capell and his overnight partner Jhedli van Briesies put together an impressive 102-run partnership that saw the Badgers through to lunch without loss of wickets.
Their second-wicket partnership was broken by Ntoko Mahlaba early in the afternoon session. Van Briesies had scored 40 runs from 116 balls.
The early loss of a partner did not affect Capell much. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper kept his head down and purposefully chipped away at the Impalas' first innings total.
In the 61st over, Capell hit his first six of the day to bring up his second first class century. Capell's 105 came off 188 deliveries.
An over after he celebrated his century, Capell lost another partner when Andre Malan was dismissed by Thomas Hobson for 33. The pair had put together a 63-run partnership.
Blayde Capell's impressive knock finally came to an end in the 74th over, after a 35-run fourth-wicket partnership with Onke Nyaku.
The Badgers' score was on double Nelson when Capell was dismissed for 126 runs off 225 deliveries by Ntoko Mahlaba.
The Badgers levelled the scores after 86.2 overs, they were on 274 for the loss of four wickets. The home team was going at the same strike rate as the Impalas who were bowled out for 274 after 86.3 overs. The Badgers had simply lost fewer wickets.
Hanno Kotze was the next Badgers batter to make the long walk back to the pavilion when he was dismissed after 86.5 overs.
By then, the Badgers had a one-run lead over the Impalas. Kotze was bowled by Sithembile Langa for a brisk 37 off 40 balls.
Onke Nyaku and Sean Whitehead contributed 73 runs to the total as they shepherded the Badgers to stumps without further damage. During the course of their partnership, Nyaku recorded his seventh first class half-century.
At stumps, Onke Nyaku was unbeaten on 65 from 148, while Whitehead was on 34 from 64.
Sithembile Langa was Limpopo Impalas' most successful bowler with two wickets from 22 overs. Langa bowled six maiden overs and conceded 50 runs. Ntoko Mahlaba also bagged two wickets, but he conceded 109 runs in his 24 overs.
RIDGAARD LEADS TUSKERS' CHARGE
Dilivio Ridgaard scored a handy half-century to help the AET Tuskers reach 228 in their first innings as they battle against Northern Cape Heat in their CSA 4-Day Challenge encounter played at Pietermaritzburg Oval on Friday. In their reply, Northern Cape Heat was on 15 runs without loss at stumps. Northern Cape Heat trail the Tuskers by 213 runs with 10 wickets in hand.
The two teams had a belated start to their encounter after rain prevented play on day one.
Tuskers won the toss and chose to bat first.
Tuskers' opening pair of Dilivio Ridgaard and Thamsanqa Kumalo gave the KZN side a solid start.
The duo shepherded Tuskers through the first half-hour of play without loss of wickets. Ridgaard and Kumalo needed 23 overs to bring up the home team's 50 runs. They also had a lot of help from the Northern Cape Heat bowlers who conceded 15 extras in that period.
The Impalas reined in their wayward bowling and conceded fewer extras as the match progressed. One thing the Impalas struggled with was the Ridgaard-Kumalo first-wicket partnership.
The visitors finally got a breakthrough in the 37th over when Ernest Kemm dismissed Kumalo after the 23-year-old left-hander had contributed 44 runs to Tuskers' 95-run opening partnership.
Kemm took another important wicket 3.5 overs later when he dismissed Michael Erlank for only four runs.
Despite the mini-collapse, Dilivio Ridgaard patiently marched to his fourth first class half-century. Ridgaard's half-century came off about 150 deliveries.
Tian Koekemoer, who had an impressive early round of matches this season, was unable to kick on after a patient start.
The 28-year-old departed from the crease after scoring 14 runs from 45 deliveries.
Almost six overs after Koekemoer's dismissal, the Tuskers lost their mainstay, Ridgaard. The opener's patient 200-ball innings that yielded 73 runs was brought to a halt by Andrew Rasemene.
Tuskers' innings continued in lurches. 6.1 overs later the KZN team lost experienced campaigner Malcolm Nofal when the 31-year-old left-handed allrounder was trapped lbw by Andrew Rasemene for 14 runs.
Nofal had barely settled down in the dressing room when Gareth Dukes was dismissed, lbw, by Ernest Kemm.
Tuskers lost their seventh wicket before they reached the 200-run mark. The next batter to go was Andile Mogakane in the 73rd over. The 22-year-old became Kemm's fourth wicket of the day.
Tuskers' freefall continued unabated. Alindile Mhletywa had contributed only four runs to the total when he was dismissed by Tshepo Ntuli in the next over. 10 overs after Mhletywa's dismissal, Johan van Dyk made light work of the two remaining wickets. Van Dyk dismissed Keith Dudgeon and Stefan Tait in a space of four deliveries. The Tuskers were bowled out for 228.
Ernest Kemm was Northern Cape Heat's best bowler of the innings. The left-arm spinner took four wickets for 55 runs in 19 overs. Johan van Dyk was the next bowler with three wickets from nine overs.
Victor Mahlangu and his opening partner Ernest Kemm faced 4.5 overs as they shepherded Northern Cape Heat to stumps without losing a wicket.
At stumps, Mahlangu was on five runs from 17 deliveries, while Kemm was unbeaten on eight runs from 12 balls.
Keith Dudgeon and Stefan Tait were the only bowlers the Tuskers used. Dudgeon bowled 2.5 overs and conceded nine runs, while Tait bowled two overs, one of them a maiden over, and conceded five runs.