Delano Potgieter rescued the DP World Lions from 85-5 to a testing total of 242-7 which was more than good enough to earn the visitors a comfortable 34-run victory in their final CSA One-Day Cup group match against Goldrush Boland at Boland Park in Paarl on Saturday.
Boland’s attempt to crawl their way to victory on a pitch even slower and more awkward than usual was underpinned by Gavin Kaplan’s 72 from 100 balls (5x4) but when he was trapped lbw by Lions captain Bjorn Fortuin the home side were floundering before being dismissed for 208 in 48.4 overs.
Jhedli van Briesies delivered a similarly somnambulant 55 from 89 balls after opener Blayde Capell had attempted to lay a platform with 21 from 44 balls but the home side sunk slowly but surely into the quicksand of their home conditions. Slow sand would be more accurate.
Reeza Hendricks claimed 3-33 in five overs of his extremely occasional off-spin while Fortuin finished with 2-44 from his 10 overs and legspinner Nqaba Peter a highly creditable 10-0-27-2.
Allrounder Potgieter, renown for his lower order rescue acts, made a top score of 91 from 78 balls and dominated a sixth wicket partnership of 78 with Richard Seletswane who contributed 28 from 56 balls.
An invaluable knock for a BIG cause!👏
— DP World Lions (@DPWorldLions) March 21, 2026
Delano Potgieter stepped up and delivered when it mattered most, with a gritty 91* for our DP World Lions🏏💥#DPWorldLionsCricket#LegacyOfChampions#DPWorldLions26#ThePrideOfJozi#1DayCup pic.twitter.com/MOAld3REZ8
The top order perished to the left-arm spin of 26-year-old Yves Kamanzi (10-1-38-4) who gained appreciable turn on a dry, used pitch which was slower and even more awkward for batting than usual at the venue.
Opener Joshua Richards laboured to 14 from 35 balls before pulling Glenton Stuurman (10-3-48-1) to deep midwicket and Reeza Hendricks (27 off 49) bottom-edged a pull against left arm seamer Akhona Mnyaka (2-63) onto his stumps.
Zubayr Hamza (31) mistimed a pull against Kamanzi straight to midwicket, Temba Bavuma (0) defensively edged his fourth ball to ‘keeper Clyde Reeves-Fortuin and Mitchell van Buuren (8) edged a wide drive against Kamanzi to Gavin Kaplan at slip giving Kamanzi his third wicket.
Seletswane (28 off 56) sliced a drive to deep cover gifting Kamanzi his fourth wicket in the 41st over and Beyers Swanepoel (4) was bowled by a delivery from Mnyaka which kept low, as many did, and the innings crashed again to 168-7.
Potgieter struck just four fours and three sixes but rotated the strike and ran hard reaching 50 from 54 balls to keep the Lions innings alive until it was transformed in the final three overs with Stuurman leaking 19 runs from the 48th and Lions captain Fortuin smashing four fours in his unbeaten 30 from 25 deliveries.
The visitors are now guaranteed direct passage into the final, consigning the Dafabet Warriors to play in the Qualifier against the third placed team, yet to be determined.
BOLAND: Grant Roelofsen, Blayde Capell, Gavin Kaplan, Clyde Reeves-Fortuin (captain/wkt), Jhedli van Briesies, Nathan Jacobs, Imraan Manack, Jevano Baron, Glenton Stuurman, Yves Kamanzi, Akhona Mnyaka
LIONS: Reeza Hendricks, Joshua Richards, Zubayr Hamza, Temba Bavuma, Mitchell van Buuren (wkt), Delano Potgieter, Richard Seletswane, Beyers Swanepoel, Bjorn Fortuin (captain), Codi Yusuf, Nqaba Peter