Knights rebuild after losing early wickets

Dian Forrester and Isaac Dikgale did a great rebuilding job as they shepherded the Knights to a score of 74/2 at lunch on day one of their CSA 4-Day Challenge match against Goldrush Boland at Boland Park on Thursday.

The Knights won the toss and elected to bat first.

At the break, Forrester was on 29 off 62, while Dikgale was on 23 off 78. Their third-wicket partnership had added 44 runs to the total.

The Knights were in a spot of bother when Forrester walked out to join Dikgale in the middle in the 12th over. They needed someone who could hold firm and consolidate with Dikgale after losing early wickets.

Forrester scored an outstanding 87 against Limpopo Impalas in his last first-class match last season. The 24-year-old enjoyed a fruitful debut season, scoring two centuries and three half-tons in 11 innings. Despite a couple of edges, he showed that he has the mettle to face Division One bowlers by skillfully shepherding the visitors to lunch without further damage. His partner, Dikgale, played a watchful and chanceless innings.

Earlier in the day, Keith Dudgeon and Aya Gqamane made the best use of the morning conditions on day one. Dudgeon, a recent signing from the relegated Tuskers, showed why the Western Cape side lured him to Paarl when he took the new ball. At lunch, the seamer had conceded only 11 runs in eight overs, four of which were maidens.

Dudgeon's persistence earned him the home side with their first wicket. The bulk of the 28-year-old's deliveries were along the fourth-stump line, shaping the bowl into the right-hander. His adherence to that plan of attack reaped results when he drew the Knights' captain, Lesego Senokwane, into playing the shot, only for him to edge the ball to Aviwe Mgijima at second slip.

Mgijima was called into action again 3.5 overs later when Aya Gqamane hit a good length on the line outside off-stump. Garnett Tarr was lured into a drive. However, instead of middling the ball, the 24-year-old edged it to second slip for Mgijima to take a comfortable catch.

Unlike Dudgeon, Gqamane conceded a few more runs. At lunch, he had conceded 23 runs in six overs.

BOLAND: Clyde Fortuin (capt), Grant Roelofsen, Pieter Malan, Gavin Kaplan, Aviwe Mgijima, Nathan Engelbrecht (wk), Shaun von Berg, Keith Dudgeon, Aya Gqamane, Glenton Stuurman, Siya Mahima.

KNIGHTS:  Isaac Dikgale, Lesego Senokwane (capt), Garnett Tarr, Dian Forrester, Patrick Botha, Gihahn Cloete (wk), Ruan Cronje, Aaron Phangiso, Malusi Siboto, Johannes van Dyk, Sithembile Langa.