The Dafabet Warriors crushed the Hollywoodbets Dolphins by 126 runs and a bonus point to boot in their opening CSA Provincial 1-Day Challenge match at Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday.
The Warriors, who won the toss and batted first, compiled a formidable 343-2 in their 50 overs on a good batting track, thanks to a superb unbeaten 148 from player-of-the-match Jordan Hermann and sparkling half-centuries from Matthew Breetzke and Beyers Swanepoel.
In response, the Dolphins slumped to 217 all out in 40.2 overs.
The Dolphins didn’t make life easy for themselves by dropping six catches, including Hermann five times.
The home team began their run chase well, with Jon Jon Smuts striking 58 in 46 balls, including six fours and three sixes.
But any ray of hope disappeared when Smuts cue-ended a delivery from Swanepoel straight back to the bowler with the total on 98-1 in the 19th over.
After that it was a something of a procession with Andile Mogokane the destroyer in chief, claiming 4-25 in 5.5 overs.
That statistic – bowling one delivery short of the six overs – came about because Swanepoel had to be taken off after delivering two beamers, requiring Mogokane to finish the five remaining deliveries of his sixth over.
Romashan Pillay played nicely (32 in 43 balls) to help Smuts add 61 for the second wicket after Sarel Erwee was caught at mid-off for 11.
Thereafter the middle-order crumbled, although there was some resistance down the order with Andile Simelane (28), Prenelan Subrayen (25) and Marques Ackerman (22*) – coming in at No 10 after suffering a pulled hamstring during the Warriors’ innings – adding some pleasantly attractive but ultimately academic runs.
WARRIORS TRIO ON FIRE
Earlier, Hermann struck his second List A century to power the Warriors to their formidable total.
The left-hander’s innings was superbly structured.
He began slowly with he and Diego Rosier compiling only 38 at the end of the first 10-over power play.
Rosier was out in the 19th over, clipping Simelane straight to Jon Jon Smuts on the square leg boundary. His 32 came in 56 balls.
But, having built a solid foundation of 77 for the first wicket, the Warriors gradually upped the ante, firstly due to an aggressive 62 in 58 balls (3x4s, 3x6s) by Breetzke and then a whirlwind finish of 105 runs in the last 10 overs.
After the dismissal of Rosier, Hermann featured in two century partnerships, the first of 116 in 109 balls with Breetzke.
That liaison was positively pedestrian by comparison with the second of 150 in just 89 balls with a rampant Beyers Swanepoel (73 not out in 43 balls).
Hermann finished unbeaten on 148 in 145 balls, including 14 fours and four sixes, while Swanepoel blitzed six fours and five sixes in his innings.
DOLPHINS DROP THE BALL
To say that the Dolphins had a poor day in the field would be to put it mildly.
Hermann alone was dropped five times, the first time when he had scored just five runs.
Subrayen dropped him three times with Eathan Bosch and Okuhle Cele failing to cling on to caught and bowled chances.
As if that was not enough, skipper Ackerman – in vain pursuit of a skier – pulled up sharply in the 37th over after tweaking a hamstring.
He was forced to leave the field and only returned at the end of the Dolphins’ innings when the result was already assured.
The Dolphins’ bowlers will not want to review their stats at any length.
But paceman Bosch began well, particularly in the first power play with his first five overs going for 12 runs while Simelane also began well, grabbing the scalp of Rosier in his second over.
HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS: Sarel Erwee, Tshepang Dithole (wk), Marques Ackerman (capt), Bryce Parsons, Romashan Pillay, Khaya Zondo, Jon Jon Smuts, Andile Simelane, Prenelan Subrayen, Eathan Bosch, Okuhle Cele
DAFABET WARRIORS: Jordan Hermann, Diego Rosier, Matthew Breetzke, Jean du Plessis (wk), Sinethemba Qeshile, Senuran Muthusamy (capt), Andile Mogokane, Beyers Swanepoel, CJ King, Jason Raubenheimer, Junaid Dawood